Justice – Page 6 – Praying Pint

Psalm 99

Psalms 99:1 The LORD reigns; let the peoples tremble! He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake! The LORD is great in Zion; he is exalted over all the peoples. Let them praise your great and awesome name! Holy is he! The King in his might loves justice. You have established equity; you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob. Exalt the LORD our God; worship at his footstool! Holy is he! Moses and Aaron were among his priests, Samuel also was among those who called upon his name. They called to the LORD, and he answered them. In the pillar of the cloud he spoke to them; they kept his testimonies and the statute that he gave them. O LORD our God, you answered them; you were a forgiving God to them, but an avenger of their wrongdoings. Exalt the LORD our God, and worship at his holy mountain; for the LORD our God is holy!

Matthew Henry Commentary:

Still we are celebrating the glories of the kingdom of God among men, and are called upon to praise him, as in the foregoing psalms; but those psalms looked forward to the times of the gospel, and prophesied of the graces and comforts of those times; this psalm seems to dwell more upon the Old-Testament dispensation and the manifestation of God’s glory and grace in that. The Jews were not, in expectation of the Messiah’s kingdom and the evangelical worship, to neglect the divine regimen they were then under, and the ordinances that were then given them, but in them to see God reigning, and to worship before him according to the law of Moses. Prophecies of good things to come must not lessen our esteem of good things present.

I like how Matthew ends this commentary with the statement of good things to come and good things present. Sometimes we get overwhelmed with the present and which, somehow, we were ushered into the presence of Jesus, leaving this world behind. Our God reigns and we are not to forget that even in the present and what overwhelms us, we are to turns our eyes to Him alone. He has said to lay our burdens on Him, we are to trust Him.

Most high over all the earth

Psalms 97:1 The LORD reigns, let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad! Clouds and thick darkness are all around him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne. Fire goes before him and burns up his adversaries all around. His lightnings light up the world; the earth sees and trembles. The mountains melt like wax before the LORD, before the Lord of all the earth. The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all the peoples see his glory. All worshipers of images are put to shame, who make their boast in worthless idols; worship him, all you gods! Zion hears and is glad, and the daughters of Judah rejoice, because of your judgments, O LORD. For you, O LORD, are most high over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods. O you who love the LORD, hate evil! He preserves the lives of his saints; he delivers them from the hand of the wicked. Light is sown for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart. Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous, and give thanks to his holy name!

I am not sure of the author but I was intrigued (and convicted once again) by this short conversation and his comments on this Psalm. Why do I grumble at the circumstance I am in? Why do I not trust God in all things? Why do I speak of His power, might, strength and control over all there is and then fall into the trap of not believing it? Forgive me.

When Bulstrode Whitelock was embarked as Cromwell’s envoy to Sweden, in 1653, he was much disturbed in mind, as he rested at Harwich the preceding night, which was very stormy, as he thought upon the distracted state of the nation. It happened that a confidential servant slept in an adjacent bed, who, finding that his master could not sleep, at length said: —

“Pray, sir, will you give me leave to ask you a question?”

“Certainly.”

“Pray, sir, do you think God governed the world very well before you came into it?”

“Undoubtedly.”

“And pray, sir, do you think that He will govern it quite as well when you are gone out of it?”

“Certainly.”

“Then pray, sir, excuse me, but do not you think you may trust him to govern it quite as well as long as you live?”

To this question Whitelock had nothing to reply; but turning about, soon fell fast asleep, till he was summoned to embark. –G.S. Bowes, in “Illustrative Gatherings.” 1862. The reign of the Lord in the saints.

First, This kingdom that God is now setting up is his everlasting kingdom. It will not be administered by the weakness of man, but by the power of God; not by the folly of man, but by the judgment of God. God will, in this kingdom, nakedly manifest his own righteousness, his own compassion and pity; his own love, his own peace: he will do all things immediately by his own self. And therefore all the pride and ambition, all the oppression and tyranny, and miscarriages that have been in the government of men, shall be wholly taken away. Pure righteousness and judgment and equity shall be infallibly dispensed; and infinite power, strength, holiness, goodness, and authority shall shine forth nakedly in the face of God; and that shall be the judge of all men. We shall no longer be abused and oppressed by the will of men, by the lusts of men. The poor people shall no longer groan under the burden of men’s lusts, nor sweat for the pleasure and contents of men; nor their faces any longer be ground by the hardness of the spirit of men; but they shall be under the protection of God. The great cry now of the people is, “Let’s have a King!” Ye shall have one, one that will “reign in righteousness”, the LORD himself.

This is eternal life

“And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you.”

“know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever.”

John 17:1 When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed. “I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me.

John 5:21 For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.

Jeremiah 9:23 Thus says the LORD: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.”

God searches all hearts and knows the thoughts and plans of man. He knows the sinful nature that rules or is trying to rule each of our lives, and yet, He sent His Son to redeem us from this life of destruction. If we seek Him, He will be found. Scripture says: For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. His love for us is demonstrated in the fact that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. While we gave no thought to Him and were only thinking about ourselves He sent Jesus Christ to redeem all who would believe. To believe means to cling to, rely on, and trust in Him alone for forgiveness of our sin. This redeeming act, when believed, results in a new life filled with the Helper (Holy Spirit). His word is given so that we might know Him more and live to honor and glorify Him. Do not neglect His word but rather spend time in it and training yourself to be a workman of God that needs not to live ashamed. Apart from His word we walk in darkness. In His word we walk in light of our Redeemer.

Imitators of God

“For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”

Psalms 85:13 Righteousness will go before him and make his footsteps a way.

Psalms 89:14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.

Isaiah 58:8 Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.

Psalms 119:35 Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it.

John 13:14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.

Ephesians 5:1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

1 John 2:6 whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

Righteousness and Justice are the foundation of the throne of God. Steadfast love and faithfulness shine a light on the path our live should follow. Jesus walked this side of heaven teaching with His word and also as an example of humbly serving, honoring, following, and obeying God the heavenly Father. Paul said we ought to imitators of God, walking in love and setting aside every sin that clings so closely to us. We are to live like this with a heart desire and endurance. In Psalms David requested to be led on a path that followed God’s statues and commands. There is a choice required in our heart, mind and soul to seek and know God. This same choice desires to be led on paths that honor and glorify Him. Each day we have a choice to commit to following Him or be complacent. We have a choice to know Him more and more each day or neglect His word. To be imitators of God and be a light in the darkness, time in His word with desire to humbly serve, honor, follow and obey Him are essential.

They know

“But the LORD of hosts is exalted in justice, and the Holy God shows himself holy in righteousness.”

“the LORD of hosts is his name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth he is called.”

Psalms 83:18 that they may know that you alone, whose name is the LORD, are the Most High over all the earth.

Psalms 9:16 The LORD has made himself known; he has executed judgment; the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands.

1 Kings 18:37 Answer me, O LORD, answer me, that this people may know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.”

2 Kings 19:19 So now, O LORD our God, save us, please, from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, O LORD, are God alone.”

Jeremiah 16:21 “Therefore, behold, I will make them know, this once I will make them know my power and my might, and they shall know that my name is the LORD.”

Ezekiel 30:19 Thus I will execute judgments on Egypt. Then they will know that I am the LORD.”

Ezekiel 38:23 So I will show my greatness and my holiness and make myself known in the eyes of many nations. Then they will know that I am the LORD.

Isaiah 42:8 I am the LORD; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols.

Daniel 4:25 that you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. You shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and you shall be wet with the dew of heaven, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.

“I am the Lord”, “I will make Myself known”, “I will show My greatness and holiness”, “I will execute judgment”, “I will make them know My power and might,” are all actions God has taken to turn the hearts of man from themselves to Him alone. When God is our refuge, strength, and hope we rely on His holiness, greatness, power, might, grace, mercy and love. The safest place of refuge is in Him alone. The safest path to be on is the one on which He is leading you. The strongest you will ever be is when you rely on His strength. The most courageous actions you will ever take are those directed and guided by Him. When we rely on, cling to, and trust in Him we find peace that passes all understanding, strength we did not have, hope beyond our circumstances, light in the darkness, and wisdom beyond our understanding.

Out of Darkness

“And I said: Hear, you heads of Jacob and rulers of the house of Israel! Is it not for you to know justice?”

Psalms 82:4 Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.” They have neither knowledge nor understanding, they walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken.

Psalms 53:3 They have all fallen away; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one. Have those who work evil no knowledge, who eat up my people as they eat bread, and do not call upon God?

Romans 1:28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done

Proverbs 1:29 Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD, would have none of my counsel and despised all my reproof, therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices.

Proverbs 4:19 The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble.

Ecclesiastes 2:14 The wise person has his eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. And yet I perceived that the same event happens to all of them.

1 John 2:11 But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

Proverbs 2:5 then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints. Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path; for wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; discretion will watch over you, understanding will guard you, delivering you from the way of evil, from men of perverted speech, who forsake the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness,

How sad would it be for God to leave a person to their own devices. Imagine God offering a place of refuge, peace, hope, and strength with eternal life upon death. He communicated resurrection to a place that He has created for those who are called by Him. The fact is, all have been called but few listen and take the offer of His gift of life. A void in their heart that at one time was open to know God but over time it became hard and a choice was made to have nothing to do with Him. Choosing to believe the liar of this world rather than the Creator. We never know when a person’s heart, mind and soul have fully hardened to God so our responsibility is to continually speak hope of Christ into their life. Bring a reflection of His light into the darkness that surrounds us. All of us were once lost and without hope, living as though there was no eternal consequences. Someone, being led by God, spoke Christ to us and God softened our heart and opened our ears to hear the need and forgiveness of our sin. Stay in His word, look and listen for opportunities to be used by Him to bring hope to the lost.

Mind set on this world

“Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the LORD understand it completely.”

John 8:43 Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word.

John 8:47 Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.”

Isaiah 44:18 They know not, nor do they discern, for he has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, and their hearts, so that they cannot understand.

Hosea 14:9 Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them; for the ways of the LORD are right, and the upright walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them.

Micah 4:12 But they do not know the thoughts of the LORD; they do not understand his plan,

Isaiah 6:9 And he said, “Go, and say to this people: “‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’

Jeremiah 6:10 To whom shall I speak and give warning, that they may hear? Behold, their ears are uncircumcised, they cannot listen; behold, the word of the LORD is to them an object of scorn; they take no pleasure in it.

Romans 8:7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

1 John 3:10 By this it is evident who are the children of God,

1 John 4:4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

In these scripture we see there are those who hear, listen, and seek God. There are also those who do not. It is important to know that the people who were not listening we God’s chosen, the Israelites. These are the ones who had seen the hand of God first hand or had heard first hand what God had done and what He expected. These were people who either chose to honor, serve, obey and follow God or Not. I fear we take to lightly this life and walk with God. We become complacent and neglect our walk with Him until something in this life overcomes our ability to cope and then we run to Him. This should not be the way our life of service to God is lived out. Give thought to: What does it mean to seek God with your whole heart, mind and soul? What does a life look like that humbly serves, honors, obeys, and follows God? Our walk with and service to God is not to be taken lightly. Spend time in His word. Seek to know and understand Him and His purpose for you.

Judgement is for God

“You judge according to the flesh;”

“Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things.”

John 7:24 Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”

Psalms 82:2 “How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked?

Proverbs 17:15 He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the LORD.

Proverbs 24:23 These also are sayings of the wise. Partiality in judging is not good.

Isaiah 11:3 And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.

James 2:1 My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.

James 2:9 But if you show partiality, you are committing sin

Habakkuk 1:4 So the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; so justice goes forth perverted.

John 3:17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

Judging is an easy trap to fall into. Sometimes we judge by appearance and other times by what we hear. We make assumptions when we do this. If we see a person dressed very nicely we may think they are successful and just the opposite for someone not dressed so well. In fact we may even treat them both differently. The bible has examples of this in the new testament. Jesus was talking about the man who pleaded with God for forgiveness, simple stating forgive me a sinner. Another stood before God and said I am thankful I am not like that person. Another example was with the man who gave money and made sure those around knew how much he gave. This was compared to the old poor woman who gave 2 pennies. In the first example the man asking for forgiveness did so with humble (fear) respect and reliance on God and the other man did so with pride in self. In the second example the old poor woman gave all she had where the rich person gave out of his abundance. It is so easy to judge by appearance and yet it is so wrong. Another example would be of the two who were being crucified along either side of Jesus. Standing back in the crowd one might judge them all as worthless sinners deserving this punishment. Yet one would join Jesus in paradise and the other condemned to hell. When it comes to a mans heart only God truly knows. We do well to treat all mankind with grace, mercy and love proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ, salvation and eternal life.

Darkness to Light

Psalms 82:5 They have neither knowledge nor understanding, they walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken.

Proverbs 1:29 Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD,

Romans 1:28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.

Proverbs 4:19 The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble.

Ecclesiastes 2:14 The wise person has his eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness

John 3:19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.

John 12:35 So Jesus said to them, “The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going.

1 John 2:11 But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

Proverbs 2:6 For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints. Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path; for wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; discretion will watch over you, understanding will guard you, delivering you from the way of evil, from men of perverted speech, who forsake the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness, who rejoice in doing evil and delight in the perverseness of evil, men whose paths are crooked, and who are devious in their ways.

Ecclesiastes 3:16 Moreover, I saw under the sun that in the place of justice, even there was wickedness, and in the place of righteousness, even there was wickedness.

2 Timothy 2:19 But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.”

There is one thing that keeps coming to mind from these scriptures. People without Christ walk in darkness and they have no clue they are. In fact they do not even know what the light is or how it will help or where to find it. We are to be a reflection of this light, able to tell them of the light, and where it can be found. Being a reflection means our way of light ought to be easily recognized as different from the world we live in. The way we talk, react, think, and respond. Our lives should reflect joy, peace, wisdom, understanding, hope, love, generosity, strength, courage, and concern all in the help and name of Jesus Christ. Is it possible, as christians, that we too choose to live in darkness or with the light set to very dim. Are we drifting away to a life of complacency, neglecting our calling to be light unto a lost generation. Do we set our expectations so low for being a follower of Christ that there is no visible differences between us and those lost other than going to church on Sunday? I think we have fallen into and follow a lie. That lie is “it is up to the pastor, preacher to tell the gospel and up to me to go hear him teach and preach” rather than being a reflection of Christ and telling others of His great love, hope, joy, peace ……. Out of the abundance of our heart the mouth will speak. If nothing is coming out and nothing can be seen differently in our lives then we certainly need to look at what is filling our heart. Living to be a humble servant, honoring, following, and obeying God requires us to choose to be in His word with the desire and intent to know Him and how to serve Him and be able to discern His leading each day. Our reflection of the light of Christ will grow brighter and brighter as we choose to be in His word and be used by Him.

Present yourself

“And as for you, if you will walk before me, as David your father walked, with integrity of heart and uprightness, doing according to all that I have commanded you, and keeping my statutes and my rules,”

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.”

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”

Psalms 78:72 With upright heart he shepherded them and guided them with his skillful hand.

Psalms 101:1 I will sing of steadfast love and justice; to you, O LORD, I will make music. I will ponder the way that is blameless. Oh when will you come to me? I will walk with integrity of heart within my house; I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me. A perverse heart shall be far from me; I will know nothing of evil. Whoever slanders his neighbor secretly I will destroy. Whoever has a haughty look and an arrogant heart I will not endure. I will look with favor on the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with me; he who walks in the way that is blameless shall minister to me. No one who practices deceit shall dwell in my house; no one who utters lies shall continue before my eyes. Morning by morning I will destroy all the wicked in the land, cutting off all the evildoers from the city of the LORD.

Isaiah 11:2 And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.

In Psalm 101 David says he will ponder the way that is blameless, he will not set his eyes on anything worthless, and he will hate the work of those who fall away. Why does he want to choose to live this way? Because of the place God has in His heart, mind, and soul. If we choose to live this way we will need to have God’s wisdom, knowledge, discernment, and understanding. To walk with God each day and desire and purpose to humbly serve, honor, follow and obey is not something that comes easy to us. Placing God first in all we do and think takes discipline and commitment. Fighting the sinful nature of self purpose and choosing to replace it with God’s purpose will give meaning, hope, peace, love, joy, strength, power….. this side of eternity.