Proverbs 29: King James Bible
Faithfully Judging – Daily Devotion of Proverbs chapter twenty nine, Verse 14
14 The king that faithfully judgeth the poor, his throne shall be established for ever.
Daily Inspiration from This Verse – Faithfully Judging
Before we start talking about faithfully judging anybody, there is something that we should understand. If anyone has any reservations as to what the Lord thinks of the poor, we should just examine how many times he talks about them.
Without a doubt, the poor and needy have an advocate sitting on the Throne in Heaven, watching and reacting to how they are treated by those who are not so needy. He will avenge, he will repay, he will not tolerate genuine injustices against anyone for long, especially the poor.
As we see above, he is also a rewarder for those who faithfully judge over the poor in whatever fashion. I believe this is something the Father makes clear due to the ease by which crooked, faulty, or clouded, judgement may be used against them.
We’re taught that judges in this country are blind to everything but just plain unbridled justice, and that they don’t make decisions tainted by their own particular biases. That’s all a bunch of garbage. Their political biases, their social biases, their religious biases, are all still in existence when they’re sitting up at the bench.
Not every judge will allow these biases to sway their interpretation of the law, but it doesn’t take long to find those who do. There are those who instead of interpreting the existing laws, reach a bit further out to create laws, or re-defining a law (not their job). Watch the news long enough and you’ll find them.
Nobody is perfect and that includes even the employees of our judicial system, just like any other system we’ve got. There are good and bad working within despite what we’re told to think.
I’m sure there are those who judge matters that will by default grant favor to the rich due to their status, and will by default lean against someone of lesser status. The reasoning (including bribes or the hopes of receiving a gift of some sort when all is said and done) can vary from anything between biases or just any form of wickedness.
Something else that we can find concerning someone skewing justice rather than faithfully judging, are those who go the opposite direction. With either pure intentions or a bias against the rich, they can be more favorable toward the poor and harsher toward the rich.
This is just as wrong, because it is still a matter of perverting justice for the sake of a bias. Who is guilty and who isn’t is the question that needs answering when a judge is weighing out a matter.
Justice is not something that changes with an emotional barometer. It’s black and white with no gray areas. The king who faithfully judges matters above, isn’t necessarily kind to the poor, but fair and even handed.
Everything that I just typed, has to do with judging. On the other hand, none of it had to do with sentencing. That happens after the judgement is made.
We are warned time and time again not to judge anyone in this way as Christians. A judge sitting at the bench can get away with it because it is his job to do so, and he has the authority to do so. He is a judge over man’s law of the land.
That is a far cry from what we tend to think is alright, which is to judge others according to the laws of the Lord. Some even take it further and think that they’ve got the jurisdiction to not only judge, but to level out sentencing against someone.
There is already a Judge over the Word of God, and he isn’t looking for any help in that department. In fact, we’re not qualified to even start to cast judgement, because we don’t have the ability to know what’s necessary to even begin.
The minute that we can examine someone’s heart and weigh it against the Word of the Lord; when we can trace every thought process, every temptation, every detail that caused them to think or feel that led up to a thing; every influence, every lie, every step of every day along with everyone, who shaped that person to be who he or she became to be; every glance, everything entered into all of the senses.
The minute that we can do all of these things, then we may be slightly more qualified to judge and sentence another as the Lord would. But even if we could, it’s still not given to us to do so, and is something that we’re clearly informed not to do.
Related New Testament Scripture
Matthew 7:
1 Judge not, that ye be not judged. 2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
Luke 6:
36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. 37 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: 38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
John 5:
21 For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will. 22 For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: 23 That all men should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.
John 7:
24 Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.
Acts 10:
42 And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead.
Romans 2:
2 Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things. 2 But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things. 3 And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?
Romans 14:
10 But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
1 Corinthians 11:
30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. 31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. 32 But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.
Hebrews 10:
30 For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.
James 4:
11 Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. 12 There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?
Prayer
Father,
Thank you for your Word, and for being our just Judge in all matters pertaining to life. Help us to understand the severity and the precision of your justice. All so that we gain a greater appreciation for Christ Jesus, and all the more understanding toward the lengths you had to go, by sending your only begotten Son to the cross in our stead, paying into himself the punishment for the things that we would have otherwise been found guilty of were it not for him. Thank you Father for such a wonderful, powerful, and great salvation. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ we pray.
Amen
Question
Are you faithfully judging your daily activities, along with your heart as you go?
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- Daily Inspiration from Proverbs 18 P. 251 – Valley of Decision
- Daily Inspiration from Proverbs 28 P. 434 – Absolute Judgment
Thanks Brian…I can not even begin to understand the love that the Father had for us, to allow His Son to be maltreated like that. I think of my own children, and can’t think of anyone worthy to allow my kids to be executed. But that is why He is our merciful Father, providing for us a chance to be redeemed. And thank the Lord Jesus for His sacrifice. No, we are not equipped to judge anyone, only the Lord can do that. All of those nuances you listed, if we were to be able to look that deeply into someone, we have not walked a mile in their shoes; so we shouldn’t even try. And we are awash these days, in crooked judges…that’s obvious! Thankfully, one day, He will judge, and set everything straight. Thanks Brian…stay strong Brother.
Hi George,
Amen Brother. The depths of the Lord’s love are beyond our capacity to even scratch the surface. In my opinion, the only thing ever done that is even in view of the Lord’s willingness to provide for us his Son as a sacrificial lamb, is the resolve of Jesus to stay on that cross. I truly believe that there wasn’t one moment where he couldn’t have uttered a word to be removed from his situation and all of the things that he was going through. The meekness, the love, and the resolve to me is staggering.
“He was hung upon a cross of wood, yet he built the hill on which it stood.”
God bless you Brother, thanks for the comment!