Righteous Judge
I’m so thankful God is in charge of making the big decisions! I just know how I often I get smaller ones wrong. In particular on my mind today, is the concept of God knowing who deserves rewards versus punishments.
Everyone likes to think about the rewards and very few like to think about the punishments, but I would argue those have to handed out correctly for things to go well. What if there were no judges who fairly handed out even the most straightforward of sentences? Our roads would be even more full of drunk, reckless drivers. Our streets would be filled with known murderers and worse!
We are often quick to think that we know how to best decide what someone else “deserves” and we often think we would be more lenient, and that would be a positive thing.
One example that comes to my mind is that of Uzzah in the Old Testament. How many times have I read the account of his reaching to steady the ark of God, only to die for his efforts (2 Samuel 6) and thought, “Well, that didn’t seem very fair.”
But you see, I was “judging” that with faulty knowledge. I didn’t know the whole story and background. In Numbers 7, Moses distributed oxen and carts to groups of the priests but verse 9 clearly explains why the sons of Kohath did not get wagons. They were charged with “the service of the holy things that had to be carried on the shoulder.”
I didn’t know or remember that. But God did. Just like He knows the story behind every action, every decision, every reward, and every “punishment.” There may be earthly rewards and punishments that don’t seem fair, but the Lord is a righteous judge and He will make no mistakes in the judgment to come. Thank Him for that! Rest in that.
Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing. (2 Timothy 4:8)
Get All Our Articles:
AUTHOR: Amber Tatum
