Tag: Judge

11.e. “The prince and the judge ask for a bribe, and the great man utters the evil desire of his soul; thus they weave it together.”

Micah 7:1  Woe is me! For I have become as when the summer fruit has been gathered, as when the grapes have been gleaned: there is no cluster to eat, no first-ripe fig that my soul desires. The godly has perished from the earth, and there is no one upright among mankind; they all lie in wait for blood, and each hunts the other with a net. Their hands are on what is evil, to do it well; the prince and the judge ask for a bribe, and the great man utters the evil desire of his soul; thus they weave it together. The best of them is like a brier, the most upright of them a thorn hedge. The day of your watchmen, of your punishment, has come; now their confusion is at hand. Put no trust in a neighbor; have no confidence in a friend; guard the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your arms; for the son treats the father with contempt, the daughter rises up against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own house. But as for me, I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.

Psalms 12:1    Save, O LORD, for the godly one is gone; for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man.

Psalms 14:1-3    The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is none who does good.  The LORD looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God.  They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.

Romans 3:10-18     as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one;  no one understands; no one seeks for God.  All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”  “Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.”  “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”  “Their feet are swift to shed blood;  in their paths are ruin and misery,  and the way of peace they have not known.”  “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

We look at the times we are in and have to wonder what it will be like in the future when those who love Jesus Christ are gone.  It will be a time when the anger and wrath of God are not withheld.  It will be a time of punishment and a time of confusion.  It will be a time when trust is no longer a virtue.  We want to trust words that people speak and write.  We want to believe they are speaking the truth.  Even now we find it hard to believe anything that is reported.  News has become a political tool for the narratives the various media outlets determine to be important.  There is little news that is not tainted with bias or lies.  There is, however, a mountain of confusion from our elected officials and media outlets.  There are lies and more lies. They utter evil desires of their heart and it is weaved together through their intents.  The best of them is like a thorn.  They have turned aside and together they have become corrupt.  They are full of bitterness. The way of peace they have not known.  There is no fear of God before their eyes.  Ruin and misery follow them.

This is the world we live in but is not our home.  We have our eyes on our Savior, Redeemer, and  Son of God, Jesus Christ.  We can see the lies, bias, and half-truths.  We understand the way of the world and it should draw us closer to Jesus Christ.  Our hope is built on Him and not the things of this world.  I wonder if the best thing we could do right now is to turn off all news and social media outlets for 10 days.  I am certain our lives would not be as helpless or hopeless as they try to convince us it is.

11.a. “And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth.”

Micah 5:1  Now muster your troops, O daughter of troops; siege is laid against us; with a rod they strike the judge of Israel on the cheek. But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel,whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days. Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has given birth; then the rest of his brothers shall return to the people of Israel. And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth. And he shall be their peace.

John 7:42    Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?”

Matthew 2:6   “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

Luke 2:4-7    And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David,  to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.  And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth.  And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

1 Corinthians 1:27-28    But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;  God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are,

Matthew 2:1  Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship. When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet.

From Micah, we read of the importance that was to come from Bethlehem.  This prophecy from Micah was quoted in Mathew chapter 2 by the chief priests and scribes. They knew the Messiah would come from Bethlehem.  They quoted the verse to Herod when asked: “where the Christ was to be born”.  Do you ever wonder what it was that kept them from acknowledging Jesus Christ? Do you ever wonder what it was that kept them from believing in the miracles, healings, and His death and resurrection?  These were people who knew scripture and believed in the one true God.   And yet, they failed to see the redeemer and savior Son of God.  Their lives had the appearance of piety.  They proclaimed to know the way too honoring and pleasing God. What was it that kept them deaf and blinded to the Son of God?   The fact of the matter is that they trusted more in what they were doing than what Christ did.  They trusted in their works as a means of being made right before God.  Their hearts, minds, and souls were not surrendered to Jesus Christ but rather given to self-reliance and pride.  We aren’t so much different.  We trust in self, and much more so when things are going smooth and well in our lives.  We lean on our own understanding and make provision in our minds why we are right before God.  Our eyes are blind to how far we have followed after things of this world.  Our ears are deaf to the Word of God because we choose to live apart from it and allowing it to speak into our hearts.  Our hearts, minds, and souls, must be totally surrendered in humble submission before Jesus Christ.  It is then we will begin to see that the things of this world are distracting us away from a fruit-filled life of honoring, glorifying, following, obeying, and relying on Jesus Christ.

10.y. “But we will walk in the name of the Lord our God forever and ever.”

Mica 4:1   It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and it shall be lifted up above the hills; and peoples shall flow to it, and many nations shall come, and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between many peoples, and shall decide disputes for strong nations far away; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore; but they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid, for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken. For all the peoples walk each in the name of its god, but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God forever and ever.

There is a time coming when all the foolishness, greed, power hunger, lies, and rejection of Jesus Christ will be no more.  Can you imagine what it will be like without murder, thievery, arrogance, disobedience, self-centeredness, and pride? People will choose to be living under the divine rule and authority of Jesus Christ. It is hard to imagine right now with all this stuff so rampant in our world today.  But a time is coming when this will be in the past and what we have been longing for and waiting for will be the reality.  When times are trying and the world is seemingly in chaos it is hard to think beyond this but this is actually what we are to keep in our hearts, minds, and souls.  This is why we have reason to live.  Our Savior is coming back.  He will cast away all those who have rejected salvation and will call His own to be with Him forevermore.  Some will say this belief is a weakness but to those of us who have awakened to sin, repentance, salvation, and forgiveness it is the power of not only life but eternal life.  We are certain as the sun rising and setting that Jesus Christ will return and set things right on earth.  Keep your eyes on the hope set before us and wait patiently looking for His return.

6.w. Surely there is a God who judges on earth.

Revelation 6:9   When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.

Deuteronomy 32:43    “Rejoice with him, O heavens; bow down to him, all gods, for he avenges the blood of his children and takes vengeance on his adversaries. He repays those who hate him and cleanses his people’s land.”

Psalms 58:11   Mankind will say, “Surely there is a reward for the righteous; surely there is a God who judges on earth.”

When the 5th seal is opened John sees these martyrs and hears their cry “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”  These have been martyred for witnessing and living for Jesus Christ. These are those who believed in and proclaimed the gospel after the removal (rapture) of believers prior to the opening of the seals.  Standing firm to the end is not a way to be saved but the evidence that a person is really committed to Jesus. Persistence is not a means to earn salvation; it is the by-product of a truly devoted life. Times and trials serve to sift true Christians from false or fair-weather Christians. When you are pressured to give up and turn your back on Christ, don’t do it. Remember the benefits of standing firm, and continue to live for Christ.

Remember these martyrs have been told to wait until the full number of those who will be killed for their belief in Jesus Christ is complete.  When I give just a small amount of thought to this I am ashamed for what I think is a trial in my life.  I am ashamed of the times I think the trials I face are “BIG” for the trials I have faced surely have not ended in death for believing in Jesus Christ – the ultimate test of faith.

2. “What you are doing is not good.”

Exodus 18:13    The next day Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood around Moses from morning till evening. When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, “What is this that you are doing for the people? Why do you sit alone, and all the people stand around you from morning till evening?” And Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God; when they have a dispute, they come to me and I decide between one person and another, and I make them know the statutes of God and his laws.” Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “What you are doing is not good. You and the people with you will certainly wear yourselves out, for the thing is too heavy for you. You are not able to do it alone. Now obey my voice; I will give you advice, and God be with you! You shall represent the people before God and bring their cases to God, and you shall warn them about the statutes and the laws, and make them know the way in which they must walk and what they must do. Moreover, look for able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. And let them judge the people at all times. Every great matter they shall bring to you, but any small matter they shall decide themselves. So it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you. If you do this, God will direct you, you will be able to endure, and all this people also will go to their place in peace.”

So Moses listened to the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said. Moses chose able men out of all Israel and made them heads over the people, chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. And they judged the people at all times. Any hard case they brought to Moses, but any small matter they decided themselves.

Time is a big consumer.  It can consume our lives for good things.  Note Moses gave time for a good thing – “settling disputes” and he “made known the statutes and laws of God”. These are good things to be doing but not all alone.  There are others to help.   How we spend time on good things is a choice.   It is always a balancing act and there does not seem to be an answer unless we look at it from the perspective of “What are God’s plans and purpose for us”.

If good things of this life pull you from living fully for God or give you excuse to not engage fully for Him, those good things may not be good for you.

There must be a balance.  How does one balance God, work, family?  Is it possible?  Yes, it is.  Placing God first in all you do puts life this side of eternity into perspective.  With God first, we find certain good things in this life are just not as good as others.  With God first and His word in our heart, we can learn to say NO to good things of this world and more YES to the one to come.  Placing God first will lead you down paths of wisdom in determining what is meaningful good things and what is not.

All I can tell you is that when God is your desire good things of this world do not give satisfaction to your soul like the good things He leads you to do.

After that comes judgment

“ because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world”

Genesis 50:19    But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God?

Deuteronomy 32:35     Vengeance is mine, and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and their doom comes swiftly.’

Romans 12:19    Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”

Job 34:19-29     who shows no partiality to princes, nor regards the rich more than the poor, for they are all the work of his hands?  In a moment they die; at midnight the people are shaken and pass away, and the mighty are taken away by no human hand.  “For his eyes are on the ways of a man, and he sees all his steps.  There is no gloom or deep darkness where evildoers may hide themselves.  For God has no need to consider a man further, that he should go before God in judgment.  He shatters the mighty without investigation and sets others in their place.  Thus, knowing their works, he overturns them in the night, and they are crushed.  He strikes them for their wickedness in a place for all to see,  because they turned aside from following him and had no regard for any of his ways,  so that they caused the cry of the poor to come to him, and he heard the cry of the afflicted—  When he is quiet, who can condemn? When he hides his face, who can behold him, whether it be a nation or a man?—

Hebrews 10:30     For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.”

Hebrews 9:27  And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,

Ecclesiastes 11:9     Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes. But know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment.

Acts 17:31    because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”

2 Corinthians 5:10    For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.

Matthew 25:31-41    “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.  Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.  And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left.  Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.  “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

The easiest way to get through life without out worry of judgement from God is to deny God exists.  To do this one must look at all of creation and believe it happened by chance.  They must deny the complexity of the vast galaxies down to a single atom.  They must deny Jesus Christ existed and that His purpose on earth was to redeem mankind.  They must deny the love of God.  They must deny existence of angels and demons.  They must deny the written word of God and that it was given to mankind through men inspired and led by God.  The denial of God has eternal consequences.

Denial of God can take on many subtle forms.  Neglecting His word.  Not being intentional in living for Him.  Not seeking to be led by Him. Not desiring Him.  Not listening to Him.  Not placing Him first in all your thoughts, words, and actions.  Not allowing or acting on the conviction of the Holy Spirit to walk blameless before Him.

How can we humbly serve, honor, glorify, follow and obey God if our walk with Him is shallow, self centered, and with our eyes focused on what this world has to offer?  How can we grow in our walk with Him when we think we are good enough as we are and in need of no change or understanding of what it means to walk with and humbly serve God?

Judgement is coming, but it is not for the judgement of God we seek to do right and good, but rather because of who God is and His love for us.  Some children grow up with the fear of punishment from their parents and this keeps them from doing wrong.  Others fear getting caught and that keeps them from doing wrong.  Others do not do wrong so as not to disappoint their parents.  Yet these are all self serving reasons.  Oh how great the child who not only seeks not to do wrong but chooses to do good to bring honor their parents.

Commit to living intentionally to bring honor and glory to God rather than advert judgement.

Do not be double-minded and unstable

Psalms 119:81   My soul longs for your salvation; I hope in your word.  My eyes long for your promise; I ask, “When will you comfort me?”  For I have become like a wineskin in the smoke, yet I have not forgotten your statutes.  How long must your servant endure? When will you judge those who persecute me?  The insolent have dug pitfalls for me; they do not live according to your law.  All your commandments are sure; they persecute me with falsehood; help me! They have almost made an end of me on earth, but I have not forsaken your precepts.  In your steadfast love give me life, that I may keep the testimonies of your mouth.

Psalms 119:20     My soul is consumed with longing for your rules at all times.

Psalms 119:40     Behold, I long for your precepts; in your righteousness give me life!

Psalms 42:1-2    As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God.  My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?

Psalms 84:2    My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.

Psalms 119:42     then shall I have an answer for him who taunts me, for I trust in your word.

Psalms 119:74    Those who fear you shall see me and rejoice, because I have hoped in your word.

Psalms 119:77     Let your mercy come to me, that I may live; for your law is my delight.

Revelation 3:15-16     “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot!  So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.

Revelation 3:1    “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. “‘I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead.

Matthew 24:12   And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.

Psalms 81:11-13     “But my people did not listen to my voice; Israel would not submit to me.  So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts, to follow their own counsels.  Oh, that my people would listen to me, that Israel would walk in my ways!

Joshua 24:15-24    And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve,

Matthew 6:24     “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.

James 1:8     he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

There are many things that can lead us down a path of being “lukewarm or double-minded”.  Probably the most influential would be being complacent with and neglecting God’s word.

His word is a lamp unto my feet, food to my soul, strength to my heart, encouragement to my mind.  In and through His word is the “Good News” of the gospel of Jesus Christ, our savior.

Determine in and through His word what it means to humbly serve, honor, glorify, follow and obey Him.  Learn of His holiness, grace, mercy, and love.  Learn of His promises.  Learn to hear His quiet whispers of leading.  Learn to trust in, rely on, and cling to Him.

In His presence

Psalms 100   Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!  Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!  Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.  Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!  For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.

Psalms 32:11     Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!

Psalms 66:1   Shout for joy to God, all the earth;

Psalms 66:4     All the earth worships you and sings praises to you; they sing praises to your name.”

Psalms 95:1-2     Oh come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!  Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!

Isaiah 24:14-16     They lift up their voices, they sing for joy; over the majesty of the LORD they shout from the west.  Therefore in the east give glory to the LORD; in the coastlands of the sea, give glory to the name of the LORD, the God of Israel.  From the ends of the earth we hear songs of praise, of glory to the Righteous One.

Zephaniah 3:14     Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem!

Luke 19:37     As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen,

Psalms 67:4     Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth.

Psalms 68:32     O kingdoms of the earth, sing to God; sing praises to the Lord,

God first. God only. God above self.  I read these verses and am reminded of the gene that was deleted in my birth.  I have joyfulness but if I were to sing, it certainly would not be joyful to anyone hearing it.  There were and are those who are gifted with this ability, however it is the heart, mind and sole that burst forth with joyfulness in what God has done, is doing, and will do.  Wise is the man that numbers his days and chooses to joyfully humble, honor, serve, follow and obey.  Our change is on the inside and is reflected on the outside.  Have a joyful day in our Lord and savior.

Earth shall be filled

“the whole earth is full of his glory!”

Psalms 97:6  The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all the peoples see his glory.

Psalms 67:4    Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth.

Psalms 98:3    He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

Numbers 14:21  But truly, as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD,

Habakkuk 2:14     For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.

Isaiah 60:2-3     For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you.

We see a mere glimpse of His glory, and yet, being blind to this glimpse of the glory of God comes at a great cost.  In His glory we see His power, strength, might, and   love.  In His glory we understand His promises of being our hope, joy, peace, refuge, and rock. Do not let the false flashes of temporary things of this life blind your eyes to the glory of our Lord each day being manifested in and through His creation.