Isaiah 33:21-24 NLT
“21 The Lord will be our Mighty One.
He will be like a wide river of protection
that no enemy can cross,
that no enemy ship can sail upon.
22 For the Lord is our judge,
our lawgiver, and our king.
He will care for us and save us.
23 The enemies’ sails hang loose
on broken masts with useless tackle.
Their treasure will be divided by the people of God.
Even the lame will take their share!
24 The people of Israel will no longer say,
“We are sick and helpless,”
for the Lord will forgive their sins.”
Verse 22 in our reading today declares that ” … the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; it is he who will save us”. This description of three of God’s attributes is one that will either delight or dismay people on earth. But at the thought of laws and judges, the sin within us rises, and rebellious thoughts against anything or anyone that would restrict our “freedom” emerge, out of fear that they will bring a quality of life more restrictive than we want. All human beings face undesired or unlikeable restrictions and laws, at one time or another, and politicians or policemen are resented, especially when they pass or apply unpopular and restrictive laws. But the law is the law, and we have to abide by it for the good of ourselves and our societies. On top of that, many believers in God picture Him as a cosmic policeman, wielding a truncheon and waiting for His children to step out of line. Some years ago, I worked in an office with three Muslims, very intelligent and capable software specialists but also very devout in their faith. One of them suggested that Christians and Muslims worship the same God, but there are many differences and, in connection with today’s reading, Allah, the god of Islam, is an unforgiving master and judge, and humans are His servants, providing a stern, uncompromising picture of a god who is remote and unforgiving, and certainly one that fits more with the cosmic policeman imagery. But it is a shame that some Christians think the same of our wonderful God.
But as we pilgrims know, the God we worship is compassionate and loving to the extent He adopted human form through His Trinitarian Son, Jesus, to be with us and show us the way to eternal life, and it is a joy to worship such a Being who ultimately “will save us”. God is, and ultimately will be, the Judge of every human being, past, present and future. But He is nothing like a human judge who sits in a human court, judging the rights or wrongs of a person accused of a crime. Psalm 9:7-8: “But the LORD reigns forever, executing judgment from his throne. He will judge the world with justice and rule the nations with fairness.” This confirms that our righteous Judge is totally and absolutely fair, and no one can ever accuse Him of anything otherwise. No hint of bias or any other human condition could skew a judgment passed down in His Heavenly courts. There is recorded a conversation between Abraham and God, during which the Lord shared what was going to happen with Sodom, and in this exchange, a horrified Abraham said, “Surely you wouldn’t do such a thing, destroying the righteous along with the wicked. Why, you would be treating the righteous and the wicked exactly the same! Surely you wouldn’t do that! Should not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?” (Genesis 18:25). And that is exactly who God is – righteous, always doing “what is right”.
Hebrews 4:13: “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable”. This means that God does not merely judge what we do; He knows why we do it. He confirmed this to Samuel as he selected a new king of Israel to replace the wayward Saul. 1 Samuel 16:7, “But the LORD said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The LORD doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart””. There is perhaps a warning here for us pilgrims: we may think we are putting on a deceptive “face” to hide what is going on in our hearts, but God sees all, and that is really all that matters.
The Bible tells us a Day of Judgment is coming. Paul wrote, “This will take place on the day when God judges people’s secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares” (Romans 2:16). There will be no need for a dossier supporting the indictment against the person in the dock. Jesus will judge every last secret contained within a person’s heart. There is a familiar verse in Revelation 20:12 which reads, “And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books“. Everything that a person does is written down for posterity. There must be a huge library of books accessible from the Great White Throne, each one marked with a person’s name on the spine. But no information about the person will be omitted, and so the righteous Judge, Jesus, will have access to everything about the person, good things and bad things. Thankfully, for us pilgrims, another book will be present: the Book of Life, and within it our names will be written. The wonder of our faith is that while God holds all people accountable, the gospel offers forgiveness and pardon through faith in Jesus, who took the penalty of judgment we deserved upon himself.
So we pilgrims worship a Judge, who is righteous and fair. As we go about our daily business, we tell people about our God of Love, and His Son Jesus, who died in our place as a punishment for our sins. But to the unbeliever, we must always present a balanced view of God, and remember that as well as being a God of love, He is also a God of justice and righteousness. One day all people will be judged “according to what they had done” in this life. None will escape. Jesus said to His disciples, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28). A healthy fear of God must always accompany our appreciation of His love and compassion. To the believer, nothing should make us afraid of our wonderful Heavenly Father, but to the unbeliever, the One on the Great White Throne must be a terrifying prospect.
Dear Heavenly Father. Thank You for Your love and grace, as we stumble through our lives, journeying towards Glory. In Psalm 36, David wrote, “Your unfailing love, O LORD, is as vast as the heavens; your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the ocean depths. You care for people and animals alike, O LORD”. Thank You for Your love, righteousness, justice and care. Amen.
