Justice and Judgment

"To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice" (Prov. 21:3). Okay so just what is "justice and judgment" in the sight of God? That’s easy, it’s for someone to do the right kind of things and feel the right kind of way toward others; and as the scripture says, that is far more important to God than attending a hundred worship services or bible studies, or fasting three days, if it doesn’t gender to that end. The apostle Paul made it clear that if we could have great faith and knowledge, and potent spiritual gifts, and even do what appears to be much good; if it is not motivated by the "love of God that is shed abroad in our hearts by the holy Ghost," we will still be in trouble (Rom. 5:5; I Cor. 13:1-3). When the very religious Pharisees condemned Jesus and his disciples for eating corn out of a field on the Sabbath day, Jesus quoted Hosea to them: "But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless" (Mat. 12:7). Same thing. Being of a genuinely merciful spirit, and having true goodwill in our hearts, means so much to God; not to mention to the hope of our salvation. But the real kicker is what happened immediately after this exchange between Jesus and the Pharisees: "And when he was departed thence, he went into their synagogue: And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him. And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days. Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other. Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him" (Mat. 12:9-14). What a shame. It’s evident that these men learned absolutely nothing. They were ultra-religious and were fervently occupied with much religious activity that supposedly pertained to the worship and service of God, yet they were as contrary to the law of God as they could be.

On another occasion Jesus addressed the Pharisees regarding this religious paradox: “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone” (Mat. 23:23). Indeed if they had been followers of the law that they appeared to magnify, they would have heeded the memorable admonition of the prophet Micah: “Wherewith shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” (Mic. 6:6-8). But they did not heed this or any other important instruction of the law, as Jesus stated, and instead relished their hypocrisies and their righteous appearance before men (Mat. 23:27,28). Jesus told it to them like it was in another place: “ I receive not honour from men. But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you… How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only?” (Jn. 5:41,42,44) My friend these were God’s people and it is certain that history repeats itself, and that very much includes the history of God’s people. All that is left is for us to be diligently certain that we do not take the place of those Pharisees as history plays itself out in real time in our lives and in the body of Christ today. The beloved John said it perfectly: “My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him” (I Jn. 3:18,19). If we do what this passage instructs us to do, we will be on the ‘Jesus’ side of that equation. If not then there is only one other side that we can be on. I don’t think we want to end up with the Pharisees. Amen.