“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and
with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.” Matthew 7:1,2 NKJV
"Don't judge me."
"You're judging me." "The Bible says judge not lest you be
judged." Have you ever heard those words directed to you? I know I have,
yet many are unaware of the simple fact that if you do hear those words, it
probably means you are busy doing what God asks of us. No, not judging others,
but informing them of what God has said in His word. This world is at present being prepared for God's judgment in ways we could never have imagined and speaking words of warning have never been more appropriate.
When I have taught about this passage in the past, I always like to use this example.
Have you ever been pulled over by a policeman? Do you remember what it felt
like when you saw the car pull up behind you? Then the lights go on and he
motions for you to pull over. You look in your mirror and watch as he slowly
gets out of his car, adjusts his black robe and picks up his gavel before
slowly walking to your car. Of course, that's not what he looked like because
he is a law enforcement officer, not the judge. It is simply his job to tell
you he observed you breaking the law. It is the judge you face in the courtroom
who has the power to pass the sentence, and in reality, it is he alone that
"judges" you.
Consider the possibility that it is our responsibility to speak out about what
we see happening in the world around us, and the fact that just like the
prophets of old, we are in essence warning of God's coming judgment. The
thought occurs to me that the Old Testament prophets probably heard
"you're judging me" just as much if not more than we sometimes do. Of course, that did not stop them
from doing what they were told by God to do, and neither should we. I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that we are
approaching the anniversary of Noah’s flood.
Often as I have thought about what Noah went through as he witnessed
to an unbelieving world while building the Ark, I can’t help but think he may have heard of few words
about “judging” in the time approaching the flood.
As we as believers see what is
happening around us at this particular time, and knowing Jesus warned about the
signs we would see as the end approaches, I believe we need to be sure we warn
people with an attitude of love, and not with an attitude that could be interpreted
as "judgmental". After all that has happened in the past year or more I can assure you that many who I have talked to are more than receptive to the idea that God's judgment is on the horizon. I'm sure we all have a passage or two in scripture
that means something special to us, and probably one we seem to feel applies to
us more than another. One of my very favorites is the following passage from
the book of Psalms.
“The law of the LORD [is] perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the
LORD [is] sure, making wise the simple; The statutes of the LORD [are] right,
rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD [is] pure, enlightening the
eyes; The fear of the LORD [is] clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the
LORD [are] true [and] righteous altogether. More to be desired [are they] than
gold, Yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
Moreover by them Your servant is warned, [And] in keeping them [there is] great
reward.” Psalms 19:7-11 NKJV
I liked this Psalm so much that I memorized the whole chapter, and have tried
to remind myself to quote it every day. One of the first things I noticed about
this Psalm is how much David is saying he loves God's laws. Now just like
anyone else, I would rather people not tell me what to do, so I wanted to
discover why David so desired of knowing God's laws. What came to mind as I
read this Psalm is that David concentrates on the positive results of following
God's laws rather than the judgment that comes from disobeying. Not to say we
are not warned of what could happen if we don't, but as we would say in this
day and age, he concentrates on the "upside".
I look at this as a clue as to how we should approach fulfilling our obligation
to speak out about what we see around us today. Accentuate the positive aspects
of accepting the salvation we have been offered without minimizing the judgment that God says will
certainly come. I have said before that when I encounter something unusual or
out of the ordinary when studying scripture, it is Gods' way of making a point.
Consider the following as an example. There occurs an unusual verse in the book
of Zephaniah I want you to read. Why unusual? It is the only time in the entire
Bible where every letter of the Hebrew alphabet is contained in just one verse.
Guess what the subject of that verse is? That's right; Gods' coming judgment of
this world.
"Therefore wait for Me," says the LORD, "Until the day I
rise up for plunder; My determination [is] to gather the nations To My assembly
of kingdoms, To pour on them My indignation, All My fierce anger; All the earth
shall be devoured With the fire of My jealousy.” Zephaniah 3:8 NKJV
Do you think it's possible God is trying to make a point here? Is it possible
this verse is His way of emphasizing that a decision to reject Him and His laws
has only one result? We know that the time where all the nations of the world
will be gathered is during the Tribulation. The Bible also makes it abundantly
clear what the scope of that coming judgment is.
“That day [is] a day of wrath, A day of trouble and distress, A day of
devastation and desolation, A day of darkness and gloominess, A day of clouds
and thick darkness, A day of trumpet and alarm Against the fortified cities And
against the high towers "I will bring distress upon men, And they shall
walk like blind men, Because they have sinned against the LORD; Their blood
shall be poured out like dust, And their flesh like refuse." Neither their
silver nor their gold Shall be able to deliver them In the day of the LORD's
wrath; But the whole land shall be devoured By the fire of His jealousy, For He
will make speedy riddance Of all those who dwell in the land.” Zephaniah 1:14-18 NKJV
We see the signs of that coming time all around us today, and as the Bible
tells us, when you see the signs you know that He is near. Standing up as believers
and speaking out about what we see, and using that as an opportunity to affirm
Gods' laws and expectations of His people will most certainly occasion a
response accusing us of judging others. But we are not the judges because we
only speak out about what we see. The responsibility to judge and pass sentence
is Gods' alone and He has promised He will certainly fulfill that duty.
The good news is that God is a forgiving God, and has promised to deliver
anyone from that coming judgment by simply accepting His free gift of salvation
and striving to follow His laws. If you have never taken the step of accepting this gift of
eternal life, I urge you to do it right now.
Simply pray a prayer like this one and confess to God your need for
salvation, and accept the gift He provided for you by the death and
resurrection of His own Son, Jesus Christ.
Jesus I know I am a sinner. I
have sinned against you, but I know you loved me enough to send your Son, Jesus
Christ to die for my sins and then rise from the dead so that I may live
forever with You. Lord forgive me of my sins and come into my life and help me
to begin to live for You. In Jesus' name, Amen.
May we be bold to share that good news with
others in a spirit of love and forgiveness as we see the day approaching.
Keep watching.
