Praise God For His Just Judgment

Yes, God is the Judge. It seemed weird to me that I would praise Him for what seems like such a negative characteristic. But regardless of how I feel, God is the just and righteous Judge of all mankind. It’s part of who He is. I admit I did not think to praise God for this character attribute on my own. I don’t often like to think of God as Judge. Yet there are some very important characteristics of God tied into His being the Judge.

First we need to understand that a Biblical judge is not the same as a modern, American, judge. There are characteristics of judges in Biblical times that are not true of judges in our society. One of those characteristics is ultimate authority. “In the Bible world, the king was always the supreme judge, because his was the supreme ruling authority. It is on that basis, according to the Bible, that God is judge of His world. As our Maker, He owns us, and as our Owner, He has a right to . . . make laws for us, and to reward us according to whether or not we keep them.” (J.I. Packer, Knowing God, p. 127) God is both the Lawgiver and the Judge.

Second, a Biblical judge is identified with what is good and right. That’s true of God. What He has decided is good and right. He is a passionate God who cannot be impartial. “The biblical judge is expected to love justice and fair play and to loathe all ill-treatment of man by his fellow-man . . . The Bible leaves us in no doubt that God loves righteousness and hates iniquity . . .” (Knowing God, p. 128)

Third, a judge displays wisdom and is able to discern truth. In reality, only God can do that 100% of the time. “When the Bible pictures God judging, it emphasizes His omniscience and wisdom as the searcher of hearts and the finder of facts. Nothing can escape Him . . .” (Knowing God, p. 128) Only God can discern truth, factual truth and moral truth, and be right every time. And, He not only can tell the truth, He has to judge based on the truth.

Finally, a Biblical judge has power and is able to execute a sentence. In our modern society, a judge just pronounces the sentence, usually determined by a legislative branch making laws. Also the judge does not enforce the penalty. That’s left up to a separate branch of government. “God is His own executioner. As He legislates, and sentences, so He punishes. All judicial functions coalesce in Him.” (Knowing God, p. 129)

When you take all that into account, being a judge is essential to His character. Without being a just and righteous Judge, God’s other attributes would not be displayed in the same way. Everything from His omniscience to His omnipotence to His love are part of what makes Him a just Judge of mankind. Being a Judge is one of His attributes and it’s worthy of our praise.