God is a just judge, and God is angry with the wicked every day. If he does not turn back, He will sharpen His sword; He bends His bow and makes it ready. (Psalm 7:11-12)
We have mentioned in previous devotions the care we, as followers of the Messiah, should undertake when we are inclined to judge a matter. The reason for caution is that we, unlike our Heavenly Father, do not always judge according to righteousness but according to our definition of righteousness. This is especially true when our emotions are enflamed by circumstances which is why it is never a good idea to make irreversible decisions or actions when emotions are running high. Moreover, Messiah told us to be careful how we judge unless we are willing to be judged in the same manner.
All of this is to amplify the fact that the Creator will always judge according to His righteous standards, which in turn, is always tempered with mercy. In fact, the Hebrew concept of justice is judgment tempered with mercy. That is to suggest that judgment without any regard for mercy would be unjust; likewise, mercy with no regard for what is right would be injustice.
And so as David said, God is a just judge and will always see all men, even the wicked, through the eyes of mercy and long suffering. However, that doesn’t mean God turns a blind eye to those who indulge evil desires, for as David said, He is angry with them everyday. However, He doesn’t necessarily pass judgment on them every day that He is angry with them. He waits.
He waits to see if the wicked will repent and turn from His evil. Therein lies the component of mercy. Because He is God, He is long suffering and not willing that any should perish, and therefore He withholds His judgment until, it would seem at least, there is no hope that the wicked will repent. Only then does He draw His sword and bend His bow to send His arrows against those who are against Him.
This is something all of us should keep in the forefront of our mind. While we are more than ready for God to judge the wicked of this world, our Father understands the eternal ramifications of His judgement being poured out. Thankfully, He is just and knows what is best, when is best and how is best. And so, let us focus on doing what is pleasing in His sight, which includes interceding for those who have yet to turn to Him, and leave the judging to the Only Righteous Judge.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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