2008-09-26
Good Morning Dear Ones,
The Holy Spirit has me dwelling on the subject of judgment, because it is so important. Last week, I was led to write about not projecting our own problems on others in making judgments. This week, we will look at the parallels between MT 7: 1-5 and RO 2: 1-6, 17-24. You’ll remember that MT 7: 1-5 deals with judging others as we would want to be judged, not being a hypocrite, and not “casting our pearls” before swine. RO 2: 1-6, reminds us that when we are hypocritical in our judgments, we open ourselves to condemnation. At the time this was written, Paul was pointing out to the Pharisees and other traditional Jews that they were being hypocrites with hard, stubborn hearts. He reminds them in (6) that “God will reward every person according to what he has done.” In (17-24), Paul says this is a case of the “blind leading the blind.” He goes on to repeat his charge of hypocrisy and ends up in (24) saying, “Because of you Jews, Gentiles speak evil of God.”
The implication in MT 7:1, “Do not judge others, so that God will not judge you…” is clear. The Pharisees and teachers of the Law boasted about having the Law, as if no one else’s understanding but theirs had any validity. Rather than honoring God, this brought shame on Him because of the self-righteousness inherent in this way of thinking. The very same Law that these traditional Jews boasted about is the Law they were breaking. Christ’s model of humility and gentleness is absent in their approach. Later in RO 14: 13 Paul really reveals the problem. “So them, let us stop judging one another. Instead, you should decide never to do anything that would make your brother stumble or fall into sin.” I remember a person who I knew well who did all he could to make me feel that I could never attain his superior knowledge of the subject at hand between us. I felt crushed and angry. For years, I believed this was true. [I didn’t have any self-confidence in those days]. It was only years afterward that I found out I was completely capable of learning how to acquire this skill from my best human friend, my husband. And yes, it was how to use a computer. And yet, the first person in this example was sure I could never write an e-mail or use a word processor. My sin was in not believing that with God’s help I could indeed learn what I needed to know, without being an expert on the subject or using all the jargon associated with it.
The notion mentioned in RO 2: 24 and above, “Because of you Jews, Gentiles speak evil of God” is not being mentioned here for the first time in the Scriptures. Look at IS 52: 5-6, which is in a passage about God’s will to rescue Jerusalem and the prophecy that the Jews will be released from the Babylonian captivity. “And now in Babylonia the same thing has happened: you are captives, and nothing was paid for you. Those who rule over you boast and brag and constantly show contempt for Me. In time to come you will acknowledge that I am God and that I have spoken to you.” This was not the first time such behavior on the part of some Jews has brought dishonor upon God, nor was it the last. We must take into consideration the terrible persecution that self-righteous traditional Jews [and I’m not saying all traditional Jews are self-righteous] are bringing upon Messianic Jews in today’s Israel. The March ’08, Purim box bombing of Ami Ortiz (15) [the son of a Messianic leader in Samaria, Israel], the burning of copies of the NT in a public park, and acts of vandalism against the meeting place for a prominent organization of Messianic Jews are just a few examples. Such behavior only supplies fodder to anti-Semitic people to use against the Jews as a group and our God, Whom they profess to worship.
MT 7: 3-5 is the use of hyperbole in the example of not trying to remove the “speck” in one’s brother’s eye until we take the “log” out of our own eye, i.e. not to judge our brother until we’ve looked at ourselves first. These words against hypocrisy are compared to IS 46: 8-10 with regard to evil behavior made into a lifestyle bringing one to condemnation. “Remember this, you sinners; consider what I [God] have done. Remember what happened long ago; acknowledge that I alone am God and that there is no one else like Me. From the beginning I predicted the outcome; long ago I foretold what would happen. I said the My plans would never fail, that I would do everything I intended to do.” God should never even need to express His supremacy and sovereignty this way to mankind, especially those who profess to be believing. What He has given to us, the very earth itself and everything on it, should be enough to demonstrate it. RO 1: 18-21, gives us the two reasons why we have no excuse to deny God’s supremacy and self-sufficiency. 1) Mankind has a God-consciousness- the fact that no matter how primitive or complex a society is, there is some sense among the people of a higher power that has greater knowledge and ability than they do. 2) Mankind has the our ability to perceive what is around us that we didn’t and couldn’t create]- things like grass, flowers, rocks, and nature in general. Even someone as challenged as Helen Keller [who was deaf, dumb, and blind] was able to have this perception. Without ever seeing them, Helen wrote beautifully about them once she became educated. For those who reject belief in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, their spiritual quagmire is described in RO 1: 21, “They know God, but they do not give Him the honor that belongs to Him, nor do they thank Him. Instead, their thoughts have become complete nonsense, and their empty minds are filled with darkness.” Think about this: do any of us want to dishonor our God this way?
PRAYER: O Lord, we bow before Your mighty throne to acknowledge Your omnipresence, omniscience, and omnipotence. We accept that our lives are useless and lack constructive direction without Your intervention. We say from our hearts that You and You alone can create us, all that is on the earth, and the earth itself. We also dedicate ourselves to thanking a praising You for the sacrifice of Your Son on the cross, so that we can be saved from sure spiritual death and destruction by our sin [JN 3: 16; RO 3: 24-25; HE 10: 10]. We accept Your right to say, in PS 46: 10, “Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth.” In the matter of judgment, Your will is supreme. You will indeed see Your will done. We submit to You, all the while knowing that the model our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ set for us is the one we should follow. You have described Your power to see Your will done in IS 46: 9-10, “I am God, and there is on other; I am God, and there is none like Me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’” As for Your model of judgment, we learn about that in PS 7: 11and 33: 4-5. “God is a righteous Judge and always condemns the wicked…The words of the Lord are true, and all His works are dependable. The Lord loves what is righteous and just; His constant love fills the earth.” Father, You have made known to us when You alone should do the judging, and when it’s okay for us to make judgments in the ordinary conduct of our daily lives. We thank You for the sacrifice of Your Son on the cross and praise You for Your generosity in giving us the Holy Spirit to guide us in making ordinary judgments. We aim to obey and serve You in ways that will make You pleased. We look to You for direction in all the aspects of our lives and offer You our reverent worship at all times. In Christ’s name, we pray. Amen.
There is more to write about in the examination of parallels between MT 7: 1-5 and RO 2: 1-6, 17-24. Therefore, the Holy Spirit urges me to continue writing about this next week. In the course of trying to make good, sound judgments and wise decisions, we should remember to turn to the Lord in prayer first. He also gives us clear direction and comfort in the Scriptures. PS 32: 8, “The Lord says, ‘I will teach you the way you should go; I will instruct you and advise you.’” When the Lord makes a promise, we should know by now that He always keeps it. PS 33: 12, “Happy is the nation whose God is the Lord; happy are the people He has chosen for His own.’” We need to remember that God has stamped us with His mark of ownership. EPH 1: 13-14, “And you also became God’s people when you heard the true message, the Good News that brought you salvation. You believed in Christ, and God put His stamp of ownership on you by giving you the Holy Spirit He had promised.” Our God has a stake in seeing those He has chosen come back to Him, when He decides the time is right, for eternal fellowship and bliss in heaven. He is eager for us to turn to Him in prayer and learn more about Him through the Scriptures. He wants us to make wise judgments, judgments that are directed by His wisdom and compassion, that will bring as many people as possible the happiness he wants them to have. And yes, Dear Reader, you and I are among that group! Praise be to Him!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn