The Righteous Judge

Years ago, the most commonly quoted Scripture verse was probably John 3:16; however, in our culture today, it is probably now “Judge not.” These two words are not quoted within their full context as a warning against harsh or hypocritical judgment, rather they are thrown up as a trump card against any kind of moral critique. Christians are told to speak the truth in love, and sometimes that means warning others about their sin, yet often the warning is met with this “trump card,” as an absolute prohibition against judging. 

Similarly, someone might respond, “you can’t judge me, only God can judge me.” This response misunderstands the nature of God. It is true, God is the ultimate judge, yet when used in this way it seems to suggest that God will not do so, when the opposite is clearly taught in Scripture. God is a righteous judge, and he is furiously angry with sinners. To say, “only God can judge me” in a flippant way is to take God’s name in vain. Only a practical atheist could say such a thing without trembling at the thought. 

Yet the thought of God as the righteous judge is a good thing for the believer. In Psalm 7 we see David express his praise to God because of his righteous judgement.

David finds his refuge in God and trusts that he will be vindicated of false accusations as the righteous judge punishes his accuser.

Apparently, David was falsely accused by this Cush, a Benjaminite. We don’t know who this is. He is not mentioned in the narrative stories about David. However we do read of at least two times when David’s life is in danger as he is pursued by an enemy. It could be while he is pursued by Saul, who was also of the tribe of Benjamin, or it could be during his flight from his son Absolom. Or, it may be following the death of Saul, when one of Saul’s relatives was falsely accusing David of unjustly murdering Saul.

Here's What the text says: 

O LORD my God, in you do I take refuge; save me from all my pursuers and deliver me,

2 lest like a lion they tear my soul apart, rending it in pieces, with none to deliver.
 3 O LORD my God, if I have done this, if there is wrong in my hands,
 4 if I have repaid my friend with evil or plundered my enemy without cause,
 5 let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it, and let him trample my life to the ground and lay my glory in the dust. Selah
 6 Arise, O LORD, in your anger; lift yourself up against the fury of my enemies; awake for me; you have appointed a judgment.
 7 Let the assembly of the peoples be gathered about you; over it return on high.
 8 The LORD judges the peoples; judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness and according to the integrity that is in me.
 9 Oh, let the evil of the wicked come to an end, and may you establish the righteous-- you who test the minds and hearts, O righteous God!
 10 My shield is with God, who saves the upright in heart.
 11 God is a righteous judge, and a God who feels indignation every day.
 12 If a man does not repent, God will whet his sword; he has bent and readied his bow;
 13 he has prepared for him his deadly weapons, making his arrows fiery shafts.
 14 Behold, the wicked man conceives evil and is pregnant with mischief and gives birth to lies.
 15 He makes a pit, digging it out, and falls into the hole that he has made.
 16 His mischief returns upon his own head, and on his own skull his violence descends.
 17 I will give to the LORD the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the LORD, the Most High. (Psa 7:1-17 ESV)

The fact that God a just judge is a problem for the unrepentant. This text warns that God is sharpening his sword and bending his bow--ready to exact punishment upon sin. This is unpopular, but if the Bible is to be taken as a consistent whole, it's the truth.

On the other hand, it is a good thing for believers that God is a just judge.This isn't because we are righteous ourselves, but because our punishment has already been carried out. That's what the cross was for. God would have been unjust to let sin go unpunished, so we needed a substitute. Jesus took our place on the cross and we have been imputed with his righteousness. It is also a good thing because who would want to live in a world where God was unjust? We want to know that evil is vanquished.