SCRIPTURE: And he said to the judges, “Be careful what you do, for you do not judge for man, but for the Lord who is with you in the matter of judgment. So now let the fear (reverent awe) of the Lord be on you [to keep you from making unjust decisions]; be careful in what you do, for there is no injustice with the Lord our God, or partiality, or acceptance of a bribe. 2 Chronicles 19:6-7 AMP
THOUGHT: When Jehoshaphat became king of Judah, he began to restore God’s kind of order to the country. Idol worship was eliminated, sacred groves to pagan gods were destroyed, the people were taught the Scriptures, the temple in Jerusalem was reinvigorated with priests and Levites, and a system of justice and judges was implemented in the cities throughout Judah.
Our Scripture today was Jehoshaphat’s charge to the newly appointed judges, and some of the translations I looked at even used the word “terror” or “dread” of the Lord. It’s strong language.
I just find myself wishing that the judges of our land could be retrained in God’s kind of justice. I wish there were a leader who would invoke the fear (reverent awe) of the Lord be on you [to keep you from making unjust decisions], and who would remind them that the supreme judge of the universe is watching for injustice, partiality, or bribery.
But, in the absence of a Godly ruler, it seems there are two things we can do: 1) pray for the justice system and judges of our country for renewal in love for and reverent fear of God, 2) be diligent in our own lives to let the fear of the Lord be on us to keep us from participating in injustice, partiality, or bribery. God wants nothing to do with any of those things.
PRAYER: Oh God, we implore you to bring your justice to our own system of justice, and to help us as citizens, in this world and in your kingdom, be filled with the right kind of fear and awe – being sold out to you so we cannot be sold out to anyone or anything else.
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Blogger Amy Clemens is the author of Walking When You’d Rather Fly: Meditations on Faith After the Fall. In it she explores childhood sexual abuse and how it impacted her faith (or lack thereof) for four decades. You’ll find not only her story, but better yet, the Big Story of God.
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