Judges and Judgment
Commentary
By taking a swatch of Scripture here and there, many have created much confusion when it comes to talking about judging and judgment. They turn to Jesus' words about not judging lest we be judged, and make us feel guilty if we dare make any judgments at all. I have a friend who responds that, while God may not have named us judges, he did commission us as fruit inspectors. Surely that distinction helps.
It is clear that, in the Scriptures, there is a distinction between righteous and unrighteous judges, and fair and unfair judging. All these are delineated in our Scriptures for this day. In the Zephaniah selection, the crooked judges are contrasted with the one who judges rightly. Paul refers obliquely to those who judge him unfairly, and places his ultimate trust in the one who judges fairly. The Pharisee in the parable is the harsh judge of his neighbor, who receives kinder judgment from one who hears and understands what is in the heart.
The truth is all of us make judgments from day to day. In fact, it is critical that we do so if we are to live in this world. We must weigh, consider, evaluate, judge. What we are forbidden is to take God's place and to pass judgment, to write others off, to pass some sort of sentence on them because of what we think of them.
We must make judgments in order to live effectively in the midst of others from day to day, but we leave the matter of one's eternal fare to the hand of God. We are called to remember that God loves all and cares for all and, when we write people off, we are usurping his place and displacing his grace.
It is okay to make judgments, even to make judgments regarding people, as long as we do not usurp God's prerogative.
OUTLINE I
Judgment's Purpose Revealed
Zephaniah 3:1-9
Introduction: When one reads the prophets who sought to appraise Israel of her sins and to turn her from them, the record is so filled with harsh words of judgment that one must be careful not to be misled. In the first place, do some work on Zephaniah and his times. There is plenty for the prophet to deplore, and deplore it he does. It is Zephaniah who turns Israel's expectations upside down and declares that the much cherished and awaited Day of the Lord is, in fact, a Day of Doom and they ought to live in fear of what is about to happen.
A. The Judgment: If you are looking for some terribly threatening words to use on the sinners in your community look no further. Zephaniah knows them all. I remember an old evangelist who once told me his revival method was to take the sinner right up to the pit of hell and let him smell the fumes. Well, Zephaniah knew the technique.
B. And Yet: Read carefully. You will, also, find a call to repentance. And, certainly, if there is a call to repentance, there must be some possibility of change.
C. And Yet: Read carefully. Note such words as those in 3:9, and what begins at 3:11. There is a definite change here. Did some new editor add it? Who knows? What we do know is there were those who saw that, in Judgment, God had the purpose of redemption; his judgment was not simply punitive, but it was his purpose to turn and to redeem. Wasn't it Martin Luther who remarked that God's face of wrath was just the other side of his face of love and grace? That is found here.
Conclusion: Offer the guilty and the guilt-ridden the Good News. Let them know of God's purposes. Especially use the alternate Old Testament selection from Jeremiah 31:31-34 as a part of your concluding remarks.
OUTLINE II
Calling On God to Cough Up
Luke 18:9-14
Introduction: How many times have you been working with a church member who has suffered some difficulty and heard them catalog all their good deeds, all the while disbelieving that any misfortune could have happened to them? They have gone to church, paid their pledge, been moral, prayed, and read the Bible. They sound like the Pharisee in our parable.
A. The Contrast: There is no doubt that here we have a contrasting picture of two kinds of persons. On the one hand, there are those who treat their religion as an investment in which they expect dividends. On the other, there are those who are completely surprised at anything good that comes their way. You can find more of both in Matthew 25. You can do a lot of things with this contrast, but there is more to the story.
B. The Combat: It is important to note that Jesus always has somebody in mind when he speaks his parables. Most of the time we consider them nice little stories which make some simple point. Better take another look. Those who believed they were God's favored people were still on hand. Those who cherished Psalm 1 as their word of promise (read it carefully, and again). Those who were convinced that nothing could happen to God's beloved (see Micah 2:6 again). All of these were still on hand in his day and they are still with us. You can come up with the appropriate applications.
Conclusion: Focus attention on the closing words of the selection. It is a word of advice most of us could use.
OUTLINE III
A Psalm of Praise
2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18
Introduction: All songs are not poems. Some of them are written in prose and only need to be reset in order to be sung. Surely this selection comes close to being one of those which should be set to music, so everyday Christians, who suddenly realize the effect of grace in their lives, might have a tune to hum and words to remember, words that speak of God's vindication and rescue. Just take a look at all the images that are awakened here.
A. The Crown: And note the kind of crown. This is not an earthly crown which confers power, but a spiritual crown that denotes blessedness.
B. That Day: At first, the Day of the Lord was awaited as the great day of deliverance. Then, the prophets began to see it as a day of doom for the apostate. Finally, it came to symbolize that time when, in the midst of all the chaos of life, God would intervene and save his people. Paul takes it another step and looks for a day when God will roll up the scroll and sum things up. On that day, he will not be afraid.
C. The Lion's Mouth: Echoes of Daniel and of the early Christian martyrs. Can we have evidence here for a later dating of the Timothy letters? No matter what, there is confidence that God is able to save persons in every circumstance.
Conclusion: Perhaps a good way to end such a service of assurance and certainty would be to break this Scripture reading down into a responsive. Even if it cannot be sung, at least if can be spoken together in unison. Somewhere there is a piece of solo music called I Know In Whom I Have Believed. Perhaps you can find it and have it sung during the service.
It is clear that, in the Scriptures, there is a distinction between righteous and unrighteous judges, and fair and unfair judging. All these are delineated in our Scriptures for this day. In the Zephaniah selection, the crooked judges are contrasted with the one who judges rightly. Paul refers obliquely to those who judge him unfairly, and places his ultimate trust in the one who judges fairly. The Pharisee in the parable is the harsh judge of his neighbor, who receives kinder judgment from one who hears and understands what is in the heart.
The truth is all of us make judgments from day to day. In fact, it is critical that we do so if we are to live in this world. We must weigh, consider, evaluate, judge. What we are forbidden is to take God's place and to pass judgment, to write others off, to pass some sort of sentence on them because of what we think of them.
We must make judgments in order to live effectively in the midst of others from day to day, but we leave the matter of one's eternal fare to the hand of God. We are called to remember that God loves all and cares for all and, when we write people off, we are usurping his place and displacing his grace.
It is okay to make judgments, even to make judgments regarding people, as long as we do not usurp God's prerogative.
OUTLINE I
Judgment's Purpose Revealed
Zephaniah 3:1-9
Introduction: When one reads the prophets who sought to appraise Israel of her sins and to turn her from them, the record is so filled with harsh words of judgment that one must be careful not to be misled. In the first place, do some work on Zephaniah and his times. There is plenty for the prophet to deplore, and deplore it he does. It is Zephaniah who turns Israel's expectations upside down and declares that the much cherished and awaited Day of the Lord is, in fact, a Day of Doom and they ought to live in fear of what is about to happen.
A. The Judgment: If you are looking for some terribly threatening words to use on the sinners in your community look no further. Zephaniah knows them all. I remember an old evangelist who once told me his revival method was to take the sinner right up to the pit of hell and let him smell the fumes. Well, Zephaniah knew the technique.
B. And Yet: Read carefully. You will, also, find a call to repentance. And, certainly, if there is a call to repentance, there must be some possibility of change.
C. And Yet: Read carefully. Note such words as those in 3:9, and what begins at 3:11. There is a definite change here. Did some new editor add it? Who knows? What we do know is there were those who saw that, in Judgment, God had the purpose of redemption; his judgment was not simply punitive, but it was his purpose to turn and to redeem. Wasn't it Martin Luther who remarked that God's face of wrath was just the other side of his face of love and grace? That is found here.
Conclusion: Offer the guilty and the guilt-ridden the Good News. Let them know of God's purposes. Especially use the alternate Old Testament selection from Jeremiah 31:31-34 as a part of your concluding remarks.
OUTLINE II
Calling On God to Cough Up
Luke 18:9-14
Introduction: How many times have you been working with a church member who has suffered some difficulty and heard them catalog all their good deeds, all the while disbelieving that any misfortune could have happened to them? They have gone to church, paid their pledge, been moral, prayed, and read the Bible. They sound like the Pharisee in our parable.
A. The Contrast: There is no doubt that here we have a contrasting picture of two kinds of persons. On the one hand, there are those who treat their religion as an investment in which they expect dividends. On the other, there are those who are completely surprised at anything good that comes their way. You can find more of both in Matthew 25. You can do a lot of things with this contrast, but there is more to the story.
B. The Combat: It is important to note that Jesus always has somebody in mind when he speaks his parables. Most of the time we consider them nice little stories which make some simple point. Better take another look. Those who believed they were God's favored people were still on hand. Those who cherished Psalm 1 as their word of promise (read it carefully, and again). Those who were convinced that nothing could happen to God's beloved (see Micah 2:6 again). All of these were still on hand in his day and they are still with us. You can come up with the appropriate applications.
Conclusion: Focus attention on the closing words of the selection. It is a word of advice most of us could use.
OUTLINE III
A Psalm of Praise
2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18
Introduction: All songs are not poems. Some of them are written in prose and only need to be reset in order to be sung. Surely this selection comes close to being one of those which should be set to music, so everyday Christians, who suddenly realize the effect of grace in their lives, might have a tune to hum and words to remember, words that speak of God's vindication and rescue. Just take a look at all the images that are awakened here.
A. The Crown: And note the kind of crown. This is not an earthly crown which confers power, but a spiritual crown that denotes blessedness.
B. That Day: At first, the Day of the Lord was awaited as the great day of deliverance. Then, the prophets began to see it as a day of doom for the apostate. Finally, it came to symbolize that time when, in the midst of all the chaos of life, God would intervene and save his people. Paul takes it another step and looks for a day when God will roll up the scroll and sum things up. On that day, he will not be afraid.
C. The Lion's Mouth: Echoes of Daniel and of the early Christian martyrs. Can we have evidence here for a later dating of the Timothy letters? No matter what, there is confidence that God is able to save persons in every circumstance.
Conclusion: Perhaps a good way to end such a service of assurance and certainty would be to break this Scripture reading down into a responsive. Even if it cannot be sung, at least if can be spoken together in unison. Somewhere there is a piece of solo music called I Know In Whom I Have Believed. Perhaps you can find it and have it sung during the service.
