The Divine Judge
By intuition, we human beings know or believe there must be a divine judge. We generally believe there can’t be a Supreme Being or God who does nothing about the evils done by men under heaven, as though He condones them. You probably have heard people say, “Leave it unto God,” or “God will judge!” What do they mean or what are they saying? Some have been badly hurt or unjustly accused of something that they have no knowledge of. They realize that there is no way in the world they can find justice, so they simply say, “Let God be the judge,” because they believe there must be divine retribution. Imagine a man who served thirty years behind bars for a crime he didn’t commit, or worse still, the evil atrocities done to the Jews during the Holocaust.
Yes, the Bible talks about a day of reckoning. “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). You may say we just talked about the unfailing love of God, but remember, we also talked about the holiness and righteousness of God. The righteous God will not close His eyes to evils as though He condones them. Of course, He is longsuffering and not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Nevertheless, there is an end to everything in this world.
The words “judgment,” “judge,” and “justice” occur more than 500 times in total in the Bible. Abraham first referred to God as the Judge of all earth when he was interceding for Sodom: “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (Genesis 18:25). God eventually judged Sodom and Gomorrah with brimstone and fire. They were engaged in gross evil: men sleeping with men. Ezekiel also tells us that Sodom had the sin of pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness and did not strengthen the hand of the poor and needy (Ezekiel 16:49). Do we not have the same thing going on in our society today?
The Bible narrative describes other divine judgments. In the day of Noah, God judged the world for wickedness with a flood that destroyed mankind, except for the family of Noah (Genesis 4-8). Korah, Dathan, and Abiram were swallowed up alive with an opening of the ground because they rebelled against Moses the man of God (Numbers 16:30). God also judged Israel several times for being unfaithful to Him, and they were oppressed by other nations.
The New Testament period is normally referred to as the era of grace because of Jesus Christ. Nevertheless, we see examples of divine judgments there. For example, Ananias and his wife Sapphira were judged for lying to the Holy Spirit about selling their property and keeping back part of the money (Acts 5:1-10). Where shall we hide today with what God has given us and we spend the tithes that belongs to Him? (Malachi 3:810). Herod was judged for not giving glory to God because of pride; after his powerful oratory speech, the people shouted that his was the voice of a god, and not of a man. He was smitten immediately by an angel of the Lord because he did not give the glory to God, and he was eaten by worms and died (Acts 12:21-23). Jesus in His teachings proclaimed that a day of judgment is coming (Matthew 10-12). He also said the Father had committed to Him all judgment (John 5:22). Paul talked about the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ (Romans 2:16).
The Character of the Judge
1. He is holy. By God’s nature of holiness, He is also just. Holiness will not let Him do anything but what is righteous. “All His ways are justice” (Deuteronomy 32:4). Job said, “He is excellent in power, and in judgment, and in plenty of justice” (Job 37:23). In Psalm 89:14 we read, “Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face.”
2. He is no respecter of persons. God does not show favoritism (Acts 10:34). He judges the cause, unlike men, who tend to judge the face. King Solomon said, “Shall not he render to every man according to his works?” (Proverbs 24:12). And in 2 Chronicles 19:7 we read, “For there is no iniquity with the LORD our God, nor respect of persons, nor taking of gifts.”
3. He knows and sees every secret of men. He sees and knows everything that is done in secret (Matthew 6:18). The darkness and the light are both alike before Him. He does not need the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) or Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), because He knows the secrets of the heart. “He shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:14).
4. He is merciful. Ezra 9:13 says, “And after all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and for our great guilt, since You our God have punished us less than our iniquities deserve and have given us such deliverance as this.” However, the mercy stops at the grave, because there will be no more room for repentance.
Justice Will Be Served
The task before a judge is to give everyone his due. God, being a righteous Judge by nature, will do that which is righteous and fair. Jesus will be the Judge (Matthew 16:27). God’s final judgment runs as a two-way channel: the distribution of rewards and punishments. We see in Romans 2:6-11: God will give to each person according to what he has done. To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For God does not show favoritism. (Romans 2:6-11, NIV).