“Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (Genesis 18:25).
JUDGE OF ALL THE EARTH
Some people may wonder if justice will ever be served. For some people think “This is what the wicked are like—always free of care, they go on amassing wealth” (Ps 73:12). That’s what Asaph, the writer of Psalm 73 thought, until he entered the sanctuary of God, then he realised, “Surely you place them on slippery ground; you cast them down to ruin. How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors!” (Ps 73:18–19).
The Scriptures are certain and tell us that judgement comes. “Each man's work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man's work” (1 Cor 3:13).
Some people may seem to get away with their crimes, and unfair treatment of others but we can be sure that there is a God in heaven who will mete out a harvest fit for each person. The Bible speaks of judgement because when we are denied justice our hearts cry out to God. “Their sin is so grievous that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me” (Gen 18:20-+19). Yes, people’s cries for justice reach the ears of “the Judge of all the earth”.
Sometimes it’s the day of judgement that reveals what is due: “Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men's hearts; and then each man's praise will come to him from God” (1 Cor 4:5).
And sometimes justice is served quickly, here and now. I saw a TV documentary in which a murderer had been brought to justice by a series of coincidences. The perpetrator had killed a man who was a guest on his boat; he weighted the dead man’s body and threw it into the sea. There were no witnesses as they had been the only two people on the boat and the boat was in a remote part of the sea. Seven days later a fishing trawler happened to fish in this part of the sea that is rarely fished. The dead man’s body happened to catch in their net and the fishermen immediately reported it to the police. In another unrelated matter, the police had found a discrepancy with the murderer’s personal details. Upon questioning him, they found he had contact with the murdered man. Cutting a long story short, some fine police work soon uncovered the whole chain of events. The man is now serving a life prison sentence.
I couldn’t help but see God’s handiwork involved in this story. God is very interested in justice; after all, it was He who gave us the Ten Commandments. God is at work in the world all the time, but we may fail to see it. Some people may see the story in the documentary as a chain of amazing coincidences. Not me.
I praise God that He is interested in justice and will help us in our pursuit of justice when we cannot help ourselves.
God was about to obliterate Sodom and Gomorrah from the face of the earth when Abraham asked the question: “If ten righteous people could be found in the wicked city would God spare it?” (Gen 18:32). The Lord agreed and said He wouldn’t destroy the city if ten righteous people could be found. But ten righteous people could not be found. Lot and his two daughters were the only righteous people saved as they escaped on foot.
So we walk before God with humble sincere hearts, thanking the Lord that he gives time for repentance, he is gracious with us. But we should never forget that “God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap” (Gal 6:7).