A Just God

A Just God

June 18, 2018

2 Chronicles 12:6  "Th leaders of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, "The Lord is just.'"

I hear, time and time again, of Christians who complain that the Lord is not fair. Fairness, a term used for equitable distribution, is not actually in the Lord's rule books. The Lord is not a fair God, as you and I want to define it. We look at what other people have, or our undesirable situation, and complain that it is not fair. The Lord gets to choose, unfortunately, and we get to submit to it. He is right, all the time, however, which is why we should submit to His seemingly inequitable distribution of situations in life. He is not a fair God but He is a just God. The idea of being just is in the administration of accountability and rules, according to His moral standards.

People think they are good, or moral, but defined in their own eyes might be out of plumb with the Lord's definitions. Morality gets to be judged by the Lord, and in accordance with His measure of right and wrong, He administers justice. You may debate on His timing of justice but He always administers justice. The problem with Him administering justice is that we don't always like it or agree with it. We get punished for not doing anything wrong. But I would ask, as judged by yourself or by the Lord. If I judge my actions, I am going to give myself a free pass on a great deal of my actions. No one self-condemns. We complain the Lord is disciplining us, thinking it is unfair. But again, He is not fair; He is just. So, if He is administering justice in your life, and it adversely affects you, I would ask you one question. Do you thank the Lord for the rebuke and take your medicine like an adult, or do you kick and scream and complain like most of us?

The Israelite had sinned against the Lord and in accordance with His promise of discipline, according to how He defined right and wrong, He disciplined them. The Lord administered justice. The Israelite could have complained, argued with the Lord and His choice of discipline, but instead they took their medicine like an adult and declared that the Lord was just and right in disciplining them, in administering justice on their sins. They were extremely mature about it, at least in this one particular instance, and acknowledged being wrong. Not only did they acknowledge being wrong but they endured their discipline without complaining, doing their time for knowingly doing their crime.

When was the last time you thanked the Lord for disciplining you? The Israelites acknowledged their sin, recognizing they had been warned, and willingly reaped the just rewards for their sins. The declared that the Lord was being just. As a grown man, I can appreciate how the discipline I've had in my life has shaped me for the better, but not once in my life have I expressed gratitude during my discipline. Discipline is uncomfortable and we'd like to avoid it completely. I've never once received discipline with welcoming arms, declaring that I deserved it. Not once. But I did, and so do you. Be both deserve discipline when we step outside the bounds of the Lord's expressed rules of morality and He administers justice. He is just, for our sins. We don't get a free pass because we are Christians. He forgives us instantly but that does not remove the discipline we get to endure; it is part of Him delivering justice. Acknowledging His justice in the midst of discipline is very humbling, something few of us are willing to do. 

Don't take my word for it; look it up: Deut 16:20, 2 Chron 12, Ps 9:16 & 11:7, Pr 3:12, Heb 12:6-8