God: The Just Judge

Judges are people who are given great power and authority here on earth and, unfortunately, just like any other position of power, there are some who abuse the system for personal gain. This may cause some people to be judged unfairly and unjustly in the process. When David wrote Psalm 58, this was a big problem. There were so many judges in power that were taking advantage of the power they were given and taking advantage of people who had no power that it made David cry out to God for justice. “Justice – Do you rulers know the meaning of the word? Do you judge people fairly? No! You plot injustice in your hearts. You spread violence throughout the land.” (1-2) “Break off their fangs! Smash the jaws of these lions, O Lord!” (6) There are lots of people today who have great power who abuse it, who mistreat others, and who do not treat people fairly. It is very difficult to be in a situation where you are being oppressed by someone who is power hungry and who will stop at nothing to destroy you in the process of gaining more power. I have never been in a situation like that, but I have worked for a boss who made me feel as if he was doing everything in his power to destroy me, and eventually, I lost my job. It was incredibly difficult to keep my cool and not revolt against him while he was being so unjust, falsely accusing me of things and ridiculing me for anything he could possibly think of. It didn’t matter what I said to him, I was always wrong and he was always right, in his mind. I do remember one time a false accusation where he told me that I could tell my “side of the story” but that I couldn’t “disillusion him to the truth.” In other words, he already decided that what I was going to say didn’t matter to him. He already had a judgment against me. I remember looking at him and saying “You know what, it doesn’t really matter what you think of me, because in the end, I am only accountable to one person, and that is God and he knows the truth.” God does know the truth and he is a just judge. He always stands up for the righteous, and for those who cannot defend themselves, and he always wins. He has the final say. He is the ultimate judge. David knew that ultimately God was in charge and God would take care of all of those power hungry judges who destroyed others and couldn’t care less. Keeping in mind that God sees everything, knows the truth, and will take care of all the injustices suffered in this world, should be of great help when dealing with unjust people. “There is truly a reward for those who live for God; surely there is a God who judges justly here on earth” (11)