Judge Righteously

(Prov 17:15 NIV) Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent— the LORD detests them both.

In this verse Solomon reminds us of the fact that our God (Jehovah) is a God of justice. And when I say “justice” I mean the justice that comes as a result of righteous judgment. We are living in a time where righteousness is not popular. Corruption is so commonplace and the moral compass of our society is so off kilter that people routinely call right “wrong” and wrong “right.” What would have been preposterous 50 years ago often goes unnoticed today.

But the Lord, through Solomon, reminds us that His standard of justice remains unchanged. God expects us to conduct ourselves in accordance with His standards and He literally hates miscarriages of justice. Yes, I know that is strong language, but it is the language Solomon uses. Another translation of this verse reads: “He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous, both of them alike are an abomination to the LORD.” The word “abomination” is not an overstatement. The Lord will judge all those who judge unjustly.

The picture Solomon is painting is that of a case where a person stands in court, after being arraigned, accused, and the fact proven, only to be absolved of guilt by a corrupt judge or jury. Those that clear the guilty will be held accountable before God. And the opposite is also true. The Lord detests those occasions on which an innocent man is condemned without cause or evidence, in a case where he is clearly NOT guilty.

To acquit the guilty or to condemn the innocent is equally detestable to Jehovah.

While our courts may be filled with these types of injustices today, all those involved in the injustices will some day have to give an account before God and they will NOT go unpunished.

In Exodus the Lord, through Moses, said: “Have nothing to do with a false charge and do not put an innocent or honest person to death, for I will not acquit the guilty” (23:7). Later on in Proverbs Solomon said, “Here are some further sayings of the wise: It is wrong to show favoritism when passing judgment. A judge who says to the wicked, "You are innocent," will be cursed by many people and denounced by the nations. But it will go well for those who convict the guilty; rich blessings will be showered on them” (24:23-25). Let this be a warning for all judges and people in general, we will have to give an account for our actions, so we should do our best to judge righteously and deal uprightly with all men.

I could think of no better example than what happened to Jesus. He was taken from mock trial to mock trial in the middle of the night. Without any evidence and with trumped up charges an innocent Jesus was accused and condemned and a clearly guilty Barabbas (a wicked man), was released. No doubt that all those who participated in Jesus’ disgraceful trial will have to give account.

So what does this mean to you ? It means that the Father expects you to judge righteously. Don’t be afraid to call right “right” and wrong “wrong.” As a believer you should NOT be a coward. Don’t water down or sugarcoat the truth.

Stand for what is right, because it’s right, and the Lord will bless you for it!

Father, I thank You for Your truth. Your Word is truth. Your Word is the standard by which I live my life. I don’t make excuses for Your Word. I stand by Your standard and I am not ashamed of my convictions. In a world where political correctness has caused people to cowardly back down and succumb to unrighteousness pressures, I will stand firm in the truth and call right “right” and wrong “wrong.” I will not turn a blind eye to unrighteousness and injustice. I will judge righteously and live Godly before You and others. I declare this by faith! In Jesus’ name. Amen!