God Is Just.

“I will thank the Lord because he is just; I will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.” – Psalm 7:17 NLT

David has been falsely accused. He has been slandered by those who hate him and his former boss, King Saul, has been led to believe that David is out to kill him. But nothing could have been further from the truth. In spite of the fact that David had been anointed by God as Saul’s eventual replacement as king of Israel, and that Saul had hired a team of 3,000 trained mercenaries to kill him, David  had chosen not to seek revenge or attempt to expedite the end of Saul’s reign. Yet, he suffered. So he called out to his God. He appealed to the one who was capable of doing something about his situation. And all David wanted was justice. He wanted God, as judge, to rule on his behalf. If he was guilty, he was willing to suffer the consequences. “O Lord my God, if I have done wrong or am guilty of injustice, if I have betrayed a friend or plundered my enemy without cause, then let my enemies capture me. Let them trample me into the ground and drag my honor in the dust” (Psalm 7:3-5 NLT).

But David was confident in his innocence. He knew that God was all-knowing and well aware of what was going on inside his heart. “For you look deep within the mind and heart, O righteous God” (Psalm 7:9b NLT). So he begs God, “Declare me righteous, O Lord, for I am innocent, O Most High!” (Psalm 7:8b NLT). David had a strong grasp of the God’s role as judge of all mankind. He also knew that God was a righteous judge. He ruled rightly in all cases. He also knew that God was fully capable of bringing down the hammer on those who were guilty and unrepentant. “If a person does not repent, God will sharpen his sword; he will bend and string his bow. He will prepare his deadly weapons and shoot his flaming arrows” (Psalm 7:12-13 NLT). God was not only capable of judging rightly and justly, but of bringing the appropriate punishment when guilt was established.

David had no confidence in the justice and fairness of men. He knew men well. He had been burned by them before. David was well aware of the deceitfulness of the human heart. He wrote about it often. “The wicked are stringing their bows and fitting their arrows on the bowstrings. They shoot from the shadows at those whose hearts are right” (Psalm 11:2 NLT). “Don’t let me suffer the fate of sinners. Don’t condemn me along with murderers. Their hands are dirty with evil schemes, and they constantly take bribes” (Psalm 26:9-10 NLT). David put his trust and confidence in the justice of God. He knew he could trust God to judge fairly, impartially, righteously and accurately. He knew God would defend him, protect him, and ultimately save him – because he was innocent. So David declared, “I will thank the Lord because he is just; I will sing praise to the Lord Most High” (Psalm 7:17 NLT). David expresses gratitude and offers praise to the sovereign ruler over all the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked. He knew God to be just. He knew God to be an honest judge who is always right and never wrong. He knew God was fully aware of all the facts and would never accuse wrongly or punish undeservedly. The wicked would receive what they deserved. The innocent – those whose hearts are true and right – would receive justice. Because God is just.

Father, You are just and right in all You do. You never punish inappropriately or decide a case wrongly. You are the honest judge. You are the right judge. You are the holy judge. I can trust You. Amen

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org