“Why doesn’t the Almighty bring the wicked to judgment? Why must the godly wait for Him (and this) in vain?” Job 24:1
A pastor was asked what the most common question he fielded was. Without missing a beat, he quickly uttered, the most common question I hear, one that I have probably heard a thousand times is, why is this happening to me? But he didn’t stop there. He said within almost every example there was an additional comment added. A statement that compared others. Why am I suffering from this disease when I serve at church every Sunday yet this guy I know at work is a horrible person and he is perfectly healthy? Why am I dealing with the death of my loved one and my mean neighbor is riding high? You see, the curse of comparison is a sin that runs deep. And at the foundation of comparison is judgement and the seeking of justice. Admit it, we love to see justice dealt, it’s part of our sin nature and something that this world readily feeds. If you need proof of this just sit in a movie theater and listen to the crowd cheer wildly when the villain gets horribly maimed and killed at the end of the movie. Why? Well, he was mean and he had it coming. You see, the problem with dealing in justice is who holds the gavel. Is it you or God?
This situation is just where Job sits in chapter 24. He is questioning, reasoning, and pursuing the logic of God. A path that man will never see the end of. And in this logic Job is firmly, even resolutely, holding the gabble. He, as most of us do, considers himself a single step above most. That guy over there is an adulterer, but why is he not being punished like me when I’ve always been faithful to my wife? I sacrifice to you on every Sabbath yet and I’m living in the city dump scraping my diseased flesh with a pottery shard. Yet my neighbor never offers you sacrifices and he’s at home dining with his children in perfect health, why isn’t he suffering as much or more than me? Job’s logic, although flawed, is timeless. If you’re honest, Job’s line of logic is something we all wrestle with occasionally, if not daily. We simply want God to hand the gavel over and let us dole out justice as we see fit. And therein is where the problems start.
You see, to judge perfectly you need a perfect judge. And one does not exist on this planet. Only God is perfect and only God can judge perfectly. Steeped in our sin nature we at our core are prideful self-sustaining creatures. We were born knowing expressly how to look out for number one. And in this comes the sin of comparison and judgement. We use ourselves as the benchmark and anyone deemed to be below should be judged and executed according to our personal law. But in the truth of God’s Word, all are guilty of sin and all should be condemned and sentenced to a punishment of eternal separation from God. A separation that will see God in heaven and all those separated from him in hell for eternity. But God, being loving, merciful, and full of grace, changed that imminent eternity for all. He made a way. He sent His only Son here to be born of a virgin, avoiding the sin nature of all men, and had Him die as a perfect unblemished sacrifice, a perfect atonement for the sins of all mankind. And in a triumphant eternal defeat of sin, He raised Jesus three days later. Today, judgement is to befall all unless they have called upon Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. But Jesus is not just for others, He’s personal. Admit that you have sinned, call upon His name and be saved from your sin. And as you do, no longer bang the gavel at others, but tell them about the soul saving power of Jesus Christ. And in doing so, you will see lives introduced not to judgement, but to salvation.
“There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy; but who are you who judge your neighbor?” James 4:12
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