“May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, ² that your way may be known upon earth, your saving power among all nations. ³ Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you. ⁴ Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth. ⁵ Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you. ⁶ The earth has yielded its increase; God, our God, has blessed us. ⁷ May God continue to bless us; let all the ends of the earth revere him.” Psalm 67 

“The just judge is primarily he who rights a wrong in a civil case. He would, no doubt, also try a criminal case justly, but that is hardly ever what the Psalmists are thinking of. Christians cry to God for mercy instead of justice; they (Jews) cried to God for justice instead of injustice. The Divine judge is the defender, the rescuer. Scholars tell me that in the Book of Judges the word we so translate might almost be rendered ‘champions’; for though these ‘judges’ do sometimes perform what we should call judicial functions, many of them are much more concerned with rescuing the oppressed Israelites. They are more like ‘Jack the Giant Killer’ than like a modern judge in a wig.” (Reflections on the Psalms, “Judgment in the Psalms”, Rejoicing in Judgment, from Preparing For Easter; Fifty Devotional Readings from C.S. Lewis) 

There are many passages in the Psalms that make the point clear – G-d will minister true judgment; G-d defends the poor, forgets not the complaint of the poor, and will help all the meek upon the earth. The Psalms are filled with a longing for judgment – a judgment that is coming as good news for all people. When G-d finally comes to judge, the last, the lost, least and little will finally be heard. 

How do you view G-d’s judgment: G-d is the judge in a criminal trial where we are the defendant hoping for an acquittal, or pardon? Or do you view G-d the judge in a civil case where we are the plaintiff hoping for a resounding triumph where we receive appropriate “damages”? That, my friends, is an interesting question.

Pastor Dave

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵ so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. ⁴⁶ For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? ⁴⁷ And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? ⁴⁸ Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Matthew 5:43-48

“When I was a child I often had toothache, and I knew that if I went to my mother she would give me something which would deaden the pain for that night and let me get to sleep. But I did not go to my mother-at least, not till the pain became very bad. And the reason I did not go was this. I did not doubt she would give me the aspirin; but I knew she would also do something else. I knew she would take me to the dentist next morning. I could not get what I wanted out of her without getting something more, which I did not want. I wanted immediate relief from pain: but I could not get it without having my teeth set permanently right. And I knew those dentists; I knew they started fiddling about with all sorts of other teeth which had not yet begun to ache. They would not let sleeping dogs lie; if you gave them an inch they took an ell. 

Now, if I may put it that way, Our Lord is like the dentists. If you give Him an inch, He will take an ell. Dozens of people go to Him to be cured of some one particular sin which they are ashamed of (like masturbation or physical cowardice) or which is obviously spoiling daily life (like bad temper or drunkenness). Well, He will cure it all right: but He will not stop there. That may be all you asked; but if once you call Him in, He will give you the full treatment.” (On Perfection; Counting the Cost, from  Mere Christianity — from Preparing For Easter; Fifty Devotional Readings from C.S. Lewis) 

If we understand what C.S. Lewis is getting at, we soon realize why some people do not want to seek out G-d for some relief from what “ails them”. Because, once G-d gets a foot in the door, soon the individual will not only sense some relief from his/her initial request, but they might even begin to feel more troubled – because there is more work to be done. And once the Holy Spirit finds a crack in the hard “outer nature”, then there is surely the chance that the blessed Spirit will seek “other” aches and pains. And then, as I see it, as I have experienced the Holy Spirit in my life, then all bets are off. The dentist will have been summoned…..

Pastor Dave