For judgment is neither from the east nor from the west, nor yet from the wilderness or the mountains. It is God who judges;
Why is this so hard for us? This concept that God is the judge, not us? This portion of Psalm 75 is pretty clear. And yet through the ages, we forget. This psalm was known by ancient Jews, long before Christ. It was prayed then, it is prayed now. I think we understand it in our heads, but quickly slip.
Yes, God judges, but what happens, I think is that we each think we know what God would want.
God wants a home of the free and the brave. God wants prayer in school. God wants to save all fetuses. God wants to rid the world of corrupt overreaching government. Some of us absolutely believe this is what God would want, and God judges those who disagree.
God wants open borders between political nations. God wants publicly funded housing for all. God wants to censure hate. God wants to rid the world of the corrupt overreaching 1%. Some of us absolutely believe this is what God would want, and God judges those who disagree.
I have my opinion about what God would want. Operative words are ‘my opinion’. I’m quite sure the Scripture says nothing about building a wall along the south border of the US, so to claim that God has made a judgement on that precise issue is greatly informed by the humans who read and interpret what has been said in Scripture. God is the judge. Not us.
There is a way to walk through this world with opinions about what we think is right, about what we believe what is right from God. But ultimately, only God can accurately interpret what God means in scripture. And ultimately, only God can accurately judge.
As Samuel Johnson, an 18th Century English author said, “God Himself, sir, does not propose to judge a man until his life is over. Why should you and I?”
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