Exodus 18:21-22
Moreover you shall select from all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. And let them judge the people at all times. Then it will be that every great matter they shall bring to you, but every small matter they themselves shall judge. So it will be easier for you, for they will bear the burden with you.
INSIGHT
-Judge in Hebrew is written as shaphat & it means vindicate, rule, govern & punish. The judges comprised of Othniel, Ehud, Deborah, Gideon, Jephthah, Samson, Shamgar, Abimelech, Tola, Jair, Ibzan, Elon, Abdon, Eli & Samuel. These were the interim rulers before kings took over the leadership role in Israel.
-After the Israelites deliverance from the hands of Pharaoh, they often came to Moses who enquired from the Lord & taught them the ordinances & laws of God. At that time, Moses solely solved their problems until Jethro his father in law advised him to assign more men as rulers to discharge judicial functions over minor issues among the people. These men had to exhibit certain characteristics so that they may not pervert justice.
PRAYER
Lord our Father, full of justice & truth, we humbly come unto Your able hands asking for mercy. Strengthen our judicial system that we may be governed by truth & justice. We condemn any evil judgement pronounced against our country in form of deaths on our roads during this festive season in Your name Jesus. No weapon fashioned against us, our families & nation shall prosper Father. You are our Helper, Protector & Guide, we call on You asking for Your divine intervention in all matters that have proven to be a puzzle in our lives, answer our prayers Lord. All glory & power belong to You Father, now & forever. Amen
Judges 3:9-10
When the children of Israel cried out to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer for the children of Israel, who delivered them: Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother. The Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he judged Israel. He went out to war, and the Lord delivered Cushan-Rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand; and his hand prevailed over Cushan-Rishathaim.
INSIGHT
-After the Israelites settled in Canaan, they did evil in the sight of the Lord & their neighbours who dwelt in Mesopotamia oppressed them. They cried to God in prayer, returned to Him in repentance & acknowledged Him as their Saviour. The Spirit of the Lord came upon Othniel; the first judge who went to war against Mesopotamians & the Lord delivered their king into his hands. Most judges like Othniel delivered the Israelites from the hands of their oppressors before the system of kings was formalised. The Spirit of the Lord also came upon other judges like Gideon, Jephthah & Samson who also delivered the Israelites from their enemies. Gideon with his 300 troops fought the Midianites & defeated them (Judg 8:28), Jephthah defeated the Ammonites (Judg 11:32) & Samson conquered the Philistines with a jawbone of a donkey (Judg 15:16). Most of the other judges are mentioned in the book of Judges except Samuel & Eli who are seen in 1 Samuel. Apostle Paul also recognises Gideon, Jephthah, Samson & Samuel as hero’s of faith; strong & valiant in battle who delivered the Israelites from their enemies (Heb 11:32). Judges are a picture of Christ our Savour; Who delivered us from our main enemy; sin & death, that we may inherit eternal life.
PRAYER
Our Lord & Saviour, we thank You for Your everlasting love & mercy upon us. We praise Your name on high Oh righteous Judge. You have redeemed us from the snares of sin & death; we believe in You. Strengthen our faith as walk in salvation & purify us from all that is not pleasing to You. Protect us from road accidents causing death & heal the families of those who have been affected. As we celebrate our independence Father, may Your light shine upon our country’s economy, leadership, religious beliefs & relations; that we may always live in peace & unity among ourselves & our neighbours, & may plenty be found within our borders. All glory & praise belong to You Jesus. Amen
Psalm 2:10
Now therefore, be wise, O kings; Be instructed, you judges of the earth.
INSIGHT
-Kings or rather country heads in their sovereignty are instructed to seek Gods’ wisdom in their leadership role. Judge in this context implies governance of a nation & its judicial system. Exo 23:6-9 clearly outlines how justice can be perverted, that is: – oppression of the poor in their disputes, favourable prosecution of false matters, execution of death sentence on the innocent & the righteous, acceptance of bribes/ corruption which blinds the discerning & perverts words of the righteous, & Israel relations with others. Thus true wisdom fit for nation heads & judges lies in their obedience & submission to Christ.
PRAYER
Our Lord & Father full of justice & truth, we humbly submit to Your holy presence. Guide all presidents, leaders & judges; all over the world in Your council as they make decisions; Oh King of kings & Lord of lords. We seek Your intervention on the Jerusalem matter that Your glory may prevail in the outcome. May Your peace that surpasses all understanding fill our hearts & the whole world. All glory, power, riches, wisdom & strength belong to You Father, forever. Amen
Hebrews 10:30
For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. And again, “The Lord will judge His people.”
INSIGHT
-Christ is the only One just to judge His people, He Who is seated at the right hand of the Father. We are well aware of the events of Gods’ judgement for the nations as documented in the book of Revelation. Towards its close, that is; Rev 20:11-15, Christ seated on the great white throne symbolising His purity, holiness & truth; will judge the dead according to the books, and death & hades will be no more. In His judgement; the Book of Life will be used to justify us; after which the New Jerusalem will replace the old heaven & earth with an environment full of light where eternal life will reign forever.
PRAYER
Holy holy holy is the Lord God Almighty Who was Who is & Who is to come, we praise You & glorify Your holy name. We humbly ask for Your guidance & mercy upon us & our nations, that we may be found worthy to inherit Your Kingdom. You are the beginning & the end, we submit our hearts to You, cleanse us from all unrighteousness & train us in Your wisdom. All glory & praise belong to You forever, Amen.
Luke 6:37-38
“Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”
INSIGHT
-This scripture could not have come a better time, when people are going on holiday. It’s a good time to settle scores that have existed in the short-term & long-term durations. A time to share with the less fortunate & those that the Lord will direct us to. A time to share love with our families, friends & neighbours. A time to share joy with those we love. A time to give thanks to God for what He has done for us the whole year. The scripture has reclassified forgiveness into three sections, first is to refrain from judging others, abstain from condemning others & absolve those who wrong us. Generosity has not been left out. When we give; it is for our own good, be it forgiveness, food, resources, love etc., it will be given back to us in good measure.
SUMMARY
-Judge in Hebrew is written as shaphat & it means vindicate, punish, condemn, rule, govern & deliver. The judges comprised of Othniel, Ehud, Deborah, Gideon, Jephthah, Samson, Shamgar, Abimelech, Tola, Jair, Ibzan, Elon, Abdon, Eli & Samuel.
-After the Israelites were delivered from Egypt, Moses solely solved their disputes before Jethro his father in law advised him to assign more men to assist him discharge judicial functions over minor issues among the people. These were men of truth, who feared God & hated covetousness, so that they would not pervert justice (Ex 18:21-22). The Israelites later settled in Canaan, did evil in the sight of the Lord & their neighbours from Mesopotamia oppressed them. They cried to God in prayer & He bestowed His Spirit came upon Othniel; the first judge who led them to war & emerged victorious (Judg 3:9-10). Most judges like Othniel delivered the Israelites from the hands of their oppressors before the system of kings was formalised. The Spirit of the Lord also came upon judges like Gideon who defeated the Midianites with his 300 troops (Judg 8:28), Jephthah who defeated the Ammonites (Judg 11:32) & Samson who conquered the Philistines with a jawbone of a donkey (Judg 15:16). In the New Testament, Apostle Paul recognised Gideon, Jephthah, Samson & Samuel as hero’s of faith; strong & valiant in battle who delivered the Israelites from their enemies (Heb 11:32). Kings later took over leadership from judges in Israel. Kings in the present time; just like judges are required to exhibit good character & seek Gods’ wisdom in their leadership role (Ps 2:10). According to Exo 23:6-8, justice can be perverted when the poor are oppressed in their disputes, when false matters are given credit, death sentence is executed on the innocent & the righteous, taking bribes & corruption in office which blinds the discerning & perverts words of the righteous. All judges should be a reflection of Christ in their character & decisions. He is our righteous Judge & Saviour Who delivered us from our main enemy; sin & death, that we may inherit eternal life. In Rev 20:11-15, death & hades will be cast into the lake of fire & Christ seated on the great white throne, pure & only One worthy of vengeance will judge the dead according to the books. In His judgement; the Book of Life will be used to justify us; after which the New Jerusalem will replace the old heaven & earth with light that spells out all darkness for eternal life to reign forever. It is clear from Luke 6:37-38; that if we refrain from judging others; we will not be judged & whatever scale we use in forgiveness, it shall be used unto us. We should therefore submit to God, for He is faithful to give us His fruit & gifts that we remain in Him & He in us.
PRAYER
In humble adoration we submit to You Father, increase our love for You & for those around us. Help us to forgive all those who have offended us & refrain from judging, & condemning others. May Your mercy impart compulsion in us so that we may support those who need us most. Forgive us our trespasses Father & help us to maintain good relations with You & those we interact with. Thank You for all the good You have done unto us throughout the year, we praise You. We glorify You Father, everyday for You are worthy of all praises; now & forever. Amen