Today’s Bible readings can be found at this link: Psalm 98:1-9 & John 8:1-20.
Psalm 98:9b “The LORD will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity.” (NIV)
The fairness of God which we sometimes call grace is revealed to us in this verse from today’s psalm. We are told that God judges us with righteousness and equity. Equity is something that we associate more with finances than we do with justice, and yet here we have God dealing with everyone on Earth in an equitable manner.
So, what does this mean? It means that God judges us not according to the rules, but according to our circumstances. The Hebrew word for equity is ‘meyshar’ which describes a smoothness, a flat surface, a straightness of a line. In other words when God judges people, He does it fairly which means that the poor and oppressed can expect a better and fairer judgment than those with ample resources and power. This is very important to learn, receive, and know for it involves how we think and deal with other people, especially those whose live in dire circumstances. Whenever I come across Christians railing against poor immigrants or ranting about welfare recipients, I fear for their souls. They are bringing judgement down on themselves.
The scriptures often tell us about helping the poor and needy, as well as the oppressed and alien in our land, but if we choose to ignore this, then God will judge us with equity – if we, with our ample resources, health, and good living, choose to ignore or demean the plight of those who are powerless, impoverished, and oppressed, then God will judge us according to our circumstances and call us out for not doing more, for being hard-hearted, and for being selfish.
Q: If God judges me with equity, what will happen to my soul?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, save us from our selfish sins and prejudicial pride. Open our minds to understanding God’s equitable ways and open our hearts to being compassionate to others in need. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.
Today’s drawing is called ‘Spirit 2020.’ If you want to view a larger version, please click here.
