Passage Read: Job 21-24
Meditation Verse: 24:1
Thought
This is a good question. If God had regular days of holding court and hearing cases, the world would be a different place. The wicked would be regularly rebuked, punished, perhaps even destroyed. Who would dare to do wrong? It even causes me a bit of fear to think about such a thing. Would I go unpunished? I would plead for mercy. Would Be give it? God would need to have regular days of teaching and training to give us a chance to get things right and not all fall under condemnation. But if we saw Him in all His splendor, who would not be diligent to listen and take His every word to heart?
Application
Why does God not regularly hold court? Because He has given us responsibility to carry out justice on earth. We were created to rule over the domain of earth, to exercise judgment and leadership according to His Law and His principles and His ways. But we are corrupt. We extend far too much grace, in fear of ourselves being judged. We err on the side of mercy and then wonder why the wicked get away with all their evil deeds. It is not God's fault, but ours. He showed us how we should handle the rebellious through the Law He gave Israel. He showed us how we should handle sin through His teachings in the New Testament. But we think He's too harsh, that we know love better. And so evil is seldom rebuked or punished in a way that men would fear to do it. Even I'm guilty of being too soft. So I shouldn't accuse God of being absent when I'm not doing what He appointed me to do.