Who does God judge?
(Psalms 44:20-21; 76:8-9; 89:14; 94:1-23; 96:1-13; 98:1-9) Blog Feb. 4-10, 2024
Prepared by Richard A. Marin: Present Truth PO Box 700, Fallbrook CA 92088-0700 USA
REVIEW: As part of Holy Scripture, the Psalms are inspired by God’s Holy Spirit and reveal God as Sovereign as well as not far from any one of us. His government is merciful and just. He hears the prayers of those who love him and although in wisdom he may delay his answers, his promises never fail.
Judgment
1. What is God’s attitude towards “judgment”? God loves judgment & his throne is established on judgment (Psa. 33:5; 37:28; 89:14; 97:2).
2. For whom does God execute judgment? God executes judgment for both the righteous and the wicked (Psa. 103:6; 119:84).
3. In the Psalms to what does the word “judgment” refer? In the Psalms “judgment” means not only destruction of the condemned but also deliverance of the justified (Psa. 9:7-8; 72:4; 75:7; 76:9; 94:1-21).
4. What does God do before he delivers or destroys? Before God delivers or destroys anyone, he first examines their life (1 Chron. 28:9; Psa. 11:4-5; 26:2; 44:20-21; Rev. 2:23).
5. What two kinds of righteousness will God examine in judgment? Both the imparted righteousness of our character & the imputed righteousness of Jesus that dwells in heaven will be considered in God’s final judgment (Psa. 26:1-3, 11; Eccl. 12:14; Matt. 12:36-37; 1 John 2:1-2).
6. What does an examination of our characters in judgment reveal? Our characters & our life record reveal whether we believe in Jesus or not (they also determine what rewards we will have in eternity) (Psa. 19:9-11; 139:23; Isa. 3:11; 1 Cor. 3:8; Jam. 2:17-26).
7. What place does the imputed righteousness of Jesus have in God’s final judgment? For all those whose characters reveal that they believe in Jesus, their Savior will plead his righteous life & atoning blood in their behalf & they will be counted worthy of life eternal (Psa. 4:1; 31:1; 32:2; 35:24; 36:10; 71:1-2; Rom. 4:23-24).
8. Why would God want to go over our life record if he had already forgiven our sins? The forgiveness of sins is temporal & conditional. A person’s life record reveals whether they have continued in faith in Jesus or turned from him to trust in their own good deeds. Only in God’s final judgment are sins blotted out (Psa. 32:1; Eze. 18:24; 33:13; Acts 3:19; 2 Cor. 5:10).
9. When will God examine the cases of all who have claimed to be his followers? At the appointed time just before Jesus returns in glory, God will examine the cases of all who have ever professed to be his followers to see who have remained faithful to the end (Psa. 75:2; 76:8-9; 94:21-23; Dan. 7:9-10; Acts 3:19; 17:31; Rev. 14:7).
10. When will God examine the cases of those who refused his offer of salvation? During the millennium God, together with the saved, will examine the cases & determine the just punishment of those who refused salvation (Jam. 2:12-13; Rev. 11:18; 20:4-6).
11. Where does the work of examining people’s life record take place? Life records are examined in the heavenly sanctuary where God’s throne is & where the records are kept (Psa. 102:19; 103:19; Dan. 7:9-10).
12. When will God execute the sentences determined in his final examination of our lives? At the end of the millennium God will destroy the wicked and give the righteous the earth made new (Psa. 37:6-11, 34; Rev. 20:15; 21:1-9).
Rise up, Oh God
13. When the psalmists refer to “God rising up,” to what does that usually refer? When God rises up it usually refers to coming in judgment to deliver his people (Psa. 7:6-9; 35:23-24; 76:9).
14. What other term does the Bible use for “God rising up” in judgment? The other term used for “God rising up” is “I will visit” (or “come quickly”) or “the day of visitation” (Psa. 59:5; 106:4; Jer. 14:10; Hos. 9:9; Luke 19:44; Rev. 2:5, 16).
15. How do God’s people react to God’s coming in judgment? God’s people rejoice & sing a new song when they hear that God is coming to judge the earth (Psa. 96:1-13; 98:1-9).
16. When God rises up in judgment what standard does he use to determine his course of action? God uses the Ten Commandments as his standard of judgment (Psa. 111:7; 119:66; Rom. 2:12).
Imprecatory Psalms (Read Psalms 55:15; 59:13; 69:22-28; 109:6-13)
17. Was C. S. Lewis right when he referred to the imprecatory Psalms as “devilish curses… written by self-pitying, barbaric men”? No, for David himself said that the Spirit of God spoke by him, Jesus refers to the Psalms as part of Holy Scripture, & Peter says that the Holy Spirit spoke through David in the Psalms (2 Sam. 23:1-2; John 10:34-35; Acts 1:16).
19. How did David treat his enemies? David spared Saul’s life, didn’t resist Absolom’s insurrection, kept his men from killing Shemei, & promoted Mephibosheth to great honor (1 Sam. 26:11; 2 Sam. 9:6-7; 15:14; 16:9-10).
20. Who are the psalmists asking to take vengeance? The psalmists are not planning to take personal vengeance; rather they leave all vengeance to God just as he told them to do (Deut. 32:35-36; Psa. 94:1-4).
21. Were Old Testament believers told to love their enemies? Yes, both before David and after him, Scripture calls God’s people to love their enemies (Lev. 19:17; Prov. 24:17-18).
22. How should we understand the imprecatory Psalms (35, 55, 59, 69, 79, 109, & 137) where the psalmists pray for curses on their enemies? We should see in them a zeal for God’s glory, a hatred for sin, a desire for the deliverance of God’s people, and/or a call to repentance (Psa. 35:22-27; 37:35-40; 10:7, 12-15; 2:9-10; 64:7-10; 83:13-18).