Journal Ps 97-99 (all references are from the ESV unless noted otherwise; changes in punctuation are mine)
Scripture: “Let the rivers clap their hands; let the hills sing for joy together before the Lord—for He comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity.” (Ps 97:8-9)
“The King in his might loves justice. You (God) have established equity; you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.
Exalt the Lord our God! Worship at his footstool! Holy is He.” (Ps 98:4-5)
Observation: Equity is a buzzword in today’s American vocabulary. It is also a firm foundational precept in the Scriptures: God sees us all with the same evaluation.
Analysis: This one is easy, but it isn’t thought about deeply much. The following is the formative statement of equity that I am most familiar with:
“All have sinned.”
“All have fallen short of the glory of God.” Ro 3:23
This is what Merriam-Webster dictionary says:
“…freedom from bias or favoritism…”
This describes God to a “T.” Think about it: God is only biased to His own glory.
- “I am the LORD; that is my name; my glory I give to no other…” (Is 42:8)
- “For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another…” (Is 48:11)
God’s glory in equity is one of the basic facts of the Gospel. Does God grade on any sort, any kind of a curve? No. And why is that? So that his Word is true and right altogether: “…the rules of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.” (Ps 19:9) A “grade curve” does not exist; therefore, the statement that “all have sinned” stands alone without a qualifier that exists (such as, “they haven’t heard the Gospel”, “they are not old or mature enough to be held responsible of the Gospel”, etc.).
To be sure, this is a biblical fact to embrace. It is not, however, a judgment/condemnation that mere man can direct to another, except by understanding that, when the Scriptures say, “all have sinned,” I am a part of that “all”—it is why I desperately need a Savior every day.
As the Holy God of Israel has established equity across all Mankind and across all ages, race, nation, and tongue, He has also established the Message of the Gospel, demonstrating his Mercy and Grace.
Prayer: Lord God. Interesting today. Why did you light my eyes on this word?
Amen.
Ricky Two Shoes