Awaiting the Righteous Judge

As the Apostle Paul knew he was approaching the end of his days, he wrote, “From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:8) Somehow, in our human propensity for shame and threats, we inculcate fear of what the righteous judge might impose, especially on those whom we find reprehensible. Though it is a manifestly impotent motivator, we rely on guilt feelings to produce good behavior in ourselves, our children, and others around us. How much more effective is the joy of anticipating a crown of righteousness, not just for us but for all whom God loves!

These New Testament words echoed as I prayed through Psalm 130 this morning. “If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand?” (v. 3) Yes, we cry out of the depths of our agonies to God, but God is not recording our sins and failures, otherwise none of us could stand. Rather, “there is forgiveness with [God], so that [God] may be revered. (v. 4) … For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is great power to redeem (v. 7) This does not diminish the seriousness of our sins and failures, but at the core of God’s being is not condemnation and punishment but forgiveness, redemption, and steadfast love. Therefore, with hope we “wait for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning.” (v. 6)

As a bit of an aside, for those who are concerned that my reflections here miss God’s judgment of evil, in the book of Job 1-2 “satan” comes before God to make accusations against God’s servant Job. The Hebrew word rendered “satan” in our English translations might better be transliterated as ha-satan, which means “the accuser.” The role of ha-satan in the opening of Job is not of tempting Job to some sin but a role more like a prosecuting attorney in a court of law bringing charges against, in this case, an innocent defendant. This is consistent with the imagery of Revelation 12:10 that speaks of the “accuser of our comrades” (brethren KJV) being thrown down, no longer allowed to “accuse them day and night before our God.” In the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ temptation, Matthew and Luke use “Devil” while Mark uses “Satan,” in each case working within context and audience, but that is beyond what I want to explore here. Also, the word translated “temptation” (here and in the Lord’s Prayer) can also be translated “testing.” These brought up against understanding ha-satan as the accuser, suggests that the Devil/Satan was not so much trying to lure Jesus into a particular sin but was making accusations that Jesus was not qualified for his redemptive mission, perhaps even attacking God’s loving, forgiving, and redeeming character.

I know my aside is about as long as my original point. You who know me may just shrug and say, “Yea, well, that’s how Norm’s brain works.” So be it.