Here Comes the Judge? – The Sixth Commandment

Here Comes the Judge?

Exodus 20:13; Deuteronomy 5:17

“You shall not murder.”

James 4:11, 12

Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is only one lawgiver and judge…

You’re not wise enough for this.

OK, so we’re really angry at this person, and rightfully so. We have every good and legitimate reason to be angry because we’ve been sinned against in a most egregious manner. So we’re angry. We choose not to talk with our neighbor. We refuse to turn the matter over to the Lord in prayer. Do good to that jerk? Forget it. Then it’s time to face up to the reality: We have decided that we know better than God’s Law how human life should be lived. The Law was given to teach us how to love God and our neighbor. But if we refuse to submit to the Law at such difficult times, we simply set ourselves up as judge of the Law, and, well, that position has not been declared vacant. And anyway, we’re not wise enough to fill those shoes. We have to accept the teaching of God’s Law as an act of faith, resigning ourselves to the fact that He Who is infinite, almighty, unchangeable, and perfect in all virtues knows better than we do how we ought to live. So rather than try to usurp the prerogative of God, why not just swallow your pride and pain and get about the business of overcoming your anger? Pray, seek the Lord, talk to the one who has harmed you, or, that failing, do something good for him. God will deal with your anger, and keep it from becoming hatred, so that hatred doesn’t issue in murder in any of its forms.

Are there any other areas of the Law where you tend to act as though you know better than God how you ought to live?

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“In the Gates” is a devotional series on the Law of God by Rev. T.M. Moore

T. M. Moore is editor of the Worldview Church. He serves as dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He is the author or editor of twenty books, and has contributed chapters to four others. His essays, reviews, articles, papers, and poetry have appeared in dozens of national and international journals, and on a wide range of websites. His most recent books are The Ailbe Psalter and The Ground for Christian Ethics (Waxed Tablet).

Scripture quotations in this article are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (c) copyright 2001,2007 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Editor’s note: The use of a translation other than the Authorised Version in an article does not constitute an endorsement in whole or in part by The Christian Observer.

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