Job 9:24, “When a land falls into the hands of the wicked, he blindfolds its judges. If it is not he, then who is it?” (Job 9:24) “But it is God who judges: He brings one down, he exalts another.” (Psalm 75:7)
Though God is sovereign over the concerns of men, and “works all things according to the counsel of His will” (Eph 1:11), we are all responsible how we live by the light we’ve been given. When a society’s been exposed to the light of the gospel and rejects it, we have no right to complain when God “hands us over” to the sin that our selfish hearts prefer! “…although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts…” (Romans 1:21-24a)
God, as Judge of all the earth, even before “Judgment Day”, can sentence sinners over to a destruction that He sees fit. He may elect, as Paul put it, to have “mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.” (Romans 9:18). One such way that God may judge a nation is to give them “unjust judges”, or in the scripture from Job, “blindfold” its judges. “to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter”(Isaiah 5:20), This is theologically called “Judicial Hardening”. God may see fit to “give them over” of their love of injustice! Of course no one wants injustice directed at themselves, but may not object as much when it’s directed towards others. That lack of concern for true justice is more than enough to have a nation destroyed.
We live in a nation that may be comparably better than others in listening to the cares of its citizens, yet even then, millions, if not the entirety of its people can be impacted by the decision of one Supreme Court Judge. This past week, before our Supreme Court headed off for their summer recess, they made deliberations that theoretically affect all of us. I won’t get into the recent rulings themselves; only that they, like we, will stand before the Judge of all the Earth, and have to give an account for their actions! Just like Pharaoh in Moses’ day was hardened so that he might be an instrument to showcase God’s glory before Israel and the nations, so God may still harden an already wicked judge or ruler to further accomplish His glorious purposes. Most of that is simply unfathomable to us, yet we must give God the glory.
What is equally mind-boggling, is that our Lord, in His Love, disciplines His people in a purifying fashion so that we will not be swept up with the rest of the world. Consider this amazing statement by Paul regarding this: “if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment. When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world” (1 Corinthians 11:31-32). We don’t know exactly how God does this, but He can use persecution, sickness, and even church struggles as a cleansing process for His Bride. God, in His Mercy, may discipline us as a Good Father (Heb 12:4-11), so that we would produce a “harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it” (v11). So Job, in his wisdom, rightly recognized this, “But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.” (Job 23:10).
God will use the circumstances of our lives to do it, not forgetting that through these things we “snatch others from the fire and save them” (Jude 1:23). The early church in Jerusalem had to face persecution before it took the Gospel out to the Samaritans and Gentiles! (Acts 8:1-4). So if our world is like theirs, then God may act in similar fashion, in getting us out there! “Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life” (Philippians 2:14-16). Meanwhile, we are confronted with our own set of unique circumstances.
What do we do in these topsy-turvy times? Not everything is clearly black and white. When Christians are confronted with difficult decisions of which there is no fully righteous solution, (in voting, for example) I believe that we must, with the wisdom God has given, seek out the answer that might best lead to the freedom to worship, speak, and evangelize. Let us take these moments that our Lord have given us for our good, and work for the end result of God’s Glory, and individual salvation. Pray for Revival. Speak life into the lives of others. Most of all, give our God and Judge the honor He is due!