Daily Manna 20 August
KEY VERSE: “How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked?” – (Psalm 82:2)
TEXT: Psalm 82:1-7
God stands in the congregation of the mighty;
He judges among the gods.
2 How long will you judge unjustly,
And show partiality to the wicked? Selah
3 Defend the poor and fatherless;
Do justice to the afflicted and needy.
4 Deliver the poor and needy;
Free them from the hand of the wicked.
5 They do not know, nor do they understand;
They walk about in darkness;
All the foundations of the earth are unstable.
6 I said, “You are gods,
And all of you are children of the Most High.
7 But you shall die like men,
And fall like one of the princes.”
Read yesterday’s Daily Manna here
A Christian brother who was a one-time court magistrate, narrated the unforgettable experience he had while still in the bench. A cousin of his was once brought to his court by the police for a murder charge that carried death penalty. His unbelieving parents and family members came to passionately appeal to him to temper justice with mercy. He said he had severally preached to the young man and counselled him but he remained recalcitrant. He said he had to seriously pray to God on the case to have the needed courage and boldness to deliver the right judgment. The retired magistrate said according to the law, he sentenced his cousin to death by hanging amidst family and friends’ condemnation and vilification.
In the Bible passage today, the psalmist cried out for justice in the land. There was partiality in judgment in the land. The poor and the fatherless were cheated. Their rights were recklessly and forcefully taken away from them and the wicked were wrongfully justified and vindicated in judgment. The psalmist was lamenting how men failed to follow the pattern of God who judges without respect of persons. He never takes bribes to pervert justice.
The term “gods” in our text means the people who God has placed in high positions of authority to administer justice in the community of men. The exalted position of the rulers and those in authority who have abused their offices will not protect them from God’s impartial judgment. This is because God is the supreme and righteous Judge of the whole earth.
Both in the secular and in the spiritual settings, God demands justice and fairness among the rulers. People and the judges should not give or receive bribes to pervert justice because the Supreme Judge is watching.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Everyone, including judges, shall be judged by the righteous Judge.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Job 37-42
Thank you for studying today’s Daily Manna – God Demands Justice – by Pastor Enoch A.
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Daily Manna 20 August 2021
