Passage: The Lord takes His place in court; He rises to judge the people. The Lord enters into judgment against the elders and leaders of His people: “It is you who have ruined my vineyard; the plunder from the poor is in your houses. What do you mean by crushing my people and grinding the faces of the poor?” declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.
Journal: Yesterday we discussed how the nation of Judah refused to consider the consequences of sinful behavior. The passage today shows this to be a grave miscalculation. God not only chronicles our actions and inactions, but He “takes His place in court” and “rises to judge the people.” There will be accountability. There will be judgment. The measuring rod will always be His Holy Word. He takes great notice of protection; the protection of the fatherless and the poor. Time and time again He laments His people’s lack of concern for the helpless and the struggling. It is His window to our soul. Here, not only were the poor abandoned, but they were also exploited. (“It is you who have ruined my vineyard; the plunder from the poor is in your houses. What do you mean by crushing my people and grinding the faces of the poor?”)
The Father has delegated to the Son a rather prominent role in this court room drama. He is our judge. He is our prosecutor. Miraculously, for the children of God, He is also our defender. Note the difference in the outcome. A just and holy judge and prosecutor will convict a vile, corrupt and defenseless accused. A parade of witnesses, fatherless and clothed in rags, takes the stand and bears witness against the accused. Justice prevails. Conversely, a just and holy judge and prosecutor will pardon a vile, corrupt and defended accused. The crime is the same and yet, amazingly, the sentence has been served by the defender. The defender was stripped of His rags and was hanging from a tree. Justice prevails. Grace prevails as well. Yes, there will be an accounting. We must not live as if the accounting is a distant rumor and as if the court room will never convene. The indictment, sealed since the Garden of Eden, is ready to be served. It could be served today. Do you have your defender?
John Dee Spicer
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About Me
I started the Daily Journal in 2000. I sent it as an email to a few friends (it was a round number, either 10 or 20, I can't remember exactly). It has grown over the years, primarily due to those original few forwarding it to others. During this time, I have journaled through Genesis, selected Psalms, the Gospel of John, Acts, Romans, Galatians, Hebrews, and Peter's letters. (These are the books I can remember for sure this morning, anyway.) I don't have seminary training and don't claim to have special wisdom. Rather, I simply desire that others develop a love for God's word. There is only one interpretation for any Bible passage, and I will rely on the wisdom of scholars through the ages (at least those at my disposal) to help with that one interpretation. I will also attempt some practical application. Somewhere along the way I started sharing some funny things my kids would say, and this became known as "Heard 'Round the House." I will continue to share these priceless nuggets as my kids provide material. The "Daily" Journal is a bit of a misnomer, since I only do it Monday through Thursday. I don't do it on Friday because I attend a 6 am Bible Study. I don't do it on the weekends because so many received it at work (I may revise this approach since I have gone to the "Blog" format). I do read my Bible on a daily basis, and strongly recommend a chronilogical daily Bible - you will read the Bible completely each year, and the events unfold in a historical fashion.
