DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- RIGHTEOUS JUSTICE

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- RIGHTEOUS JUSTICE

"But Festus, wanting to do the Jews a favor, answered Paul and said, 'Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and there be judged before me concerning these things?'" (Acts 25:9)

When the judicial system gets corrupted, bad things happen to good people. Paul was a good example.

Paul first appeared before Felix, the governor of Judea, but Felix refused to make a judgment because he desired a bribe from Paul (24:26) and also because he wanted to score points with the Jews (24:27). Felix sat on the case for two years until he was replaced by Festus. Festus was no better. Even though he admitted that he could find nothing to charge Paul with (Acts 25:26-27), he would not make a judgment to exonerate Paul because he wanted to please the Jews. Festus sat on the judgment seat but would not make a decision. Instead, he asked for help from King Agrippa.

These guys had no backbone to stand up for justice. Instead, they were swayed by other political and monetary considerations. They played Ping-pong with Paul, moving him from one court to another.

It is a sad day for America when our legal system has been so corrupted that justice is thwarted by political pressure. Even our highest court, the Supreme Court, is susceptible to this kind of pressure. Instead of basing decisions on the constitution and the law, the justices are sometimes swayed by political concerns rather than adhering to the Constitution.

There is one Judge who will never be tempted to base His judgments on anything except His Word and His holiness. No one will be able to accuse Him of being unjust in His judgments because they are always founded in His truth.

We need to be sure that our judgments are securely settled in God's revealed Word – our Constitution – and not in the popular culture of the day or what we feel is right based on pity, anger, or what we think is fair.

We stand before a Holy Judge and He will judge rightly because He is righteous.

Love, Dad