He
appointed judges in the land, in each of the fortified cities of Judah. He told
them, “Consider carefully what you do, because you are not judging for mere
mortals but for the Lord, who is with you whenever you give a verdict. Now let the
fear of the Lord be on you.
Judge carefully, for with the Lord our God there is no injustice or partiality or
bribery.”
In Jerusalem also, Jehoshaphat appointed some of the Levites,
priests and heads of Israelite families to administer the law of the Lord and to settle disputes. And
they lived in Jerusalem. He gave them these orders: “You must serve
faithfully and wholeheartedly in the fear of the Lord. In every
case that comes before you from your people who live in the cities—whether
bloodshed or other concerns of the law, commands, decrees or regulations—you
are to warn them not to sin against the Lord; otherwise his wrath will
come on you and your people. Do this, and you will not sin. 2 Chronicles 19:5-10
Christians
make the best judges for a number of reasons.
They
understand the importance of truth. They
read and know God’s law which is the basis of our laws today.
They
realize they were judged impartially by God who showed them grace through forgiveness
and faith.
They
serve their God faithfully and wholeheartedly, working as for God and not
man. This should be reflected in their
work.
They
seek integrity in their work.
They
understand the concepts of freedom because they’ve been set from sin.
They
know their lives will be judged by the ultimate judge, Jesus Christ, who survived
betrayal and an unjust trial, sentencing and conviction.
By
living with a higher standard and understanding eternal consequences to decisions,
Christians make the best judges. They
know one day they will not escape their own judgement, delivered by a gracious,
impartiality, loving God.