The joy of judgment! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my mind and heart in Psalm 98:4-9,

"Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth,
    burst into jubilant song with music;
make music to the Lord with the harp,
    with the harp and the sound of singing,
with trumpets and the blast of the ram's horn—
    shout for joy before the Lord, the King.
Let the sea resound, and everything in it,
    the world, and all who live in it.
Let the rivers clap their hands,
    let the mountains sing together for joy;
let them sing before the Lord,
    for he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
    and the peoples with equity."

On most days I read five psalms for the day. How I pick my five is very simple: there are 150 psalms and typically 30 days in a month. I multiply the day of the month by five and read the five psalms that end with that number. It gets me through the book each month. Today is June 20th. 20 x 5 is 100, so I read Psalms 96-100 today. I have fallen in love with the book of Psalms over the years and this is my approach to enjoying it.

Several of today's psalms capture a common theme: joy and rejoicing at the judgments of God:

Psalm 96:11-13,
"Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;
    let the sea resound, and all that is in it.
Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them;
    let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.
Let all creation rejoice before the Lord, for he comes,
    he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
    and the peoples in his faithfulness."

Psalm 97:8,
Zion hears and rejoices
    and the villages of Judah are glad
    because of your judgments, Lord."

Psalm 98:4-9 (see above)

Each of these three psalms explicitly call for expressions of joy at the Lord's judgments. In Psalm 96 the grounds are provided for all creation to rejoice because the Lord comes to judge the world. In psalm 97 those in Judah are observed rejoicing in gladness at God's judgments. In Psalm 98 all of creation is called to "burst into jubilant song" because God will "judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity."

In Scripture, the day of the Lord, when the Son of God comes to judge the world, is seen as a dark and gloomy day. "That day will be a day of wrath— a day of distress and anguish, a day of trouble and ruin, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness..." Zephaniah 1:15. This is from the viewpoint of those who have allowed themselves to fall into the judgment of God. All who reject God's offer of his Son will find themselves counted in this number.

On the other hand, for those who have fled to God's offer of forgiveness made available through Jesus Christ, the expression of God's judgment will be an occasion for joy and rejoicing. Not joy at the pain and suffering of any individual, but at the vindication of those who availed themselves of the gospel - the choice they made for God. Not at the horrific eternity sinners face, but at the "righting of all wrongs", in the perfectly equitable and just way of God. Not at the "see, I told you so" directed at someone such as the rich man in the story of the rich man and the beggar, Lazarus, but at the expression of God's pristine and pure character on display in not allowing sin to go un-addressed.

All of God's perfections are cause for joy and rejoicing when in view. There is nothing quite like perfection on display that brings joy to the heart. The judgment of God is yet another expression of his wonderful and fearful character and nature.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com