Righteous Judgment--Psalm 9:3-4

Continuing on in looking at Psalm 9, our verses for this post are 3-4:

When my enemies turn back,
they stumble and perish before your presence.
For you have maintained my just cause;
you have sat on the throne, giving righteous judgment.

The first lie ever told was a lie about words God had said. In the Garden of Eden, the serpent came upon a young bride, Eve, who had just been given instructions to basically do whatever her and her husband want to do with the exception of eating fruit from a specific tree God said not to eat fruit from, and when the serpent approached Eve, he asked her a question that would forever change human history for the worse: "Did God actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden'?" Then Eve replied, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, 'You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'" Then the serpent told the first lie of all time: "You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." At that moment Eve reached out and ate from the tree, followed by her husband (Genesis 3:2-5).

We could look at this story from almost an infinite amount of angles, but one thing, with relation to Psalm 9:3-4, jumps out at me, and it's simply that sin comes into the world through the serpent convincing Eve that she can't trust what God said.
Have you ever trusted someone and then they did something to break that trust? That's a silly question, for all people have been through it--a relationship (any kind of relationship) is beautiful and there's trust and purity and all of that, and then one side seems to change, whatever way it happens, so that trust is broken between the two parties or at least from YOUR end, so that you don't believe you can trust that person anymore. What was once there is no longer there anymore, and usually if you're the person who feels betrayed, you're response is something along the lines of, "They changed, I didn't, and I deserve better than that."
Thus we carry our broken heart around as a cross for the rest of our lives and assume that people don't understand us because we've truly suffered, and even if anyone else ever has, they haven't suffered as much as I have.

And yet, since the beginning of time, men and women who have approached the Living God who dwells in unapproachable light and yet reveals Himself to us inasmuch as we can handle it, have been humbled to understand the fact that the fault of the losses they've experienced in relationship to others is most of the time at the very least a 50/50 split, and at the very most a 60/40 split.
What I mean is this: Yes, we were betrayed and suffered what it means to have trust broken. But when we come up underneath the sovereignty and holiness of God, we see others for who they really are, and once we get over the initial shock, we realize that putting as much trust into someone else as we have (truly, all our heart, soul, mind, and strength)is bound to lead to disappointment, because they're imperfect and can't be expected to match up to all of our unreasonable expectations. The pain is still pain, but to cry out to the person "why? why? why?" is an unhealthy alternative to facing up to the fact that we put too much trust into them in the first place, because they're flawed like we are. And the hard truth to have to accept is the fact that our pain and disappointment has just as much to do with our unrealistic expectations placed on others, as it does with their not meeting those expectations. In a sense, our pain at others' breaking trust, isn't all their fault, but is partially ours.

Unfortunately, Eve listened to the serpent's words and felt that God had lied to her. Think about this: she felt that the God who created her, put breath into her body, and gave her all that she sees and feels and experiences, LIED to her. Why would He do that? He wouldn't. So who's at fault here in this story? The serpent? Surely not--he spoke, but didn't make Eve DO anything. Who's at fault for Eve mistrusting God's Word?
It had to be Eve--there's no possibility that God had done anything to break Eve's trust, but for some reason (unknown), the serpent made more sense to her than God did, and all of humanity is lost at that moment.

My point of all of this is this: Since the first sin was not trusting that God's Word was good, we can assume that this is at MOST the basis for all other sin(s) in the world today and at LEAST an ingredient in the problems. If we take this logic as far as it goes, we can easily deduce that a fundamental mistrust of God's Word (whether it's the Scriptures, His voice in prayer, etc.) is really a fundamental mistrust of God Himself. Think about it--do you really trust in Him? Everyone feels like a martyr; like I said earlier, everyone's experienced pain and betrayal and everyone harbors bitterness and resentment. Everyone struggles with that--but do you trust that the Sovereign God allowed that to happen to you BECAUSE HE'S GOOD? You might respond, "What kind of stupid logic is that?--that God lets bad things happen because He's good?" Have you ever thought that perhaps comfort and naive happiness isn't all there is to life, but that maybe the deepest place of peace lies in going through the dark nights of pain it takes to fall on your knees and cast yourself on Christ and find mercy and rest there?--that maybe it TAKES betrayal and pain to realize that God is the only perfectly trustworthy and perfectly good person there is in all of creation?

Most of us struggle with this because, like I said, we don't trust that our God is a good God. Furthermore, most of the reason for atheism is that many have come to the conclusion that God is fake because they started with skepticism that He was good.

In the Bible, we see this all over. Job had his whole life (well, not his whole life--just a lot of his blessings from God) taken from him, and he spends a long time just sitting complaining to God. Finally God speaks to him, "Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?...who determined it's measurements--surely you know!...Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty? He who argues with God, let him answer it." (Job 38:4,5; 40:2). Job then responds, "Behold I am of small account; what shall I answer you? I lay my hand on my mouth. I have spoken once, and I will not answer; twice, but I will proceed no further." (40:4-5)
Do you see what just happened? Job has had all of his 'stuff' he's acquired (yes, I'm including his recently deceased family members as 'stuff') taken away from him, and as he approaches the Living God from whom all things come and to all things go, to COMPLAIN, instead of worship, God responds in essence, "Who are YOU?" I think God would say, "I understand your pain--but it's misguided and not completely faultless. You feel pain because you've lost those things most precious to you. But that's why it's so painful--those things were most precious to you, and I'M supposed to be most precious to you; and you ALWAYS have me no matter how much you lose!" Of course, God doesn't say all this--He doesn't need to; He just needs to turn the mirror back on lowly Job and say, "This is you. Okay? Now, who am I? GOD, right?" And Job responds, "I'll stop complaining; even though you've taken everything, I trust you because you're God and I'm not and I know you have greater for me."

In Isaiah 40, God is accusing Israel of it's idolatry. Many people ask, "Why is God so selfish as to want worship all the time? I don't like a God like that." But if you're consistent with logic, IF HE'S GOD, doesn't He deserve worship anyways? Shouldn't He call the shots? Israel had forgotten this; instead, they worshiped silly things. "Behold the nations are like a drop in the bucket, and are accounted as dust on the scales...to whom will you liken God, or what likeness compare with Him? An idol! A craftsman casts it, and a goldsmith overlays it with gold and casts for it silver chains. He who is too impoverished for an offering (to God) chooses wood that will not rot; he seeks out a skillful craftsman to set up an idol that will not move." (Isaiah 40:15, 18-20). God is in essence asking, "Why would you not look to me for your peace and contentment? Don't you trust that if you worship me, I'll give you joy? Instead you CREATE idols and WORSHIP them! What logic is there in worshiping something you can create?!"
There's none. And yet we try to set up ourselves as successful and happy and well-rounded, so as to gain respect and honor from others, so that we'll feel like we matter in this world, so that we can worship ourselves by reveling in our accomplishments--things we've CREATED.

And because we've bought into our own systems of understanding (created systems), and our own systems of feeling good about ourselves (created systems), and whatever else you'd like to fill in the blank with, the idea of a God from whom all things find their source and who demands worship and glory in His creation, at the very least doesn't make sense to us, and at the most appalls us. And most of our minds, as they think of what it means to have a relationship with God, conjure a picture of humanity sitting in a courtroom as the judge, jury, and audience, as God is on the witness stand, desperately hoping to find the words to say to convince us not to sentence Him to death. And nothing could be further from the truth.

Which brings us back to our original passage in Psalm 9:3-4. Verse 3 says that his (David's) enemies "stumble and perish before your (God's) presence". Why do people stumble and perish in God's presence? Because as it is all throughout the Bible, any time God's glory is revealed to humans, they with their darkened hearts can't behold it--they either run and hide, keep their eyes closed, or they die.
People don't like to hear this, and the reason they don't like to hear it is because they can't understand the concept of a God who we can't totally understand--let alone a God who we can't understand because it's OUR fault!

David then says in verse 4, "For you have maintained my just cause; you have sat on your throne, giving righteous judgment."
That last phrase is interesting--just three words, and yet perhaps the most polarizing three words David could possibly have written: "Giving righteous judgment."
I'm not sure if you're aware or not, but 'judgment' is not looked too kindly upon in our culture. Of course, this being the common opinion can only be based upon one of two reasons: 1) I don't think I do anything bad enough to be judged, or 2) I know I'm horrible and I don't want to be judged. If you throw the word "righteous" in there, it makes it all the more angering: It's not only judgment, but it's judgment that's completely warranted and justified.
Many people don't think ANYONE sits on a throne high enough that they can judge anyone else. That's why people look at Christianity as a 'strait-jacket' religion--"if you follow God, you can't do anything," they say. Of course, anyone who trusts in Christ and lives to seek God knows this is a complete lie. But this is what many people say.

However, even though they'd say they do, it's not really what many people BELIEVE. If they believed it (it, being the idea that no one should ever judge anyone), they'd see their entire lives fall in shambles, because all of our lives are in some way or another constructed on a foundation of judgments. "I work here because I've judged that this is what I find the most enjoyment in." "I live here because I've judged that this is the best neighborhood." "I watch this show and listen to this music because I've judged that it's the best show and music to give my attention to."
You might say I'm being too simplistic--that I'm not speaking to the real issue, which is judging people. Okay, fair enough. But you do this, too. Anytime you have an opinion about anything or anyone or something someone said, you've judged. Any time you've driven through a rough part of town (like where I live) and locked your doors at a stop-light because of the people on the sidewalk, you've exercised judgment based on what you've known or experienced or what you FEAR. It's not a bad thing--it's a good thing. Better to have your doors locked and be judgmental than to be pulled out of your car and brutally murdered but at least you were open-minded in so doing, right?

But my point is this: "Judgmental-ism" CAN'T be the real issue; because you and I judge all the time with almost every thought. So could it be something else?

I think it is. I think it's more that we think our way is the best way and anyone who tries to trample on it by calling it wrong and telling us we need to change, needs to change THEMSELVES!
Logically, if God is truly God, doesn't He have a right to exercise judgment anytime He wants to whomever He wants? And furthermore, our response to it will probably say a lot about what we really think about God: If we respond in bitter anger, we clearly thought God was just supposed to give me what I want and leave me alone most of the time. But if we believe that God is supposed to be worshiped and glorified by humans, then any time He corrects us we'll take it gladly as a showering down of His Fatherly love in holding us accountable and conforming us to the likeness of His Son Jesus. (see Hebrews 12:3-11) These are two completely different responses, not coincidentally, but because they start from two completely different places: The former views God as a magic genie who worships me, and the second views God as GOD whom I'm supposed to worship.

The very fact that there is a moral law (right vs. wrong) has to start somewhere, and since the world more and more believes truth is relative, it CAN'T have started with us. How do you answer that question if there's not a transcendent Being who is beyond us? You can't.
The fact is that God is real, and the idea of "righteous judgment" in Psalm 9 is the ONLY kind of judgment God could give, because He IS the Law in the universe. There's no possibility of Him making a mistake or being wrong or changing His mind, and if it ever seems like He does or has, it's because we've misunderstood or needed to be taught something by Him. If He calls something wrong, He's not meaning to put a strait-jacket on you--He's helping you be who He created you to be.

To see this best, look at the Cross of Jesus. When you come to the cross for the first time (truly), you never come just because you're a sinner. Nor do you just come because God loves you. Rather, you come because you're a sinner and God loves you. At the cross, we see the wrath of God (the RIGHTEOUS JUDGMENT) poured out on Jesus who hangs in our place; but to be able to access forgiveness and all of the effects of Christ's work, we have to admit we NEED it.

A bad god would let everyone be how they are without being honest. A good god would exercise judgment in honesty. But only God Himself would both exercise judgment AND pay the penalty for the problem Himself.
Praise be to God, He is good. Trust in Him. What other choice do you have? And what else would you WANT to do?