Notice that I used the term "unrighteous" acts. It is imperative to understand that the origin of our judicial system in this country comes from the Bible. [Just one more reason why I continually write that it is important to have a Biblical worldview, so that we have a baseline by which to develop our standard of laws, morality, and faith].
Do you know where God first shows us His model for a judicial system in the Bible? Take a look at Exodus 18. Moses has led the Israelites from their captivity in Egypt and finds himself overwhelmed with maintaining security, law and order, plus tranquility among the people, which numbered at least 600,000 men! Enter his father-in-law, Jethro, who notices the strain and pressure upon Moses, who is one man trying to hold it all together, settling all the disputes of this mass of people. Moses tells Jethro, "I make them know the statutes of God and His laws". Jethro responds, "What you are doing is not good. You and the people with you will certainly wear yourselves out, for the thing is too heavy for you. You are not able to do it alone. Now obey my voice; I will give you advice, and God be with you! You shall represent the people before God and bring their cases to God, and you shall warn them about the statutes and the laws, and make them know the way in which they must walk and what they must do. Moreover, look for able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. And let them judge the people at all times.... if you do this, God will direct you, you will be able to endure, and all this people also will go to their place in peace". (Exodus 18:13-23)
The long and short of this judicial system among the Israelites is that it must be occupied by righteous men! And we need to understand what that term means to God, who instituted this system by which men could rule among themselves. Here's the definition of righteousness that I adhere to: it is God's standard of purity; the perfect consistency between His nature and His actions. God is Holy, therefore He cannot tolerate sin, and His Righteousness demands Judgment. Only through Jesus can we obtain righteousness that is acceptable to God. Righteousness is Jesus's purity that God sees in us.
Now let's apply this definition and the historical context from the Bible to today's Justice System in our country. Moses chose men [from among the people] who were able to govern and judge in righteousness. And when they judged in righteousness, it strengthened the nation of Israel, providing a foundation that led to prosperity and good will among all the people. So, I want to posit this question: How do our judges measure up to that standard? How many of our judges hold their offices with the goal of upholding God's statutes and His righteous laws? How many of them fear God? How many are trustworthy and hate a bribe? How many receive their office as a political payoff? If our Judges are not righteous according to God's definition, then there will be no righteous Rule of Law, and chaos and evil will abound. There will be no peace in the land, and crime will run rampant. And when there is no righteous Rule of Law, then a nation will not survive. If the respect for law begins to erode, or the law becomes unrighteous, then the citizens will go unchecked and sin will go unpunished. Autocracy and corruption become the standard and a free society collapses, and the nation is ripe for destruction.
But I am not writing this post to announce defeat. I believe God still wants to redeem our nation. And I see Him giving us signs of hope; clear signs that He is still in the midst of us. Let me give you a couple of examples ... An article in Harbinger's Daily, reports that Alabama Supreme Court has recently ruled that frozen human embryos are defined and identified as persons. More specifically, Alabama Chief Justice Tom Parker declared the embryos to be "Extrauterine children", and they're protected by Alabama law. Contradicting the false report that in vitro fertilization treatments are now banned, it is expected that there will be forthcoming legislation that clarifies there is no ban on anything other than the willful and illegal destruction of human life.
And I was extremely happy to read that Chief Justice Parker's 131 page decision contained 41 references to God, including his belief that faith and religious belief were foundational to the documents that shape and inform our nation's laws. He boldly wrote: In summary, the theologically based view of the sanctity of life adopted by the People of Alabama encompasses the following: 1. God made every person in His image; 2. each person therefore has a value that far exceeds the ability of human beings to calculate; and 3. human life cannot be wrongfully destroyed without incurring the wrath of a holy God, who views the destruction of His image as an affront to Himself .... The People of Alabama have declared the public policy of this State to be that unborn human life is sacred. We believe that each human being, from the moment of conception, is made in the image of God, created by Him to reflect His likeness. It is as if the People of Alabama took what was spoken of the prophet Jeremiah and applied it to every unborn person in this state: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, Before you were born I sanctified you" (Jeremiah 1:5).
Of course, critics of Alabama's Supreme Court decision are blaming Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, whose majority opinion reversed Roe v. Wade, and returned the issue of abortion laws back to the states. And now Justice Alito is back in the news for warning of ongoing efforts to exclude Christians from serving on juries due to their biblical beliefs. Those who do not hold to a Christian or Biblical belief system insist that Christians will not be able to fairly apply the law, and should be dismissed from the jury pool, effectively denying their right to fulfill their civic duty. That threatens our fundamental rights as American citizens.
Writer Ben Johnson wrote about the Alito concerns, further citing our Founding Fathers. "In his first inaugural address, Thomas Jefferson listed freedom of religion, freedom of the press ... and trial by juries impartially selected as part of 'the bright constellation' of 'essential functions of our government". He continued in his article, "Jefferson's predecessor and political rival, John Adams, agreed. "Representative government and trial by jury are the heart and lungs of liberty. Without them we have no other fortification against being ridden like horses, fleeced like sheep, worked like cattle and fed and clothed like swine and hounds," said Adams".
And that, my fellow citizens, is what the beginning of a nation being destroyed from within looks like. I am so thankful that there are still righteous men and women who are safeguarding our Biblical values and our fundamental rights, both as children of God and Constitutionally-protected Americans. Our upcoming elections must result in elected officials that serve in righteousness and and biblical truths. Without that, our future as a nation is going to be highly compromised. Ancient Israel prospered or suffered, depending on the men that either ruled in righteousness or corruption and wickedness. Their judges were appointed by God, in order to lead an erring and repentant people to a restoration of a righteous relationship with Him and to victory over their enemies. What will history say about us?
Judges 10:15. But the Israelites said to the LORD, "We have sinned. Do with us whatever you think best, but please rescue us now".
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