Judging Unjustly
An all-creatures Bible Message

Judging Unjustly
 
A Sermon Delivered to
The Compassion Internet Church
 
14 July 2019
 
Frank L. Hoffman, Pastor

Scripture References

Psalm 82:1-8
Amos 7:7-17

Judging unjustly or discerning unjustly often involves a person’s conflict of interest which sways the person’s judgment or decision making so that the result is dishonest.
 
Such unjust decisions can be the result of bribery, knowing someone you are trying to protect or following what someone wants done, or having a personal interest that is in opposition to the facts of the case; probably the most common of these situations of judging unjustly involves the exploitation of animals.
 
It is a known fact that animals suffer horribly on factory farms, in slaughterhouses and in laboratories, yet at the same time most people don’t want to give up their meat and cheese or using products that are tested on animals, so instead of deciding to become vegan, which would be judging justly so as to eliminate as much suffering as possible, they continue judging unjustly so they won’t have to change their lifestyles.
 
The examples of judging unjustly listed above can be anyone from all walks of life, including government, but government officials and elected representatives are often influenced by party leaders and policies, by donors, and lobbyists, and these things can easily lead to corruption in government, which is quite evident today.
 
Let’s now go back some 2,500 to 3,000 years ago to Psalm 82:1-8 and look at the apparent struggle that the psalmist was having.

1. God takes His stand in His own congregation;
He judges in the midst of the rulers.

In other words God’s judgements are not the same as the leaders of the people, which is a problem that we are facing with our government leaders today.
 
So the psalmist cries out to the rulers of his day for both God and for himself…

2. How long will you judge unjustly,
And show partiality to the wicked?
Selah.

This problem of judging unjustly has been going on for thousands of years and probably stretches back to the time of Adam, when he unjustly sided with the devil instead of God.
 
So the psalmist cries out…

3. Vindicate the weak and fatherless;
Do justice to the afflicted and destitute.

Not only does this apply to humans, but we believe that it also applies to all factory farmed animals, for they are also fatherless because their mothers were artificially inseminated and they are all afflicted and face only suffering and death

4. Rescue the weak and needy;
Deliver them out of the hand of the wicked.

And some humans and all farmed and otherwise exploited animals need to be rescued from the hands of wicked human beings who are judging unjustly between the money they make and the harm they bring upon other living souls.

5. They do not know nor do they understand;
They walk about in darkness;
All the foundations of the earth are shaken.

We believe that most of the people who inflict the pain and suffering do know and they do understand, and they choose to walk in the darkness of the devil’s making.

6. I said, "You are gods,
And all of you are sons of the Most High.

The people who are judging unjustly are like gods, with a small “g”, because their decisions are affecting the lives of many living being, both humans and animals, so the psalmist is reminding them that they are also the sons of God, even if they are not living like it, and they will one day have to face God when He judges them.

7. "Nevertheless you will die like men,
And fall like any one of the princes."

And the psalmist goes on to remind them that they will also die like other leaders who had been judging unjustly, which we believe means that they will be heading to hell.
 
Then the psalmist calls upon God to do something to end the corruption, just as we do every day.

8. Arise, O God, judge the earth!
For it is Thou who dost possess all the nations.
NASB

In other words, God is in charge, but as far back as Genesis 1, the Lord charged us humans with being caretakers of this earth, and over the past we have been doing a really lousy job, so… it is up to each and every one of us to wake up and become a part of the solution to end the corruption and indifference that is causing millions of humans and billions of animals to suffer and die every year.
 
Let’s close our discussion for today about judging unjustly by looking at Amos 7:7-17, which he wrote from a heavenly vision.

7. Thus He showed me, and behold, the Lord was standing by a vertical wall, with a plumb line in His hand.

In other words, the Lord was going to be judging righteously, unlike the way most of the people of this world are judging other people and the corrupt ways of this world.

8. And the LORD said to me, "What do you see, Amos?" And I said, "A plumb line." Then the Lord said,
"Behold I am about to put a plumb line
In the midst of My people Israel.
I will spare them no longer.

A plumb line is used to make sure that everything is properly aligned vertically so that it will not tip or fall over, such as with the construction of a building.
 
In the same way, God is going to make sure that the people are living in accordance with His heavenly will, and if not, they would no longer be able to stand before God.

9. "The high places of Isaac will be desolated
And the sanctuaries of Israel laid waste.
Then shall I rise up against the house of Jeroboam [an unrighteous king] with the sword."

This all happened, and if we don’t change our ways, it could happen again here, but like them, the disaster will be of our own making.

10. Then Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent word to Jeroboam, king of Israel, saying, "Amos has conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel; the land is unable to endure all his words.

People are saying similar things about those of us who speak out about how air pollution is leading to climate change and about those of us who speak out about becoming vegan and stopping the exploitation of animals, but they haven’t been able to silence us.
 
Those who fight against the truth and who are judging unjustly will see the truth coming down upon their own heads.
 
We need to stand up for the truth.

11. "For thus Amos says, 'Jeroboam will die by the sword and Israel will certainly go from its land into exile.'"

And Israel did go into exile.

12. Then Amaziah said to Amos, "Go, you seer, flee away to the land of Judah, and there eat bread and there do your prophesying!
 
13. "But no longer prophesy at Bethel, for it is a sanctuary of the king and a royal residence."

God sent Amos there to tell the truth, and when people fight against the truth they are also fighting against the Lord, and they will lose that fight.

14. Then Amos answered and said to Amaziah, "I am not a prophet, nor am I the son of a prophet; for I am a herdsman and a grower of sycamore figs.
 
15. "But the LORD took me from following the flock and the LORD said to me, 'Go prophesy to My people Israel.'

And that is exactly what Amos did, and because the leadership is fighting against him and the truth, which is judging unjustly, the Lord tells Amos to tell them something else.

16. "And now hear the word of the LORD: you are saying, 'You shall not prophesy against Israel nor shall you speak against the house of Isaac.'
 
17. "Therefore, thus says the LORD, 'Your wife will become a harlot in the city, your sons and your daughters will fall by the sword, your land will be parceled up by a measuring line, and you yourself will die upon unclean soil. Moreover, Israel will certainly go from its land into exile.'"
NASB

And it all happened.
 
We all need to seriously look at the condition of this world, both physically, such as with ending pollution, and morally, such as ending the corruption and indifference that causes millions of humans and billions of animals around the world to suffer and die every year.
 
We need to judge righteously and live as the peacemaking children of God that He called us to be.
 
We can bring God’s heavenly will to earth as it is in heaven and end the violence and suffering.
 
We can.
 
Amen?
 
Amen.

Return to: Sermons Archive