JUDGE, LAWGIVER, AND KING Larry W Peebles August 13, 2021 21.31
For seventeen years, up to three times a month, my wife and I entered the maximum security Juvenile Justice facility in Hillsborough County (Tampa), Florida. We arrived promptly at 7 pm, signed in (having been previously checked and authorized), and walked through the heavy metal door when prompted by the guard. The door was then slammed shut behind us. There is no other sound like the door of a prison closing when one walks through. We then walked through a metal detector before heading to our appointment.
We were there to meet with juvenile offenders, ages 8 to 18, who were incarcerated in the facility. We had one hour to sing with them, tell them about the love of Jesus, and pray with them. Some nights we might have 4 or 5 in the voluntary meeting, but on other nights as many as 25. We saw many amazing things God did as a result of His presence there. All of the meetings were different, yet had a few things in common. The young people came in with tough exteriors, appearing to be unafraid on the outside. On the inside, however, most were afraid. They had broken the law, been arrested and incarcerated, and were either waiting to see the judge, or had been to see the judge and were awaiting their sentence. Once they received their sentence, they were shipped out of the facility we visited. By the end of the meeting, they had encountered the Lord, which changed their whole demeanor. The seriousness of what they had done weighed heavily on them, and did not need to be revisited. They knew they needed help. Through prayer, their hope was restored, because the kingdom of God had come to visit them.
If there is one thing more sobering than being arrested, locked up, and awaiting trial, it might be appearing before the judge. For many, this was their first arrest, and a wake-up call to make some changes. The judge would probably go easy with their sentence. For some, this might be a string of multiple offenses, and their sentence would be more severe. We assured them all of God’s unfailing love, and His willingness to walk through the consequences with them in order to help them change their lives. Even the guards reported a more peaceful atmosphere after the Lord had come into the meeting room.
The juvenile justice system, like most of man’s government, is a far cry from perfect. It is a model of the prototype democratic government- executive, legislative and judicial branches. In this case, the legislative was represented by the laws of the State of Florida or the United States. The executive, charged with enforcing the law, was represented by a Florida State Trooper, or a Hillsborough County Deputy Sheriff. The judicial was represented by the judge of the juvenile court. The legislation was written for the protection of the general public, but also for the protection of the offender. The enforcement by trained officers was also sanctioned and approved by the general public. The judge would hear the evidence, weigh the circumstances, and mete out justice fairly. The offender was entitled to an attorney who was trained in the law, familiar with the operations of the court, and had examined the circumstances and evidence of the case.
The large majority of the young people we saw came through the system one time. Once was enough. Life changes were made, and they never came back. A few we saw multiple times. We pray they did not end up in prison, but because they were minors, we did not know names, and could not follow-up. We pray the justice system eventually worked for them, and our message of Jesus as Savior was received, so that they led better and productive lives.
Our governmental system of creating laws, enforcing laws, and dispensing justice is based on the Scriptures. The Bible says in Isaiah 33:22- “For the Lord is our Judge, the Lord is our Lawgiver, the Lord is our King. He will save us.” When God told Abraham He would form a great nation from his descendants (Genesis Chapter 12), He wanted to be the King. He wanted a people who would willingly and lovingly follow Him. He would be a good and great King, Law-giver, and Judge. When the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob grew to number in the millions, God was ready to form this great nation. The people were then under a king (pharaoh) who was not good to them, as they were enslaved in Egypt. The Lord brought them out of slavery (Savior), and gave them the law through their leader Moses. Pharaoh received a mighty dose of His justice, and the people walked out of Egypt wealthy. This story is found in the Book of Exodus.
They were not that many days out of Egypt (three months) when they broke the law of God they had just been given. While Moses was out of their camp encountering the Lord on Mt. Sinai for 40 days, they built and worshipped a golden calf, claiming it was the god who saved them. They were already guilty of grumbling against the Lord over the water and food on their journey thus far. They had gone so far as to say they wished they were back in Egypt under pharaoh. Now they had broken the first of the Ten Commandments. So one minute God is their Lord and King, the next they are wishing for pharaoh. One minute the Lord has saved them, the next it’s a golden calf who saved them. Pharaoh gave them laws as an absolute and brutal dictator (more bricks, less straw he demanded). God’s laws were reasonable, and for their own protection. Still, they were fickle in following the Lord.
In order to inhabit the land God had promised them through Abraham, they had to fight for it. The Lord handed them one miraculous victory after another, defeating 31 kings in the land before they were done. They flourished under the God of their nation. Then they dwelled in that land in peace for a good while. They were under the leadership of men like Joshua and ultimately the judges The Lord gave them such as Othniel, Deborah, and Gideon. All of these leaders knew and followed Him well.
However, by the time of the Book of 1 Samuel, the people demanded their own king, “like the other nations”. They rejected Yahweh as King. He gave them their demand. Saul was anointed the first king over the people. This was the beginning of the end of the nation of Israel, at least during Bible times. What followed was a cycle of good kings and bad kings, following the Lord and falling away from the Lord. The Lord was gracious and long-suffering. During the times of good kings, when the people returned to Him, the nation prospered and lived in peace. During the times of bad kings, idol worship advanced in horrific and perverse forms, and the nation struggled. As time went on, the bottom of the cycle grew deeper. Ultimately, the Lord lifted His hand of defense, and the nations of Israel and Judah were conquered by four major world powers: the Assyrians, Babylonians, Greeks, and Romans. It did not re-appear as a nation again until 1948, when Israel declared its independence and fought off the Palestinian aggressors. This had been a long (1600 year) and painful process for a people originally chosen by God, but who rejected Him as their King.
King Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 5:8- “If you see the oppression of the poor, and the violent perversion of justice and righteousness in a province, do not marvel at the matter, for high official watches over high official, and higher officials are over them.” Kings with absolute power tend to abuse their power. Jesus is the King of Kings, and Lord over all. (Revelation 19:16) His reign and power is not abusive. It is loving and protective.
God the Father placed the government of His kingdom (legislative, executive, and judicial) on the shoulders of His Son Jesus (Isaiah 9:6). Then in Matthew 16, immediately after Peter identified Jesus as “the Christ, the Son of the Living God” (v.16), Jesus said He would build His church on Peter’s revelation. Jesus then went on to say “I will give you
[the church]the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 16: 19). The church (the body of born again believers-not a certain building down the street or a single denomination) has been given the keys to govern.
Born again believers have the power of the Holy Spirit. They have already been authorized to govern. Now “the church” must pray until the kingdom of heaven is fully drawn into the earth; “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done” according to Matthew 6:10. Many churches, not “the church”, ascribe to the separation of church and state myth. They do not want to be involved in government. This does not reconcile with Scripture. The church (body of born again believers) must pray and assert spiritual authority until the kingdom of heaven breaks through the devil’s domain, and permeates the earthly realm.
Until the church asserts its God-given authority, the nations of the earth, including the United States, will struggle, drift away from God and His perfect laws (Psalm 19:7), and see unrighteousness and injustice throughout the land. We can already see the classic signs of a nation drifting away from God in our land. The parallel with the history of Israel is remarkable. There is but One King who can save us. We must welcome Him back into our nation.
“Lift up your heads, O you gates. And be lifted up, you everlasting doors. And the King of Glory shall come in. Who is this King of Glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O you gates. Lift up, you everlasting doors. And the King of Glory shall come in. Who is this King of Glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of Glory.” Psalm 24: 7-10. The armies of heaven are waiting on the church to pray and release them into the earth to restore justice.
One day we will all appear before the Judge to give account of what we did or did not do. “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” (2 Corinthians 5: 9-10). May we be among those known as prayer warriors who fought the spiritual battle to bring the kingdom of heaven to earth. May we be credited with restoring proper government and justice to the nations. If this is not so, the downward spiral will continue. Our freedom is at stake.
