PODCAST TRANSCRIPT | EPISODE 403: Welcome to the Land of More and More, Part 11

LIFE TO THE FULL w/ Nancy Campbell

EPISODE 403: Welcome to the Land of More and More, Part 11

MORE about justice today. God gives you the authority to judge even the smallest matters of life. But how do you exercise lovingkindness and justice at the same time?

Announcer: Welcome to the podcast, Life to the Full, with Nancy Campbell, founder and publisher of Above Rubies, a magazine bringing strength and encouragement to families across the world.

Nancy Campbell: Hello, here we are again, continuing our talk about justice. I have a lot more Scriptures, but I think I’ll just give you a few more. If you would really like to study it more, you can go to the webpage, https://aboverubies.org, and you can look up, “Do We Have Permission to Judge?” I have a 17-page document there, so you will find many Scriptures to really study it out.

But let’s look at Jeremiah 9:24, where God says: “I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment” (actually, that is the word “justice.” It’s the Hebrew word mishpat. The number in Strong’s Concordance is 4941. If you are looking up in the Strong’s Concordance, when you see 4941, it means “justice.” Many times, in my King James Bible, it says “judgment,” and I will see the number and know that actually that Hebrew word is “justice.)”

So, “I am the Lord, which exercise lovingkindness, judgment” (or justice) “and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.” God delights in justice. He delights in righteousness, and He also delights in lovingkindness. That’s the first one that is mentioned. Now God is fully all lovingkindness, and He is fully all justice and fully all righteousness at the same time.

Now, dear ladies, I know, we find it hard to exercise these attributes together. Somehow, in our finiteness, we don’t really know how to do it. Sometimes we’re too merciful; other times we’re too judgmental. But God is fully what His attributes are.

In fact, I love that quote from A. W. Tozer, from The Knowledge of the Holy. He says, “Between His attributes, no contradiction can exist. He need not suspend on one, to exercise another, for in Him, all attributes are one.” We often find it difficult to put them all together, but as we seek the Lord, He will give us wisdom, and He will help us as we raise our children in His ways, exercising both lovingkindness and justice.

Let’s look at one or two other examples. As parents, we looked at Abraham last time.

Manoah and his wife

What about Manoah and his wife? They are the parents of Samson, and when the angel (well, actually, it was a Christophany . . .  with Christ, who came in the flesh to speak to Manoah’s wife. When Manoah asked this angel, or Christophany, to come again, Manoah asked the Lord: “How shall we order the child? And how shall we do unto him?” That word “order” is actually mishpat.

Now you know that Hebrew word means “justice.” In other words, he was saying, “How can we raise this child in justice? Because we know that is the way you want us to raise him.” Sadly, I don’t think they did too well in doing this. We know that even when Samson wanted a wife from one of the Philistines instead of one of their own Israelites, they gave into his whim. That caused great havoc, and much trouble. So, they didn’t really use justice there, did they?

I read a very interesting quote in “Surveying the Evidence.” There are three authors to that book. They state here, “If atheism is not normal, why do certain people become unbelievers? First of all, it is well-known that the seeds of atheism can be planted early in life. One of the most dangerous contributions a parent can make towards the spiritual delinquency of his child is a failure to instill within him a wholesome respect for authority. If the parent neglects to set the proper example, as an authority figure, or refuses to exercise discipline with love, he might well be rejected as an authority figure by his child, and thus, by transference, the child ultimately may come to disdain all authority, including the Supreme Authority, God.”

That is an interesting statement. I see in our society today a huge lack in respecting authority. There are not the honor and respect to parents or to older people as there was in Bible days, and in days gone by. It seems to have gone out of the window.

But as children lose respect and honor for parents, they lose their respect and honor for God, because if we cannot honor parents, we truly don’t know how to honor God, because God commands, in fact, one of His commandments is that we honor our parents. And it is also one of the commands that has two promises with it, because it means so much to God.

In raising our children in the way of justice, they must learn authority. They must learn submission to authority. They must learn, as we were talking about it last week, to know the difference between evil and good, clean and unclean, righteousness and unrighteousness. And to be disciplined when they do that which is evil, and that which is wrong, or they will never learn true justice.

There must be justice for wrongdoing. That’s why God had to give His only Son. There had to be justice for sin. So, He put that justice upon His own beloved Son. But we can never get away from it, dear parents. There must be justice for sin. So, our children must know that, or they will not grow up in a biblical concept, or really, truly know who our God is. For He is fully a God of lovingkindness. He is fully a God of justice and judgement also.

Joseph, father of Jesus

We go to the birth of Jesus. We find that when God was looking for an earthly father to raise His Son Jesus, He didn’t look for someone who was wealthy. If it was us, we’d think “Oh, now, Jesus, the One who lived in the glory of Heaven, surely, He would need to come into a wealthy home, a home where He could have everything at his fingertips, to live in glory like He lived in the heavenly realm. Someone who could provide lavishly for Him. A man of great intellect, a man of great nobility that should be His father in this earthly scene.”

But who did God look for? It tells us in Matthew 1:19. The only quality that we read about Joseph is that he was a just man. He was a man of justice, a man who observed God’s divine laws. That’s who God looked for. That was His number one requirement for fathering, just as it was with Abraham.

Zechariah and Elizabeth

Other people involved in the birth of Jesus, John the Baptist’s parents, Zechariah and Elizabeth. The Bible says in Luke 1:6: “They were both righteous.” The word there is “just.” “They were both just before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.” John the Baptist himself grew up to be a just man, just like his parents. Read also Mark 6:20.

Simeon

And then we read about Simeon in Luke 2:25. It says that he was a man who was “just and devout.” Everyone involved in the coming of Jesus, God chose because they were just.

King David

Let’s look at David, King David. 2 Samuel 8:15 tells us that David “reigned over all Israel, and administered justice and righteousness for all his people.”

Now David was a type of Christ. Many men in the Old Testament were types of Christ. David himself was a type of Christ. It’s amazing, really. This is the truth in the Word of God that I find it hard to embrace. It’s just so incredible how God promises that one day Jesus Christ the Messiah will sit on David’s throne. Yes, the Bible calls it “David’s throne.” In that great day, it will be Christ’s throne, His alone, and yet, it’s called “David’s throne.”

It is amazing that we read that word of the angel who came to Mary. You know, it’s amazing. We think of the angel coming to Mary and telling her she’s going to have a son. But I think that sometimes we don’t read the full word that the angel gave.

Just listen to it in Luke 1: 31-33. It says, the angel speaking: “And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever and ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.” Wow!

Do you always read the end of that message that the angel gave? He starts off with Jesus’ birth but ends in the ultimate reign in the new heavens and the new earth where Christ will sit on the throne of his father David. It’s just unbelievable how God sent His Son, the Son of God to be a Son of man, and to relate to man, that the throne He will sit upon is even called “David’s throne.”

We see this, even back in Isaiah, where it was prophesied once again about Jesus coming as a baby. You know this Scripture so well.

Isaiah 9:6: “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government shall be upon His shoulders. And His Name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.”

And it goes on: “And of the increase of His government and peace, there shall be no end, upon the throne of David.” Wow! There it is again. The same message! “Unto us a Son is given, unto us a Child is born” but one day “He will sit upon the throne of David, to order it, and to establish it with judgment, and with justice, from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will perform this.” So, the earthly David ruled his kingdom and reigned over it with justice and righteousness.

Now we read that Jesus Christ, the Messiah, will reign forever and ever on David’s throne, with judgment and justice and righteousness. Yes, that is part of reigning—justice and judgment and righteousness.

We see it again over in Isaiah 16:5, another prophetic word of Christ reigning: “And in mercy shall the throne be established” (do you notice “mercy” there?) “And he shall sit upon it in truth in the tabernacle of David, judging, and seeking judgment” that word is mishpat, justice “and hasting righteousness.” That’s a picture of the ultimate reign of Jesus Christ. And yet, it’s called “David’s throne.” Isn’t that amazing?

All right, so there were just a few examples for you. I found ten ways that God want us to have regarding justice. I’ll give them to you, and I’ll put the Scriptures in the transcript. I won’t give them to you here (I’ll list them at the end of the transcript).

1. Establish justice.
2. Execute justice. There are so many Scriptures for that. When I give them to you in the transcript, you can look them up and read them.
3. Follow justice.
4. Joy in justice.
5. Know justice.
6. Preserve justice.
7. Seek justice.
8. Sing of justice
9. Talk of justice
10. Think justice.

And I will also give you another eight points about what God wants us to do, again about justice, and how He has given justice to us. In fact, in these Scriptures, we read that believers are given the authority to judge. We have that authority. We must judge. We must judge everything we do. We’re constantly judging between right and wrong, the clean and the unclean, between good and evil.

All right.

No. 1. We are to judge all things. 1 Corinthians 3:15: “He that is spiritual judges all things.”

No. 2. We will judge the world. 1 Corinthians 6:1-2: “Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints? Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?” 

No. 3. And here is the point I have just mentioned: We are to judge the smallest matters. 1 Corinthians 6:2: “And if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?” Lovely ladies, dear mothers, you are doing this many times throughout the day. Just little things with your children. Just small matters, but they are important because God says that we are to judge even “the smallest matters.”

Don’t just let them go, mothers. If something happens in your home, with your children, don’t just let it go. If it’s something where it’s even just a little bit of evil, a little bit of lies, untruths, you know, that defiant attitude, don’t let it go. These little, small matters become big matters unless we judge them while they are small. Small matters are important to judge.

No. 4. We will judge angels. 1 Corinthians 6:3.

No. 5. We are to judge matters in this life. I’m reading now, and this time, from the New English Translation. That same Scripture says: “You know that in the future, we will judge angels, so surely we can judge the ordinary things of this life.”

Yes, as I mentioned last session, dear mother, YOU ARE A COURT JUDGE. You are judging little matters throughout the day. And what you may even say, “the ordinary things of life.” But as you judge the ordinary things of life in your home, your children get to know the difference between the evil and the good, between the clean and the unclean, even between male and female.

That’s a big one in our society today. As you judge these ordinary things all around you, your children will come to know true justice. They will know what is right, what is wrong. They will have a clear biblical understanding. That is so important.

It was just this last week or so that my husband and I watched the State of the Union address, where Trump spoke. It was amazing, I thought. It was the longest State of the Union address in history. He spoke for one hour, 48 minutes, but it was actually two hours because there was time for all the clapping, and all the different things in between. It was an amazing address. It’s worth listening to.

Forgive me for saying this, but I felt sad when I saw Melania, his wife, and Usha, JD Vance’s wife, come in. The most beautiful women, and yet, I don’t know why they dress like this. But they both came in gray suits. They looked like a man’s suit. Usually, you see both Melania and Usha, and they have beautiful dresses on. They look stately, and they are beautiful women.

But to me, that was sad, because they are an example, a picture, to the whole nation of womanhood, of femineity. That’s what they’re meant to be. That occasion, even seeing pictures of them, leads the nation. They chose to wear, for this occasion (they don’t always do this) for this occasion, something that was manly.

It did sadden me because I believe we do have to expose the difference between male and female. Why? Why try and look like a man? Why? Why do we want to do this? It’s not what God wants. He wants a distinction. He wants a difference. So, we do have to judge, even in these matters of life. Yes, even these ordinary things of life. We have to judge. We have to know what really is right, what truly is God’s way.

No. 6. We are to unite in judgement. 1 Corinthians 1:10: “Now I beseech ye, brethren, by the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind, and in the same judgement.” Well, we don’t always have the same judgement, do we, amongst the people of God. But if we did, and we all had God’s mind on the matter, we would be a greater force, I believe.

No. 7. We are to judge the house of God. Zechariah 3:7: “Thus saith the Lord of Hosts, if thou wilt walk in My ways, and if thou wilt keep My charge, then thou shalt judge my house.”

1 Corinthians 5:12, in the New Living Translation: “It certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the church, who are sinning. God will judge those on the outside.” That’s God’s responsibility, to judge the sinners, those who don’t know God.

But we do have a responsibility to judge those on the inside, those who say they walk with God, those who say they believe in God, those who say they believe His Word. Well, do they do what His Word says, or are they living the opposite way?

It’s like that Scripture in Titus 2:3-5, where, as you know; you know this Scripture back to front, I’m sure, where it tells the older women to teach the younger women, and to teach them to be keepers at home, to love their children, to love their husbands, and so on. Then it says at the end, if they don’t do this, it’s a blasphemy to the Word of God. Help! That’s not my language. That is Bible language.

Why does God use such strong language? Because when we do the opposite to what God says, it is a blasphemy. To walk the opposite way to what God says in His Word is a blasphemy to His Word. It dishonors His Word. And so, we do have to look and judge to know what is right.

What does it say in 1 Peter 4:17-18? “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?”

And the last one about judging is. . .

No. 8. We are to judge at all seasons and all times. Exodus 18:25-26: “And Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. And they judged the people at all seasons: the hard causes they brought unto Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves.”

Well, ladies, there’s so much more in God’s Word. If you want to learn more, go to that article on the webpage, https://aboverubies.org, and search for “Do We Have Permission to Judge?” And you will learn a lot more there.

But we need to pray that there will be more justice, especially in our nation. We don’t have justice. There are so many evil people, even in our government, who are walking around. They’re involved in sex trafficking. They are involved in traitoring our nation. They have not yet come to justice.

The Bible does say that when the people of the earth will learn justice . . .  Well, they’ll learn righteousness when there is justice. We need to pray for more justice. We need to pray ourselves for more understanding of justice, and how to execute justice, and at the same time, executing lovingkindness as our God does. He’s a God of lovingkindness and justice.

But let’s also pray for justice in our nation. Although we know that true justice will only come on that great day when Jesus comes, and when He brings justice, and when He rises up in vengeance to take justice on all his enemies, and all those who defy Him. That day when all will bow the knee before Jesus. That’s a day when we’ll know justice, because Jesus is going to rule His kingdom, His everlasting kingdom with justice and with righteousness. That’s when it will be true justice and true righteousness. Amen?

All right. Well, we must go on, ladies, because I have so many points to tell you of our MORE AND MORE. So, we are now up to . . . 

No. 22. MORE LOVE TO GOD

Well, we always need more love to God, don’t we?

Mark 12:33: “To love Him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbor as himself is more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” Jesus is saying here that we can sacrifice, we can do this, we can do that, but really, to love God is more than all that.

More than anything, He wants our love, with all our hearts, with all our soul, with all our understanding, with all our strength. In the Song of Songs 1:4, this can be read as a relationship between Christ and His Bride, it says there, the bride is speaking: “We will remember Thy love more than wine.” We want His love more than anything else.

In 2 Timothy 3:4, it tells us that in the last days, “Perilous times will come, for there will be those who are lovers of their own selves, and lovers of pleasure, more than lovers of God.” Oh, may that not be our testimony. May our testimony be that we are falling in love with Him more and more.

Do you know that beautiful old chorus, “I’m falling in love with Him, more and more and more.” I won’t sing it to you, because I’d hate for you to hear my singing voice. I need to have my husband around but he’s not around at the moment.

Anyway, dear ladies, our time has gone. So, we’ll begin to share some more with you next time. I’ll try to get to get through them a little more quickly so you can find out all the MORE AND MOREs in our wonderful Word of God. Amen?

“Dear Father, we thank You again for here You are, that You are our God. You are our faithful God, our Rock, our Fortress, our Deliverer. You are our God of lovingkindness and righteousness and justice. We thank You that You are a just God.

“We thank You for Your Word, which says, “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” Lord God, we can trust You, that You will do what is right. Everything You do will be absolute justice. We can trust You. We thank You. In the Name of Jesus. Amen.”

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

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www.aboverubies.org

Transcribed by Darlene Norris

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“LIFE TO THE FULL w/ Nancy Campbell, Above Rubies”

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The following are ten ways to put judgment and justice into action with the Scriptures to look up):

1. Establish justice (Proverbs 29:4 and Amos 5:15).

2. Execute justice (Deuteronomy 33:21b; 2 Samuel 8:15; Psalm 106:30; Proverbs 21:3, 15; Isaiah 56:1; Jeremiah 7:5-7; 21:12; 22:3; 33:15-16; Ezekiel 5:8, 15; 18:8-9; Zechariah 7:9-10; and 8:16).

3. Follow justice (Deuteronomy 16:20).

4. Joy in justice (Psalm 48:11 and Proverbs 21:15).

5. Know justice (Jeremiah 5:4; 8:7; and Micah 3:1).

6. Preserve justice (Isaiah 56:1).

7. Seek justice (Isaiah 1:17).

8. Sing of justice (Psalm 101:1).

9. Talk justice (Psalm 37:30 and Proverbs 16:10).

10. Think justice (Proverbs 12:5).