JUDGING JUDGMENT

juj'-ing, juj'-ment: Often in the Old Testament for "to act as a magistrate" (Exodus 18:13 Deuteronomy 1:16; Deuteronomy 16:18, etc.), justice being administered generally by "elders" (Exodus 18:13-27), or "kings" (1 Samuel 8:20) or "priests" (Deuteronomy 18:15); applied to God as the Supreme Judge (Psalm 9:7, 8; Psalm 10:18; Psalm 96:13 Micah 4:3, etc.; Psalm 7:8 "Yahweh ministereth judgment," vividly describes a court scene, with Yahweh as Judge).

Often in the New Testament, ethically, for

(1) "to decide," "give a verdict," "declare an opinion" (Greek krino);

(2) "to investigate," "scrutinize" (Greek anakrino);

(3) "to discriminate," "distinguish" (Greek diakrino).

For (1), see Luke 7:43 Acts 15:19;

for (2) see 1 Corinthians 2:15; 1 Corinthians 4:3;

for (3)see 1 Corinthians 11:31; 1 Corinthians 14:29 m.

Used also forensically in Luke 22:30 Acts 25:10; and applied to God in John 5:22 Hebrews 10:30. The judgments of God are the expression of His justice, the formal declarations of His judgments, whether embodied in words (Deuteronomy 5:1 the King James Version, the Revised Version (British and American) "statutes"), or deeds (Exodus 6:6 Revelation 16:7), or in decisions that are yet to be published (Psalm 36:6). Man's consciousness of guilt inevitably associates God's judgments as declarations of the Divine justice, with his own condemnation, i.e. he knows that a strict exercise of justice means his condemnation, and thus "judgment" and "condemnation" become in his mind synonymous (Romans 5:16); hence, the prayer of Psalm 143:2, "Enter not into judgment"; also, John 6:29, "the resurrection of judgment" (the King James Version "damnation"); 1 Corinthians 11:29, "eateth and drinketh judgment" (the King James Version "damnation").

H. E. Jacobs