3. The Terrible Justice of God! Psalm 76:11-12

Text: “Vow, and pay unto the Lord your God: let all that be round about Him bring presents unto Him that ought to be feared. He shall cut off the spirit of princes: He is terrible to the kings of the earth.”

Psalm 76:11-12.

Good morning, fair-minded Christian!  Since the day of your Eternal Salvation in Christ Jesus, that wonderful day when the Spirit of God brought us to our knees in full repentance from our sins, to follow hard after the Lord Jesus; that life-imparting day, when God the Spirit breathed upon you and I as we lay in the dry-bone valley of our vile sins, and opened our eyes to the Gospel of Christ and Him Crucified for to pay our just penalty – we have been given an entirely new perspective on true justice, fair-play, and equality of discernment.  Hallelujah!  (Ezekiel 37:1-10)

While once we saw things from a selfish, self-centred perspective, we now seek to evaluate all things in a just and unselfish manner.  Only Christ’s Salvation could ever change that selfishness to a sense of real justice.  That sense of fair-mindedness is mirrored on the justice of Almighty Lord God Jehovah, a trait of the Divine nature of the Lord Who has elected us to partake in the Body of Christ, the true and genuine, Spiritually regenerated church. Praise God for His wonderful grace to us!

Dictionary Definition: Justice – (noun) the quality of being just; integrity; impartiality; rightness; the awarding of what is due; the administration of law; a judge; a magistrate. (The Chambers Dictionary, page 873)

Divine Justice: Divine justice is the sole prerogative of Almighty God, Who alone, is righteous, Holy, and infinitely just in all His attributes – He is, in fact, the “…Judge of  all the earth…” which He alone Created; and “…Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (Genesis 18:25)

“The soul that sinneth, it shall surely die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.  But if the wicked will turn (repent) from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statues, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die (Eternal death, not mortal death).” (Ezekiel 18:20-21) “Ye MUST be born again!” (John 3:3-8)

“…I will publish the Name of the Lord: ascribe ye greatness unto our God.  He is the Rock (capital R), His work is perfect: for all His ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is He.”  (Deuteronomy 32:3-4)   Amen, we worship Thee, O Lord!

God’s Divine justice was enough to banish you and I and every unregenerate soul born of woman since Adam/Eve’s fall from grace in Eden, to a sinner’s Hell. Biblical fact!

God’s Divine and Sovereign grace is applied to every sinner to whom God grants repentance from sin and faith in the finished work of Atonement made by Jesus Christ, God’s Son. Fact.

“For whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13)

Only a Lord God of pure and righteous justice could offer sinners Eternal life in Christ.

Look for a moment at how the great Puritan, Thomas Watson, views God’s justice:

“I. What is God's justice?

'Justice is to give everyone his due.' God's justice is the rectitude of his nature, whereby he is carried to the doing of that which is righteous and equal. Proverbs 24:12. Shall not he render to every man according to his works?' God is an impartial judge. He judgeth the cause. Men often judge the person, but not the cause; which is not justice, but malice. Genesis 18:21. ‘I will go down and see whether they have done according to the cry which is come up unto me.' When the Lord is upon a punitive act, he weighs things in the balance, he does not punish rashly; he does not go in the way of a riot, but a circuit, against offenders.

“Concerning God's justice, I shall lay down these six positions: -

[1] God cannot but be just. His holiness is the cause of his justice. Holiness will not suffer him to do anything but what is righteous. He can no more be unjust than he can be unholy.

[2] God's will is the supreme rule of justice; it is the standard of equity. His will is wise and good. God wills nothing but what is just; and therefore, it is just because he wills it.

[3] God does justice voluntarily. Justice flows from his nature. Men may act unjustly, because they are bribed or forced: God will not be bribed, because of his justice; he cannot be forced, because of his power. He does justice out of love to justice. Psalm 45:7. ‘Thou lovest righteousness.'

[4] Justice is the perfection of the divine nature. Aristotle says, ‘Justice comprehends in it all virtues.' To say God is just, is to say, he is all that is excellent: perfections meet in Him, as lines in a centre. He is not only just, but justice itself.

[5] God never did nor can do the least wrong to his creatures. God's justice has been wronged, but never did any wrong. God does not go according to the summum jus, or rigour of the law; he abates something of his severity. He might inflict heavier penalties than he does. Thou hast punished us less than our iniquities deserve.' Ezra 9:13. Our mercies are more than we deserve, and our punishments less.

[6] God's justice is such that it is not fit for any man or angel to expostulate with Him, or demand a reason of his actions. God has not only authority on his side, but equity. ‘He lays judgement to the line, and righteousness to the plummet.' Isaiah 28:17. It is below him to give an account to us of his proceedings. Which of these two is more fit to take place, God's justice or man's reason? Romans 9:20. ‘Who art thou, O man, that replies against God?' The plumb line of our reason is too short to fathom the depth of God's justice. Romans 11:33. ‘How unsearchable are his judgements!' We are to adore God's justice, where we cannot see a reason of it.” (A Body of Divinity, by Thomas Watson, 1620-1686)

Thought: Verse 12. “He is terrible to the kings of the earth. While they are terrible to others, He is terrible to them. If they oppose themselves to His people, He will make short work of them; they shall perish before the terror of His arm, “…for the Lord is a man of war, the Lord is His Name.”  Rejoice before Him, all ye who adore the God of Jacob.” (C.H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, page 327) God’s justification from sin is grace indeed. Amen!