His delight is in the fear of the Lord,
And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes,
Nor decide by the hearing of His ears;
Isaiah is speaking of the coming Messiah in this passage, but I believe it’s also a lesson for all of us. If the Lord is our delight, it should change everything about us. We should not judge people by what we see or hear – rather, because of the mercy shown to us, we should in turn show mercy to others.
Who among us has never said or done something that deserves harsh judgment? Who among us really deserves the love that the Father has lavished on us? Who among us is without sin; which of us has the right to throw the first stone against our neighbor? If we are to accept the mercy that is being offered to us, should we not extend mercy to those around us?
Let’s be honest – it’s hard not to judge others. It’s hard not to try and elevate ourselves above those around us. But we are told that we will be judged in the same way that we judge others! That is a sobering thought, my friends…
We are not the Judge - we are those who stand in judgment. We can infer only a small bit of the grace we’ve been given to those around us; we cannot save the world. But thank God, there is One who can and has done everything necessary to save us all! He alone is able to judge rightly, for He is Truth and Justice. He alone can save because He is Grace and Mercy. And He alone is the One who gave the words that Isaiah the great prophet of the Most High proclaims:
Isaiah 11:4
But with righteousness He shall judge the poor,
And decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth,
And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.
Only He shall judge righteously, where we cannot.
Only He shall decide with equity, where we are unable.
And only He shall come again with His Wrath to punish those who refuse Him.
Let today be the day - turn to Him and accept His perfect Grace, avoid His terrible Wrath, and follow the One who was, and is, and is to come!