Psalm 98:9 …let them sing before the Lord , for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity.
In today’s verse we return to only God judging, this time His judgement covering the earth. This is a prophetic psalm, one that speaks of the end when God comes to judge the world and all mankind.
I absolutely love the way this verse puts it. The author (who is not known) speaks of the joy of His judgement. There is no fear, no anxiety, no dread. Yes, we will all stand before Him on Judgement Day, but it is not something we should fear. It should be welcomed with joy because it means the end of sorrow, the end of pain and tears, the end of toil and struggle and injustice. It means His Kingdom will be established and peace will reign forever!
He will judge the earth with righteousness and equity. He will bring restoration to His creation. It will be the culmination of His reign where every wrong will be righted and all will be made new. There will no longer be impossible legalism or struggle. I don’t know about you but to me that makes me eager for His return, something to look forward to with anticipation and joy!
Let’s do a quick word study on the word judge. Since we are in the Old Testament we are looking at the word in Hebrew. It is from the verb form of the root shaphat which means to judge, govern, or vindicate. It also uses a form of the verb that means He will judge. The root indicates He will judge the world with an active, righteous judgment.
The direct translation of the verse emphasizes that God brings justice to the earth with righteousness and equity.
What does this mean to us today? It means we have hope! We have a glorious future awaiting us, one where He will come in His righteousness and judge the world. It means all the sins, all the struggles, and all the injustice will be done and gone. That is a future we should anticipate with eagerness and joy.
It also means we should be preparing for the final days. We don’t know when He will return and when judgement will come but we can do our part to prepare NOW. We should repent and turn away from sinful practices. We should be living as if He is returning today. We should be actively spreading His Gospel and discipling new believers to help them prepare.
What are YOU doing to prepare for the final judgement and end of ages?
Prayer: Lord, I eagerly await Your return and the judgement that only You can bring to the earth. Prepare my heart now. Search me and know me. Show me where I need to change. Amen
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