He will judge the world with righteousness And the peoples with equity.

Psalm 97-98 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

97 The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice;
Let the many islands be glad.
² Clouds and thick darkness surround Him;
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.
³ Fire goes before Him
And burns up His adversaries round about.
⁴ His lightnings lit up the world;
The earth saw and trembled.
⁵ The mountains melted like wax at the presence of the Lord,
At the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.
⁶ The heavens declare His righteousness,
And all the peoples have seen His glory.

⁷ Let all those be ashamed who serve graven images,
Who boast themselves of idols;
^[Worship Him, all you gods.
⁸ Zion heard this and was glad,
And the daughters of Judah have rejoiced
Because of Your judgments, O Lord.
⁹ For You are the Lord Most High over all the earth;
You are exalted far above all gods.

¹⁰ Hate evil, you who love the Lord,
Who preserves the souls of His godly ones;
He delivers them from the hand of the wicked.
¹¹ Light is sown like seed for the righteous
And gladness for the upright in heart.
¹² Be glad in the Lord, you righteous ones,
And give thanks to His holy name.

98 O sing to the Lord a new song,
For He has done wonderful things,
His right hand and His holy arm have gained the victory for Him.
² The Lord has made known His salvation;
He has revealed His righteousness in the sight of the nations.
³ He has remembered His lovingkindness and His faithfulness to the house of Israel;
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

⁴ Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth;
Break forth and sing for joy and sing praises.
⁵ Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre,
With the lyre and the sound of melody.
⁶ With trumpets and the sound of the horn
Shout joyfully before the King, the Lord.

⁷ Let the sea roar and all it contains,
The world and those who dwell in it.
⁸ Let the rivers clap their hands,
Let the mountains sing together for joy
⁹ Before the Lord, for He is coming to judge the earth;
He will judge the world with righteousness
And the peoples with equity.

One politician says we are heading for a dark winter. One says we are turning the corner to a great recovery. The psalmist says:  The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice; Let the many islands be glad. Clouds and thick darkness surround Him; Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne. Fire goes before Him And burns up His adversaries round about.
His lightnings lit up the world; The earth saw and trembled. The mountains melted like wax at the presence of the Lord, At the presence of the Lord of the whole earth. The heavens declare His righteousness,
And all the peoples have seen His glory.   One of the rallying cries today is for justice. Those who truly seek justice will find it at God’s throne. The truth is though, it’s not really justice that many seek. It is not to receive what is deserved, but rather what is desired. They cry out for justice, when really it is grace that they seek. That too, can be found at the throne of God. Hebrews 4:16 says:  Let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. True justice requires that there be consequences for lawlessness. Those who seek justice should recognize that it is founded in doing what is right or suffering the consequence of doing what is wrong. It is the same with God, justice is founded in righteousness. With God though, righteousness is given by grace through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. We don’t receive what we deserve, instead by grace, we rejoice in His righteousness.

The psalmist says:  You are the Lord Most High over all the earth;
You are exalted far above all gods. Hate evil, you who love the Lord,
Who preserves the souls of His godly ones; He delivers them from the hand of the wicked. Light is sown like seed for the righteous And gladness for the upright in heart. Be glad in the Lord, you righteous ones, And give thanks to His holy name.   Just as those who practice lawlessness should not expect grace in the world, those who love the Lord should not tolerate or embrace immorality and lawlessness, but rather should hate evil. How can God deliver us from the hands of the wicked, if wickedness is in our own hearts? God’s light is sown like a seed and if our hearts are right, His light will grow and shine forth from us. Light does not abide with darkness, but rather it reveals and dispels it. In Matthew 5:14-16 Jesus says:  “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

The psalmist says:  O sing to the Lord a new song, For He has done wonderful things, His right hand and His holy arm have gained the victory for Him.  The Lord has made known His salvation; He has revealed His righteousness in the sight of the nations.  He has remembered His lovingkindness and His faithfulness to the house of Israel; All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. God’s righteousness, His love and salvation are revealed in Christ, His Son. God’s right hand has gained victory. Romans 8:34 says:  Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.  Through Him who is at the right hand of God, interceding for us, we also have gained the victory. Christ’s intercession was made for us 2000 years ago, when He died for our sins. God sees those who love the Lord through His righteousness.

Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth; Break forth and sing for joy and sing praises. Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre, With the lyre and the sound of melody. With trumpets and the sound of the horn
Shout joyfully before the King, the Lord. Let the sea roar and all it contains,
The world and those who dwell in it. Let the rivers clap their hands,
Let the mountains sing together for joy Before the Lord, for He is coming to judge the earth; He will judge the world with righteousness And the peoples with equity.  God’s judgment is fair and equitable. Each person has the same opportunity for grace. In John 14:6 Jesus says:  "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” Philippians 2:10-11 says:  At the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.   All will bow. It is a matter of whether we bow now to His throne of grace, or later to His righteous judgment.  

Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ; precious Holy Spirit, by Your grace, I come boldly to Your throne, but there I humbly bow my knee. Thank You for Your righteousness and justice. Thank You for Your grace, given equally to all; to whoever believes. May the seeds of Your light find good soil in my redeemed and restored heart, and may Your light shine forth from me, dispelling the darkness so the world may see Your glory.  Amen.