If you had to stand before the judge today, what would you do? Psalm 96-98

What is your attitude about judgment? If you had to go to court and stand before the judge from something how is your pulse? How is your blood pressure? Are you dancing in the streets with great anticipation? Most would be nervous, feeling down but lawyered up.   It wouldn't be natural to want to sing and shout the praises of the judge who was about to condemn you.   So, why Psalms 96:12-13 do we read the following:

Let the field exult, and all that is in it. Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy

Before the Lord, for He is coming, For He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness And the peoples in His faithfulness.

The writer tells the fields and all that is in them to sing for joy, "for" the Lord is coming; "for" He is coming to judge the earth.  How does that work? The only way anyone could shout in joy about coming judgement is if they knew they were not going to be judged.   That is were the writer of this beloved Psalm, stands.   He shouts for joy that God WILL judge the earth (see also 98:9), but more importantly that God will judge in "righteousness" and "faithfulness". That means God has to judge according to the standard He alone has set.   The Psalmist uses human reasoning to deduce that if God said He would save those who put their trust in Him, then any impending judgment can't be on those who trust Him but on those who don't.   You can't rejoice about judgment if you are standing in the way of it.  But, if your lawyer is Jesus and He paid the price for the judgment for you, than you don't have to worry about the Judge.   The Judges Son doesn't just stand beside you to defend you, He stands in your place to pay for you.   The Judge doesn't just let you off because you had a VERY GOOD lawyer.   The Judge let's you off because your lawyer (Christ) took the judgment you deserve.   So, let's do this today:

Psalms 96:12-13

Let the field exult, and all that is in it.

Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy

13 Before the Lord, for He is coming,

For He is coming to judge the earth.

 He will judge the world in righteousness

And the peoples in His faithfulness.