Our Best Witness and Judge

Verse of the Day: 1 Samuel 24:12 & 15, “Let the Lord judge between you and me, and let the Lord avenge me on you. But my hand shall not be against you.” 15 “Therefore let the Lord be judge, and judge between you and me, and see and plead my case, and deliver me out of your hand.”

How often have we heard someone say, or how often have we said, “God is my Witness”? Have we ever stopped to think of the gravity of that statement? What are we claiming when we call upon God as our Witness? Far too often, Christians use this statement as a means of convincing someone that they are being truthful in what they are claiming or saying. Sadly, it is often said knowing that they are not being “completely” honest. Jesus warned in Matthew 12:36-37, “But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. 37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” David knew, in his heart, that he had never stood against Saul and he proved it when he refused to take his life in the cave. When he finally confronted Saul, he knew that he could call upon God as his Witness and Judge, with confidence, because he knew he stood upright before the Lord in this matter. Before we try to use God to prove our point or “win” a debate or argument, we need to remind ourselves of some very important truths. First, we ought to live our lives as people who are known for our honesty. We should be people, as Christians, whose word can be trusted. Jesus commanded in Matthew 5:37, “But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.” Secondly, we must remember that God sees beyond our words and action to the intentions and true motivations behind our words and actions. Psalm 44:21 clearly tells us, “Would not God search this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart.” The bottom line is that regardless of what the circumstance or situation are, if we are truly being honest in our intentions, we can completely trust God to be our Witness and Judge in the matter. Who better to stand on our behalf than the God of the universe whose judgments are always just and right? David did not concern himself with exacting vengeance against Saul because he knew that God knew his heart in the matter at hand. He was even willing to suffer at the hands of the LORD if in fact he was the one who was wrong. Quite often we get upset when we end up suffering some sort of injury or loss (whether physical or emotional) in circumstances where we think the other person is at fault; yet, we fail to see that maybe God is trying to show us that we had some responsibility for why things went sideways to begin with. We must be careful, in every situation, to do some self evaluating and ask God to show us what the intentions of our own hearts were, before we call upon God to side with us. If anything, the fear of having to give an account for false words or accusations should make us very apprehensive about calling God as our witness in any matter or situation. His Name is not one to be toyed with, and our God will not be a false witness for us, regardless of how right we think we might be in our own hearts and minds. David was willing to put himself in such a vulnerable position as to have God as his Witness and Judge because he feared and revered the Lord, and knew that his actions were driven by this fear and reverence. If this be the case for us, then God is truly our best Witness and Judge we could ever call upon.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).