51.5 God, The Supreme Judge

Psalm 82

God presides in the heavenly council;
in the assembly of the gods he gives his decision:
"You must stop judging unjustly;
you must no longer be partial to the wicked!
Defend the rights of the poor and the orphans;
be fair to the needy and the helpless.
Rescue them from the power of evil men.

"How ignorant you are! How stupid!
You are completely corrupt,
and justice has disappeared from the world.
'You are gods,' I said;
'all of you are sons of the Most High.'
But you will die like men;
your life will end like that of any prince."

Come, O God, and rule the world;
all the nations are yours.

51.4 False Witnesses Shall Be Punished

Deuteronomy 19:16-21

If one man tries to harm another by falsely accusing him of a crime, both are to go to the one place of worship and be judged by the priests and judges who are then in office.  The judges will investigate the case thoroughly; and if the man has made a false accusation against his fellow Israelite, he is to receive the punishment the accused man would have received.  In this way you will get rid of this evil.  Then everyone else will hear what happened; they will be afraid , and no one will ever again do such an evil thing.  In such cases show no mercy; the punishment is to be a life for a life, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, and a foot for a foot.

51.3 Judge On Behalf Of The Lord

2 Chronicles 19:4-7

Even though King Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem, he traveled regularly among the people, from Beersheba in the south to the edge of the hill country of Ephraim in the north, in order to call the people back to the Lord, the God of their ancestors.  He appointed judges in each of the fortified cities of Judah and instructed them: "Be careful in pronouncing judgment; you are not acting on human authority, but on the authority of the Lord, and he is with you when you pass sentence.  Have reverence for the Lord and act carefully, because the Lord our God does not tolerate fraud or partiality or the taking of bribes."

51.2 Selected Impartial, Wise Judges

Deuteronomy 1:15-17a

So I took the wise and experienced leaders you chose from your tribes, and I placed them in charge of you.  Some were responsible for a thousand people, some for a hundred, some for fifty, and some for ten.  I also appointed other officials throughout the tribes.

"At that time I instructed them, 'Listen to the disputes that come up among your people.  Judge every dispute fairly, whether it concerns only your own people or involves foreigners who live among you. Show no partiality in your decisions; judge everyone on the same basis, no matter who he is.  Do not be afraid of anyone, for the decisions you make come from God."

51.1 Impartiality In Judgment

Leviticus 19:13-18

""Do not take advantage of anyone or rob him.  Do not hold back the wages of someone you have hired, not even for one night.  Do not curse a deaf man or put something in front of a blind man so as to make him stumble over it.  Have reverence for me; I am the Lord your God.

"Be honest and just when you make decisions in legal cases; do not show favoritism to the poor or fear the rich.  Do not spread lies about anyone, and when someone is on trial for his life, speak out if your testimony can help him.  I am the Lord.

"Do not bear a grudge against anyone, but settle your differences with him, so that you will not commit a sin because of him.  Do not take revenge on anyone or continue to hate him, but love your neighbor as you love yourself.  I am the Lord.