The Lord Is Just
“Stand up, son of man,” said the voice. “I want to speak with you.” The Spirit came into me as he spoke, and he set me on my feet. I listened carefully to his words. “Son of man,” he said, “I am sending you to the nation of Israel, a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me. They and their ancestors have been rebelling against me to this very day. They are a stubborn and hard-hearted people. But I am sending you to say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says!’ And whether they listen or refuse to listen—for remember, they are rebels—at least they will know they have had a prophet among them. “Son of man, do not fear them or their words. Don’t be afraid even though their threats surround you like nettles and briers and stinging scorpions. Do not be dismayed by their dark scowls, even though they are rebels. You must give them my messages whether they listen or not. But they won’t listen, for they are completely rebellious! Ezekiel 2:1-7 (New Living translation, NLT)
God is just. No matter what anyone may say, God is perfectly just- more than any man or woman could ever be. He bends over backwards, you might say, to be more than fair in His dealings with mankind.
In this passage from Ezekiel, we see that God was sending Ezekiel to prophesy to Israel, even though He already knew they will not listen and will not repent of their evil and rebellion. God had Ezekiel prophesy to Israel for many years, telling of the coming judgment and showing them the awful harvest they would reap if they did not return to Him. However, because their hearts were hard and they were stubborn and rebellious, the refused to listen. Eventually, when judgment came, no one could accuse God of being unjust in the matter.
Throughout Scripture we see this same pattern: God sending warning after warning to His people so they would return to Him to avert the penalty for their worship of false gods. Most of the time, the warnings fell on deaf ears, and God was forced to send judgment.
God knows the end from the beginning and He knows who will and will not repent and receive Jesus as their Savior and Lord. Yet, He sends opportunity after opportunty to them to give them plenty of chances to accept His gift of eternal life through Jesus. Whether they accept or not, He does this because He is completely just. His justice provides every opportunity that can be given for a person to be saved.
We see God’s justice playing out even now. The wicked who have ruled through trickery, theft, and fraud are being given ample time to repetn and come to Jesus. God knows who will do so and who will harden their hearts against Him even further. In His justice, He allows as much time as possible for them to accept Him. No one will ever be able to rightly accuse God of not being just in His dealings with wicked people. When they stand before Him to be judged, they cannot defend themselves by saying God did not give them opportunities to repent. He gives more than enough time, even for those He knows will never receive Him. Truly, the Lord is just.
