THURSDAY, JANUARY 8
Scripture: Judges 1:4-7

Many ask, what is God’s standard for biblical judgment? The answer is His Word! If we execute judgment in prayer, what brings justice in God’s eyes? What kind of judgment should we pray in order to bring justice? Judges 1:4-7 is a great picture of this. It says, “Then Judah went up, and the Lord delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand; and they killed ten thousand men at Bezek. And they found Adoni-Bezek in Bezek, and fought against him; and they defeated the Canaanites and the Perizzites. Then Adoni-Bezek fled, and they pursued him and caught him and cut off his thumbs and big toes. And Adoni-Bezek said, ‘Seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off used to gather scraps under my table; as I have done, so God has repaid me.’ Then they brought him to Jerusalem, and there he died.” Adoni-Bezek’s own actions dictated justice. What does biblical justice look like? God visits people and repays them according to their works. If we have politicians and judges who practice and promote unrighteousness even in the face of warning and affliction, then they may qualify for Holy Spirit-driven judgment. If their policies and judgments reflect the Psalm 2 stance of breaking the Bible’s bonds in pieces and casting away righteous cords from them, then they are warned to kiss the Son, lest He be angry and His wrath is kindled. If their actions kindle God’s wrath, He will repay them according to their works. A picture of a late-term abortion is a frightening picture – doctors insert a catheter at the base of an unborn infant’s brain and literally remove everything from his or her skull. Isn’t it interesting that the Muslim enemy raised up against America kills by cutting off the heads of the innocent. Anyone who thinks that is a coincidence had better think again because I suspect we will see the axios judgment of God on the heads of the doctors and leaders who champion abortion, if they refuse to turn. The question is, will the church extend God’s mercy to the nation and pray judgment on the perpetrators, as the Spirit leads? If we will, we may see a spiritual judgment on a political party. If the church cannot pray that kind of judgment, then we had better check our hearts to see if we have something preventing us from doing the Word. If we are going to pray mercy on the nation and judgment on the perpetrators, then we have to first repent for the sins of the nation. Only then will we be in a place to pray God’s judgment on the perpetrators. It is the only way to save the land.