Known fully

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

KNOWN FULLY

Prov 28:5

5 Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the LORD understand it fully.

NIV

When we hear the word justice there are two uses we are familiar with. First is the justice of the civil or the criminal law. Most people in a society seek justice for those who break the law. That means the guilty will be punished and the innocent will go free. One of the three branches of our government is the judicial branch, the Supreme Court. Its duty it to see the laws passed by congress serve in a just manner for the country. Some cases regarding the law which cannot be resolved by lower courts end up before the Supreme Court so as to ensure justice for all involved. In most cases those who would be considered by society as evil and are found guilty of their crimes against humanity and incarcerated do not understand, nor agree, with justice. Having worked within the walls of a penitentiary we can testify many of the inmates proclaim their innocence. They do not agree with the justice they received. Evil men do not understand justice.  Here in this proverb we are, however, pointed to the justice of God. This is the time coming of the great throne judgment and all men will be judged and receive justice from God. The judgement will not be regarding how many deeds whether good or bad we have done. The justice served by God will be based on the fact whether we accepted his provision for salvation, Jesus, or refused it. We can see that in the goats and the sheep.

Matt 25:31-34

31 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats . 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 34 "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.

NIV

Matt 25:41

41 "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

NIV

There is more of the words of Jesus in that discourse but the points are clear in this portion. The justice of God will be true and pure. Those of us who seek the Lord understand this justice fully. We have researched the scriptures, we have studied them and know what is to come. We know the end of those who love God and have accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior. The fact is we will have no end for we will enter into his rest having eternal life as our just due, our justice. Those who do not understand justice, those who have refused to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior will also be justly judged and given their just due, the lake of burning sulfur. We can see this truth in some of these people already against his justice. They say things like, “A loving God would not condemn people to hell”, “If you’re a good person that is what matters, you will go to heaven”. Who of us is a good person in the flesh? Is there any of us that is without some sin in our lives? The fact is we are supposed to have Jesus living in us as us, and thus we should not sin, right? Yet we learn our spirit is our real us, and Jesus lives in our spirit as us, but our body is still flesh and subject to some desires we cannot overcome. At least that is how it seems. But that is not how we receive our just reward. It is because we have accepted Jesus into our heart, we seek God. Yes, we are weak, and we fail to uphold every aspect of his commands. But at the same time we no longer are under the law of God. We have been redeemed, we have been set free from the law. Where we fail him in most cases is in the command Jesus gave us as the greatest command of all.

Matt 22:36-40

36 "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"

37 Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'   38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'   40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." 

NIV

The law of love and we only have to quote those famous verses that are read at nearly all weddings to understand the fullest measure of what God means by love. This is where we fail the most. But still our heart is seeking God, our spirit is seeking God and thus we understand all things.

1 John 2:20

20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things.

NKJV

Or some manuscripts say we know the truth. Either way we know and understand the justice of God, or we know it fully.