Judgment Must Be Carried Out in God's Way

Note from today’s Bible reading: 2 Chronicles 28; 2 Kings 16-17

Because of the sins of the people of Judah, God sent the nation of Aram against them to execute His punishment. Pekah, the king of Israel, joined Aram and “slew in Judah 120,000 in one day, all valiant men, because they had forsaken the Lord God of their fathers” (2 Chronicles 28:6).

After carrying out this judgment against Judah, the sons of Israel also “carried away captive of their brethren 200,000 women, sons and daughters; and they took a great deal of spoil from them, and brought the spoil to Samaria” (2 Chronicles 28:8). Though this may have been common in wars fought from human motives, this should not have been done by Israel against Judah.

So the Lord sent the prophet Oded to the army of Israel. He told them that God used them to judge Judah for their sins (2 Chronicles 28:9). However, if they brought the captives with them, they would bring “guilt” upon them and add to their sins (2 Chronicles 28:13). So they released the captives and returned them with the spoil to their brethren in Jericho (2 Chronicles 28:14-15).

There are times when Christians must judge their brethren for unrepentant sins (1 Corinthians 5:9-13; 2 Thessalonians 3:6, 14). Yet we must not go beyond the discipline God has instructed us to carry out.

So remember that judgment must be carried out in God’s way. We must “not regard [a wayward Christian] as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother” (2 Thessalonians 3:15). Our goal is not to drive them away but to lead them to repentance.