As we read and study the 49 scriptures that are Jesus’s commandments, let’s ask God to help us observe these words, apply them, and faithfully follow them throughout our lifetimes. The command we will focus on today is “Judge not.”
Verses of the Day
“Don’t judge others, and God will not judge you. If you judge others, you will be judged the same way you judge them. God will treat you the same way you treat others. Why do you notice the small piece of dust that is in your friend’s eye, but you don’t notice the big piece of wood that is in your own?”
Matthew 7:1–3 ERV
“Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?”
Matthew 7:1–3 KJV
Lesson of the Day
Jesus commands us not to judge. This command has a warning attached to it. He’s saying that if you judge someone, you will be judged by the same measure you used to judge that person. That’s the warning. Jesus is saying to be careful because judgment is like a boomerang. You throw it at a person, and it comes right back at you.
Jesus isn’t saying we should never notice right from wrong. God gave us discernment, and we’re supposed to use it. What Jesus is commanding against is hypocritical judging—the kind that condemns somebody else while we excuse the same thing in ourselves.
He uses a powerful picture. A mote is a tiny speck of dust, and a beam is a big timber. We will point out the speck in our brother’s eye while a whole log is sticking out of our own eye. So, before we ever look at someone else’s speck, we have to deal with our own beam first. Matthew 7:5 explains that after removing our own beam, we can see clearly to help remove our brother’s speck. The purpose is to help, with humility.
Does this mean we’re supposed to go around pointing out other people’s sins like we are baby Holy Ghosts? No. It’s not our job to judge them; that’s God’s job. By that, I mean it’s not our job to condemn them or decide their standing before God. Our job is to pray for them and, if they’re open to it, gently share the Word with them. When correction is needed, we must speak truth with humility and love. We can let a scripture speak for itself. We don’t have to say, “This is you.” We can just send it and trust the Holy Spirit to do the convicting. The Word does its own work in the right heart.
We are to point out sin. Leviticus 19:17 even says we shouldn’t hate our brother in our heart but should rebuke him plainly so we don’t share in his sin by staying silent. The point is the heart behind it: pointing out sin to help and restore, never to condemn. John 7:24 also tells us to judge with righteous judgment rather than by appearances. This is why we must distinguish between recognizing wrong and condemning a person.
The measure we use on others is the measure that gets used on us. If we’re harsh, we get harshness. If we’re merciful, we get mercy. So we judge with grace, and grace gets measured back to us. Here, judging with grace means approaching correction with humility, mercy, and a desire to restore. We check our own heart, we pray for the other person, and we let God be God.
Encouragement
This command can feel tricky. God tells us not to judge, but He also tells us to confront. How can we do that without judgment? Well, we can. We just must be careful. We can address the wrong without condemning the person.
Don’t feel bad if you’ve ever judged someone. By that, I mean don’t beat yourself up or remain stuck in shame. We should still acknowledge when we have judged unfairly, ask God’s forgiveness, and learn to respond differently.
When I’m in the Word and God is teaching me and speaking to my spirit, I want so badly to grab my family, shake them, and scream out, “Do you know what’s going to happen to you? Do you know how much God loves you and wants to spend time with you?” However, I have to hold it in. I can’t go running and attack them. First of all, if they’re not ready to hear it and they’re not in tune with God, I can’t make them understand or receive it by pushing harder.
I would either push them away from God or make them think that I think I am better than them. Trust me. I’ve tried. I called myself gently sending my husband a scripture, and he questioned me as to why. He automatically assumed that I was judging him. So he started pointing out my sins. I honestly wanted him to just read it and allow the Holy Spirit to minister to him. He didn’t see it that way, nor did he take it that way. He was right, though. I do sin. I try not to, but I’m far from perfect, and that’s why we must be careful. He knows the Lord, and I have to just trust that God will reach him like He reaches me.
However, Matthew 18:15 says that if your brother sins against you, go tell him his fault between you and him alone. That’s the private, gentle way to win him back. And Galatians 6:1 says to restore someone caught in a fault in a spirit of meekness. It also reminds us to watch ourselves so that we are not tempted.
With that said, now I send scriptures through a group chat so that no one person feels targeted. I still have to check my heart and my purpose in sending them. If I have to tell someone that they harmed me, I usually don’t use the Bible. I just tell them privately.
There is a scenario where I believe I could and would use the Bible to correct someone caught in a fault. That would be a great opportunity to present the Word, but it still has to be with meekness. Let me put it this way: I had a pastor who used to say, “Season it with grace.” So let’s be careful and not judge.
Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, You make it clear that we are to love righteousness and abhor evil. We know that You are the final judge and that we are not to condemn others or judge hypocritically. Help us to be mindful of our own sins and not to think so highly of ourselves. May we always season our words with grace. Guide us in how to approach those who do wrong and those who wrong us personally. Help us to speak truth with humility, mercy, and a desire to restore. May we always walk in love and always spread Your love. Lord, also forgive us when we get it wrong. We humbly serve You. In Jesus Christ’s name we pray, amen.