47 Days of Justice 2024 - Day 40: We must not be deceived as to whether we will stand or fall when justice is released.

“When the chief baker saw that Joseph had given the first dream such a positive interpretation, he said to Joseph, “I had a dream, too. In my dream there were three baskets of white pastries stacked on my head. The top basket contained all kinds of pastries for Pharaoh, but the birds came and ate them from the basket on my head.” “This is what the dream means,” Joseph told him. “The three baskets also represent three days. Three days from now Pharaoh will lift you up and impale your body on a pole. Then birds will come and peck away at your flesh.””

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭40:16-19‬ ‭NLT‬‬

My mind goes back to some of the first days of our journey into “47 Days of Justice 2024,” as we talked about Nathan the prophet confronting David.

As you will remember, Nathan presented a scenario in which a very wealthy man chose to take the lamb of a very poor man (for whom the lamb was a pet), to kill and eat when he had company over.

As you will also remember, David was furious and demanded harsh judgment upon this man, only to hear Nathan the prophet say, “You are the man!”

What can we glean from this scenario between Nathan and David?

You see, there comes a time when a person may have become so self-deceived that they actually begin to believe that justice is on their side. David was blind to the fact that Nathan was describing him!

I think we all have probably known of circumstances where people have made themselves a special case in terms of judgment. Sadly, even some Christians, including some Christian leaders, deceive themselves with the idea that they are some sort of a “special case,” such that God will not punish them for the evil they are doing.

Indeed, the Lord addresses the phenomenon of people being deceived as to where they would stand in judgment.

“You look forward to the day when the Lord comes to judge. But you are in for trouble! It won’t be a time of sunshine; all will be darkness. You will run from a lion, only to meet a bear. You will escape to your house, rest your hand on the wall, and be bitten by a snake. The day when the Lord judges will be dark, very dark, without a ray of light.”

‭‭Amos‬ ‭5:18-20‬ ‭CEV‬‬

Yes, God’s people were yearning for the Day of the Lord, assuming that He would rescue them. However, they were blinded to their evil ways, blinded that they were deserving of punishment!

Jesus addressed the issue of those who are deceived in terms of what justice would look like for them. Incredibly, they will even try to argue with the Lord concerning His judgment.

“”Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7:21-23‬ ‭NLT‬‬

It’s so good to know that we have a Savior Who took on the justice sin demanded. But we will only escape the wages of our sin by calling on the name of the Lord in repentance and faithfully walking in obedience to Him.

In our opening scripture, we see that since Joseph had given the cupbearer an encouraging interpretation to his dream, the baker seeks out an interpretation for his own dream, expecting a glowing prediction.

Now, we must step aside for a moment and take note that since the baker was obviously the one guilty of what he and the cupbearer were accused of doing, he must have known that he was guilty. Yet, he assumed that he would be restored to his position. He was blind to the fact that justice would require his death.

As we seek and pray for justice, let us continually allow the Holy Spirit to show us areas where we would not be on the winning side of justice.

As well, let’s make sure to get things right in our own lives before praying for the floodgates of justice to be opened. Remember, when those floodgates are opened, everything in the path of those raging waters will be swept away.

Peace to you.

Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!

#resolveforhim #47DaysOfJustice