“You shall appoint judges and officers in all your towns that the LORD your God is giving you, according to your tribes, and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment.” Deuteronomy 16.18

The work of judges was only a more formal way of leading the people of Israel to be responsible for and accountable to one another for their covenant relationship with the Lord. God uses His people to teach, correct, and even chastise one another. We have the responsibility to do so, and the authority as well.

In essence, such judgments entail helping one another to stay on the path of righteousness. If a member of the covenant community discovered his neighbor to be in sin, it was his responsibility to go to him and correct him, teaching him again the ways of the Lord and His Law. This necessarily entailed passing judgment on one’s neighbor; however, as long as that judgment was correct, it was essential (cf. Jn. 7.29).

People who had committed sins or were engaged in sinful practices and would not repent at the rebuke of their neighbor could be brought before the judges of the community. There a case would be heard and a variety of judgments could be inflicted, including, pecuniary remuneration, physical beating, and banishment.

God uses us as members of His community to help all members of the community maintain a vital covenant relationship with Him. Even in the Church, in the exercise of church discipline, the first line of such discipline is between members themselves. It is only the loving thing to do to seek to correct someone who has strayed into the path of sin.

We may not like being the recipient of someone’s rebuke. But if such a rebuke or correction is necessary, we should thank God for friends who love us so.

T. M. Moore

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