This exhortation is pointed against rash, harsh, and uncharitable judgment that tears another person down. It's not a blanket statement against all critical thinking, but it's a call to be discerning rather than negative. Jesus said for us to "discern" false teachers (Matthew 7:15-23) and Paul taught us that we should exercise church discipline (1 Corinthians 5:1-2), and to trust God to be the final judge (1 Corinthians 4:3-5).
What Jesus is trying to teach here is for us to examine our own motives and conduct rather than judging others. A psychologist will tell us the traits that bother us in others are most often the very ones we dislike in ourselves. Our unbroken bad habits and behaviour patterns are the very ones we most want to change in others. That's why Jesus went on to say in Matthew 7: 3-5 "And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me cast out the mote out of thine eye; and lo, the beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye".
There are many of us who have beams in our own eyes, and yet do not consider it। We are under the guilt of very great sins, and yet we seem to be unaware of it. We justify ourselves as if we needed no repentance nor reformation. It's strange that we can be in such a sinful, miserable condition and not be aware of it, but the god of this world so artfully blinds our minds, that with great assurance, we say, we can see!
That's why God's Word says in Jeramiah 17:9 "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" To himself a man’s heart is an inscrutable mystery। The natural man does not know the plague of his own heart; the Pharisee and perfectionist do not, or they would not say they were without sin; such rant arises from the ignorance of their own hearts. We are only conscious of all the schemes, plans, and purposes that pass in our own mind; and no one can know these things in our mind but ourself. However, to know how deceitful and desperately wicked our heart is ---is beyond our ability to see; apart from God's Holy spirit revealing it to us.
So, we should judge ourself first and then lovingly forgive and help our neighbor। Our own sins ought to appear greater to us than the same sins in others: that which love teaches us to call but a splinter in our brother's eye, true repentance and godly sorrow will teach us to call a beam in our own; for the sins of others must be diminished but our own enlarged.
One last note on this devotion about judging others ...when we are hurt by someone who has judged us wrongly we need to immediately give it over to God for His intervention। God says we should NEVER take revenge on another person!
Romans 12:19 "Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord".
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(by J। R. Miller, "Judging Others" 1894)
"Do not judge--or you too will be judged." Matthew 7:१
It is better to have eyes for beauty--than for blemish। It is better to be able to see the roses--than the thorns. It is better to have learned to look for things to commend in others--than for things to condemn. Of course, other people have faults--and we are not blind to them. But then, we have faults of our own--and this should make us charitable!
We have a divine teaching on the subject। Our Lord Jesus said, "Do not judge--or you too will be judged." We need to understand just what the words mean. We cannot help judging others. We ought to be able to read character, and to know whether men are good or bad. As we watch men's acts--we cannot help forming opinions about them. The holier we grow, and the more like Christ--the keener will our moral judgments be. We are not bidden to shut our eyes--and to be blind to people's faults and sins.
What, then, do our Lord's words mean? It is uncharitable judgment against which He warns us। We are not to look for the evil things in others. We are not to see others through the warped glasses of prejudice and unkindly feeling. We are not to arrogate to ourselves the function of judging--as if others were answerable to us! We are to avoid a critical or censorious spirit. Nothing is said against speaking of the good in those we see and know; it is uncharitable judging and speaking, which Jesus condemns.
One reason why judging is wrong --is because it is putting one's self in God's place. He is the only Judge, with whom every human soul has to do. Judgment is not ours--but God's. "There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you--who are you to judge your neighbor?" James 4:12. In condemning and censuring others--we are thrusting ourselves into God's place, taking His scepter into our hands, and presuming to exercise one of His sole prerogatives!
Another reason for this command--is that we cannot judge others justly and fairly. We have not sufficient knowledge of them. Paul says: "Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts." 1 Corinthians 4:5. Our judgments cannot be anything but faulty, partial and superficial।
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"The Lord bless thee, and, keep thee। The Lord make his face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee. The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee and give thee peace " ~ Numbers 6:24-26.
In His tender care always,
Dot
"Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which does so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us."
~~ HEBREWS 12:1
"Anything that dims my vision of Christ, or takes away my taste for Bible study, or cramps my prayer life, or makes Christian work difficult, is wrong for me, and I must, as a Christian, turn away from it."
~~ J। Wilbur Chapman (1859-1918)
Acknowledgements
* A lot of my studies are done using my Life Application Study Bible (KJV) by Tyndale House Publishers and I heavily rely on the explanatory notes for each verse I use because I can not explain them better.
* I often rely on my New American Standard Bible by Thomas Nelson Publishers for double checking the meaning of the verses I used in the King James Version. Not that I think the NAS Bible is better than the KJV Bible, but it gives me more insight into some of the KJV Bible verses.
* Most of my studies are done using the E-Sword program from this site: http://www.e-sword.net/ I downloaded all their commentaries and bought others. The maps and teachers aids are so valuable that I can now do a study in half the time I took before. All the quotes from commentaries by great Theologians came from the E-Sword program.
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