Wisdom's Corner
Who Should be a Judge?

Almost every society has laws that are to be enforced. When there is a question regarding someone breaking a law, the person who has been charged is brought before a judge. The judge is to hear all the evidence from all involved. Then the judge is to decide if indeed the law was broken. The judge also many times pronounces the sentence on the guilty person.

In Exodus 18:13-26, we read about Moses and the Israelites. Moses had brought the people out of Egypt. They were now safe from the Egyptians but not yet in the land of Canaan. Moses was spending almost all day each day judging the people. There were many cases that needed to be heard every day.

Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, saw that Moses was too busy with the job of judging. He told Moses to pick out men from the people that could do the job of judging. This would free Moses up to do other things that needed to be done. And Moses would only have to judge the very important or difficult cases.

Moses was to choose men who were able. This means that they were intelligent and wise. The men were to fear God. This means that they would realize that their decisions must be in accordance with God's laws. They were to be men of truth. This means that they knew the law well and would live by it and rule by it. And they were not to be covetousness. This means that they did not love money and could not be bribed to judge a certain way.

We need individuals today to be like the men that Moses chose to be judges. We need young people to begin studying God's laws now. Then as they grow up they will become very knowledgeable in God's law. They will be men of truth. They will want to live by God's law. And they will want to make judgments based on God's law. We need able men to be our judges today and tomorrow.

The only way to be an able judge is to learn God's word, the Bible. Keep reading and studying your Bible. And if any of this is hard to understand, ask an adult to help you.

Mark McWhorter

Copyright 2002

Published by The Old Paths Bible School
(http://www.oldpaths.org)