"And He spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint."
Luke 18:1-8
Part 3
Yesterday: Do not Lose your Heart and Quit Praying!
“And not to faint.”
If we give up and quit praying, it is because we have removed our focus from our Lord Jesus and are concentrating on either ourselves or the storm around us. A poor substitute for prayer.
Today: God Listens to His Child and is Just
Jesus’ Parable of the “Unjust Judge”
“And He spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. And he would not for a while: but afterward, he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me” (Luke 18:1-5).
The Judge: “A Judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man.”
This judge was the kind of man with little or no character who did not care about what God thought and had no concern for his own soul. He also had a total disregard for what people thought about him. As a Jew, he was living in disregard for the “two great commandments.” Jesus made these clear as He taught.
“And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, Which is the first commandment of all? And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:28-31).
If this man had been a righteous judge, he would have lived and worked according to the advice that King Jehoshaphat gave to the judges who served him.
“And said to the judges, Take heed what ye do: for ye judge not for man, but for the LORD, who is with you in the judgment. Wherefore now let the fear of the LORD be upon you; take heed and do it: for there is no iniquity with the LORD our God, nor respect of persons, nor taking of gifts” (2 Chronicles 19:6-7).
The Apostle Paul was concerned that in his ministry he was,
“Providing for honest things, not only in the sight of the Lord but also in the sight of men” (2 Corinthians 8:21).
This “unjust judge” was the opposite of these scriptural admonitions.
Believer, aren’t you glad that this characterless judge is so unlike our God? Our God will always do right, for He is the epitome of righteousness. And He gives us grace and mercy as we have daily need for them. He loves His child! Tomorrow we will learn about the widow in the parable and her plight, which unfortunately was not unusual for widows in Jesus’ day. See you then.
Quote: “Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that write grievousness which they have prescribed; To turn aside the needy from judgment, and to take away the right from the poor of my people, that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the fatherless!” (Isaiah 10:1-2).