Judgment and Justice

2 Samuel 8:15

And David reigned over all Israel; and David executed judgment and justice unto all his people.

Leading is not always easy because people will not always agree with every decision a leader makes. Often leaders live lonely lives because their lives and decisions are under great scrutiny by those who are looking for a flaw in their lives. This is not a complaint, but it is a fact. However, the one who leads properly will find the blessings of being a leader far outweighs the scrutiny that he is constantly under.

David was a great leader for many reasons, but maybe the greatest reason is because he executed judgment and justice unto all his people. In other words, David did not treat one person differently from another. What David did for one, he did for all. This type of leadership is what won the hearts of David’s people over to him. They may not have liked every decision he made, but they accepted it because he was just with every person.

Great leaders must make tough decisions; this is called judgment. Judgment won't always make everyone happy, but if you make the right judgment, it will be what is best for God and the people you lead alike. Judgment may not appease people in the present, but judgment always benefits people in the future if that judgment is followed.

However, judgment can only be executed if justice is present. Justice says that what I do for one, I must do for all. There can be no justice if every person is treated differently. My pastor for many years, Dr. Jack Hyles, was often criticized for being just, but being just is what I loved about him. If I asked him about something, he often told me that he had to see what he did in the past with others before he could give me an answer. He was saying that he needed to be just in his treatment of people.

Leaders, you cannot avoid making judgments because that is part of being a leader. Not to make a decision is to make a decision. However, you do choose to be just or unjust. You cannot allow family, friends, or what benefits you the most to influence your decisions if you want to make just decisions. Just decisions takes every person out of the equation to determine what is the right thing to do. The leader who treats everyone the same is the leader who will win the hearts of the people over to him.

Moreover, justice is necessary for stability and security. The fact that someone is always the same is what brings security to the follower. The follower will know what to expect from the leader in every situation if the leader is just in their decisions. For instance, the believer receives security from God because they know what He will do with their situation. There is a stability created in a follower’s life when they have the security of knowing that the one they follow will always be the same in decisions and actions.

Furthermore, the follower could help their leader by not expecting him to treat them differently from others. Never put your pastor or leader in the difficult spot of asking him to treat you differently from others. It is self-serving to ask your pastor or leader to treat you differently from others. You can help your pastor or leader by only holding them to the expectation to treat you the same as he treats others. Judgment and justice is what you should desire from your leaders, for that is the right way for them to lead.