Go Away, Accuser!

“He is near that justifieth me; who will contend with me? let us stand together: who is mine adversary? let him come near to me. Behold, the Lord GOD will help me; who is he that shall condemn me? lo, they all shall wax old as a garment; the moth shall eat them up.” (Isa 50:8-9 AV)

There is no better feeling when condemned for that which we have done, to have someone standing by our side that can find mercy from the one judging.  Israel is guilty here.  They have gone into captivity for falling backward into the sins of their neighbors.  They failed to fulfill their part of the covenant with God.  This, the LORD was forced to chasten them with seventy years captivity.  Once this captivity was over, there were still those who wished to condemn Israel.  There still are today.  But God stands with them.  He will defend them!  Like Israel we have an advocate.  Jesus Christ the LORD is our advocate.  We stand condemned, guilty of all the sins of our lives.  Yet, He has paid the penalty for our iniquity and the wrath of God has been satisfied.

Recently, I had the privilege of serving on a jury.  There were several things that struck me.  The ability of a jury to cut through all the drama and discern guilt or innocence is uncanny.  The long hours of waiting were a great time to learn about others.  One thing that struck me was the ineptness of the public defender.  In particular, the strategy of defense actually opened the door for confession.  His defense was the plaintiff manipulated the system which enticed the defendant into the criminal activity articulated in the complaint.  I sat there during the opening arguments think, “Trial over.”  The prosecution was going to have a field day with this.  The defendant needed a good lawyer that day and he did not.  He was guilty of that which was alleged.  What he needed was someone who knew the law that would advocate on his behalf rather than throw him under the bus.

Like Israel, our defense is not that we have been falsely accused.  We cannot claim innocence.  Like Joshua the high priest of the book of Zechariah, we have filthy garments.  We are horribly wicked.  There are no excuses.  We willingly and knowingly choose to violate the perfect law of God.  We were enemies of the most High.  Yet, His Son satisfied what the law required and that which we could not pay.  Our plea is not “not guilty.”  Our plea is “guilt yet absolved.”  If we have been absolved, then there is no more condemnation as Romans chapter eight so eloquently puts it.  There are no charges that can be brought.  We stand sinless.  Not because we have made ourselves that way.  Quite the opposite.  We stand perfect in the eyes of God’s law because the righteousness of Christ has been imputed to our account.  We stand justified because of what Jesus did.  So, go away devil!  Go away world!  We are guilty.  But we are justified.