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Old Testament
January 2008
I Rest My Case
Richard M. Davidson
Andrews University, davidson@andrews.edu
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Davidson, Richard M., "I Rest My Case" (2008). Faculty Publications. Paper 57.
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B Y
R I C H A R D
M .
D AV I D S O N *
I REST MY CASE
A confession of faith by one who
was once troubled at the thought of his name
coming up in judgment
ow do you react when you read
such solemn pronouncements
of the coming judgment as
these: “The judgment was set,
and the books were opened”
(Dan. 7:10)1; “Fear God, and give
glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come” (Rev. 14:7); “God shall
bring every work into judgment, with
every secret thing, whether it be good,
or whether it be evil” (Eccl. 12:14);
“The ungodly shall not stand in the
judgment” (Ps. 1:5).
Are these passages good news, or
do they have an unsettling effect? I
have not always considered the judgment as part of the assuring good
news of the gospel. While growing
up in the Seventh-day Adventist
Church, I used to shudder at the
mention of the investigative judgment. The prospect of my name
coming up in the heavenly court,
with all my sins brought before God
and the onlooking universe, made
me think, I’ll never make it! I hope
my name doesn’t come up today.
Imagine my surprise when I first
came across a number of prayers in
the Book of Psalms in which the
psalmist seemed actually to welcome
and even long for the judgment. The
plea for judgment appeared shocking enough: “Arise, O God, judge the
earth” (82:8). Even more startling
were the expressions of joyous exuberance at the coming judgment:
“Let the heavens be glad, and let the
earth rejoice; . . . Then shall all the
trees of the forest sing for joy before
the Lord; for he is coming, for he is
H
*Richard M. Davidson is Professor of
Old Testament Interpretation and
Chair of the Old Testament Department at the Seventh-day Adventist
Theological Seminary, Berrien Springs,
Michigan.
7
Scripture consistently upholds the seriousness
of sin and the certainty of the judgment. But it also reveals
that the Lamb of God, our Substitute, has been accepted in our
place. As we receive Christ, we are covered with the
robe of His righteousness. God says to the great accuser, “The
Lord rebuke thee, O Satan” (Zech. 3:2). We are acquitted,
pardoned, and cleansed.
coming to judge the earth” (96:1113, NRSV). But simply beyond my
comprehension were the passages in
which David longed for his own case
to come up in judgment. Numerous
times he prayed, “Judge me, O Lord”
(7:8; 26:l; 35:24; 43:l). He seemed to
be saying, in effect, “Hurry up, Lord!
Send the judgment. Let my name
come up. I can’t wait!”
Is the judgment good news for
you in the way it seems to have been
for David? Perhaps a practical test of
whether or not it is good news in
your life is to ask yourself: Have I
ever prayed David’s prayer? This
morning, did I pray, “Judge me, O
Lord; please let my name come up in
judgment”?
How could David pray such a
prayer? With his record of heinous
sins—adultery, murder, lying, to
name a few. Did he not understand
the sinfulness of sin, the seriousness
of the judgment?
He understood. Note his prayer
of deepest repentance after the affair
with Bathsheba and the murder of
her husband: “I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.
Against you, you alone, have I
sinned, and done what is evil in your
sight, so that you are justified in
your sentence and blameless when
you pass judgment” (51:3, 4, NRSV).
David certainly comprehended
the heinousness of his sin and the
reality of the judgment. But he also
understood the message of righteousness by faith. He recognized
that, sinful though he was, his sins
could be cleansed by the blood of
the Substitute. He prayed: “Purge me
with hyssop [the agent used to apply
the blood of the sacrifice], and I
shall be clean” (vs. 7). In joy he could
cry out, “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered” (32:1).
Scripture consistently upholds
the seriousness of sin and the certainty of the judgment. But it also
reveals that the Lamb of God, our
Substitute, has been accepted in our
8
place. As we receive Christ, we are
covered with the robe of His righteousness. God says to the great
accuser, “The Lord rebuke thee, O
Satan” (Zech. 3:2). We are acquitted,
pardoned, and cleansed. We no
longer are “anxious about what
Christ and God think of us, but
about what God thinks of Christ,
our Substitute.”2
begged! He has placed Christ there
to be our Representative. He is on
our side. Those illustrations that
picture the repentant sinner standing by himself in the midst of the
heavenly tribunal miss the point.
“He ever liveth to make intercession
for them” (Heb. 7:25). For those in
Christ, the heavenly courtroom is a
friendly place.
Our Lawyer stands beside them
with His arm around them, as it
were; He “does not excuse their sins,
but shows their penitence and faith,
and, claiming for them forgiveness,
He lifts His wounded hands before
the Father and the holy angels, saying, ‘I know them by name. I have
graven them upon the palms of My
hands.’”3
Christ is both our Substitute and
Advocate and the star witness in our
behalf! As the Faithful and True Witness (Rev. 3:14), He brings evidence
that vindicates us before the heavenly jury and silences the false accusations of the adversary.
To top it all off, as if that were not
enough good news, consider that in
this heavenly court, Christ also is
our Judge. This Judge has never
made a mistake, and He is on our
side. He is not a stern, harsh magistrate seeking to damn all He can, but
a loving, gracious God, seeking to
save all He can. In order to exonerate
us, He tenderly urges us to accept the
provisions of the court.
“Therefore I will judge you, O
Assurance of Vindication
When we belong to Christ, the
tables are turned in the judgment.
No longer do we stand there an
accused defendant. As Christ has
paid the full price for our acquittal,
we become the plaintiff, calling for
vindication against the false charges
of Satan. Now, with David, we can
long for and welcome the judgment.
We can pray, “Judge [“vindicate,”
RSV] me, O Lord my God, according to thy righteousness” (Ps. 35:24).
The outcome of this judgment is
certain. It is “in favor of the saints of
the Most High”(Dan. 7:22, NIV). Not
only is Christ our Substitute, but He
also is our Advocate, our Lawyer,
who never has lost a case that has
been committed to Him. Eloquently
and persuasively, He pleads our case
in the heavenly assize. Note that the
word plead here and in Ellen White’s
descriptions of the investigative
judgment, is a legal term and does
not refer to “begging” the Father for
mercy, as some have construed it.
The Father does not need to be
9
house of Israel, all of you according
to your ways, says the Lord God.
Repent and turn from all your transgressions; otherwise iniquity will be
your ruin.
“‘Cast away from you all the
transgressions that you have committed against me, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit!
Why will you die, O house of Israel?
For I have no pleasure in the death
of anyone, says the Lord God. Turn,
then, and live” (Eze. 18:30-32,
NRSV).
God’s multiple function in the
judgment may seem strange to our
modern Western legal system, but it
is entirely in keeping with the biblical concept of administering justice.4
At the city gates, the same elders
could convene the judicial proceedings, argue as advocate, give testimony, and render the verdict. At the
Israelite sanctuary, the priest not
only did all this (Deut. 17:8-13) but
also bore the penalty of the sins (Lev.
10:17).
With Christ as our Substitute and
Surety, our Advocate and Mediator,
our Witness, Friend, and Judge, what
better news can we ask?
This incredibly good news about
assurance of vindication in the judgment will become increasingly precious to us as the fires of persecution
are kindled, as false witnesses accuse
God’s people of causing all the
calamities in the land, and as the
highest earthly tribunals render
guilty verdicts against them. In the
face of such a bleak outlook, we can
have hope and confidence that in the
investigative judgment the truth will
come out. Like Job, who in a setting
of investigative judgment was faced
with false accusers, we can proclaim
confidently: “‘I know that my Redeemer lives, and that at the last he
will stand upon the earth; and after
my skin has been thus destroyed,
then in my flesh I shall see God,
whom I shall see on my side, and my
eyes shall behold, and not another.
My heart faints within me!’” (Job
19:25-27, NRSV).
“John in holy vision beholds the
faithful souls that come up out of
great tribulation, surrounding the
throne of God, clad in white robes,
and crowned with immortal glory.
What though they have been counted
the offscouring of the earth? In the
investigative judgment their lives
and characters are brought in review
before God, and that solemn tribunal reverses the decision of their
enemies. Their faithfulness to God
and to His Word stands revealed,
and Heaven’s high honors are
awarded them as conquerors in the
strife with sin and Satan.”5
Thus the investigative judgment
reveals to the universe the saints’
standing before God. It does not put
the salvation of God’s people in
jeopardy. While it is a fearful thing to
those who have neglected and rejected the provisions made for their
10
Vindication in the judgment and assurance in the
judgment is good news—almost too good to be true. I hardly dared
to believe it, even as a theology major in college, as a seminary
student, and as a young pastor. Finally the sublime promise
jumped out at me from Scripture: “‘Very truly, I tell you, whoever
believes has eternal life.’”
salvation, for those in Christ the
investigative judgment is a reason
for singing. Since 1844, God’s saints
can proclaim, “Finally it’s here!”
Since the death of Abel, the blood of
the martyrs has been crying out,
“‘Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how
long will it be before you judge and
avenge our blood on the inhabitants
of the earth?’” (Rev. 6:10, NRSV).
At last the time has come. Yom
Kippur is here. The final judgment
has begun—the process of investigation, followed by the millennial
review and the final execution of the
sentence. At last, Satan is to be
silenced. The truth will be seen that
vindicates God’s people. Truly the
first angel’s message, “‘the hour of
his judgment has come’” (Rev. 14:7,
NRSV) is part of the “eternal gospel
[good news]” (vs. 6, NRSV).
Vindication in the judgment and
assurance in the judgment is good
news—almost too good to be true. I
hardly dared to believe it, even as a
theology major in college, as a seminary student, and as a young pas-
tor. Finally the sublime promises
jumped out at me from Scripture:
“‘Very truly, I tell you, whoever
believes has eternal life’” (John 6:47,
NRSV, italics supplied). “I write
these things to you who believe in
the name of the Son of God, so that
you may know that you have eternal
life” (1 John 5:13, NRSV).
“If you give yourself to Him, and
accept Him as your Saviour, then,
sinful as your life may have been, for
His sake you are accounted righteous. Christ’s character stands in
place of your character, and you are
accepted before God just as if you
had not sinned.”6
The marvelous news that I am
“accepted in the beloved” (Eph. 1:6),
that Christ is my righteousness,
brought to my soul a joy and peace
like that described by those who
heard the gospel message in the
wake of the 1888 General Conference session. Ellen White captured
my feelings as she depicted the experience of many at the Ottawa,
Kansas, camp meeting in 1889:
11
“Light flashed from the oracles of
God in relation to the law and the
gospel, in relation to the fact that
Christ is our righteousness, which
seemed to souls who were hungry
for truth, as light too precious to be
received.”7
I felt like the young pastor at that
Kansas camp meeting who “saw that
it was his privilege to be justified by
faith; he had peace with God, and
with tears confessed what relief and
blessing had come to his soul.”8
Since that experiential introduction to gospel assurance when I was
a young pastor, the beauty of righteousness by faith has grown ever
more precious. I must confess that
sometimes it still seems almost too
good to be true. I catch myself
unconsciously falling back into old
habit patterns of trying to be good
enough to deserve salvation, and
have to discover anew the joyous
truth of “laying the glory of man in
the dust” and trust wholly in Christ’s
righteousness.
How precious is the doctrine of
Christian assurance! With joy and
confidence, I rest my case on the
atoning blood and intercessory merits of Christ.
REFERENCES
1
Unless otherwise noted, all biblical references in this article are from the King
James Version.
2
Selected Messages, Book 2, pp. 32, 33.
3
The Great Controversy, p. 484.
4
Hans J. Boecker, Law and the Administration of Justice in the Old Testament and
Ancient Near East (Minneapolis: Augsburg
Press, 1980), pp. 34, 35.
5
Our High Calling, p. 361.
6
Steps to Christ, p. 62. Italics supplied.
7
Selected Messages, Book 1, p. 356.
8
Ibid.
9
Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel
Workers, p. 456.
12