The innocent man

Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?         — Genesis 18:25

John Grisham is well known for his courtroom novels — fast-paced tales of lawyers and victims, authorities and wrongdoers. However, his book The Innocent Man is not fiction. It is a real-life story of injustice. It tells of the brutal murder of a young woman and the two men who, though innocent, were convicted and sentenced to death for the crime. Only with the advent of DNA testing were they proven innocent and spared from execution after 17 years of suffering wrongly. At long last justice prevailed.

Everyone desires justice. But we must recognize that our human frailty makes it challenging to mete out true justice. And we can be bent toward revenge, making a casualty out of the pursuit of it.

It’s helpful to remember that perfect justice can be found only in God. Abraham described Him with the rhetorical question, “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (Gen. 18:25). The necessary answer is yes. But even more, His courtroom is the one and only place where we can be certain that justice will prevail.

In a world filled with injustice, we can take the wrongs done to us, submit them to the Judge of all the earth, and trust Him for ultimate justice.     — Bill Crowder

The best of judges on this earth

Aren’t always right or fair;

But God, the Righteous Judge of all

Wrongs no one in His care. — Egner

READ: Genesis 18:22-23

Life is not always fair, but God is always faithful.

The Bible in one year:

• Genesis 18-19

• Matthew 6:1-18