Judgment: God’s Justice and Mercy

God’s judgment, as revealed through the prophets, flows from His righteousness and covenant love. It is both a warning and an invitation to return to Him.

What Is Judgment?

Ask:

Judgment: one’s (legal) right, privilege, due:

God’s attribute is right, justice

Deuteronomy 32:4; Psalm 111:7

Deuteronomy 32:4 NKJV

4 He is the Rock, His work is perfect; For all His ways are justice, A God of truth and without injustice; Righteous and upright is He.

Psalm 111:7 NKJV

7 The works of His hands are verity and justice; All His precepts are sure.

Deuteronomy 10:17–19 NKJV

17 For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe. 18 He administers justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the stranger, giving him food and clothing. 19 Therefore love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.

When you hear “judgment,” what feelings or images come to mind?

Is God’s judgment good, bad, or both?

Key Point:

Biblical judgment is not just about punishment—it’s about justice, correction, and calling people back to righteousness.

A Legal Case Against Israel

Isaiah 1:2–4 NKJV

2 Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth! For the Lord has spoken: “I have nourished and brought up children, And they have rebelled against Me; 3 The ox knows its owner And the donkey its master’s crib; But Israel does not know, My people do not consider.” 4 Alas, sinful nation, A people laden with iniquity, A brood of evildoers, Children who are corrupters! They have forsaken the Lord, They have provoked to anger The Holy One of Israel, They have turned away backward.

Isaiah 1:11–20 NKJV

11 “To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?” Says the Lord. “I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams And the fat of fed cattle. I do not delight in the blood of bulls, Or of lambs or goats. 12 “When you come to appear before Me, Who has required this from your hand, To trample My courts? 13 Bring no more futile sacrifices; Incense is an abomination to Me. The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies— I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting. 14 Your New Moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates; They are a trouble to Me, I am weary of bearing them. 15 When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; Even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood. 16 “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, 17 Learn to do good; Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor; Defend the fatherless, Plead for the widow. 18 “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool. 19 If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the good of the land; 20 But if you refuse and rebel, You shall be devoured by the sword”; For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

Context: Isaiah begins with a courtroom scene where God brings charges against His people.

Key Themes:

God rejects empty rituals when hearts are far from Him.

He invites them: “Come now, let us reason together…”

Ask:

What kind of “worship” does God reject?

What does God want from His people instead?

Judgment for Injustice 

Amos 5:18–24 NKJV

18 Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord! For what good is the day of the Lord to you? It will be darkness, and not light. 19 It will be as though a man fled from a lion, And a bear met him! Or as though he went into the house, Leaned his hand on the wall, And a serpent bit him! 20 Is not the day of the Lord darkness, and not light? Is it not very dark, with no brightness in it? 21 “I hate, I despise your feast days, And I do not savor your sacred assemblies. 22 Though you offer Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them, Nor will I regard your fattened peace offerings. 23 Take away from Me the noise of your songs, For I will not hear the melody of your stringed instruments. 24 But let justice run down like water, And righteousness like a mighty stream.

Context: Amos speaks to a wealthy nation ignoring the poor and pretending religious piety.

Key Line: “Let justice roll down like waters…”

Ask:

How do injustice and religious hypocrisy provoke God’s judgment?

In what ways might we be blind to the injustices around us today?

Turn and Live 

Ezekiel 18:30–32 NKJV

30 “Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways,” says the Lord God. “Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin. 31 Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel? 32 For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,” says the Lord God. “Therefore turn and live!”

Context: Ezekiel reminds the exiles that everyone is accountable—and repentance is possible.

Key Point: God takes no pleasure in punishing the wicked. He desires that they turn and live.

Ask:

What does this reveal about God’s heart?

How do we sometimes misunderstand God’s patience?

False Religion and National Pride 

Jeremiah 7:1–15 NKJV

1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, 2 “Stand in the gate of the Lord’s house, and proclaim there this word, and say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, all you of Judah who enter in at these gates to worship the Lord!’ ” 3 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. 4 Do not trust in these lying words, saying, ‘The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord are these.’ 5 “For if you thoroughly amend your ways and your doings, if you thoroughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbor, 6 if you do not oppress the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, or walk after other gods to your hurt, 7 then I will cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers forever and ever. 8 “Behold, you trust in lying words that cannot profit. 9 Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Baal, and walk after other gods whom you do not know, 10 and then come and stand before Me in this house which is called by My name, and say, ‘We are delivered to do all these abominations’? 11 Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of thieves in your eyes? Behold, I, even I, have seen it,” says the Lord. 12 “But go now to My place which was in Shiloh, where I set My name at the first, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of My people Israel. 13 And now, because you have done all these works,” says the Lord, “and I spoke to you, rising up early and speaking, but you did not hear, and I called you, but you did not answer, 14 therefore I will do to the house which is called by My name, in which you trust, and to this place which I gave to you and your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh. 15 And I will cast you out of My sight, as I have cast out all your brethren—the whole posterity of Ephraim.

Read: Jeremiah 7:4–11

Context: People believed the temple guaranteed safety while they lived in sin.

Message: God won’t be manipulated by religious symbols or national pride.

Ask:

How can religious tradition become a false security?

What would Jeremiah say to the modern church?

What God Requires 

Micah 6:6–8 NKJV

6 With what shall I come before the Lord, And bow myself before the High God? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, With calves a year old? 7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, Ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? 8 He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?

Key Verse: “He has shown you… what is good: to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly…”

Discuss:

How does this summarize the prophetic message?

How can we apply this in our daily lives?

Reflecting on Judgment Today 

Reflection Questions:

Are there areas in your life, community, or church where God may be calling for correction?

How do we respond to God’s judgment: with denial, fear, or repentance?

What does it look like to repent and live in line with God’s justice and mercy?

Challenge: Spend time this week in personal reflection using Micah 6:8. Where is God calling you to walk more humbly or act more justly?

Closing Prayer: Ask God to give the group soft hearts, ears that hear His call to righteousness, and the courage to respond. Thank Him for His mercy and the chance to return.

Optional Activities:

• Group Journaling: Write a personal or communal prayer of repentance.

• Prophetic Roleplay: In small groups, roleplay as prophets delivering God’s message to modern-day situations.

• Justice Map: Identify local or global injustices the group can pray for or act on.