2 Chronicles 19:6Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

He addressed the judges, saying, “Consider what you are doing; for your decisions are not merely human judgments, but those of the Lord, who stands with you in the act of judgment. Now, let the fear of the Lord be upon you.” (2 Chronicles 19:6-7) The righteous king posed this question to the judges: would he not have addressed the electors of these judges prior, had he not assumed the role of election himself rather than delegating it to the nobles or citizens? Surely, the electors of judges must understand and recognize the significance of the court just as much as the judges do. The gathering of judges represents the sowing of what will yield fruit in the court; the court, in turn, represents the harvest of what has been sown through the election. Can we anticipate a good harvest after poor sowing? And can there be fruitful sowing when the sower fails to consider what is being sown? Sowers of righteousness and peace! Would you not, in contrast, sow unrighteousness and turmoil, gossip and deceit? - Noble individuals and citizens, you are now granted the esteemed role of electors, thereby becoming judges of future judges. As you prepare to take the solemn oath of loyalty to this remarkable duty to your throne and homeland, reflect carefully on the substantial task that lies ahead of you. “Consider what you are doing.” Those who are inattentive can only see the court's affairs as mere human matters. They may overlook many aspects that can and ought to be acknowledged. Yet, even through their limited perspective, it is apparent that organizing the court by selecting upholders of public order and justice is among the most critical human endeavors. The welfare or detriment of many depends on it, influencing societal progress or disruption, and the harmony or discord within the relationship between ruler and state. The court acts as the protector of property and personal safety, with the judge serving as its guardian. Without judgment, the earth would indeed resemble the ancient land of Canaan, where “there were giants in the earth” (Numbers 13:33); there would be no other property than that preyed upon by the predator who had yet to be thwarted; there would be no assurance of safety except for the vigilance of the armed warrior or the oppressive strongman, until he himself confronts an even greater force. The court, as the sanctuary of rightful ownership for all, ensures that property claimed by the predator remains with its rightful possessor; by this means, it protects what could have been lost to theft. As the refuge for the wronged or oppressed, and as a barrier against oppressors, it secures the safety of those who might be victimized. But what protection can a weak fence provide if its guardian cannot be trusted? What good is a court fortified by laws, if those who administer justice are unworthy? While it is true that the law is for the defenseless as well as for the judge, to direct and govern him, the wisdom and justice of the law remain unutilized treasures unless they are activated by the wisdom and righteousness of the judge. The law is subject to necessity and cannot itself compel the judge to act fairly; rather, the judge has the freedom to bypass the law. Just as a skilled trapper ensnares crafty beasts and protects the susceptible flock, a competent judge utilizes a keen lawful inquiry, acting through the authority of the law to seize the cunning and bring down the bold wrongdoers while ensuring the safety of innocent citizens. In contrast, an unskilled judge ensnares the innocent along with the guilty or allows the guilty to escape entirely. A just judge, guided by moral conscience, provides for both the innocent he acquits and the guilty he condemns, alleviating the suffering of one while addressing the greater evil of the other. Conversely, an unjust judge tragically amplifies the very evils he ought to eliminate, allowing numerous injustices and offenses to proliferate unpunished—a situation that fills the court with matters that ought to have found no place within its boundaries. He normalizes wrongs without repercussions and twists the law into an instrument of wrongdoing, converting the victim's plight into legitimate ownership, and the acts of the oppressor into righteous deeds—thus leading the good into despair, the cowardly into hopelessness, and the tempted into seeking solace among evildoers. Such judgments, whether benevolent or malevolent, depend significantly on the character of those who serve as judges, and must be kept at the forefront of every participant in the election of judges. “Consider what you are doing.” You are safeguarding the properties and safety of all, and consequently, your own welfare too. The court is not solely for the benefit of individuals, which cannot exist without serving the common good; it is also a means of promoting public welfare and well-being. Society, being an intricate collective body, distinguishes itself from natural organisms in that its structure and integrity are maintained more through reason and freedom than through sheer necessity. Just as the human body, governed by natural laws for its health, requires a court to delineate its members' roles and their balance of activity and rest—ensuring both collective and individual needs stay within justice's confines—so too does the constructed body of human society require a court that articulates and safeguards the rights and responsibilities of its members, preventing duties from constraining rights and rights from undermining duties. That court must facilitate the satisfaction of societal needs inseparable from its existence, and the benefits of its members without infringing upon the common good; it must wield rewards and punishments not merely as extensions of private justice, but as instruments of community protection. Clearly, a judge, as a custodian of public order, must deeply understand the societal framework, recognizing the unity of this intricate body and its diverse needs to effectively nurture its life and heal its ailments. If we exercise discernment in selecting a physician for even minor ailments in our physical bodies, how much greater wisdom is required of you, electors, when choosing a steward for the health and life of society as a whole? “Consider what you are doing.” The means of welfare for society and its members serves specifically as instruments of the highest authority, the head and heart of this collective body. All members are linked to the head and subject to it, yet those holding the most significance are the ones who contribute to the flourishing dominion over all. All derive vitality from the heart's source; yet, those who are closest to this source bear the greatest responsibility to distribute it throughout the entire body. The judge acts as the eye of the supreme authority, overseeing the welfare of the entire state and each of its constituents; he is its muscle, initiating correct motion; its arm, extending protection to its members; a receiver and steward of the life-giving power that flows from love between the sovereign and subjects. But what good is the union of head or heart with the broader body—of supreme power with society—if a dull or clouded eye fails to convey vital information about members’ conditions or impending dangers? If weakened muscles hesitate to execute necessary motions, or only induce chaos? If the hand that is meant to shelter and protect the members instead exposes or torments them? If the channels of the sovereign’s wisdom and goodness hinder, rather than amplify, their beneficial impacts? You, electors, must elect worthy instruments for the supreme authority, presenting them as such both to one another and during the election process. Your task should, at the very least, preserve or reinforce the sacred unity between sovereign and state—a bond always desired, yet precious in our homeland, particularly when it reflects love and is underscored by the sovereign's trust in his subjects, as evidenced by the trust bestowed upon you in this election. Love emboldens the absolute power to endow subjects with a degree of liberty and autonomy that allows them self-governance, does it not? It is trust that permits that absolute power to accept its means of action from the hands of the subjects themselves. You, the electors, must honor this profound trust and not disrupt the love that governs it. “Thus far, we have recognized merely human forms of judgment and the earthly system surrounding them. However, as with all earthly matters, there exists a divine aspect to earthly judgment; as the righteous king noted, judgment is not solely human work, but a work of God, in which His presence is always assured.” “You are not executing human judgment, but the Lord's, and He is with you in the act of judgment.” The divine in human judgment becomes clear when considering its origins. At the beginning, God was directly the king and lawgiver of humanity; He granted mankind stewardship over the entirety of creation, placing limits upon that authority, embodied in the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The first transgression occurred, and God served as judge as it unfolded: “Where are you? What have you done?” (Genesis 3:9-13) He pronounced judgment upon both the tempter and the deceived: “Cursed are you; I will multiply your pains; cursed is the ground because of you.” (Genesis 3:14-17) God Himself judged the first murder and set the evidence of the crime, the spilled blood, as testimony: “The voice of your brother's blood cries out to Me from the ground.” (Genesis 4:10) God directly judged the first corrupt world and declared the flood as punishment; He judged the prideful Babylonians and caused a confusion of tongues; He punished the wicked inhabitants of Sodom, purging their cities with fire as a remedy for the unhealed and infectious sores of the earth. When offenders evaded His judgment, He sometimes descended to the scene of their transgressions, as in Babel: “The Lord came down to see the city and the tower” (Genesis 11:5) and when the cries against Sodom and Gomorrah became insistent, He proclaimed, “I will go down and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it.” (Genesis 18:21) When all nations turned away from the true God and His judgments, He revealed His judgment through Israel, using leaders and judges appointed by Him, followed by prophets and sanctified kings. God’s work cannot be vanquished; thus, the process of judgment, transitioning from His chosen elect to the judges sanctioned by men, retains its divine significance in their hands. Moses instructed the people in choosing judges but remarked to the elect that, “the judgment is of God.” (Deuteronomy 1:17) Jehoshaphat appointed them himself, yet also stated, “You are not executing judgment for man, but for the Lord.” Though God will never abandon His purpose, He is invariably present and active in every judgment that belongs to Him. “He is with you in the act of judgment.” One might wonder why the Lord has so intimately entwined His divine judgment with ordinary human deliberations. It is because He has so closely associated humanity with Himself that no authority or love can claim us as He does; further, it is because no one can truly be given absolute dominion in such matters.