The Dawn Treader

Here are some Psalms in the NASB to illustrate what Lewis means by the judgment Psalms.

Scripture is rife with judicial imagery.  Court rooms.  Judges.  Justice.  The thing is, that most Christians picture themselves as defendants in the courtroom.  Christ is our advocate.

Then there are the Psalms.

In the Jewish mind, apparently, the view is bring it on!  The perspective is that of a civil court with the Psalmist as the plaintiff.  The hope is not for mercy, but for a "resounding triumph with heavy damages."

Lewis wrestles with this disturbing picture.

Why is it disturbing?  Well, aren't we supposed to forgive?  Aren't we supposed to turn the other cheek, as it were?  Should any of us really beg God to bring on righteous judgment, especially given all the times we have wronged others?  Each of us would be toast if God flattened every wrong doer.  No one would be left standing.

Lewis writes, "It [my note: the Jewish worldview] supplements the Christian picture in one important way.  For what alarms us in the Christian picture, is the infinite purity of the standard against which our actions will be judged.  But then we know that none of us will ever come up that standard.  We are all in the same boat.  We must all pin our hopes on the mercy of God and the work of Christ, not on our own goodness.  Now the Jewish picture of civil action [my note: the Jewish view of judgment being like that in a civil court] sharply reminds us that perhaps we are faulty not only by the Divine standard (that is a matter of course) but also by a very human standard which all reasonable people admit and which we ourselves usually wish to enforce upon others. ... Of course, we forget the most of the injuries we have done.  But the injured parties do not forget even if they forgive.  And God does not forget."

Do you see what he is suggesting?  The judgment Psalms remind us of the earthly form of justice.  We are all guilty of wronging and injuring others.  We tend to brush it under the rug.  After a time, we assume all is forgotten.  But it is not.  Nor should it be.  [I never liked that phrase, "forgive and forget" -- I prefer to talk about forgiveness in terms of canceling debts -- asking someone to "forget" being wronged is not only impossible, it is disingenuous]

One way, then, to profit from these difficult Psalms is to put yourself in the defendant's seat and listen to the charges of the Psalmists as if they were directed at you.  In other words, assume that the Psalmists cry for righteous judges and justice is because of people like you ... and like me.   We need to own that.  Honest introspection is a healthy thing.  If we are honest before God, we have all terribly wronged people.  We have said things, and thought things, that were just plain wrong.  I am not suggesting we walk around feeling bad and guilty.  What I am suggesting is that these kind of Psalms lead us into self-examination, confession and repentance.

There is a second benefit to the judgment Psalms.  They remind us that God is the ultimate arbiter of justice.  Not only will everyone get their day in court, but God is the just judge.  Lewis brings up the parable of the persistent widow.  The parable is about persistence in prayer, but it does illustrates a different problem that most Americans don't experience.

Lewis writes,

"In most places and times, it has been very difficult for the "little" man to get his case heard.  The judge (and, doubtless, one or two of his underlings) has to be bribed.   If you can't afford to oil his palm, your case will never reach court. ... We need not therefore be surprised about if the Psalms and Prophets, are full of the longing for judgment, and regard the announcement that "judgment is coming" as good news."

So the judgment Psalms are good reminder that justice involves more than punishing wrongdoing.  Biblical justice involves the protection of people who cannot defend themselves.  News of a coming judgment and a just judge is wonderful news indeed.

I want to suggest a third benefit  I think these Psalms are a reminder that the world is not the way it is supposed to  be.  We should all long for a world where justice is perfect.  A world where every person who is wronged gets his day in court.  A world where things are the way things are supposed to be.  In my own theological system (Reformed, Calvinist, Monergistic, Covenantal, amil etc ... none of which C.S. Lewis was btw), this perspective makes more sense.  We live in the period of history known as the "now and not yet".  God's kingdom is here and now.  But not in its fullness.  These Psalms remind us of how we were meant to be -- and how we will once again be, in the new creation.  We should long for that.