In this message, Pastor Ben speaks about God’s true and impartial judgment, and how Christ truly justifies us.
God is No Respector of Persons
Text: Deuteronomy 21–22
Introduction: The Law and the Lawgiver
It is a joy and a privilege to be back in the pulpit after seven weeks away. I have missed proclaiming the word of God to you deeply. Today, we find ourselves back in the book of Deuteronomy, listening to the final sermon of Moses.
When we read chapters 21 through 25, we find sections that our modern Bibles often label as “miscellaneous laws.” We read about ancient warfare, captive wives, or atoning for an unsolved murder by bringing a heifer down to a running stream, and our immediate temptation is to tune out. We think, “I don’t live in 14th-century BCE Israel; none of this applies to me.” But remember what the Apostle Paul told Timothy: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is profitable for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” That includes the genealogies, it includes Leviticus, and it includes these miscellaneous laws in Deuteronomy. Why? Because the law clearly reveals the character of the Lawgiver.
As we look at these varied laws today, we see a chief characteristic of God’s heart: God is no respecter of persons. Simply put, God does not play favorites. He does not bend the rules for those He loves, nor does He alter the truth based on personal preference. He is entirely just, impartial, and true.
Part 1: Impartiality in the Family
We see this divine impartiality applied first to the ancient family structure in Deuteronomy 21:16. The text addresses a man who has two wives—one loved and one unloved—and two firstborn sons.
In ancient Israel, the firstborn son was legally entitled to a double portion of the inheritance. If a father had $300 to pass down, human nature and personal affection would tempt him to give the double portion ($200) to the son of the wife he favored, leaving only $100 to the son of the unloved wife.
But God steps in and says: No. The father cannot use his private affections to dictate justice. He must do what is right, regardless of his feelings.
The other side of this coin is found in verses 18–21, dealing with a stubborn and rebellious son. This is not a child who simply broke a window or had a single bad day. This is a son whose life is defined by senseless, ravenous rebellion against the authority of his parents—breaking the fifth commandment. The law states that if he refuses to heed discipline, his parents must bring him before the elders, and he faces the ultimate penalty: death by stoning.
Think about the weight of this. Impartiality goes both ways. Just as you cannot favor a child based on affection, you cannot shield a deeply corrupt, unrepentant life from justice just because they are your flesh and blood. The obligation to the Lord’s righteousness supersedes our warm-hearted, compromised human impulses.
Part 2: Impartiality to Your Neighbor
Moving into chapter 22, God applies this same standard of absolute truth to how we treat our neighbors.
Deuteronomy 22:1: “You shall not see your brother’s ox or his sheep going astray and ignore them; you shall take them back to your brother.”
There is no room for negotiation here. Notice that the text doesn’t say, “Bring the ox back if you get along with your neighbor.” What if that ox belongs to the neighbor who changed the will on you? The one who talks poorly about your spouse? The one you can’t stand?
God says: Bring it back anyway. In the Christian life, we are constantly tempted to only serve people who like us, or people who can reward us. Jesus directly confronts this human tendency in the Sermon on the Mount:
Matthew 5:44-45: “But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”
God is impartial. The sun rises on the righteous and the unrighteous alike. God’s judgments are never based on favoritism; they are always based on truth.
Part 3: The Bad News and the Great Exchange
Now, if we stop there, this doctrine of God’s total impartiality is actually terrifying news for us.
If God treats us strictly according to the facts, if He never bends the rules, and if He judges purely by the standard of absolute righteousness, we are in deep trouble. As Paul writes in Romans, “There is none righteous, no, not one.” We have all broken the jots and tittles of God’s law. If you search the deepest recesses of your heart, you will find a root of rebellion.
If nothing changes, an impartial God must judge us exactly as our sins deserve. And the wages of sin is death.
But praise God, Jesus Christ can change the facts. He doesn’t change the facts by altering history or sweeping our sins under the rug. He changes reality itself. Look at the end of Deuteronomy 21:
Deuteronomy 21:22-23: “And if a man has committed a crime punishable by death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree… his body shall not remain all night on the tree… for a hanged man is cursed by God.”
To be hung on a tree was a visible sign that a person was completely cut off from the favor, mercy, and love of God. They bore the raw curse of judgment.
And yet, Jesus Christ—the sinless Son of God, the one who committed no sin, in whose mouth was found no deceit—hung on a tree.
As Galatians 3:13 tells us: “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree.'”
This is the great exchange. God did not bend the rules of justice; He satisfied them. Christ took the wrath, the punishment, and the curse of our rebellion upon His own shoulders. When you place your faith in Jesus Christ, His perfect righteousness becomes yours. The slate is wiped clean. You are no longer an enemy of God; you are His beloved child.
Conclusion: How Shall We Then Live?
If our reality has been fundamentally changed by the gospel, we have a new life to live. How do we apply this?
- Do not play favorites. The Apostle James gives a stinging warning: “If you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors” (James 2:9). Do not restrict your love only to people who can reward you, agree with you, or make you feel good.
- Love like God loves. Think of a family member suffering from dementia or Alzheimer’s. There are days they might shout at you or not know who you are. You don’t walk away, because you love them unconditionally, expecting nothing in return. That is a picture of how we must love a broken world. We go to work, we encounter difficult people, and we serve them—not because of what they can give us, but because Christ loved us when we were still His enemies.
Let us go into this week determined to reflect the beautiful, impartial, and sacrificial love of our Savior.