Psalm Meditation 1374 ¶Proper 24 ¶October 18, 2026 ¶Psalm 99 ¶https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2099&version=NRSVUE ¶Justice can be lopsided when people get involved in it. Try as we might be impartial, we will lean a little to one side or the other. We will either be excessively generous to the side we like the best or we will be harder on them so we can’t be accused of favoritism. Either way, our prejudices color our attempts at fairness and justice. We read evil intent into the well-meaning actions of the ‘other’ folks and make excuses for the evil actions of our own people. Despite our best efforts to the contrary, we end up with our thumb on the balance of justice. ¶The psalmist invites us to exalt and honor YHWH since God acts with actual justice and righteousness in every situation. When Moses, Aaron, and Samuel called on God, they were each answered with the forgiveness they required and requested. However, when they acted outside the decrees and statutes of God, they were called to account for their misdeeds. Their behavior was not excused because of their, otherwise, faithful adherence. Their sins were punished with the same fairness that their righteousness was rewarded. ¶While we can’t get past our own prejudices, we can look to God to discern what is the most just way to proceed in treating those around us whether we see them as people of worth or not. Through the eyes of God we may see good where we want to see evil just as easily as we may see evil in those we would rather excuse. “Extol the LORD our God, and worship at his holy mountain, for the LORD our God is holy.” ¶October 12, 2026 ¶LCM