Isaiah 33:22 (NIV)
22 For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the
Lord is our king; it is he who will save us.
Many people have a harsh view of God. They hear that he
judges, but then they assume a has penalty must come along with that judgment.
Yet this verses tell us the same God that judges us will also be the same God
to save us from our sins.
It's a given that some judges in the American legal
system are more severe than others. But Circuit Judge Daniel Rozak—from Will
County, Illinois—may be the only federal judge who has sentenced a man to
prison because of a yawn.
That's right. In August of 2009, Clifton Williams was
attending the hearing of his cousin in a Joliet courtroom. His cousin pled
guilty to a felony drug charge, and when Judge Rozak delivered a sentence of
two years probation, Mr. Williams let loose the incriminating yawn.
Judge Rozak noticed, later describing the incident by
saying that Williams "raised his hands while at the same time making a
loud yawning sound." The judge decided that this was a disrespectful
interruption of the court, and sentenced Williams to six months in jail—the
maximum penalty for contempt of court without a jury trial.
This isn't the first time that Judge Rozak has flexed his
judicial muscles. A Chicago Tribune investigation revealed that Rozak has
charged several court spectators with contempt when their cell phones rang in
the middle of a session. In fact, with 30 judges operating in his Judicial
Circuit, Judge Rozak has brought more than a third of all the contempt charges
filed in the past 10 years.
People like Daniel Rozak are the reason why some people
cringe when they hear God described as a Judge. They wonder, Will God judge me
with fairness?
[Sam O'Neal, Geneva, Illinois; source: Matt Bartosik,
"Shut Yer Mouth: Man Gets Six Months for Yawning," nbcnewyork.com
(8-11-2009)]
Isn’t it great that we have a God who is loving,
merciful, gracious and does not impose a harsh sentence when He has probably had
every right to. Instead God loved us enough to provide salvation through his
son Jesus Christ.
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