Above Your Pay Grade

In everything we do in life there needs to be law and order. This idea, as with all brilliant ideas, did not originate with mankind, but with God. Speaking of how to conduct oneself in the church house as one example, Paul wrote to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 14:40, “Let all things be done decently and in order.” However, this principle can be seen throughout the scriptures. Since the United States was established on the concept, “In God We Trust,” and the Constitution was founded on the principles of God’s word, we have had a plethora of great ideas over the centuries. However, we must never forget where our help comes from, or we will be on a downward slope to chaos, which is becoming more evident in the 21^st Century as individuals steer away from biblical concepts. Hope, grace, and mercy offers the opportunity to turn back to God, and is still available, as we can see in the promise of 2 Chronicles 7:14, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

We read in the Old Testament how God spared Moses’ life as a baby, from the wrath of Pharoah. God had a purpose for his life. He was going to lead God’s people out of captivity from the land of Egypt. We know this because we have read the story. Of course, Moses as a boy and young man did not know this. He was raised primarily by the Pharoah’s daughter but had been taught and nursed by his own mother in his formative years. The things he had learned were in his heart and began to surface when he saw the mistreatment of the Israelites by the Egyptians. They became quite clear through a series of events, which led to him killing an Egyptian, during a dispute, and unsuccessfully trying to hide it. Thus, he had to flee Egypt. He was forty years old at the time and ended up living another forty years in the wilderness tending sheep in preparation for his leadership role in bringing God’s people out of bondage. During this time, he married Zipporah, who’s father, Jethro, ultimately became his life saver, through the words of wisdom he spoke, that Moses desperately needed to hear, many years later.

After seeing the ‘burning bush’ and having a serious conversation with God, Moses returned to Egypt to lead the people out of bondage. Though it was not an easy one, two, three magical formula, he and his brother Aaron got the job done. That might have been the easiest part of the equation however, because following that, the actual leading and governing of the people began. These were Jethro’s words to him, when he in short order he became overwhelmed in his new role. Exodus 18:10-27 tells us the story, “And Jethro said, Blessed be the Lord, who hath delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of Pharaoh, who hath delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. Now I know that the Lord is greater than all gods: for in the thing wherein they dealt proudly he was above them. And Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God: and Aaron came, and all the elders of Israel, to eat bread with Moses’ father-in-law before God. And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses sat to judge the people: and the people stood by Moses from the morning unto the evening. And when Moses’ father-in-law saw all that, he did to the people, he said, What is this thing that thou doest to the people? why sittest thou thyself alone, and all the people stand by thee from morning unto even? And Moses said unto his father-in-law, Because the people come unto me to enquire of God: When they have a matter, they come unto me; and I judge between one and another, and I do make them know the statutes of God, and his laws. And Moses’ father-in-law said unto him, the thing that thou doest is not good. Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee: for this thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone. Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee: Be thou for the people to God-ward, that thou mayest bring the causes unto God: And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt shew them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do. Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens: And let them judge the people at all seasons: and it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small matter they shall judge: so shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear the burden with thee. If thou shalt do this thing, and God command thee so, then thou shalt be able to endure, and all this people shall also go to their place in peace. So Moses hearkened to the voice of his father in law, and did all that he had said. And Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. And they judged the people at all seasons: the hard causes they brought unto Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves. And Moses let his father-in-law depart; and he went his way into his own land.”  Thus, Moses became the leader and judge of the Israelites, with multiple judges and leaders under his authority.

The Old Testament is filled with accounts of leaders, prophets, kings, and judges, with books dedicated to many of their stories. There were civil laws, ceremonial laws and moral laws given by God, that they used as their guideline for meting out judgement. The first act of King Solomon in judging the kingdom was after he had humbled himself before the Lord and asked him for wisdom and understanding to do so, because he stated in essence that he was clueless, and the Lord responded. In 1 Kings 3:9-12 & 16-28 it says, “Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people? And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment; Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee. Then came there two women, that were harlots, unto the king, and stood before him. And the one woman said, O my lord, I, and this woman dwell in one house; and I was delivered of a child with her in the house. And it came to pass the third day after that I was delivered, that this woman was delivered also: and we were together; there was no stranger with us in the house, save we two in the house. And this woman’s child died in the night; because she overlaid it. And she arose at midnight, and took my son from beside me, while thine handmaid slept, and laid it in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom. And when I rose in the morning to give my child suck, behold, it was dead: but when I had considered it in the morning, behold, it was not my son, which I did bear. And the other woman said, Nay; but the living is my son, and the dead is thy son. And this said, No; but the dead is thy son, and the living is my son. Thus they spake before the king. Then said the king, The one saith, This is my son that liveth, and thy son is the dead: and the other saith, Nay; but thy son is the dead, and my son is the living. And the king said, Bring me a sword. And they brought a sword before the king. And the king said, Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other. Then spake the woman whose the living child was unto the king, for her bowels yearned upon her son, and she said, O my lord, give her the living child, and in no wise slay it. But the other said, Let it be neither mine nor thine, but divide it. Then the king answered and said, Give her the living child, and in no wise slay it: she is the mother thereof. And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they feared the king: for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, to do judgment.”  These type of issues, greater and smaller, are still brought into courthouses to be judged today.

I cannot speak to how every country oversees their affairs, and there are some who seem to have no judicial system, however, the United States as previously mentioned was founded on principles of law and order. Each of our fifty states, have their General Courts with numerous divisions. My condensed and maybe not all inclusive version of this topic is; Trial courts, are most often where cases originate and are the lowest level of the court system; Probate courts handle wills and administration of estates; Family courts, handle child support and custody, and cases of  child abuse and neglect; Traffic courts, handle violations and infractions involving motor vehicles and related issues; Housing courts, handle cases involving landlords and tenants; Small-claims courts, handle dollar amount disputes that are from $2500 to $15,000 or less, depending on the state you are in; and Juvenile courts, handle criminal offenses of minors and truancy. States can and often do have separate courts for civil and criminal matters. There can be decisions made by an appellate review court, handling appeals by examining jury verdicts or trial court judges’ opinions. The case would then go to the State’s highest court, where, if the verdict is still not satisfactory the only way to appeal further, is to seek out the U.S. Supreme Court. However, these would be more selected and rare cases that would most often involve a federal matter that may have had a constitutional element in the dispute.

The Judiciary Act of 1789 established both the Federal and State court systems. The State courts being as aforementioned and being the first line of defense, and the Federal court, and highest of the judiciary system, being the Supreme Court of the United States. It is the head of the Judicial branch of government and can hear cases regarding the Executive branch, such as the Impeachments or questionable actions of Presidents or the Legislative branch, which we know as Congress. It has the ultimate authority and jurisdiction over all laws passed, in the past, present, and future of the United States and must evaluate them in accordance with the Constitution. It is made up of a Chief justice and eight associate judges, or justices. Though there has been extensive debate regarding it, there are no term limits for the supreme court justices. There are many pros and cons in this discussion. If there were a change proposed, who would make it and who would vote and decide on it? I am afraid this is way above my pay grade.

I say that in earnest, because I do not have the knowledge or position to delve into this further, however, the expression, ‘Above my pay grade,’ is most often used regarding things people do not want to take responsibility for on a professional or social level. Or if someone is saying this about another person, it could mean they feel they are speaking out of turn, or it is none of their business, and they are trying to put them in their place. This phrase is seen from the late 1960s on, mostly in a military context, where colossal decisions are made, which could have grave consequences, and this gave a point of reference of where the ‘buck stopped’. History accounts that United States President Harry S. Truman had a plaque on his desk in the oval office reading, ‘The buck stops here,’ as a reminder that he was the one having to make the final decisions regarding the country. Taking personal responsibility for actions is a scarce commodity these days, but it is refreshing to see when you can. In past societies there has been a ‘caste system’ that governed affairs, and which offered a ‘scapegoat’ mentality, where those of lower estate, which could be blamed if something went wrong. A caste system being a place of privilege, social status, wealth, fame, or lack thereof, that someone is born into. In certain cultures, and countries this is still prominent, and therefore it can still be difficult to change your course in life. Though in the United States, we still have our prejudices and biases, we do promote and believe in ‘The American Dream,’ aka ‘choosing our own pay grade,’ where we can decide for ourselves the path in life we want to take. However, this involves taking ownership of our own successes and failures.

In the arena of our lives, where does the buck stop? What is our ‘pay grade’? Are we the plaintiff or defendant, the prosecutor, or the defender, the witness, the judge, or the jury? We often want to step above our pay grade and take on everyone’s role, without taking the responsibility of the verdict, decisions, or consequences. Let us look at what the scripture tells us. The plaintiff and prosecutor are none other than Satan himself. He is the accuser, who is trying to destroy and bring us down. Revelation 12:10 tells us, “And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God, day and night.”  We are the defendants, the accused. Even if we have not committed any gross sin, Satan knows that we were born with the sin of Adam and therefore guilty. Romans 3:23 tells us, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” However, the defending attorney or advocate is none other than Jesus Christ. 1 Timothy 2:5 states, “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus”. He not only mediates between the defendant and the judge, but he presents His case before the jury, those looking on trying to decide our fate, presenting evidence, which are His nail scarred hands, that he has already met the requirements of the law and paid the price that we owed. The price required by the law, or the verdict, was death. Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 3:20-28 Paul says, “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. Therefore, we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.” It is not our deeds that have saved us, but Jesus’ death on the cross in our place. Going forward in life, 1 John 2:1 tells us, “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” Colossians 2:13-20 confirms that our debt is paid and therefore, we can no longer be judged for our past sin, “And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it. Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of a holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.”

Lastly, but most importantly, God is the Judge. He holds the highest judicial position in this court of life. The buck stops with Him, and He has the final say and authority. Psalm 50:6 says, “And the heavens shall declare his righteousness: for God is judge himself. Selah.” Hebrews 10:30 says, “For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.” Not only is it His job, but He is qualified, capable, and equipped to do His job. Psalm 75:7says, “But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.” Psalm 9:8 states, “And he shall judge the world in righteousness, he shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness.” Job 21:22 says, “Shall any teach God knowledge? seeing he judgeth those that are high.” He has everything under control, we must just allow Him to handle things. Trying to be the judge is far above our pay grade and could get us into a world of hurt. We have not been trained in this position, nor do we have the skills, ability, or the authority to do the job of a judge.

When we begin to take on roles we should not be meddling with, we set ourselves up to be scrutinized by others. Matthew 7:1-2 says, “Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again” Luke 6:37 adds a nuance to this, “Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven.” In meting out judgement, there is always a verdict, and this will be in favor of the one party, but against the other. We must stay out of this decision-making process when it comes to others. James, a major source for practical Christian living, has quite a bit to share on the subject, James 2:4 says, “Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?” In chapter 2:12 he says, “(Keeping the whole law) So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.” He continues in James 4:11-12, “Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy (God): who art thou that judgest another?” In James 5:9 he concludes, “Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door.”

We are the accused and the defendant, when we have all been summoned to court, however, when it comes to others, we are not their judge, but only witnesses. Though we are not blind and can see the wrongdoings of others, instead of judging, which is above our pay grade, we should rather try to resolve our differences without going to court or making a public issue of disputes and more importantly, take things to the judge aka God, in prayer that we cannot manage on our own. Jesus said in Matthew 5:25, “Agree with thine adversary quickly, whilest thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.” Your actions could backfire on you. In addition, remember, others are witnesses of our deeds as well. Hebrews 12:1-3 admonishes, “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.”  Stop and consider things before you speak or act.

We must humble ourselves before our judge, God, voluntarily, and allow ourselves to be judged by Him now, so that we can make things right in His sight. This was David’s prayer, in Psalm 7:8 “The Lord shall judge the people: judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness, and according to mine integrity that is in me.”  Whether we choose to confess before Him now is up to us individually, however, there will come a time, when time is no more, that we will come before Him without a choice. Romans 14:10-12 tells us, “But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So, then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.” Revelation 20:13 confirms, “And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.”

Paul had admonished Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:12 as a young minister to, “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.” Then at the end of his life, Paul writes again to Timothy acknowledging that because of keeping himself before the judge in this life, and practicing what he had preached to Timothy, he will receive a reward from the judge in the end. In 2 Timothy 4:6-10 Paul writes,“For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.”

We can share the same reassurance that Paul felt, as we walk through this life. Instead of us praying the child’s prayer each night, that says, ‘Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep’, we should pray a version of David’s prayer found in Psalm 139:23-24, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, (judge me) and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.”  Do not wait until judgement day but bring your case before Him now and receive your acquittal. If you are baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, you are covered in his blood, and that is all the evidence the Righteous Judge requires. He will ask your accuser and witnesses, “What sins are you talking about?” Psalm 103:12 states, “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.” He will then proclaim the verdict decisively because he can, it’s His job, “Not guilty, case dismissed.”