This devotional revisits Jesus’ words “Judge not” in Matthew 7 and a personal reflection first recorded in April 2015. It explores the measure we use toward others, Pharaoh’s treatment of the Hebrew children, the courage of the Hebrew midwives, and the difference between hypocritical condemnation and humble biblical discernment.
During the night of 17–18 April 2015, sometime after midnight, I was looking into the darkness of my lounge wall and wondering what Jesus meant when He said, “Judge not.” I sensed the soft voice of the Holy Spirit directing my thoughts toward Pharaoh’s command concerning the Hebrew sons and the later judgment upon Egypt’s firstborn.
I later spoke about this reflection on Vision Network Radio Station. This post preserves what I understood at the time while also returning carefully to the biblical text, because every personal impression should be tested against Scripture.
What Does “Judge Not” Mean in Matthew 7?
“Judge not, that you be not judged.”
Jesus does not end His teaching after those first words. He warns that the measure we use toward others will be measured back to us, and He gives the picture of someone trying to remove a speck from another person’s eye while ignoring a plank in their own. The first movement, therefore, is self-examination: I must face my own sin before I presume to correct someone else.
This is a warning against self-righteous, hypocritical condemnation. It is not a command to pretend that good and evil are indistinguishable. Jesus also said, “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment” in John 7:24 (NKJV). Biblical discernment must therefore be truthful, humble, merciful and free from personal superiority.
“Judge not” does not mean “never recognise wrongdoing.” It means that I must not take God’s place, condemn another person from a position of pride, or apply a standard to others that I refuse to face myself. Righteous discernment begins with repentance and continues with mercy.
My Original Reflection: Pharaoh and the Measure Used
Personal reflection recorded in 2015: Pharaoh commanded that the Hebrew sons be cast into the river. When I later read about the death of Egypt’s firstborn, I wondered whether I was seeing a sobering example of the “measure” principle: an oppressive ruler who had used death against other families eventually experienced judgment within Egypt’s own households.
Exodus 1:15–22 records two related commands. Pharaoh first ordered the Hebrew midwives to kill the male children at birth. When they refused, he commanded his people to cast every Hebrew son into the river. Later, Exodus 11 announces the final plague upon all the firstborn in Egypt.
The connection is morally striking, but it must be stated carefully. Exodus does not say that Jesus was explaining Pharaoh when He taught Matthew 7, and it does not identify the firstborn son of the later Pharaoh as someone who grew up with Moses. It also does not clearly establish that the Pharaoh in Exodus 1 and the Pharaoh of the plagues were father and son. That part of my earlier conclusion went beyond what the text tells us.
What Scripture does show plainly is that God heard the suffering of His people, confronted Egypt’s oppression and executed judgment against Egypt and its gods. The Exodus story therefore warns rulers and ordinary people alike: the way we use power over others matters before God.
The Hebrew Midwives: A Positive Contrast
Shiphrah and Puah refused Pharaoh’s command because they feared God. Rather than using their position to destroy life, they protected the Hebrew children. Exodus tells us that God dealt well with the midwives and provided households for them.
“Because the midwives feared God, ... He provided households for them.”
This is the hopeful side of the reflection. Our public and private decisions affect real people. Pharaoh used authority to oppress; the midwives used courage to preserve life. They remind me that fearing God can mean refusing to participate in wrongdoing, even when the command comes from someone powerful.
Is the Measure Principle the Same as Sowing and Reaping?
There is a genuine relationship between these biblical ideas, but they should not be flattened into one automatic formula. In Luke 6:36–38, Jesus places judging, condemning, forgiving and giving within a call to imitate the Father’s mercy. The measure we use reveals the spirit in which we are treating others.
Second Corinthians 9:6 uses sowing and reaping specifically while teaching generosity. It supports the wider truth that our choices bear fruit, but it should not be used to promise that every deed will return to us in an identical earthly event.
- The measure principle warns me about the standard, severity and spirit I use toward others.
- Sowing and reaping reminds me that choices produce consequences and spiritual fruit.
- God’s judgment belongs to God, whose knowledge and authority are perfect.
A Necessary Clarification About Egypt’s Firstborn
In my original notes I wondered whether “Death,” rather than God, killed the firstborn because Revelation 20:14 speaks of Death and Hades being cast into the lake of fire. On closer reading, that conclusion does not agree with the wording of Exodus.
Biblical clarification: In Exodus 12:12, the Lord says He will strike the firstborn and execute judgment. Exodus 12:29 then states that the Lord struck the firstborn. Revelation portrays Death and Hades as defeated enemies, but it does not allow us to remove God’s stated agency from the Exodus account.
The death of Egypt’s firstborn is a severe and difficult passage. We should neither soften what Exodus says nor speak casually about the grief involved. The text presents it as divine judgment after prolonged oppression, repeated warnings and Pharaoh’s refusal to release Israel. It does not give us permission to celebrate suffering or to assume that every tragedy is a direct repayment for a particular sin.
Scripture does reveal Satan as an enemy who seeks to destroy, yet Satan cannot be used as a simple explanation for every painful event. In the Exodus account, God claims the judgment as His own. That distinction matters when we are testing a spiritual interpretation.
My Later Update: Do Not Speak Evil of One Another
Update recorded 7 May 2015: After writing my original reflection, I found another direct warning about judgment in James 4:11–12.
James connects judging a brother or sister with speaking evil against them and forgetting that there is one Lawgiver who is able to save and destroy. His question remains piercing: “Who are you to judge another?” Read the full passage in James 4:11–12 (NKJV).
This does not prevent loving correction. Galatians 6:1–2 teaches that restoration should be carried out gently and with self-watchfulness. The difference is not whether truth matters; the difference is whether I approach another person as a humble servant seeking restoration or as a superior person passing sentence.
Questions for Personal Reflection
- Am I applying a stricter standard to someone else than I apply to myself?
- Have I examined my own motives before speaking about another person’s fault?
- Am I seeking restoration, or merely trying to prove that I am right?
- Does my speech preserve truth without becoming slander, humiliation or condemnation?
- Where might God be calling me to show the courage and reverence of Shiphrah and Puah?
A Prayer for Humble Discernment
Father, search my heart before I examine the faults of others. Remove pride, hypocrisy and harshness from me. Teach me to recognise truth without taking Your place as Judge. Give me courage to resist wrongdoing, gentleness when correction is needed, and mercy that reflects Your mercy toward me. Help me test every impression by Your Word and walk humbly with You. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does “judge not” mean Christians must never identify wrongdoing?
No. Matthew 7 condemns hypocritical judgment and requires self-examination, while John 7:24 calls for righteous judgment. Discernment must be truthful, humble and merciful.
Why does Jesus speak about a speck and a plank?
The picture exposes hypocrisy. We can become highly alert to another person’s small fault while remaining blind to a greater fault in ourselves. Jesus tells us to deal honestly with our own sin first.
Does Matthew 7 promise that every judgment returns in exactly the same form?
No. Jesus gives a serious warning about the measure we use, but Scripture does not turn this into a mechanical promise that every act will be repeated back to us in an identical event.
Were the Pharaoh in Exodus 1 and the Pharaoh of the plagues father and son?
Exodus does not identify them that way. It also does not say that Pharaoh’s firstborn son grew up with Moses, so those details should not be presented as biblical facts.
What do Shiphrah and Puah teach us?
The Hebrew midwives show courageous obedience to God. They refused an evil command, protected life and demonstrate that reverence for God should shape how we use responsibility and authority.
Topics Covered: Matthew 7, judge not, judging others, righteous judgment, measure for measure, Pharaoh, Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, Exodus, sowing and reaping, James 4, Christian discernment, mercy and humility.
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