In the biblical context, judgments refer to the decisions and decrees of God as they pertain to His divine law and order. The design of these judgments is multifaceted, serving purposes that align with God's character and His overarching plan for humanity.

1. Revelation of God's Righteousness:

God's judgments reveal His righteousness and justice. They demonstrate that He is a holy and just God who cannot tolerate sin. As the Psalmist declares, "The LORD is righteous in all His ways and kind in all His deeds" (Psalm 145:17). Through His judgments, God upholds His moral standards and affirms His commitment to justice.

2. Correction and Discipline:

Judgments serve as a means of correction and discipline for God's people. They are intended to bring about repentance and restoration. Hebrews 12:6 states, "For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastises every son He receives." This corrective aspect of judgment is designed to lead individuals back to a right relationship with God.

3. Deterrence of Sin:

The design of judgments also includes the deterrence of sin. By executing judgment, God sets a precedent that warns others against following a path of disobedience. In Deuteronomy 13:11, the purpose of judgment is clear: "Then all Israel will hear and be afraid, and no longer do any such wickedness as this among you."

4. Vindication of the Righteous:

Judgments vindicate the righteous and demonstrate God's faithfulness to those who follow Him. In Psalm 37:6, it is written, "He will bring forth your righteousness like the dawn, your justice like the noonday sun." Through His judgments, God affirms the integrity of the righteous and assures them of His protection and reward.

5. Fulfillment of Prophecy:

Judgments often fulfill prophetic declarations, underscoring the reliability and sovereignty of God's word. The prophets frequently spoke of impending judgments as a means to authenticate their messages and demonstrate God's control over history. Isaiah 46:10 states, "I declare the end from the beginning, and ancient times from what is still to come. I say, 'My purpose will stand, and all My good pleasure I will accomplish.'"

6. Establishment of God's Kingdom:

Ultimately, the design of judgments is to establish God's kingdom and bring about His divine purposes on earth. In Revelation 11:15, the culmination of God's judgments is described: "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign forever and ever." Through His judgments, God is actively working to bring about the final establishment of His eternal kingdom.

7. Demonstration of God's Sovereignty:

Judgments underscore God's sovereignty over all creation. They affirm that He is the ultimate authority and that His will is supreme. As Daniel 4:35 declares, "All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as He pleases with the army of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back His hand or say to Him: 'What have You done?'"

In summary, the design of God's judgments is intricately woven into His divine plan, serving to reveal His righteousness, correct and discipline, deter sin, vindicate the righteous, fulfill prophecy, establish His kingdom, and demonstrate His sovereignty. Through these judgments, God accomplishes His purposes and manifests His glory.Exodus 14:17,18,31
And I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them: and I will get me honor on Pharaoh, and on all his host, on his chariots, and on his horsemen.
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Leviticus 10:3
Then Moses said to Aaron, This is it that the LORD spoke, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come near me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace.
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Deuteronomy 29:22-28
So that the generation to come of your children that shall rise up after you, and the stranger that shall come from a far land, shall say, when they see the plagues of that land, and the sicknesses which the LORD has laid on it;
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Psalm 9:16,20
The LORD is known by the judgment which he executes: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Higgaion. Selah.
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Psalm 59:13
Consume them in wrath, consume them, that they may not be: and let them know that God rules in Jacob to the ends of the earth. Selah.
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Psalm 83:16-18
Fill their faces with shame; that they may seek your name, O LORD.
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Isaiah 26:9
With my soul have I desired you in the night; yes, with my spirit within me will I seek you early: for when your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.
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Isaiah 64:1,2
Oh that you would rend the heavens, that you would come down, that the mountains might flow down at your presence,
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Ezekiel 11:10-12
You shall fall by the sword; I will judge you in the border of Israel; and you shall know that I am the LORD.
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Ezekiel 12:16
But I will leave a few men of them from the sword, from the famine, and from the pestilence; that they may declare all their abominations among the heathen where they come; and they shall know that I am the LORD.
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Ezekiel 14:7,8
For every one of the house of Israel, or of the stranger that sojournes in Israel, which separates himself from me, and sets up his idols in his heart, and puts the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and comes to a prophet to inquire of him concerning me; I the LORD will answer him by myself:
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Ezekiel 21:3-5
And say to the land of Israel, Thus said the LORD; Behold, I am against you, and will draw forth my sword out of his sheath, and will cut off from you the righteous and the wicked.
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Ezekiel 25:5,7,11
And I will make Rabbah a stable for camels, and the Ammonites a couching place for flocks: and you shall know that I am the LORD.
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Ezekiel 26:6
And her daughters which are in the field shall be slain by the sword; and they shall know that I am the LORD.
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Ezekiel 29:9,16
And the land of Egypt shall be desolate and waste; and they shall know that I am the LORD: because he has said, The river is mine, and I have made it.
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Ezekiel 30:8,25,26
And they shall know that I am the LORD, when I have set a fire in Egypt, and when all her helpers shall be destroyed.
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Ezekiel 33:29
Then shall they know that I am the LORD, when I have laid the land most desolate because of all their abominations which they have committed.
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Ezekiel 38:22,23
And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain on him, and on his bands, and on the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone.
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Daniel 4:17,24-26,34
This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomsoever he will, and sets up over it the basest of men.
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Romans 9:17,22
For the scripture said to Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.
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1 Corinthians 10:6,11
Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.
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Revelation 2:23
And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searches the reins and hearts: and I will give to every one of you according to your works.
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A Solemn Address to those who Will not be Persuaded to Fall in ...
... And, above all, consider the design and tendency of the New Testament. ... the last time,
finding his heart yet more hardened by all the judgments and deliverances ...
/.../the rise and progress of religion in the soul/chapter xi a solemn address.htm

General Principles of Interpretation. 1 Since the Bible Addresses ...
... Sometimes a clear light is shed upon the design of a writer or speaker by a ... errors
of the scribes and Pharisees, and denounces upon them the judgments of heaven ...
/.../barrows/companion to the bible/chapter xxxiv general principles of.htm

The Blessing of God on Filial Piety.
... When this hath become the general character of a people, desolating judgments are
near ... whose charge they conceived so binding; and the nature and design of the ...
/.../lee/sermons on various important subjects/sermon xxiii the blessing of.htm

Acts XIII
... The first supposition, then, in reference to the design of the ceremony we are ... a
similar purpose to accomplish, they have, in this case, the judgments and will ...
/.../mcgarvey/a commentary on acts of the apostles/acts xiii.htm

Thoughts Upon the Imitation of Christ.
... Now for the accomplishment of this no less glorious than gracious Design, there
are ... failures in their Lives as well as to Errors in their Judgments, yea those ...
/.../private thoughts upon a christian life/thoughts upon the imitation of.htm

Luke x. The Latter Part of the 25Th Verse.
... THESE are the Points, I say, which I design particularly to handle. ... are Two sorts
of Sinners, who may be said to sin against their own Judgments and Consciences ...
/.../sermon iii luke x the.htm

The Angels with the Seven vials.
... second advent; for in the analogous instances of God's judgments, he visits ... presence,
which are thus symbolized, are cognizant of God's design, and acquiesce ...
/.../bliss/a brief commentary on the apocalypse/the angels with the seven.htm

Wesley Begins his Work
... But that we might not depend wholly on our own judgments, I wrote an account to
my father of our whole design; withal begging that he, who had lived seventy ...
/.../wesley/the journal of john wesley/wesley begins his work.htm

"My Little Children, These Things Write I unto You, that Ye Sin ...
... is the design of the whole gospel, the great and grand design,"to destroy sin ... particular
acts of care and favour towards thee, consider his judgments upon the ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/sermon xxii my little children.htm

The Third vision "In Heaven"
... sounded, we again hear the heavenly utterances which tell us of the design of this ...
to xx.5, for it takes in the whole of the remaining judgments, and consists ...
/.../bullinger/commentary on revelation/the third vision in heaven.htm

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