Jesus came to the Temple in the early morning. A large crowd of people came to him so that he could teach them. This made the scribes and Pharisees angry. They were always trying to find a way to trick Jesus.

On this particular morning, the scribes and Pharisees bring a woman who had been caught in a terrible sin. They put the woman in the middle of the crowd and ask Jesus what he would do with the woman. They correctly point out that the Law stated she was to be put to death. But they were not really interested in the Law. If they were, they would have brought the man who was involved with the sin.

As we read about this episode in John 8:1-11, we read that Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with his finger. The scribes and Pharisees continued asking him what to do with the woman. Jesus tells them that the one who did not have sin should cast the first stone. Then he went back to his finger writing on the ground.

The scribes and Pharisees were convicted by their own consciences and slowly all of them left. Jesus then told the woman to go and sin no more. Jesus knew that the scribes and Pharisees were not concerned for the Law. They only wanted to try to make him look silly in the sight of all those who were there to be taught by him.

What did Jesus write on the ground? We really do not know. But in Jeremiah 17:13, we read, "O Lord, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living waters." It is possible that Jesus was writing this verse and the names of the scribes and Pharisees that were present. We do know that Jesus made the scribes and Pharisees ashamed of themselves and in the sight of others on this occasion.

I know that you want to follow Jesus. Do not be one of the ashamed that depart from him and his teaching. Do not be one of those who has his name 'written in the earth.' Keep reading your Bible. Study it as much as you can. Obey all of the commands. And if any of this is hard to understand, ask an adult to help you.

Almost every society has laws that are to be enforced. When there is a question regarding someone breaking a law, the person who has been charged is brought before a judge. The judge is to hear all the evidence from all involved. Then the judge is to decide if indeed the law was broken. The judge also many times pronounces the sentence on the guilty person.

In Exodus 18:13-26, we read about Moses and the Israelites. Moses had brought the people out of Egypt. They were now safe from the Egyptians but not yet in the land of Canaan. Moses was spending almost all day each day judging the people. There were many cases that needed to be heard every day.

Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, saw that Moses was too busy with the job of judging. He told Moses to pick out men from the people that could do the job of judging. This would free Moses up to do other things that needed to be done. And Moses would only have to judge the very important or difficult cases.

Moses was to choose men who were able. This means that they were intelligent and wise. The men were to fear God. This means that they would realize that their decisions must be in accordance with God's laws. They were to be men of truth. This means that they knew the law well and would live by it and rule by it. And they were not to be covetousness. This means that they did not love money and could not be bribed to judge a certain way.

We need individuals today to be like the men that Moses chose to be judges. We need young people to begin studying God's laws now. Then as they grow up, they will become very knowledgeable in God's law. They will be men of truth. They will want to live by God's law. And they will want to make judgments based on God's law. We need able men to be our judges today and tomorrow.

The only way to be an able judge is to learn God's Word, the Bible. Keep reading and studying your Bible. And if any of this is hard to understand, ask an adult to help you.