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What Does Šāp̄āṭ Mean For Caleb Flynn & The Kennedy Center?

What Does Šāp̄āṭ Mean For Caleb Flynn & The Kennedy Center?

Last updated on: October 9, 2026 at 1:30 pm by Martin Thomas Johnson

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What Does Šāp̄āṭ Mean For Caleb Flynn & The Kennedy Center? 2026-10-09T13:30:22-04:00 Martin Thomas Johnson

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This week, there was big news about the trial of former American Idol contestant Caleb Lynn. The former contestant turned pastor was found guilty of murdering his wife after he had an affair. His mistress even testified about his hatred for his wife and desire to kill her.

Image by Wikimedia Commons

His daughters wrote letters to the court rebuking and questioning their father for killing their perfect mother. Mr. Lynn maintained his innocence and stated that God alone will be his judge (Psalm 75:7):

Just
Good
Sinless

I have always found it strange that most people have no problem with judging, until they are the ones being questioned. Pride makes us all think we are good and just, when the Bible is clear we are wicked (Genesis 6:5, Romans 3:23).

Judging is a tightrope most of us walk because we, too, are broken humans living in a fallen, wicked world (Proverbs 31:9, Matthew 7:1-5). Despite what many conservatives believe, we too will be judged by God one day (Romans 14:12).

What Is Judge

Judging can be a hot-topic issue because we live in a fallen world, but it is a crucial skill/practice we all need. Judge is defined as, “To form an opinion about through careful weighing of evidence and testing of premises: an evaluation.”

Image by Pixabay

Not all judging is the same, or does it have the same results. Human judgment doesn’t have the same consequences as God’s righteous and divine judgment; mankind’s judgment is limited by our limitations.

God’s people need to judge between what is good and what is evil and then act according to God’s word, not our preferences, because our judgments are tainted by sin.

That is why the Bible has a lot to say about judging (Leviticus 19:15, John 7:24, Romans 2:3, 1 Corinthians 5:12). Because we live in a fallen world, we are surrounded by evil and bad people who may hurt us (Psalm 140:1-5, John 16:33, 2 Timothy 3:1-5).

After the fall in the garden, things in this world became corrupted; sin spread to everything and everyone (Romans 5:12-19, 1 Corinthians 15:21-22). Scripture warns God’s people about the evil in this world and within themselves (Romans 7:18-21, Galatians 5:16-21, Ephesians 6:11-13, James 1:14-15, 1 Peter 5:8-9, 1 John 2:15-17; 5:19). The apostles remembered the Jewish education about the need to judge between right and wrong.

Šāp̄āṭ

The Torah teaches us a lot about judging and how it is to be done properly (Exodus 18:13-26; 23:1-9, Leviticus 19:15, Deuteronomy 1:16-17; 16:18-20). The prophet Moses tells us that Adam and Eve ignored God’s warnings and listened to their own judgment about the tree of Good and Evil (Genesis 3:1-6).

After the fall, man’s judgment became corrupted by sin, and the human race has been corrupted ever since (Genesis 6:5, Jeremiah 17:9). Our sin distorts our ability to judge. The Hebrew word in the Old Testament for judge isšāp̄āṭ, and it can also mean, “Govern, vindicate, or punish,” depending upon the context it is used in. It can also be used as a noun to describe a leader who rules.

That is why Israel notoriously cried out to God for earthly kings and judges to govern and lead them (Judges 3:9-15):

Othaniel
Ehud
Deborah
Gideon
Jephthah
Samson
Shamgar
Tola
Jair
Ibzan
Elon
Abdon

Both Judaism and Christianity describe the Messiah as a judge (Isaiah 11:1-5, Jeremiah 23:5-6, Matthew 25:31-46, Acts 10:42, 2 Timothy 4:1, Revelation 9:11-16). Our Lord claimed he had the authority and power to judge (Matthew 13:40-43; 16:27, John 5:22-30; 8:15-16, 26).

Image by Pixabay

He warned His followers about judging others harshly (Matthew 6:37-42; 7:1-5). He encouraged showing mercy and grace (Matthew 5:7; 12:7, Luke 6:27-31). That is why he often rebuked the religious leaders for being harsh judges (Matthew 23:23-24).

Our Rabbi warned His followers to judge between good and evil as this world nears its end (Matthew 24:4-25, Mark 13:21-23).

The Kennedy Center

In other big news this week, a federal judge ruled that President Trump had to unseal the documents regarding the closure and renovation of the Kennedy Center. Remember, the president had plans to demolish the center if he couldn’t get his name on it.

Image by Wikipedia Commons

As a conservative, the president would know that “No one is above the law,” not even himself. President Trump wants to play and live by his own rules and standards. The problem is he doesn’t understand that he is part of this wicked world and following its ways:

Corrupt
Uncompassionate
Deceptive
Greedy

The president, like the rest of us, is a fallen and sinful being, despite what he and his followers want to believe. God’s people have always put their hope in temporary and fallen leaders to save them (Judges 3:9-15).

Scripture warns us that we cannot listen to or trust our evil hearts (Jeremiah 17:9-10, Mark 7:21-23). Even King Solomon had asked God for wisdom and discernment to judge and govern God’s people (1 Kings 3:5-12). That is why we must put our hope in God, who is our only Šāp̄āṭ!

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