The Avenger

DEVOTION

PSALMS

THE AVENGER

Ps 94

94:1

O LORD, the God who avenges, O God who avenges, shine forth. 2 Rise up, O Judge of the earth; pay back to the proud what they deserve. 3 How long will the wicked, O LORD, how long will the wicked be jubilant?

4 They pour out arrogant words; all the evildoers are full of boasting. 5 They crush your people, O LORD; they oppress your inheritance. 6 They slay the widow and the alien; they murder the fatherless. 7 They say, "The LORD does not see; the God of Jacob pays no heed."

8 Take heed, you senseless ones among the people; you fools, when will you become wise? 9 Does he who implanted the ear not hear? Does he who formed the eye not see? 10 Does he who disciplines nations not punish? Does he who teaches man lack knowledge? 11 The LORD knows the thoughts of man; he knows that they are futile.

12 Blessed is the man you discipline, O LORD, the man you teach from your law; 13 you grant him relief from days of trouble, till a pit is dug for the wicked. 14 For the LORD will not reject his people; he will never forsake his inheritance. 15 Judgment will again be founded on righteousness, and all the upright in heart will follow it.

16 Who will rise up for me against the wicked? Who will take a stand for me against evildoers? 17 Unless the LORD had given me help, I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death. 18 When I said, "My foot is slipping," your love, O LORD, supported me. 19 When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul.

20 Can a corrupt throne be allied with you — one that brings on misery by its decrees? 21 They band together against the righteous and condemn the innocent to death. 22 But the LORD has become my fortress, and my God the rock in whom I take refuge. 23 He will repay them for their sins and destroy them for their wickedness; the LORD our God will destroy them.

NIV

We see that comparison again between the righteous and the wicked. The psalmist is concerned about how the wicked seem to exploit everyone without any consequence for their wicked ways. How long will they be jubilant? It does seem that even in our world today, the wicked are jubilant, arrogant against the things of God. They boast in their humanistic philosophies. It does seem some might see the slaying of widows in the concept of Senicide or Geroniticide, which is within ones our family for the act we most use, Euthanasia. We might see the murder of the fatherless in the act of abortion which seems to have been made into a woman’s choice, rather than the man’s or the infants. So then the baby within the womb is fatherless. Does God not see all this? Of Course he does and there is a time coming the wicked will be punished. Don’t they see? God gave them eyes to see, but they are blind. He gave all ears, but they refuse to listen. God teaches whoever lacks knowledge if people listen. No matter how smart, intelligent, enlightened people might considered themselves, to God their thinking is futile, worthless, senseless, foolish, because that kind of thinking is void of God. However, we should not be anxious, as the psalmist seems to be. Even if we do get a little anxious about the advancement of the wicked, God brings joy to our heart. It can be frustrating to see the wicked go about being wicked and having no repayment for their actions. But a day is coming, and we should always remember we are in the everlasting hands of our Lord. He is our fortress, our rock in whom we take refuge. The world can be in chaos and we are at peace. The hearts and minds of the people of the world, the wicked might seem discontent with what they have and always wanting more, but we are in Christ and content, we have the peace of God which transcends all understanding. The wicked boast, but we are humble. They boast in self, glorifying their own accomplishments and indulge in every form of self-gratification. They claim knowledge is the key, but they have no knowledge of God, or refuse to acknowledge God. They do not want to have his light shine into their darkness, because they do not want to believe their ways are sinful. They refuse the very idea of sin. If sin does not exist, if God does not exist, then they are alright, they decide what is right and wrong. He knows their ways, he sees they folly, he will repay them in due time. We, in the other hand, know God and see the light he shines in our life, exposing our wrongdoing, but at the same time taking all if it into account under the blood of Jesus. In essence, the difference between them and us is that we have been forgiven. We will live for eternity and they will be destroyed. How can they believe they are going to survive the Living God? He is the avenger.