622: A cry for God's justice - Psalm 94 vs 1 – 15

1-3 O Lord, God of vengeance, O God of vengeance, shine forth! Rise up, O judge of the earth; repay to the proud what they deserve! O Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked exult? 4 They pour out their arrogant words; all the evildoers boast. 5-6 They crush your people, O Lord, and afflict your heritage. They kill the widow and the sojourner, and murder the fatherless; 7 and they say, “The Lord does not see; the God of Jacob does not perceive.”

8-9 Understand, O dullest of the people! Fools, when will you be wise? He who planted the ear, does he not hear? He who formed the eye, does he not see? 10-11 He who disciplines the nations, does he not rebuke? He who teaches man knowledge (the Lord) knows the thoughts of man, that they are but a breath. 12-15 Blessed is the man whom you discipline, O Lord, and whom you teach out of your law, to give him rest from days of trouble, until a pit is dug for the wicked. For the Lord will not forsake his people; he will not abandon his heritage; for justice will return to the righteous, and all the upright in heart will follow it. Psalm 94:1-15 (English Standard Version)

There’s a deep longing in human hearts for justice. Much of our world's story is about people with power exploiting and oppressing others. It's led to revolutions in the past and riots in the present. This Psalm speaks of a time when the wicked were winning and getting away with violence. We are not told outright that it was an enemy nation oppressing Israel, though vs 10-11 may imply that. It could also be that wicked Israelites were oppressing their own fellow Jews. It's not uncommon for wicked people anywhere to exploit and crush fellow citizens. In vs 1-3 the writer pleads earnestly with God to rise up and repay those who were causing the pain. What sort of people were causing the oppression (vs 4), and what were they doing? (vs 5-6) More importantly, what was their attitude to God? (vs 7)

There are still such ruthless people in the world today who oppress others and are not scared to use violence to impose their way. Often it will be criminals, but in many countries it’s the Government in charge that is brutal. Sadly, it can also be true of people trying to topple governments to install their own tyranny. That's what happened in the French Revolution and, more recently, with the terrorist group called ISIS. It's also what's currently happening through groups like ANTIFA and BLM. Bottom line for such people is they either believe in a false God, don’t believe in God at all, or don’t think God sees or knows what they’re doing. What logical argument does the writer use against them? (vs 8-9)

Apart from being a mere breath, they are also utterly foolish. The God who made ears and eyes must certainly be someone who hears and sees all that takes place in the world He created. But that’s a truth for all of us. Even if we're not involved in oppressing anyone, what the writer says is something to take to heart. Jesus said: “A good person produces good things from his storeroom of good, and an evil person produces evil things from his storeroom of evil. I tell you that on the day of judgement people will have to account for every careless word they speak!” (Matthew 12:35-36)

What were some conclusions the writer came to as he prayed about the problem of injustice in the world? (vs 12-15).

He realized that some trials which righteous people experience through injustice might be God's discipline to make them lean more on His word. But he also saw that ultimately they will have rest - whereas the wicked are destined for a pit! He believed God will never forsake or abandon the righteous, and that justice will be theirs. Isaiah spoke of that justice as coming through the Messiah who “would not break a bruised reed, nor put out a smouldering wick, but will faithfully bring justice. He won’t grow weak or be discouraged until he has established justice on earth.” (Isaiah 42:3-4) Let's not lose heart when injustice is prevailing in the world. God sees and He knows - and Jesus WILL have the final say.