23 August 2017
Psalm 94
Sometimes there’s so many thoughts about a passage, it’s impossible to focus on only one verse. Please enjoy this entire Psalm today; it’s a good one!
O Lord, the God of vengeance,
O God of vengeance, let your glorious justice shine forth!
2 Arise, O Judge of the earth.
Give the proud what they deserve.
3 How long, O Lord?
How long will the wicked be allowed to gloat?
4 How long will they speak with arrogance?
How long will these evil people boast?
5 They crush your people, Lord,
hurting those you claim as your own.
6 They kill widows and foreigners
and murder orphans.
7 “The Lord isn’t looking,” they say,
“and besides, the God of Israel doesn’t care.”
8 Think again, you fools!
When will you finally catch on?
9 Is he deaf—the one who made your ears?
Is he blind—the one who formed your eyes?
10 He punishes the nations—won’t he also punish you?
He knows everything—doesn’t he also know what you are doing?
11 The Lord knows people’s thoughts;
he knows they are worthless!
12 Joyful are those you discipline, Lord,
those you teach with your instructions.
13 You give them relief from troubled times
until a pit is dug to capture the wicked.
14 The Lord will not reject his people;
he will not abandon his special possession.
15 Judgment will again be founded on justice,
and those with virtuous hearts will pursue it.
16 Who will protect me from the wicked?
Who will stand up for me against evildoers?
17 Unless the Lord had helped me,
I would soon have settled in the silence of the grave.
18 I cried out, “I am slipping!”
but your unfailing love, O Lord, supported me.
19 When doubts filled my mind,
your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.
20 Can unjust leaders claim that God is on their side--
leaders whose decrees permit injustice?
21 They gang up against the righteous
and condemn the innocent to death.
22 But the Lord is my fortress;
my God is the mighty rock where I hide.
23 God will turn the sins of evil people back on them.
He will destroy them for their sins.
The Lord our God will destroy them.
This passage begins with pointing out that vengeance and justice go together. We typically assume that when justice is served there is no need for vengeance – that a sentence is punishment enough. But in Psalm 11:5 and Psalm 5:5 God hates not only just sin, but also those intent on committing them. He will actually retaliate, and just because he hasn’t done it yet doesn’t mean he won’t.
Verses 7-9 are so relevant! Today, tons of people think that God doesn’t care about what’s going on. They are wrong. Is he deaf—the one who made your ears? Is he blind—the one who formed your eyes (verse 9)? No, he is not!
And the last verse that really connected with me this morning from this passage is verse 19. When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.
I know the NLT is a totally modern translation, but the idea in the original language involves our concepts of hope and cheer. God’s comfort to me isn’t for me to simply “buck up.” He fills me with hope (“a feeling of trust”), and he gives me a “state of good feeling” (cheer). (Definitions from dictionary.com)
So, when it feels like the wicked really are winning or getting by unnoticed, God’s comfort to me is that they aren’t. When doubts fill my mind, God reminds me that Psalm 94 is right smack dab in the middle of the Bible. He sees everything, hears everything, and pays back everything good with good and bad with bad.
Dear God,
I thank you for your justice; it turns me TO you. Your immense anger against wickedness doesn’t eclipse your gigantic amount of love and compassion that is also described in this passage. This chapter doesn’t make me afraid of you because fear is for those deserving punishment (1 John 4:18), and you have made me right with you through your Son, Jesus. You are so good to me; you are worthy of my trust, and I thank you for my cheer. Thank you so much! I love you and pray in Jesus’ name, amen.
Psalm 94
Sometimes there’s so many thoughts about a passage, it’s impossible to focus on only one verse. Please enjoy this entire Psalm today; it’s a good one!
O Lord, the God of vengeance,
O God of vengeance, let your glorious justice shine forth!
2 Arise, O Judge of the earth.
Give the proud what they deserve.
3 How long, O Lord?
How long will the wicked be allowed to gloat?
4 How long will they speak with arrogance?
How long will these evil people boast?
5 They crush your people, Lord,
hurting those you claim as your own.
6 They kill widows and foreigners
and murder orphans.
7 “The Lord isn’t looking,” they say,
“and besides, the God of Israel doesn’t care.”
8 Think again, you fools!
When will you finally catch on?
9 Is he deaf—the one who made your ears?
Is he blind—the one who formed your eyes?
10 He punishes the nations—won’t he also punish you?
He knows everything—doesn’t he also know what you are doing?
11 The Lord knows people’s thoughts;
he knows they are worthless!
12 Joyful are those you discipline, Lord,
those you teach with your instructions.
13 You give them relief from troubled times
until a pit is dug to capture the wicked.
14 The Lord will not reject his people;
he will not abandon his special possession.
15 Judgment will again be founded on justice,
and those with virtuous hearts will pursue it.
16 Who will protect me from the wicked?
Who will stand up for me against evildoers?
17 Unless the Lord had helped me,
I would soon have settled in the silence of the grave.
18 I cried out, “I am slipping!”
but your unfailing love, O Lord, supported me.
19 When doubts filled my mind,
your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.
20 Can unjust leaders claim that God is on their side--
leaders whose decrees permit injustice?
21 They gang up against the righteous
and condemn the innocent to death.
22 But the Lord is my fortress;
my God is the mighty rock where I hide.
23 God will turn the sins of evil people back on them.
He will destroy them for their sins.
The Lord our God will destroy them.
This passage begins with pointing out that vengeance and justice go together. We typically assume that when justice is served there is no need for vengeance – that a sentence is punishment enough. But in Psalm 11:5 and Psalm 5:5 God hates not only just sin, but also those intent on committing them. He will actually retaliate, and just because he hasn’t done it yet doesn’t mean he won’t.
Verses 7-9 are so relevant! Today, tons of people think that God doesn’t care about what’s going on. They are wrong. Is he deaf—the one who made your ears? Is he blind—the one who formed your eyes (verse 9)? No, he is not!
And the last verse that really connected with me this morning from this passage is verse 19. When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.
I know the NLT is a totally modern translation, but the idea in the original language involves our concepts of hope and cheer. God’s comfort to me isn’t for me to simply “buck up.” He fills me with hope (“a feeling of trust”), and he gives me a “state of good feeling” (cheer). (Definitions from dictionary.com)
So, when it feels like the wicked really are winning or getting by unnoticed, God’s comfort to me is that they aren’t. When doubts fill my mind, God reminds me that Psalm 94 is right smack dab in the middle of the Bible. He sees everything, hears everything, and pays back everything good with good and bad with bad.
Dear God,
I thank you for your justice; it turns me TO you. Your immense anger against wickedness doesn’t eclipse your gigantic amount of love and compassion that is also described in this passage. This chapter doesn’t make me afraid of you because fear is for those deserving punishment (1 John 4:18), and you have made me right with you through your Son, Jesus. You are so good to me; you are worthy of my trust, and I thank you for my cheer. Thank you so much! I love you and pray in Jesus’ name, amen.
How can they live without Jesus
How can live without God's love
How can they feel so at home down here
When there's so much more up above
Throwin' away things that matter
They hold on to things that don't
The world has gone crazy
But soon maybe
A lot more are gonna know
For maybe they don't understand it
Or maybe they just haven't heard
Or maybe we're not doin' all we can
Living up to his holy word
'Cause phonies have come
And wrongs been done
Even killing in Jesus' name
And if you've been burned
Here's what I've learned
The lord's not the one to blame
For he's not just a religion
With steeples and bells
Or a salesman who will sell you
The things you just want to hear
For his love was such
That he suffered so much
To cause some of us
Just to follow, follow
So many laughing at Jesus
While the funniest thing that he's done
Is love this whole stubborn rebellious world
While their hate for him just goes on
And love just like that
Will bring him back
For the few he can call his friends
The ones he's found true
Who've made it through
Enduring until the end
The ones he's found true
Who've made it through
Enduring until the end
How can live without God's love
How can they feel so at home down here
When there's so much more up above
Throwin' away things that matter
They hold on to things that don't
The world has gone crazy
But soon maybe
A lot more are gonna know
For maybe they don't understand it
Or maybe they just haven't heard
Or maybe we're not doin' all we can
Living up to his holy word
'Cause phonies have come
And wrongs been done
Even killing in Jesus' name
And if you've been burned
Here's what I've learned
The lord's not the one to blame
For he's not just a religion
With steeples and bells
Or a salesman who will sell you
The things you just want to hear
For his love was such
That he suffered so much
To cause some of us
Just to follow, follow
So many laughing at Jesus
While the funniest thing that he's done
Is love this whole stubborn rebellious world
While their hate for him just goes on
And love just like that
Will bring him back
For the few he can call his friends
The ones he's found true
Who've made it through
Enduring until the end
The ones he's found true
Who've made it through
Enduring until the end
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