Psalm 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.
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Psalm 094 – Comforted when anxious
(Verses 1-3) God is holy. He hates sin. He is the Judge. God the Son will judge all sinners after death who have not trusted Him as Saviour before death. Heaven or Hell? That is the issue at stake. He judges fairly but severely. Only God is to be trusted about taking vengeance: never ‘do it yourself’. The psalmist asks God ‘how long’ before He pays back proud and wicked people, who now are ‘jubilant’.
(Verses 4-7) Like those ‘wicked’ sinners, we too have sinful hearts and are proud and arrogant at times. They boast, crush and oppress God’s people, kill widows, foreigners and fatherless children. They insult God by saying He neither sees nor cares. You hopefully do not go to their extremes of sin, but never forget that we all have sinned against God and need His forgiveness, just as they do. Worldwide today some persecute Christians as they did God’s people years ago. Pray for them.
(Verses 8-11) God sees them as ‘senseless’ ‘fools’—like anyone denying He exists. He made our ears and eyes: of course He sees and hears! He knows everything, including their futile thoughts. He will punish them.
(Verses 12-19) Discipline for the believer differs from punishment for the wicked. It is a blessing to be so taught from God’s word. All who trust the Lord find relief in knowing Him. They are never rejected, unlike the wicked in their eternal ‘pit’. God never forsakes those who come to Him. When you turn from sins and ask Jesus to forgive and save you, your sins are counted as His. He paid the penalty for them in His death for you. He treats all His righteousness as yours. God accepts you as ‘upright in heart’ by your faith in Christ. You then begin to ‘follow’ Him and His teachings. He stops your downward slide into sin. He supports you. When you are anxious, He comforts you. He gives you joy.
(Verses 20-23) In all the struggles and misery that cruel and corrupt opposition cause, the LORD becomes you ‘fortress’ and your ‘rock’ in whom you take refuge.
Just as He will keep and bless you, God the Judge will punish them, unless they repent and trust Jesus. Pray for them to do that!
