Psalm 094

Introduction

Psalms 93 to 100 are known as enthronement psalms, because they’re all about how the Lord reigns. The opening of Psalm 93, which we studied last week, is ‘The Lord reigns’. Then the psalmist declares in Psalm 95 that the Lord is the great King above all gods. In Psalm 96 he says: ‘Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns.”‘ Psalm 97 also begins with the words, ‘The Lord reigns’. In Psalm 98 the psalmist refers to the Lord as ‘the King’. In Psalm 99 he once again tells us that the Lord reigns. And, of course, in Psalm 100 all the earth is summoned to enter God’s royal courts to praise him. Those psalms are all about how God reigns as king.

And what about today’s psalm? What about Psalm 94? Is it about God as king? While the psalmist doesn’t refer to God reigning in this psalm, he refers to the way the Lord judges the earth. And that’s one of the roles of the king, isn’t it? In ancient times, people would bring their disputes to an earthly king for him to resolve them. Think of the two women who came to King Solomon. Both of them were mothers and both lived in the same house. The child of one of them died in the night and now they were both claiming that the living child was theirs. So, who was telling the truth and who was lying? To which mother did the living child belong? They brought their dispute to the king and he resolved it for them. Kings in the ancient world were judges. They cleared the innocent and they punished the wicked. And the psalmist is saying to us in Psalm 94 that the Lord is the great judge over all the earth. And that means, he reigns over all the earth. This psalm, like the others around it, is about how our God reigns.

Verses 1 and 2

In the opening two verses, the psalmist describes the Lord as the one who avenges. That’s who our God is. He is the God who avenges. He is the God of vengeance.

But is it right for God to avenge? We think of taking revenge as a sin. It’s something we shouldn’t do. Doesn’t Paul tell us in Romans 12 not to repay anyone evil for evil and to live in peace with everyone and not to take revenge. And didn’t the Lord Jesus teach us to love even our enemies? And so, if taking revenge is wrong, how God can it be right for God to take revenge?

However we need to understand that Paul was talking about taking personal revenge. We’re not to take matters into our own hands. If someone does something to us, we’re not to strike back. We’re to turn the other cheek. And so, instead of hating our enemies, we’re to love them and to do good to them. But a judge is in a different position from us. The duty of the judge is to see that justice is done and that lawbreakers are punished for what they have done wrong. If judges let guilty people off scot-free, we would complain that they hadn’t done their job and that what they did was not right. It’s not right for the guilty to go free. It’s right for the guilty to be punished.

And that’s what the psalmist is talking about. God is the judge of the earth. And since he’s the judge, then it’s right and good and appropriate for him, as judge, to punish those who do evil. In fact, Paul also refers to this in Romans 12. After telling us not to take revenge ourselves, he goes on to tell us to leave room for God’s wrath, because God has said in his word, ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay.’ Instead of taking matters into our own hands, we’re to leave it to the Lord to punish the wicked. Ordinarily, God does that in this life by means of earthly rulers and judges whom he has put in place to act on his behalf. He has given them the authority to punish lawbreakers. But God may also punish the wicked himself by sending troubles and afflictions on them in this life. And then, God will also punish the wicked in the life to come unless they repent and turn to Christ for salvation.

And so, God is the judge of the earth. And the psalmist is appealing to God to shine forth. In other words, he wants the Lord to make it clear that he’s the judge by rising up to judge the wicked and to pay back to the proud what they deserve. He describes the wicked as being proud, because they’re unwilling to submit to the Lord and to his will and they think they can get away with what they have done. So, he’s asking the Lord to rise up and to judge the wicked for their wickedness.

Verses 3 to 7

And in verses 3 to 7, after asking the Lord how long will the wicked be jubilant, he outlines for us what the wicked have done. He says in verse 4 that they pour out arrogant words and they’re full of boasting. You might recall the story of when the King of Assyria sent his army to besiege Jerusalem in the days of King Hezekiah. And the Assyrian commander boasted about how powerful the King of Assyria was. And he said that the people in Jerusalem should listen to him and not to trust in the Lord. There was an evil man boasting and pouring out arrogant words.

But the wicked do more than boast, don’t they? According to verse 5, they crush and oppress the Lord’s people. And they slay the widow and the alien and they murder the fatherless. The widow and the alien and the fatherless have no one to defend them. They are weak and vulnerable. And the wicked are attacking them. So, they are picking on the weakest members of society. And according to verse 7, the wicked have told themselves that God does not see what they’re doing. They’ve persuaded themselves that God pays no heed to what they’re doing. They can do what they like, because God does not see it.

‘How long will the wicked be jubilant?’ the psalmist asked in verse 3. He believes that this has gone on for too long and that it’s time for the Lord to rise up and to judge them for what they have done. It’s time for God to act and to take revenge on them. It’s time for God to act, because if the Lord does not stop them, they will continue on with their wickedness, because no one else is strong enough to stop them.

Verses 8 to 11

Let’s move on to verses 8 to 11 where the psalmist addresses the wicked. He refers to them as ‘senseless ones’. The Hebrew word means brutish or stupid. He means they’re stupid like a brute beast. And they’re stupid like a brute beast because they think that God does not see what they’re doing. And so, they’re being foolish and not wise.

The fool says there is no God. Or if there’s a God, he doesn’t hear and see. But the psalmist is saying to these foolish people: But don’t you realise that the one who made the ear can hear? Don’t you realise that the one who made the eye can see? He’s not deaf and blind. He hears the cries of his people and he sees the evil things the wicked have done. And don’t you realise that the God who disciplines whole nations will also punish the wicked for what they have done? The Bible makes clear that God disciplines whole nations. Think of what he did to Egypt when he rescued his people from their slavery. Think of how he drove the Canaanites from the Promised Land because their deeds were evil. Think of how he sent Israel and Judah into exile because of their persistent rebellion. The Lord disciplines whole nations. But he’s also able to discipline and punish single people.

And here’s something else these foolish people need to understand. It’s that God has knowledge. He has knowledge. What does he know? Well, he knows all things, doesn’t he? He knows all about the wicked and what they have done. But the psalmist is thinking of something else. He says in verse 11 that he knows the thoughts of man. He means that God knows the plans of the wicked. And he knows that the plans of the wicked are futile. They’re futile, because God is able to bring them to nothing.

And so, what should the wicked do? They should wise up. They should wise up and realise that they won’t get away with their wicked words and their wicked deeds. God hears all and he sees all and he will frustrate their wicked plans and he will bring them to account.

Verses 12 to 15

After addressing the wicked in verses 8 to 11, the psalmist addresses God’s people in verses 12 to 15. How does God deal with his people? He disciplines them, doesn’t he? He disciplines them the way a father and mother discipline their children. A father and mother will discipline their children because they love them and they want what is best for them and they want to show their children the right way to live. And that’s why the Lord disciplines his people. And the Lord also teaches his children from his law. And since God disciplines and instructs his people for their good, then the psalmist regards them as blessed. It’s good for them to receive the Lord’s instruction, because if the Lord did not discipline or instruct them, but left them alone, then they would inevitably end up like the wicked.

And I think the point the psalmist is making is that God is using the wickedness of the wicked to discipline his people. So, God’s people may have to endure oppression and trouble from the wicked for a while. But God is able to use their trials for their good, because he uses it to discipline them and to keep them on the right path. And because of their troubles, they turn to God’s word for guidance. And that’s good too. And so, they are blessed by God.

But it’s not all discipline, is it? There’s also relief. That’s what the psalmist is saying in verse 13 where he says that the Lord grants his people relief from days of trouble until a pit is dug for the wicked. So, until the wicked are no more, they will continue to do evil and to harass and hurt God’s people. But the suffering of God’s people will not be relentless, because God will give them relief and rest. He will prevent them from being crushed. And this is because the Lord will not reject his people or forsake them. Since they are his people, since they belong to him, he will keep them always.

Verse 15 is not easy to interpret, but the psalmist seems to be saying that while it seems that the wicked are getting away with their wickedness, however, in due course, God’s judgment will come on them and righteousness will once again be restored. That is to say, God will put right all that has gone wrong in the world.

Verses 16 to 19

In verse 16 the psalmist asks who will rise up for him against the wicked? Who will take a stand for him against the evildoers? Who can he count on to help him? He can count on the Lord, can’t he? In fact, he knows that God has already helped him, because if the Lord han’t already helped him, then he would have already perished. When his life was slipping away, God’s love supported him. When anxiety was great within him, God consoled him and restored joy to his soul. God comes to his people again and again to uphold us and to help us. He may not deliver us from out of our troubles, but he still upholds us and helps us in the midst of our troubles. He enables us to be patient in our adversity. And he does this because of his love for us. And the word the psalmist uses for God’s love is that Hebrew word hesed which refers to God’s unfailing love for his people, his never-ending love. In the midst of adversity, we can count on God to help us because his love for us in Christ Jesus is never-ending.

Verses 20 to 23

And the psalm ends in verses 20 to 23 with a contrast. On the one hand there’s a corrupt throne. That is to say, there’s a corrupt king. And this corrupt king causes misery. And the people who are associated with him band together against the righteous and they condemn the innocent to death. But then, on the other hand, there’s the Lord. And the Lord is a fortress for his people. He’s a Rock who provides refuge and shelter for his people.

And so, who is greater? The corrupt king on his throne? Or the Lord? Who is greater? Well, the Lord is greater and he will repay the wicked for their sins and he will destroy them for their wickedness. In the end, the Lord our God will destroy them.

Conclusion

When we read at the end about these two kings, it makes us think of the two kingdoms in the world: there’s the kingdom of satan and then there’s the kingdom of God which Christ came to establish on the earth. So, there’s the kingdom of satan and all those who belong to him; and there’s the kingdom of God and all those who belong to Christ our King. And when it says that the wicked band together against the righteous and condemn the innocent to death, we cannot help thinking about all those people who banded together against Christ the King and who condemned him to death, even though he had done nothing wrong.

And while satan is currently doing all he can to oppose the kingdom of God, we know that in the end satan will be destroyed. This will happen, when Christ comes again in glory and with power. Satan will be thrown into the lake of fire and Christ the King will judge all people; and all the wicked who sided with satan in this life, and who did not repent and turn to Christ for salvation, will be condemned and sent away from the presence of the Lord to be punished for ever for all that they have done wrong.

And so, the psalm anticipates what will happen when Christ returns and judges the earth. In the meantime, the Lord our God sustains and help us and all his believing people. He disciplines us when necessary to keep us from going astray and he teaches us his will from his word. He upholds us in his love and he consoles us with his promises. He grants us relief in the midst of trouble so that we’re able to persevere despite adversity. He is our fortress and our rock and our refuge so that we need not be afraid of the wicked no matter what they might try to do to us.

But we also need to remember and to give thanks for God’s grace and mercy to us in Christ Jesus, because if it were not for his kindness to us in Christ Jesus, we would be numbered among the wicked. But God came to us by his Spirit and he enabled us to believe in his Son for forgiveness and he added us to his kingdom. And so, because of God’s kindness to us in Christ Jesus, we are not among those who will perish, but we are among those who will live for ever.