In The Word
Read: Psalms 94
The Lord Implored to Avenge His People.
94 O Lord, God of vengeance,
God of vengeance, shine forth!
2 Rise up, O Judge of the earth,
Render recompense to the proud.
3 How long shall the wicked, O Lord,
How long shall the wicked exult?
4 They pour forth words, they speak arrogantly;
All who do wickedness vaunt themselves.
5 They crush Your people, O Lord,
And afflict Your heritage.
6 They slay the widow and the stranger
And murder the orphans.
7 They have said, “The Lord does not see,
Nor does the God of Jacob pay heed.”
8 Pay heed, you senseless among the people;
And when will you understand, stupid ones?
9 He who planted the ear, does He not hear?
He who formed the eye, does He not see?
10 He who chastens the nations, will He not rebuke,
Even He who teaches man knowledge?
11 The Lord knows the thoughts of man,
That they are a mere breath.
12 Blessed is the man whom You chasten, O Lord,
And whom You teach out of Your law;
13 That You may grant him relief from the days of adversity,
Until a pit is dug for the wicked.
14 For the Lord will not abandon His people,
Nor will He forsake His inheritance.
15 For judgment will again be righteous,
And all the upright in heart will follow it.
16 Who will stand up for me against evildoers?
Who will take his stand for me against those who do wickedness?
17 If the Lord had not been my help,
My soul would soon have dwelt in the abode of silence.
18 If I should say, “My foot has slipped,”
Your lovingkindness, O Lord, will hold me up.
19 When my anxious thoughts multiply within me,
Your consolations delight my soul.
20 Can a throne of destruction be allied with You,
One which devises mischief by decree?
21 They band themselves together against the life of the righteous
And condemn the innocent to death.
22 But the Lord has been my stronghold,
And my God the rock of my refuge.
23 He has brought back their wickedness upon them
And will destroy them in their evil;
The Lord our God will destroy them.
New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Walking In The Word
The reading today reads as though the writer is a member of the 21st century. We can understand the agony with which they write because it concerned the apparent prosperity of the wicked. We live in a time where those who disregard the moral responsibilities of human beings seem to be celebrated. Siding with wickedness, by supporting abortion and same sex marriage, and removing biblical principles from society is the popular stance in our generation. It has become more acceptable to be morally bankrupt than to take a righteous stand.
Today’s passage lends us encouragement that the Father has not forsaken us. The opening verse validates God’s disapproval of wickedness: “O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongs” (Psalm 94:1a). Even though we are affected by the wickedness that is being spread by the lost, we should continue to pray that God intervenes. When He intervenes, God will execute His righteous judgment on those who have opposed His commandments.
Do not allow the perverse things that surround you in this world to cause you to despair. God knows all of the things that are coming against His people, and He will be strong for us. There is nothing, whether in our jobs or in our homes, neither in our government nor in the world, that will overtake those who are on the Lord’s side.