O Lord, God of vengeance,
O God of vengeance, shine forth!
2 Rise up, O judge of the earth;
repay to the proud what they deserve!
3 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 They crush your people, O Lord,
and afflict your heritage.
6 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 Understand, O dullest of the people!
Fools, when will you be wise?
9 He who planted the ear, does he not hear?
He who formed the eye, does he not see?
10 He who disciplines the nations, does he not rebuke?
He who teaches man knowledge—
11 the Lord—knows the thoughts of man,
that they are but a breath.
12 Blessed is the man whom you discipline, O Lord,
and whom you teach out of your law,
13 to give him rest from days of trouble,
until a pit is dug for the wicked.
14 For the Lord will not forsake his people;
he will not abandon his heritage;
15 for justice will return to the righteous,
and all the upright in heart will follow it.
16 Who rises up for me against the wicked?
Who stands up for me against evildoers?
17 If the Lord had not been my help,
my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence.
18 When I thought, “My foot slips,”
your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up.
19 When the cares of my heart are many,
your consolations cheer my soul.
20 Can wicked rulers be allied with you,
those who frame injustice by statute?
21 They band together against the life of the righteous
and condemn the innocent to death.
22 But the Lord has become my stronghold,
and my God the rock of my refuge.
23 He will bring back on them their iniquity
and wipe them out for their wickedness;
the Lord our God will wipe them out. Psalm 94 ESV
A Psalm that pleads for justice.
- The Psalm is another pathetic form of the old enigma--"Wherefore do the wicked prosper?" It is another instance of a good man perplexed by the prosperity of the ungodly, cheering his heart by remembering that there is, after all, a King in heaven, by whom all things are overruled for good. - C. H. Spurgeon
O Lord, God of vengeance - The Righteous One, Judge above all things, if You will or would but for a moment show Yourself, then all injustice would but melt away. Darkness will not stand before the light. The Psalmist is deeply bothered at the state of things, and they are beyond his power to recompense. I have known of Your justice in times before, O God, why do You wait?
Repay to the proud what they deserve - I wonder how many have prayed this not knowing that they themselves were proud? Lord, You give grace to the humble, let me be humble even when my adversary is not.
They pour out their arrogant words - Now here comes the indictment, the Psalmist's charge against his foes. This is their brutal nature, even their language must put others down and lift themselves up. It is their pride that allows them to bully and suppress others. They believe that might makes right. They are the majority, the powerful, plunderers, laughing from elevated seats, delusional, yet forceful in it.
They crush Your people - This is hard to watch, but this is not the worst of it, what is worse is what the Psalmist cannot yet see. God is sovereign, and one day the only truly Innocent, will patiently endure not only harsh speech, irreverent, blasphemous accusations, but also the spit, the fists, the whips and nails from those who do not deserve His presence. He will know all the anxiety and misery of every soul, know the rabid injustice of the mob, and God will not intervene on His behalf. So yes, dear writer, God sees, and yes their will be deliverance for His heritage. He will come for His elect, He will not despise His own inheritance like Esau, but will satisfy the price in full.
They kill the widow and the sojourner - Much can be seen in the way we treat our old, our young, our helpless. Those that look upon the weak, the unborn, the needy and only see bother, will quickly sell them out. If only we knew the truth, that spiritually they represent all of us, but when we are healthy, wealthy, or in the strength of our youth, we find it too easy to despise those who could use our help.
…26 If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not bridle his tongue, he deceives his heart and his religion is worthless. 27 Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1: 26-27
- They deal most arrogantly with those who are the most evident objects of compassion. The law of God especially commends these poor ones to the kindness of good men, and it is peculiar wickedness which singles them out to be the victims not only of fraud but of murder. Must not such inhuman conduct as this provoke the Lord? Shall the tears of widows, the groans of strangers, and the blood of orphans be poured forth in vain? As surely as there is a God in heaven, he will visit those who perpetrate such crimes; though he bear long with them, he will yet take vengeance, and that speedily. - C. H. Spurgeon
The Lord does not see - So we think this is under the cover of darkness, that the persecuted's prayers are in vain. Your God doesn't hear you, who will rescue you?
…8 Beloved, do not let this one thing escape your notice: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance. 10 But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar, the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and its works will be laid bare.… 2 Peter 3: 8-10
25 It is enough for a disciple to be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household! 26 So do not be afraid of them. For nothing is concealed that will not be uncovered, or hidden that will not be made known. 27 What I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the housetops.… Matthew 10: 25-27
He Who formed the eye, does He not see - The design of the eye and the ear must give rise in the mind of the sane, that there is a Designer much above our observation. But to think that He, Who made all these things, does not see or hear Himself, such is the state of the arrogant, the self exalted. The atheist and the deist are not much different, one thinks that God is not, and the other that God does not care, that He is blind to good and evil. The church of late has forgotten that all outward sin, every idle that a man holds, that which he is a prisoner to, an addict of, that is not his original sin. He holds on to these because regardless of his claims of God or spirituality, he is still in unbelief. Whom the Son sets free shall be free indeed.
…17 in order that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in your knowledge of Him. 18 I ask that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know the hope of His calling, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and the surpassing greatness of His power to us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of His mighty strength,… Ephesians 1: 17-19
He, Who disciplines the nations, does He not rebuke - Remember the flood, the tower of Babel, Sodom and Gomorrah, Benjamin, the norther kingdom's rebellion, Judah, Assyria, Babylon, Greece, Rome, God is and they are not. The fool has said in his heart, "there is no God", another fool has said, "I am god", and yet another, "I have no need of God." A thousand times men have promised peace, prosperity, justice and equality, that men are evolving towards a common good and purpose, just follow them. They are great orators, stoic posers, geniuses, all they need is for you to follow them and they will make everything better.
Until a pit is dug for the wicked - Before this is the man who is blessed because God chastens him. If we are left without the Lord's discipline we will only dig ourselves into a pit. They cannot see that great day, and the gallows they make for the righteous, will be the same they swing from. We should, as those who were once enemies of God, have enough compassion to warn those who are His enemies still. Yet, we should look forward to the day of God's justice or we have not loved the Just or Him Who justifies.
For justice will return to the righteous - Our present circumstances, if they are hard at the hands of the arrogant, if we are treated unjustly, pray for those that persecute you so that you can be sons of your heavenly Father. It is really just a little while, and the wicked will be no more.
…33 When they came to the place called The Skull, they crucified Him there, along with the criminals, one on His right and the other on His left. 34 Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up His garments by casting lots. 35 The people stood watching, and the rulers sneered at Him, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ of God, the Chosen One.”… Luke 23: 33-35
When the cares of my heart are many - Knowledge of God through His word, knowledge of self from where we came from, what we deserved, and have yet through Him escaped, these things bring much comfort. It is always easier to move forward, to forgive and to have hope in light of the cross.
…18 If it is possible on your part, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but leave room for God’s wrath. For it is written: “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 On the contrary, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink. For in so doing, you will heap burning coals on his head.”… Romans 12: 18-20
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