Psalm 94:1

Psalm 94:1

The God who avenges

The anonymous writer of this Psalm definitely has a “bee in his bonnet” and quite rightly. He is appalled by the injustices of the wicked and the abuse of the poor and needy by arrogant rulers and boastful evildoers.

The cry for mercy comes from the people of Israel who are suffering great injustices at the hands of the “fools” who are running their kingdom. The psalm writer takes comfort in the fact that the Lord sees and hears the suffering of His people and righteousness will ultimately prevail. He will repay the wicked for their sins and He will protect the righteous. 

 

V1        Our Psalm starts with an appeal to God who is the Judge of all men. It is a plea for justice and the righting of wrongs. It may not be polite to talk about an avenging God but, believe me, His holiness and righteousness demand that he must redress all wrongs. If He did not do so, He would rightly be accused of unfairness, favouritism and failing to grasp the injustice suffered by so many. On the other side of this coin are the actions of the wicked, how can they go unpunished? How can they pursue evil with impunity and not suffer any consequences? 

At the heart of any justice system is effectively the need to avenge the victim and to punish the perpetrators of evil, so we should not expect our God to be anything less than the most righteous of judges who avenges all wrongs. In addition, all things belong to God, He is the giver of life, the Creator of men and the greatest Being in heaven and on earth, why should He overlook the sinful activities of those who disobey Him and who rebel against His statutes?

To ask the Lord God to shine forth is to ask Him to reveal His glory. His glory is His beauty and His purity, His holiness and His perfection, when God shines forth the darkness is expelled and the evil deeds of men are exposed. Yes Lord, shine forth indeed.

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