Psalm 140:13

Psalm 140:13

Justice for all

The concluding verse of this Psalm allows us to change direction, and it ends on a positive note. David has been brutally honest in his assessment of his adversaries, and he has made his feelings about them public. He has also had the temerity to turn this all into a prayer and plead to God for their judgement. How many of us have asked the Lord to deal with our / His enemies by, pouring burning coals on them, throwing them into the fire and condemning them to the miry pit? Have we prayed that disaster might hunt down those who are violent? If not, why not? David did!

In verse 12 he reminds himself that the Lord God does not overlook the cause of the needy and he will secure justice for the poor and when this happens there will be cause for rejoicing rather than bitter recriminations. And that is the point, those who do not believe, who have no ultimate arbiter and judge who acts for them, end up descending slowly and bitterly into a pit of despair and despondency. For them there is no way forward, no one to plead their cause, no hope of ever seeing justice, no prospect of a fair and equitable conclusion to their case, their enemies have won, they will never know the satisfaction of justice. Not so for the righteous. We know that our cause will be upheld, our enemies will be dealt with, justice will prevail, and we will be exonerated. This is reason as good as any, for praise and celebration. And not only will we be freed from the weight of the accusations and lies and threats of our foes, but we will also be exalted to the presence of our God to live forever in His presence. This applies to the here and now as well as to our future destiny in eternity! Isn’t this a cause to rejoice? Especially if we have suffered as David suffered. Hallelujah! What a brilliant conclusion to the Psalm. 

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