Psalms for a Pandemic Summer 7 Psalm 94

Once we express our anger we have to learn to give it up, to give it up to God.  The Psalms (and the Bible in its entirety) are absolutely confident that vengeance belongs to God and not to us humans.  Only God is capable of appropriate vengeance.  We want a God who is only loving and kind, gracious and forgiving, but the Psalmist who was experiencing intense persecution, suffering and despair wanted a God who would exact judgment and punishment.  Turning our desire for revenge over to God is not easy because we see in our world that the good suffer and the evil prosper.  Life does not seem fair, is not fair. God does not seem to exact the vengeance we want!  Trusting in God’s ultimate, mysterious and sometimes unsatisfactory vengeance means that we do not get pulled down into the vortex of violence, revenge, hatred and rage that is the cause of our suffering.  We can live with the love and mercy, joy and peace that we wish for everyone. 

 

Psalm 94 1 O Lord, you God of vengeance, shine forth! 2 Rise up, O judge of the earth;     give to the proud what they deserve! 3 O Lord, 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 stranger,     they murder the orphan, 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, he who teaches knowledge to humankind,     does he not chastise? 11The Lord knows that human thoughts     are but an empty breath. 12 Happy are those whom you discipline, O Lord,     and whom you teach out of your law, 13 giving them respite 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? 17 If the Lord had not been my help, my soul      would soon have lived in the land of silence. 22 But the Lord has become my stronghold,     and my God the rock of my refuge. 23 He will repay them for their iniquity     and wipe them out for their wickedness;

O God of righteousness shine forth     and judge the earth.  O God of vengeance bring us justice. Rise up and bring the arrogant ones to their knees.  How long, O God, how long    shall the wicked exalt over the rest of us. They boast of their evil deeds;     they crush your people;      they kill the widow and orphan     and murder the refugee. They think there is no God     to whom they will have to account. Who do they think they are?  Do they think they formed themselves? Gave themselves eyes and ears, hearts and minds?  Do they think they are omnipotent and invincible? Do they not know their history? What happened to Caesar or Hitler? God knows that our human life    is but a fleeting breath;    that our thoughts come and go like the wind.    Happy are those who learn God’s way. They have respite from days of turmoil;   they do no grow weary with worry waiting   for the wicked to be punished For they know that God will not forsake them; God will not abandon those who walk in God’s way.  The righteous will be blessed and justice    will come to the upright in heart.  Who can possibly stand up the wicked?     Who has my back when I face evil? If God had not been my help,    I would have sicken with depression    but God has become my counsellor and my rock   It is goodness that will last; Today’s wickedness will be wiped away.