God of Vengeance, Shine Forth

August 20

Job 20-21

Psalm 94:8-15

Proverbs 20:26-28

2 Corinthians 8

God of Vengeance, Shine Forth

“He who planted the ear, does He not hear?  He who formed the eye, does He not see?  He who disciplines the nations, will He not rebuke, even He who teaches man knowledge?  Yahweh knows the thoughts of man, that they are vanity.  Blessed is the man whom You discipline, O Yah, and whom You teach out of Your law;  that you grant him calm from the days of calamity, until a pit is dug for the wicked.  For Yahweh will not abandon His people, nor will He forsake His inheritance.” 

Psalm 94:9-14  LSB

We are not told specifically who the author of Psalm 94 is, although many scholars believe it was written by David.  Whoever wrote it was experiencing a time of persecution and evil that was prevalent in society and either caused or condoned by government entities.  The wicked prospered and oppressed the poor and vulnerable.  In the first few verses he asked when God was going to do something about the injustice that was happening in the world.  He acknowledged the presence of evil and the suffering of God’s people, but then he comforted himself with confidence in God’s justice and vengeance.  He reminded himself that God sees and hears everything.  Nothing is hidden from His view and even our thoughts and intentions are fully known to Him.  This Psalm could easily have been written today.  We see the same pattern of evil in society today that existed in Biblical times.  The Psalmist then went on to explain that God disciplines those He loves and they are blessed.  The obvious inference here is that He does not discipline those who are not His children.  He does not have the same responsibility to them.  As a parent we can understand this.  I discipline my children because I want them to grow up to be godly, productive adults who are able to function well and have meaningful relationships with others.  I spend the time and energy needed to do that because I love them.  I do not do that for other people’s children because they are not my responsibility and I don’t have the right to discipline them.  It is the same with God.  His discipline is a sign of His love.  Discipline and punishment have very different goals.  Discipline is intended to help us grow and mature and change future behavior.  It may be unpleasant in the moment, but it is necessary and intended for our good.  Punishment is done for the purpose of avenging wrongdoing.  It is not as much concerned about future behavior as it is meant to inflict pain as retribution for past actions. 

As believers we can be comforted by the fact that God will avenge the wrongs that have been done to us.  He will bring about justice.  It may not happen in the timing and way we would like, but we can trust that He is the perfect judge and He will not tolerate evil.  There will come a time when evil is punished.  Those who seem to get away with wrongdoing and injustice will face God one day and will have to answer for the pain they have inflicted on others.  In the meantime, He “grants us calm from the days of calamity.”  “He will not abandon His people.”  He provides us with the strength and comfort we need to endure the trials we face.  We can find refuge in His presence.