We have arrived at a Psalm that is not full of sunshine and happiness. In this Psalm, we see passionate anger expressed because of the evil that is being perpetrated on innocent helpless lives. I can’t help but think about all the Christians that are being killed in India and Africa simply because they are worshiping the Lord. I too want to shout out ‘Arise, O Lord! Punish the wicked, O God! Do not ignore the helpless!’ (verse 12) There are days when I wonder how much longer until we see a mighty move the the Lord and destruction of the evil that is so prevalent in our world today. What will it take for us collectively to turn our face back to the Lord and implore him to intervene on behalf of the innocent?
A couple of things strike me when I read this Psalm. First, the writer (probably David), doesn’t have any trouble questioning God. He outright asks, ‘Why do you stand so far away? Why do you hide when I am in trouble?’ ( verse 1) Those are a couple of very strong statements. Did you know that you can ask God the hard questions? Did you know that even in your anger you can reach out and ask why? That is the beauty of this God that we serve. He encourages us to come to him – to ask the hard questions. We serve a BIG God – he can take it and he will answer. Secondly in verses 4-6, I couldn’t help but think about our society in general when I read these verses:
The wicked are too proud to seek God. They seem to think that God is dead. Yet they succeed in everything they do. They do not see your punishment awaiting them. They sneer at all their enemies. They think, “Nothing bad will ever happen to us! We will be free of trouble forever!”
All too often people think they are free of the consequences of sin. There is nothing further from the truth. God has made it clear that All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. And the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. We can pretend that God is dead. We can pretend there aren’t consequences. But in the end we will be held accountable for our actions. The Lord knows the hopes of the helpless. Surely he will hear their cries and comfort them. You will bring justice to the orphans and the oppressed, so mere people can no longer terrify them. …and that right there is the BEST news ever! So even though this chapter started out with questions and trauma and pain, it ended with hope and anticipation for comfort in the days to come.
Scripture passages from New Living Translation