Psalm 94

 

In Acts the gospel preached to the Gentiles mentions the fact that the risen Lord Jesus would be the judge of all men.  Peter preached this to Cornelius and his house (Acts 10:42).  Paul preached it to the crowd on Mars Hill (Acts 17:31).  Keep that in mind as you think of this wonderfully reassuring Psalm. 

This Psalm may have been occasioned by some difficulty experienced by the writer.  But it seems to have more in mind the general pride and seeming triumph of the wicked.  As we look around our society we also may think that the wicked seem to be winning.  But the mystery of God is that His Son will rule over His enemies.  The victory is His: promised by His Father and assured by His death and resurrection.  If we have the same confidence in the same Lord we will, in the multitude of anxieties within us, delight our souls in His comfort (94:19).

·         94:1-3: Calling on the Judge.  There are several things to think about.  In v1 vengeance belongs to God; that is why He is addressed in this situation.  The Judge of the earth is Christ (John 5:22-23).  And in v3 the Psalmist utters the prayer of the saints: how long until You judge the wicked (Rev. 6:9-11).

·         94:4-7: The Problem with the Wicked.  The wicked proclaim arrogant words (v4), make life difficult for God’s people (v5), and make life difficult for the weak (v6).  But then they deny that the Lord sees what they are doing; they are confident they will not be called to account (v7).

·         94:8-11: The Stupidity of the Wicked.  How senseless they are and foolish to think that the God who created ears and eyes and who has all wisdom does not hear, see and know the thoughts of the wicked. Their plans will fail.

·         94:12-15: The Blessing of the Upright.  On the other hand the Psalmist knows the certainty of God’s promises and plans for His people, for those He instructs.  They will experience relief as needed until the wicked fail.  Even in the times when God uses the wicked to chastise His people, He will not cast off His people nor forsake His inheritance (v14).

·         94:16-19: The Confidence of the Upright.  In Whom do the righteous trust?  In the Lord who has been their help (v17) and Who is merciful (v18).

·         94:20-23: The Hope of the Upright.  As he looks forward the Psalmist is sure of a good outcome.  In v20 there is a great description of what was happening that should ring a bell with us today.  The throne of iniquity was devising evil by law.  Christians see this today: laws passed that contradict their Biblical values.  The righteous and innocent are hurt by these (v21).  But judgment will come from the Lord in His time.  He will bring about the law of the harvest (i.e. He will bring on them their own iniquity, v23).  From Deut. 32 there is the important reminder: God is the Rock of Israel; He will be our defense and refuge (cf. Deut. 32:4,15,30-31).

Let us trust in our Rock today, the Rock of our salvation!