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We are living in a time when iniquity abounds and corruption is all around. Many catastrophes are coming over the
face of the earth and many, here in the United States, that our country has rarely seen in many years. Some are
saying it is God's hand of judgment, others scorn those who say such things. The Word of God is the sure place to
seek the answer to this important question. I plan on writing a short series looking into this subject from the
scripture. This is the first.
We will be taking a close look at Psalm 94. It holds much to help us see a God-Fearing view of societal corruption
with comfort along the way. May God bless the examination of His Word.
1 O LORD God, to whom vengeance belongeth; O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, shew thyself.
We need to seriously consider the words of the psalmist. This first verse shows an attitude that is scorned by too
many Christians. They would condemn the writer for exhibiting a bitter attitude and unforgiving spirit. He is
actually praying for God to intervene with His wrath. What we see is that the psalmist shows us two important items:
A. Hatred of wickedness (That is the reason he utters this prayer.)
B. Faithfully leaving vengeance in God's hands.
What must one conclude of the person, seeing the same type of prevailing conditions the writer saw, who doesn't
hate wickedness enough to cry out such a prayer?
He simply doesn't hate wickedness, irregardless of his "Christian" claim. Usually, such use their Christianity as
a cloak for their corrupted heart's lack of biblical hatred. They write it off as, "That's just the way the world
is, there's nothing you can do about it. Just preach the gospel and pray they'll eventually listen." Oh, for the
lost fervor of this psalmist.
2 Lift up thyself, thou judge of the earth: render a reward to the proud.
This calls for God to arise to take action for true justice. He cries for God to pay the appropriate wages earned
by the proud. Pride is always the crown that distinguishes the wicked. Look at the "Gay Pride Days". Isn't that
pride indeed their crown? Look at the wicked leaders. Isn't that spirit of "I'm in control" the chief characteristic?
We don't see the stand of being a "public servant" much more these days. We see officials passing laws to pay off
the interests that financed their getting into some office, irregardless of the majorities outcry or the sheer
treason to country and God.
3 LORD, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph?
4 How long shall they utter and speak hard things? and all the workers of iniquity boast themselves?
As we look around, we can't help but cry these words of shocked grief. They do indeed appear to be triumphing.
They even blatantly utter such incredible filth without fear of loosing their position. Remember Haman in the
book of Esther? He was so proud and self-confident that he thought, "To whom would the king delight to do
honour more than to myself?" (Esther 6:6b). Oh, what a wicked man, with no shame!
5 They break in pieces thy people, O LORD, and afflict thine heritage.
6 They slay the widow and the stranger, and murder the fatherless.
7 Yet they say, The LORD shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob regard it.
These wicked particularly aim at the destruction of God's people and country. They particularly focus
in on the helpless as these wicked powers rise. Those who wait on God as their only hope, they arrogantly
brush aside as a nuisance. Their inner thoughts are that God won't stand in their way. They openly scoff
and criticize those who say, "God's hand of wrath is beginning to fall because the wickedness of our
country is so great!" They deride such as an evil and intolerable position. "Who do you think you are
to say God would bring this devastation of floods, fires, hurricanes, ruined crops, massive unemployment,
etc.?" Their thought almost seems to be, "God wouldn't dare!"
8 Understand, ye brutish among the people: and ye fools, when will ye be wise?
9 He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? he that formed the eye, shall he not see?
10 He that chastiseth the heathen, shall not he correct? he that teacheth man knowledge, shall not he know?
11 The LORD knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity.
The psalmist doesn't pull any punches. He calls these proud oppressors "brutish", meaning beast-like. Then he
focuses in on a more foundational character, they are fools that will conduct themselves in such an arrogant,
wicked manner. He wonders when they will smarten up and consider some important intelligent considerations.
God, who is able to make our ears and eyes, will certainly hear and see the wickedness that has been going on.
The scorners, we see today, object that God wouldn't bring the evil upon us because there are still good people
everywhere. They foolishly ignore God's Word that tells of the many times He has brought destruction upon the
godless nations of the past. They can accept that God punished those wicked heathen, back then, but they conclude
we are not "that bad". The psalmist asks the obvious question that should arise in a logical mind, "shall not he
correct?".
Men continue to advance in technology. The psalmist even uses that point of wise consideration to forward his
argument to fear God. Man, with incredible strides in technology (he can spy and know what everyone is doing with
cameras and computers) should be able to understand that the creator of all things is not ignorant of all the
things His creations are doing.
Our knowledge and our thoughts are two different things. God gives us the ability to learn and develop, but the
thoughts of our hearts come from a different source. That is where the wickedness flows from. It is from the heart,
where the accountability before God will stand. Knowledge, can be good but the deviant thoughts can lead to vanity
and the abuses of that knowledge.
12 Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O LORD, and teachest him out of thy law;
13 That thou mayest give him rest from the days of adversity, until the pit be digged for the wicked.
14 For the LORD will not cast off his people, neither will he forsake his inheritance.
15 But judgment shall return unto righteousness: and all the upright in heart shall follow it.
The next four verses are such a comfort. The psalmist turns to the situation His people find themselves in.
They are not to be tied in with the wicked. God deals faithfully with those who are truly His. He chastens them
as necessary. We are reminded in the New Testament how God only "chastens" those who are His children. He does not
chasten others. God doesn't view the nations, like Hillary Clinton who believes all the world is a village who has
the responsibility of raising the children. God chastens and educates His own of His ways in righteousness. The
rest are His tools to use as He sees fit and to bring judgment upon their wickedness at the completed time.
We are told that the child rearing, God's children go through, have the end of enabling them to not have to suffer
the destruction of the wicked when their time is fulfilled. To those who learned from the chastening, there will
be rest in the days of adversity. You see, when God's judgments of devastation of floods, fires, hurricanes, ruined
crops, massive unemployment, etc. come, those who have received and learned from God's discipline will have a
providential mercy going before them. It doesn't mean there won't be loss of property, but it does mean there
will be strength, peace and basic provision, while others will starve and the like. Verse 13 and 14 clearly
show this, among other passages of scripture.
Verse 15 takes us back to the heart we had been looking at. We have the heart of the wicked who follow the ways
of vanity and the upright heart of God's children who will respond to His discipline. Turning to follow
righteousness. Those who do not respond to God's discipline have turned from uprightness of heart to vanity.
16 Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? or who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?
17 Unless the LORD had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence.
18 When I said, My foot slippeth; thy mercy, O LORD, held me up.
19 In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul.
We find the cry of the first verse reiterated here. The grief of wicked perversion of justice and righteousness.
Unfortunately, many look to political parties to do the work of God. Some reason, "If we can get all Republicans
into office, we will be able to get all the problems fixed." Wrong! This psalmist knew the right place to look for
help. Not in a party that may say it will work for God, but in God Himself.
Verse 17 goes even further in stating what the stalwart Republican could not say, "Unless the LORD had been my
help..". I have met Republican and Democrat leaders and they both blaspheme God's name and demonstrate other
ungodliness, while some basically believe, "If we get that blaspheming Republican into office, he will help bring
about a godly country." Oh, the vanity of the heart as opposed to true knowledge.
The psalmist continues with a view into the grief of his heart. He was overwhelmed with the tragedy that he was
enduring and envisioned himself much like the man who is walking along a very narrow path along the face of a
cliff. One slip and a fall to be dashed in destruction. He felt like his foot was making that fatal slip in his
weariness of the turmoil. The point of fatality suddenly changes though when he beholds God's great hand of mercy
catching him just as the headlong tumble would begin. God's hand protects and sustains him.
The psalmist's thoughts were so bewildered, they could undoubtedly be said to be unfocused with a sense of confusion,
but he tells us God was comforting him in a way that delighted his soul. From the outward view, others would be
bewildered as they beheld his suffering but suddenly behold the calmness of his soul. The inner joy and peace that
only comes from God. (All this spoken in the Old Testament period.)
20 Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, which frameth mischief by a law?
21 They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, and condemn the innocent blood.
The psalmist turns back to the oppressive wicked. They are clearly those who are rulers in the land. They have the
power to pass laws that further their wickedness. Such laws we see today are ones like the pillaging taxation widows
face upon the death of their spouse. Their husbands gathered sufficient to see for their provision after their death
and behold, the inheritance taxes and probate court leave them desolate. Now I look and behold the fining of a
woman photographer of $6,600 who refused to do the photography for a "civil union" of two lesbians. These are only
two examples of incredible numbers of such wickedness framed by a law.
These wicked amass themselves. You see this today in the sodomite gatherings. That is what the "Gay Pride" movement
is all about. They feel stronger in crowds of those working for the same corruptions. They not only basically say,
"We are committing these sexual deviations.", they are demanding the persecution of those who refuse to cater to
their sodomy, such as the woman photographer.
If the psalm ended here we might end back on the edge of that narrow trail feeling, "Whoa is me, the wicked prevail,
how long O Lord? How long until You take vengeance?" Remember verse 1 of this psalm? Good news though, it doesn't end
there. The final two verses take us out into the light of day with glorious rejoicing with the "But . . .":
22 But the LORD is my defence; and my God is the rock of my refuge.
23 And he shall bring upon them their own iniquity, and shall cut them off in their own wickedness; yea, the LORD
our God shall cut them off.
Again, we see the psalmist doesn't look to the political party for help, or even the lawyers. He stands on the ROCK!
The rock of defence, not the lawyers of defence. The rock of refuge. The place of peace and comfort. The impenetrable
wall of rock that shelters us from the arrows of the wicked.
The final verse shows the Lord taking affirmative action. Verse 22 shows the defensive position. Verse 23 takes us
into the offensive position of God's war. All sensible war maneuvers engage a tactic. A particular battle plan. The
tactic God uses is what we would call, "Poetic Justice". He renders judgment according to the type of iniquity they
purvey. It ends the psalm with the "seal", as it were, of God's throne room ruling on the case. The mischief upon
these wicked, will not be accidental. It will be the hand of God's wrath in kind to the crimes committed. It will
be the "decree of Heaven".
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Free to Copy under Creative Commons BY-NC-ND3.0 License by Darrell Farkas