1 O Lord, God of vengeance,
God of vengeance, shine forth!
2 Rise up, O Judge of the earth,
Render recompense to the proud.
3 How long shall the wicked, O Lord,
How long shall the wicked exult?
4 They pour forth words, they speak arrogantly;
All who do wickedness vaunt themselves. Psalm 94:1–4
Wouldn’t it be reassuring to see some sign in the sky that the God of vengeance was gathering his forces to render recompense to the wicked, to finally stand up for his name and his people? At the first incarnation a star shone forth in the sky, a “star of wonder, star of night, star with royal beauty bright.” Now that we anxiously await the Lord’s second coming to put the proud in their place, to shut the mouths of the arrogant, we see nothing in the sky to give us hope. But we really need no such sign. Do we not have the Word of God before us in the early morning?
I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one. 1 John 2:14
The Psalmist continues his argument.
5 They crush Your people, O Lord,
And afflict Your heritage.
6 They slay the widow and the stranger
And murder the orphans.
7 They have said, “The Lord does not see,
nor does the God of Jacob pay heed.” Psalm 94:5–7
Certainly the proud, the wicked, the arrogant see no such sign. They are unrestrained and unimpeded in perpetrating evil against the people of God. They wrongly think that the Lord does not see what’s going on nor does he care.
8 Pay heed, you senseless among the people;
And when will you understand, stupid ones?
9 He who planted the ear, does He not hear?
He who formed the eye, does He not see?
10 He who chastens the nations, will He not rebuke,
Even He who teaches man knowledge? Psalm 94:8–10
The long and short of it is the Lord definitely hears and he definitely sees. How do we know? Who created the ear and the eye in the first place? He will definitely teach the senseless and the stupid and chasten those who masquerade as wise. He will take them to school.
11 The Lord knows the thoughts of man,
That they are a mere breath.
12 Blessed is the man whom You chasten, O Lord,
And whom You teach out of Your law;
13 That You may grant him relief from the days of adversity,
Until a pit is dug for the wicked. Psalm 94:11–13
We are given the Word of God through which we are chastened to know him better, that we might be relieved from our anxiety over the advances of the wicked. They will soon enough stare up at us hopelessly from the pit.
23 But You, O God, will bring them down to the pit of destruction; Men of bloodshed and deceit will not live out half their days. But I will trust in You. Psalm 55:23
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