“O Lord, the God of vengeance, O God of vengeance, let your glorious justice shine forth! Arise, O Judge of the earth. Give the proud what they deserve. How long, O Lord? How long will the wicked be allowed to gloat? How long will they speak with arrogance? How long will these evil people boast? They crush your people, Lord, hurting those you claim as your own. They kill widows and foreigners and murder orphans. “The Lord isn’t looking,” they say, “and besides, the God of Israel doesn’t care.” Think again, you fools! When will you finally catch on? Is he deaf—the one who made your ears? Is he blind—the one who formed your eyes? He punishes the nations—won’t he also punish you? He knows everything—doesn’t he also know what you are doing? The Lord knows people’s thoughts; he knows they are worthless! Joyful are those you discipline, Lord, those you teach with your instructions. You give them relief from troubled times until a pit is dug to capture the wicked. The Lord will not reject his people; he will not abandon his special possession. Judgment will again be founded on justice, and those with virtuous hearts will pursue it. Who will protect me from the wicked? Who will stand up for me against evildoers? Unless the Lord had helped me, I would soon have settled in the silence of the grave. I cried out, “I am slipping!” but your unfailing love, O Lord, supported me. When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer. Can unjust leaders claim that God is on their side— leaders whose decrees permit injustice? They gang up against the righteous and condemn the innocent to death. But the Lord is my fortress; my God is the mighty rock where I hide. God will turn the sins of evil people back on them. He will destroy them for their sins. The Lord our God will destroy them.”
Psalms 94:1-23 NLT
A large part of navigating this world isn’t just bypassing the perils within it. It is also understanding them in their proper context. Psalm 94 posits an important truth that all believers must remember as they walk through this valley of the shadow of death. As this life is filled with those who watch us from high places, waiting to pelt us and pounce on us like helpless prey, God is watching from above them. The psalmist notes that the Lord turns the sins of evil people back upon them. This is interesting phraseology. There is a distinction here between the person and the sin. Romans notes that these people suppress the truth about God by their wickedness. Their sinful behavior is the means by which they live out their corruption. These people do not become evil. They are evil. But those evil people who trust in the lord can become good. And those who are good need not fear the sins of the wicked. This harkens back to another verse in Romans which notes that the wages of sin is death. This death which they project upon the righteousness will be paid out to them with all of the Lord’s fierceness. We need not fear as we pass through this world and make our way through their midst. Where we go is to be with God. He will protect us in this life or the next, but likewise, they will receive their just rewards.
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