11/13/17
Tom Lowe
Psalm 94
(A wisdom psalm, and a royal psalm, since the phrase “Judge of the earth” (v. 2) is equivalent to “King.”; the others in this group are 94, 96-100.)
Title: The Avenger
Theme: A call upon God to intervene against the wicked.
Scripture
1 O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongeth; O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, shew thyself.
2 Lift up thyself, thou judge of the earth: render a reward to the proud.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
INTRODUCTION
Few things in life are as disturbing as seeing people commit intentional offences against others, knowing that their actions are wrong, and then laugh because they continued to get away with their cruel behavior. The writer of psalm 94 had such an experience, and his psalm is a plea for God to take vengeance on unrepentant evildoers.
This psalm is a cry for vengeance, but we do not know when it was written, nor by whom, nor under what specific circumstances. Some have taken the position that it belongs to the same era as the previous one. It is classified as a wisdom psalm which seeks to reconcile the inequities of life with the goodness and power of God. Other psalms dealing with the same problem are 37, 49, and 73. It has also been noted that Psalm 94 to 100 forms a series of psalms that tell a consecutive story. These seven glorious psalms are Kingdom songs celebrating the reign of the Messiah. They are a revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ and His reign on earth following the time of the great tribulation and all the trouble that comes upon man during that period. Now, after saying all that, I must add this: the LXX calls this psalm, “A Lyric Psalm of David, for the Fourth Day of the Week.” Although the author of this psalm is unnamed, the Assyrian, Arabic, Ethiopic, and Vulgate agree with the LXX on Davidic authorship.
We do not know to which enemies, foreign and domestic, the psalmist refers, although it is generally accepted that this is one of the post-exilic psalms, that is, a song of the returned remnant. Certainly, in those difficult days of breaking new ground described so vividly in Ezra and Nehemiah, there were plenty of foes, and not all the monarchs of Persia, under whose jurisdiction the little nation of Judah fell, were beyond being influenced by the struggling nation’s near and more vocal enemies; nor, for that matter, were all the kings of Persia as magnanimous as Cyrus. Ahasuerus, the Xerxes of secular history, was quite willing to put his name on a document calling for the wholesale massacre of Jews throughout the length and breadth of the empire.
Whichever the case, the psalmist calls upon the God of vengeance to cut them off. Many have wondered at the appropriateness of such a psalm. Some have suggested that the psalmist exhibits a strong sense of unforgiving retribution.
In its prophetic context, the psalm looks ahead to the days of the Antichrist and to Israel’s future sufferings in the great tribulation. Then certainly, the cry for an avenger will be raised loudly and legitimately in the will of God.
The psalm is heralded because of its treatment of God’s moral government on the earth. Jews and Gentiles alike, the chosen people and the nations and empires of earth, are reminded that God overrules in man’s affairs. The psalmist tells them that God has His own infallible means of educating the children of men. The writer deals with the seeming triumph of the wicked and the unjust treatment of the helpless. But it is not foreign conquerors who were guilty, but the leaders of the nation cooperating with the local judges. Even the king was abusing the people by issuing unjust edicts (v. 20).
Luther says: “This Psalm is a prayer of all the pious children of God, and of spiritual people, against their persecutors; so that it may be used by all such from the beginning to the end of the world.”
The psalm concludes with an expression of quiet confidence that God’s righteousness will be manifested eventually.
COMMENTARY
94:1-7: The psalmist begins with a prayer. Beleaguered with doubts and difficulties, with fears within and fightings without, the psalmist wisely turns his thoughts toward God.
(Verses 1 and 2) What he wants is vengeance. The concept of vengeance is not at all uncommon in the Old Testament. The Mosaic Law not only made provision for it but demanded it. There was a person in the Old Testament called “the avenger of blood.” If someone committed an act of willful murder it was the duty of the next of kin to hunt down the murderer and kill him. The six cities of refuge, scattered up and down the Promised Land, three on each side of the Jordon River, existed solely because the avenger existed and was always prepared to do his job. If a man was guilty of involuntary manslaughter, he fled to one of these cities where he was safe, once his case had been reviewed by the high priest. However, if a deliberate murderer sought sanctuary in one of these cities, he was formally expelled and could be killed by the avenger of blood.
The psalmist tells the Lord that, given the prevailing injustice and oppression, He must act in accordance with His own law. He Himself must become the avenger of blood.
1 O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongeth; O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, shew thyself.
God’s requirement for His people is that they “do justly . . . love mercy, and. . . walk humbly with [their] God” (Micah 6:8), for the Lord loves justice (33:5; 37:28) and hears the prayers of those who have been treated unjustly. He says this in Exodus 22:26-27: “If thou at all take thy neighbour's raiment to pledge, thou shalt deliver it unto him by that the sun goeth down: For that is his covering only, it is his raiment for his skin: wherein shall he sleep? and it shall come to pass, when he crieth unto me, that I will hear; for I am gracious. (Also see Deuteronomy 24:14-15; James 5:1-4).
Psalm 94:1-15 is primarily a congregational lament (expression of grief). It laments a situation to which God’s justice will bring judgment for the wicked and relief for the poet. It opens with an imploring cry for help to the “God of vengeance.” “God, to whom vengeance belongeth.”—God’s vengeance includes the vindication of the eternal law of righteousness, and also of His downtrodden people. We seem to hear already the cry of the martyred saints, “How long, O Lord, holy and true!” (Revelation 6:10). Even when the psalmists call out for divine vengeance, they recognize that God decides when to execute His wrath and judgment.
This verse reads stronger than that in the revised texts: “God of vengeance, Jehovah. God of vengeance, shine forth.” The word rendered “vengeance,” moreover, is in the plural to underline the completeness of the retribution the psalmist has in mind. The word is often misinterpreted to mean “revenge” or “being vindictive,” as though God we’re having a temper tantrum, but “to avenge means to uphold the law and give justice to those who have been wronged. Vengeance from God is not in the sense of uncontrolled vindictiveness, but in the sense of just retribution by the terminal Judge for trespasses against His law. Since the Lord is omniscient, He is able to judge motives as well as actions and deal with situations and people justly (Leviticus 19:18; Romans 12:17-21; Hebrews 10:30-31). He is the Judge of all the earth (58:11; 82:8) and always does what is right (Genesis is 18:25). “Shew thyself,” means “show yourself, reveal your power and glory” (50:2; 80:1).
We want the Lord to act immediately (6:3), but He is gracious and long-suffering (Exodus 34:6-7) and we must walk by faith (Luke 18:1-8). The proud and arrogant “belch out” evil words and commit evil deeds (10:2-11), and the godly can do nothing to stop them. Orphans, widows, and aliens in the land were under the special care of the Lord (68:5-6; Isaiah 22:3).
We can see how fitting such a prayer will be in the dark and dreadful days of the beast. Apart from those specific instances legislated under the Mosaic Law, it is always best to leave vengeance in God’s hands. The psalmist understood that. Vengeance is your right, Lord, he said. The “Lord God” is the One “to whom vengeance belongeth,” a thought drawn from Deuteronomy 32:35{9] and emphasized in Romans 12:19―“Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
“Shew thyself” has also been rendered lift up thyself, shine forth, and show thyself in brightness. The meaning of the phrase is either, (1) ascend thy tribunal to pronounce the sentence; or (2) arise from thy seat and start to punish thy proud enemies; or (3) the psalmist asks God to make an appearance; he may even be asking for a theophany (Psalm 50:2; 80:1). Many people say, “O, if the Lord would only come.” Well, He is coming, friend; but He is coming on His schedule, not on mine or any man’s schedule. Then when he comes, He will take care of all those things that caused us suffering. For the present He simply says, “Take my hand, and walk in faith.” Vengeance belongs to the Lord. He will repay. God will take care of things and set them right. There are a lot of things that need to be straightened out; and, when He comes to earth again in power and great glory, He will make things right. In the meantime, we are not to avenge ourselves. Turn those matters over to Him.
2 Lift up thyself, thou judge of the earth: render a reward to the proud.
If we are to abstain from revenge and leave vengeance with God, then righteous retribution becomes His responsibility. Just as God is judge of the earth, there are wrongs that need to be righted, atrocities that need to be repaid, and pride that needs to be decreased. But that is not all according to verses 3-7.
Israel’s God is the “God of vengeance,” but He is also the “Judge of the earth,” that will manifest Himself in shining splendor (Deuteronomy 33:2) and in judgment upon the proud.
(Verses 3-7) The psalmist points out to the Lord how the foe has been behaving. Simply spelling it out should be enough to get the Lord to act!
3 Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph?
Then comes the lament, marked by the opening question “How long?” and describing the activities of certain arrogant and irreverent, evil men. The people the psalmist describes are not just wicked—according to verse three they gloat (“triumph”) about what they are doing. The time has come for the righteous judge of all the earth to avenge the crimes of evil rulers against His beloved people. The psalmist desires God’s justice in the matter, and he details several of their many offenses. They are proud and boastful. They oppress God’s people. In the case of the weak and helpless, their oppression has even led to death (94:4-6). They are convinced God either doesn’t see or doesn’t care, which implies that they know full well that their actions are wrong and that they are getting away with it (94:7). But this is an age-old problem, one we meet repeatedly in the psalms, one we find stirring the hearts of the prophets. It puzzles us, and it hardens skeptics and agnostics in their unbelief. Why do the “wicked triumph?” It seems like they do. One of the significant things that Daniel tells us about the upcoming Antichrist is that he will “make craft to prosper.”
Because few problems cause God’s people to question His rule more than, “Why do the helpless and the godly suffer and the wicked get away with their crimes?” The question the psalmist asks concerns the present period of time; it does not imply any suspicion of divine impotence. The inquiry is elaborated in three respects:
- By the facts (4-7)
- By the principles (8)
- By beliefs (12-15)
4 How long shall they utter and speak hard things? and all the workers of iniquity boast themselves?
“Utter” literally means “to belch out.” The wicked are described as pouring forth a stream of arrogant and boastful words which spring from self-esteem. The psalmist reminds the Lord that His enemies, the enemies of His people, are belching out “hard (arrogant) things”; grievous, and insolent, and intolerable words against Thee and Thy people; blasphemous, malicious, contemptuous, and threatening words. Those whose activities the psalmist describes (94:4-7) are property owners who have fallen away from the worship of God and use their power to exploit the poor. They revel in triumph over their victims, belching out arrogant boastful words; they boast of their invincible power, and prosperous success in their wicked enterprises. But in spite of that, the big question is not whether God can avenge wrongs done, but “how long” it will be before He brings about justice.
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.
Evil men in positions of authority are guilty of mistreating the poor and needy (“the widow . . . the stranger . . . the fatherless”) yet arrogantly believe they will not have to answer to God for their sins (vs. 4-7). They do not hesitate to murder the weak, the defenseless, and even the stranger.
From very earliest times among the peoples of the Middle East hospitality to the stranger{2] was regarded as a solemn and sacred duty. The guest was extremely sacred or safe from harm. With total disregard for policy or custom, the ungodly were preying on the orphan, the widow, the alien—all those least able to defend themselves. They crush the Lord’s people mistreating their property, and even murdering the helpless in Israelite society. Nor do they fear any punishment, for they boast that God neither sees nor cares what they do. The emphasis in verse five is upon “Thy people . . . Thine heritage{1],” and aims at arousing God so that He will intervene.
7 Yet they say, The Lord shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob regard it.
Now they had gone too far; the ungodly were preying on the orphan, the widow, the stranger{2]—all those least able to defend themselves. They had degraded the true and living God; Israel’s God, the God of Jacob (so they call him sarcastically), to the status of a tribal deity, like the idols of the nations around them. By doing this, they act as if it were possible to escaped the divine Observer, adding folly to their crimes. No wonder the psalmist says, “Act quickly Lord! It is not so much that Your people are being harmed—You are being ridiculed. Surely, You are not going to sit idly by and tolerate that!”
94:8-11: He turns from pleading with God to pleading with his fellow countrymen. Many of them had given up, not having the spiritual discernment to see that the present circumstances were only temporary, that God was still on the throne. All too often when our situation seems beyond us we think it is beyond God too—especially when our pleas “Lord hurry! Lord, hasten!” seemingly fall upon deaf ears.
8 Understand, ye brutish among the people: and ye fools, when will ye be wise?
After praying to the Lord, we must confront the wicked with the truth, as the Lord gives us opportunity. These people were behaving like animals and not like humans made in the image of God. They had such a low view of God (v. 7) that they were unable to think logically. If God is able to rule the nations by His providential decrees (Acts 17:24-28), is he unable to deal with a band of wicked officials who are breaking His law and exploiting His people
The next part of the psalm (verses 8-11), can be thought of as a sermon directed toward these practical atheists who are full of indignation. They have boldly asserted that the Lord does not understand what they do. The psalmist, using the same term, challenges them, calling them “brutish” (dull-witted people; double stupid among the people) and foolish (impious fools), advising them to “wise up” and asking just when they are going to show some intelligence, and saying they cannot fathom how futile and empty of meaning are their reckless words―you who, though you think yourselves the wisest of men, yet in truth are the most brutish of all people; for the Hebrews often expressed themselves in this manner, as they did in Proverbs 30:30. We feel here the influence of the wisdom poetry in Israel, with its appeal to the understanding. The command to “understand” is for “fools” to abandon their foolishness.
The lack of discernment, pointed out in verse seven, is not on God’s part, but theirs (John 9:39{10]). Three principles are declared in verses 9-11:
- First, the Creator must be greater than His creatures. He who made doors of access to the human mind must have the power and right of entry. (v. 9)
- Secondly, the moral ruler of great historic movements must exercise His holy authority over every man. If the ordinary nations are trained and instructed in right and wrong (Romans 1:18) and are held responsible for their misdeeds (Romans 1:32), how much more shall He Himself, teacher of the knowledge of righteousness, be righteous in His rebukes?
- Thirdly, the Lord knows fully the nature of human thoughts (psalms 139:1-4; John 2:24, 25) and recognizes that they, both the thinkers and their thoughts, are as unsubstantial as breath (Psalm 39:5, 6; 62:9).
9 He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? he that formed the eye, shall he not see?
The gist of the sermon, which is in verses 9-11, argues from what God has done and does to what God knows. A God, who can create an ear and an eye, must be able to hear and to see. What a simple, but sublime approach! The psalmist would have been even more forceful if he had known as much about the eye and the ear as we do today. But the Holy Spirit, who guided his hand as he wrote, certainly knew!
Once again God is speaking to the stupid and foolish man. God is Spirit. He does not have ears like we do, but He hears, He does not have eyes like we do, but He sees. The sinner down here on this earth seems to think he is getting away with sin. God sees; God hears, and He is able to keep a record of what man does. My friend, there are only two places for your sins; either they are on Christ, or they are on you. If they are on Christ, the judgment is passed; if they are not, you have only judgment to look forward to in the future. Those who are in Christ have the glorious prospect of life with Him to look forward to in the days ahead. My friend, if you have not yet come to Christ, you will have to stand before God in judgment.
Think of the omniscient genius of a God who can create an eye! The eye contains tens of millions of electrical connections. It can handle one and a half million messages at once. About eighty percent of all the knowledge we absorb comes through the eye. Only an omniscient, omnipotent God could create an eye, an ear, or any other of the awesomely intricate human organs. How ridiculous to suppose that the Creator of “the ear” is deaf, and that He who “designed the eye” is blind.
Of course, the unknown writer of this psalm could not possibly know what we know about the eye and the ear. He knew enough, however, to attribute their creation to God. And he was wise enough to make the logical connection. Surely the God of such creative genius—the God who could invent and engineer the human ear and eye—surely such a God can hear and see! Of course He can! That is the first point in the psalmist’s appeal.
10 He that chastiseth the heathen, shall not he correct? he that teacheth man knowledge, shall not he know?
“He that chastiseth the heathen, shall not he correct?” (94:10a) The word “correct” means to reprove, rebuke, call to account. This passage stands almost alone in the Old Testament in its explicit assertion of the fact that God corrects, disciplines, and educates the nations, just as much as He does Israel. The great God, who can instruct nations, knows how to correct them. God loves heathen peoples as much as He loves the Hebrew people. God never leaves Himself without a witness. The heathen nations might not know God in the full sense that those blessed with an open Bible know him, but He loves and corrects them just the same.
“He that teacheth man knowledge, shall not he know?” (94:10b) Of course He knows; He is the great teacher of men; therefore, He must have awesome knowledge! How foolish it is for us to imagine for a moment that God does not know what is going on. He is God! The psalmist simply extrapolates from the human to the divine. Since man can see and hear, since man is a moral, intelligent being—how foolish to imagine that God is anything less. Indeed, He is infinitely more. This, then, is the appeal.
11 The Lord knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity.
The word for “thoughts” is literally “fabrications, inventions, schemes, plans.” Men twist their thoughts like a woman braids her hair, but no matter how tortuous and twisted the thinking of men, God can unravel it all. The subversive plans and plots of these evil leaders cannot be hidden from the Lord, nor will they go unpunished. Even our most secret thoughts are as plain as day to Him.
He calls them “vanity” (or “futile”; God’s wisdom and power will bring all man’s scheming to naught.). The word is “breath,” or, as we would say today—so much hot air! Paul picks up this very verse in explaining to the sophisticated Corinthian believers the emptiness of human wisdom (1 Corinthians 3:20{4]). The apostle says to them, you are saying God does not discern, but the psalmist says He well discerns that the thoughts which you in your superiority consciousness expressed about Him are utterly empty of truth.
This is an answer to the abovementioned question, “shall not he know?” (94:10). Yes, he knows all things, even the most secret things, such as the thoughts of men; and in particular your atheistic thoughts, and he even knows your wicked practices, which you said he did not see (94:6-7). And He knows that they are generally vain and foolish and that while you mock God and applaud yourself in such thoughts, you do not help yourselves, but only delude yourselves with them.
94:12-15: He comes to a fourfold conclusion about God’s ways in the world. God’s discipline can be a wonderful gift that turns people from potential trouble and allows them to share everything God has to offer. Continued wickedness becomes a pit that consumes those who never change their behavior, but righteous people need not fear judgment. God will not allow faithful people to suffer forever at the hands of evil doers.
12 Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O Lord, and teachest him out of thy law;
“Blessed{6] is the man whom thou chastenest, O Lord” (94:12a). From the godless, arrogant man the psalmist turns to those who heed the instruction and accept the discipline of the great Teacher; the religious position. One of the surest marks of Hebrew wisdom is the utterance of blessing such as opens this section of the psalm. The word rendered “blessed” is the usual word in the psalms for “happy.” Just as a father disciplines his child, so God disciplines His people. Just as a father loves his child and wants the best for him, so also does God. That man is blessed, who, under the chastening of the Lord, is taught His will and His truths, from His Holy Word and by His Holy Spirit. The writer of Hebrews tells us that one proof we are in the family of God is seen in God’s chastening of us. The psalmist saw the truth of that. He recognized the parental aspect in God’s dealings with the nation of Israel.
There is infinite consolation in the thought that the adversities of life may be the “chastening” of the Lord. Chastening, as in verse 12 and Hebrews 12:5-11, does not mean punishment for wrongdoing, although it may include this. It stands for the whole process of child training, the disciplines of life that lead to maturity. What a school this is; and what a Teacher! The discipline{5] is rather severe; but the pupils turn out well, and derive lasting blessedness and rest. Chastisement{5] is better than “adversity” (94:13).
“And teachest him out of thy law{8]” (94:12b). The psalmist returns to the thought already uttered in verse 10, that the Lord is the great Teacher. His textbook is His law. This indicates the period in Judaism after the introduction of the priestly law by Ezra (397 b.c.). The purpose of this instruction which the law provides is the moral discipline of the psalmist’s life. But some lessons can only be enforced by hard experience. They are there, written by God in His Word for our education, but we are so unteachable that God has to take the rod and drive them home by force of bitter circumstance.
“Blessed is the man whom God teaches by employing a discipline upon him (Psalm 119:71; Hebrews 12:5-9), and teaches him out of the law of the Lord.”
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.
There are some deep truths in these little statements.
The thoughtful psalmist recognizes that God provides a period of relief (94:13a). He provides “rest from the days of adversity”; which means that the mercy of God will alleviate the suffering of the righteous even before the judgment of the wicked is accomplished—there is coming a time of judgment (“days of adversity”), but the Lord will spare His people from it. The longer the wicked persist in their sins, the deeper is the pit they are digging for themselves and the stronger the net that will trap them (9:15-16).
Furthermore, He does not allow us to be tempted above what we are able to bear. He sees that God had planned a place of retribution. This will give him tranquility in evil times, for he will be divinely protected until evil is dealt the death blow―“until the pit{7] be digged for the wicked” (94:13b). The pit of the wicked is being digged. It may be some little thing, some insignificant item the tyrant has overlooked, but God is at work. His ways are oftentimes hidden, but He is at work.
But what is the content of the Lord’s teaching which gives the psalmist such poise and assurance? The law teaches him that the Lord will never surrender His people (94:14). Though God may for a time correct His people, yet He will not utterly destroy them, as He will their enemies, but will in His time put an end to all their calamities. They are His property. He will never forsake or abandon them. God cannot be surprised by anything He discovers in us. He knew all about us when He began to love us. The tenacity of His love for His chosen people is a strong encouragement to all the seed (Malachi 2:16; John 10:28).
The reference here is to the great belief that God is a covenant God, who keeps faith with His people, which was uttered first in the introduction to the Deuteronomic Code (Deut. 7:6-11), then applied powerfully in Samuels reputed words to Israel (1 Samuel 12:22). He sees God pursue a policy of reinstatement “The Lord will not cast off His people (His heritage).” God’s heritage in Old Testament times was the nation of Israel. The reinstatement of a small contingent of faithful pioneers in the Promised Land was proof enough to this psalmist that God’s purposes operated on a very much larger time scale than ours.
The psalmist’s words really leap the centuries. Present-day Israel, regathered in part back to the land, is proof that God’s policy of reinstatement is still at work. The prophetic Scriptures assure us what the future will be like for Israel. Not even the dark days of the great tribulation will hinder God from bringing His purposes to a successful conclusion. The psalmist, then, lays hold of this providential aspect in God’s ways.
15 But judgment shall return unto righteousness: and all the upright in heart shall follow it.
It seems from this that the psalmist has explored for himself the principles of God’s dealings.
Although the world is now full of unrighteous judgments, and even God Himself seems not to judge and administer things justly, because He allows His people to be oppressed, and the wicked to triumph over them. Yet the state of things shall be prearranged otherwise. God will declare Himself to be a righteous Judge, and will advance and establish justice on the earth, and especially among His people. We can be confident that God will never forsake His own (94:14), but “goodness” (righteousness) shall have justice (judgment) done to it—the future is with men of “upright mind (heart).” Ultimately God will dispossess the wicked and bring righteous judgment back as the supreme principle of government in human affairs. He will accomplish this by reintroducing the law which teaches the psalmist that God will reward the righteous person in accordance with his just deserts, and that the issue of an upright heart will be happiness. This teaching of individual retribution goes back in origin to Ezekiel 18:4, 20.
94:16-19: He returns from philosophical meditations to his own case. What it was we are not told, but evidently it had much to do with the writing of this psalm. I personally believe that from verse 16 to the last verse the psalmist is experiencing the false accusations of evil enemies who without law are damaging his reputation with lies, and then condemning him, an innocent man, as guilty. He has had many crises in his life when he stood in danger of death. And out of deep spiritual experience he knows God.
As troubling as it is to witness the evil around him, the psalmist finds help from God, who provides consolation for his anxiety and helps him, maintain spiritual footing. Without God’s intervention, he feels that his enemies might have been too much of a problem, possibly forcing him to his grave.
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.
From his defense of others, the Psalmist turns to plead for his own cause: “Who will rise up for me?” is a plea to the Lord who alone is the sure defense of the believer. Verse 16 is answered by the next two verses.
His lament begins in the depths of loneliness and need from which he utters a burning question. It is a reproachful question, but at the same time an indirect petition. The subject matter is lament; the form is petition.
On the surface, it looked as though there were no help and no hope for him; he is in the depths of loneliness and need from which he utters a burning question. It is a reproachful question, but at the same time an indirect petition. The subject matter is lament; the form is petition. “Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? or who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?” (94:16). Apparently there was nobody to stand up for him among men, but he had no doubt that God was on his side.
In his deep distress he resorts to his past experience―“Unless the Lord had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence” (94:17). Had God not been his helper in crisis after crisis, he would long ago have descended to the world of the dead, to the realm of “silence.”
18 When I said, My foot slippeth; thy mercy, O Lord, held me up.
The text seems to suggest that this courageous psalmist had already given himself up for lost. But God had hold of him all the time. He had answered His servants cry for help with a sustaining arm. We can picture a little boy walking with his dad. His father is holding his hand when suddenly the little fellow slips. Down he would go, except for one thing—daddy had him by the hand. Frequently in times of great uncertainty when he could find no secure foothold and felt weak and alone he experienced the undergirding lovingkindness of God. God’s mercy was God’s hand securing the psalmist in his difficult circumstances.
When the psalmist says, “My foot slippeth,” he is indicating that he has arrived at the point where he might fall into trouble and utter destruction.
19 In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul.
The word for “thoughts” is rendered “doubts” in the margin of the Revised Version. Another authority suggests the rendering “wandering thoughts.” The psalmist was troubled by distracting thoughts; various and perplexing thoughts; cares and fears about his future state. We do not have to go far from our own prayer closets to realize what wandering thoughts can do to us. Sometimes we find it almost impossible to concentrate in prayer, even when we desperately need to pray. The psalmist found comfort in the fact that God Himself understands and consoles. The consolations of the Lord were his “delight.” His inner turmoil of anxious thoughts often was stilled by soul-quieting divine comfort.
That is why in the New Testament we have been given that other Comforter. He is the Paraclete ["Helper," "Counselor," and "Advocate"; the Holy Spirit.], the One called alongside to help, the One who, as Paul says, “helpeth our infirmities.” The word Paul used was the same word that Martha used when she asked the Lord to tell Mary to come and help her in the kitchen. It was practical, immediate, down-two-earth help she wanted. That is the kind of help God gives. Such recall of experiences in which he had received spiritual help is characteristic of the lament wherein the petitioner is fighting for assurance. So now he answers his own lamenting question.
94:20-23: He turns aside from his own troubles to the larger troubles of his people. Retribution against the wicked people has not yet taken place, but the psalmist is certain it will occur. God will have nothing to do with a corrupt throne—those who create misery rather than administer justice. They banded together for even greater power, but they are still no match for God. He is the fortress, the rock, and the refuge of the psalmist and other righteous people. God will destroy the wicked—the only adequate payment for all they have done.
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.
From this steadying recall of deep spiritual experience in sharp contrast the psalmist turns back to his present prevailing mood of lament, in which he vividly describes his accusers. Theirs is a practice all too common today. New laws are passed which legalized practices our fathers wrote down as sin. “The throne of iniquity”{3] (“wicked sovereign,”) can have no “fellowship with” God, for the godless ruler “frameth mischief”―devise wicked plans, and lay heavy burdens upon men that are more righteous than themselves; that is, uses the very law itself to work his evil ends. The reference is to a corrupt judge or ruler. Corrupt judges and rulers counter the very divine moral order of the universe by using law for wickedness rather than for good.
Evil princes who sit upon “thrones of iniquity” band together against the righteous (94:21), “and condemn the innocent blood,” i.e.; they shed the blood of those innocent persons whom they have wickedly condemned. “Thrones of iniquity” is a description of the wicked that have great power. The holy Lord cannot tolerate evil in His presence. “The Lord . . . Shall cut them off: Final judgment will one day come to the wicked.
22 But the Lord is my defence; and my God is the rock of my refuge.
Then suddenly the mood of the psalm changes totally from lament to certainty. The psalmist is sure of the blessing of the Lord’s protection. His consciousness of refuge in God is overwhelming. It is likely that between verses 21 and 22 in the actual rendition of the psalm in Israelite worship a priestly revelation is pronounced assuring the petitioner of the protection of the Lord and mediating to him the certainty that his enemies will be destroyed. In victorious assurance the psalmist cries “the Lord is my defense; and my God is the rock of my refuge.” In fact, Yahweh is for the psalmist a place of high refuge, his God, a shelter and rock. The psalmist is quite safe! He is sheltered in the cleft of the rock. His enemies must remove that rock to get to him!
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.
In the end, morality and right will triumph. The justice of the Lord will “bring upon” evil doers “their own iniquity”; that is, the fruit and punishment of their sins. There is a sense in which sin is its own punishment, and men are doomed to reap what they sow (Galatians 6:7-8). The righteousness of God guarantees the working of a moral law which is built into the very fiber of the universe.
“In their own wickedness” means either in the midst of their sins; or by their own wicked devices; the trouble that He will cause to fall upon their own heads. The psalm concludes with the confidence that God has heard and will judge the wicked. “The Lord our God shall cut them off” (Yahweh our God will wipe them out). This final assurance, for all its vicious sound, is actually a testimony of faith in the certainty of Yahweh’s judgment and in the self-assertion which will bring that judgment.
We said earlier that Psalm 94 is thought by some expositors to be a preview of the return of Christ at the end of the tribulation to set up His righteous kingdom on earth. The returning Lord will make short work of His foes, cutting them off in their wickedness as they stand at Megiddo, weapons in hand, to oppose His coming again.
CONCLUSION
The one most striking aspect of the belief of the poet of Psalm 94 is his absolute amazement that any man could be as gross, as unresponsive, and as arrogantly bold in indifference to God as the wicked ones whom he attacks. It attests to the fundamental nature of his own belief that he should be so shocked by their attitude, as well as assured that they are certain to meet a reckoning formed in the terms of their own behavior. It is apparently a belief based on his own experience. He has known correction and counted it a blessing. As, indeed, it is, whether it is recognized as one or not.
SCRIPTURE AND SPECIAL NOTES
1) “Thine heritage” is the people the Lord has chosen for Himself.
2) “Stranger” refers to the sojourner, or what we would call a resident alien.
3) The mention made of “the “throne of iniquity” (94:20) seems to indicate that the Chaldean empire had already arisen, and taken up a threatening attitude against the people of God. Still there is no mention made as yet of the destruction of the temple, or of the leading into captivity; and therefore, perhaps, the land had not been overrun by the invader.
4) “And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain” (1 Corinthians 3:20).
5) The words “chasten” or “discipline” mean “teaching and instruction from God’s law” (Deuteronomy 8:5; Proverbs 3:11-12). The psalmist recognized the fact that the difficulties of life could help him mature in his faith. If God immediately rescued His people from their personal difficulties, they would become “spoiled brats” and never grow in faith or character. “For whom the Lord loves He chastens” (Hebrews 12:6). God uses personal difficulties to teach us new truths from His word (Psalms 119:50).
6) “Blessed” is a term meaning “manifest happiness.”
7) “Pit” is one of the words used as a synonym for Sheol (16:10). Digging the “pit” is a way of describing the preparations for the final judgment of the wicked (Revelation 20). But here “Pit” is a device for trapping a quarry, as in 7:15 and 9:15.
8) “Thy law”: Either the Pentateuch or the general body of religious teaching mediated through priest, a prophet, and sage.
9) “To me belongeth vengeance and recompense; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste” (Deuteronomy 32:35).
10) “And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind” (John 9:39).