In our increasingly polarized society, a desire for vengeance on our enemies may be the only thing all of us Americans have in common anymore. Oh, we define those enemies quite differently, but don’t we all want God to bring down the proud and the arrogant (verses 2-4)? Don’t we all want God to destroy the wicked (verse 23)? Don’t we all want those who hurt the helpless to be punished (verse 6)?

If so, we need to remember Who it is that will do the judging. For the One Who created all our eyes and ears can see and hear everything (verse 9). The source of all knowledge knows not only everything we do, but everything that we think (verse 11). And that means, before we ask God to stick it to those we love to hate, we need to confess that we ourselves are far from innocent. In fact, our very desire for vengeance on our enemies, whoever they may be, may very well be a breach of God’s perfect law of love.

But the good news is that if God will one day destroy the wicked (verse 23), He also chastens His own people, disciplining us in order to bring our lives more into line with His Law (verse 12). And yet, because Jesus went to the cross, enduring the greatest injustice of all in order to save us, we can be sure that He will not abandon His people, no matter what we may have done, or what suffering we might be going through (verse 14). No, we can be confident that the One Who died for us will continue to be our stronghold and our refuge (verse 22).

So, even though there is great wickedness all around us today, can we let go of our anxious thoughts (verse 19)? For Jesus’ covenant-keeping, unconditional love will hold us up, giving us consolation and even delight as we put our trust in Him.

Psalm 94 (NASB)

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.
5 They crush Thy people, O LORD, And afflict Thy heritage.
6 They slay the widow and the stranger, And murder the orphans.
7 And they have said, “The LORD does not see, Nor does the God of Jacob pay heed.”
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?
11 The LORD knows the thoughts of man, That they are a mere breath.
12 Blessed is the man whom Thou dost chasten, O LORD, And dost teach out of Thy law;
13 That Thou mayest grant him relief from the days of adversity, Until a pit is dug for the wicked.
14 For the LORD will not abandon His people, Nor will He forsake His inheritance.
15 For judgment will again be righteous; And all the upright in heart will follow it.
16 Who will stand up for me against evildoers? Who will take his stand for me against those who do wickedness?
17 If the LORD had not been my help, My soul would soon have dwelt in the abode of silence.
18 If I should say, “My foot has slipped,” Thy lovingkindness, O LORD, will hold me up.
19 When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Thy consolations delight my soul.
20 Can a throne of destruction be allied with Thee, One which devises mischief by decree?
21 They band themselves together against the life of the righteous, And condemn the innocent to death.
22 But the LORD has been my stronghold, And my God the rock of my refuge.
23 And He has brought back their wickedness upon them, And will destroy them in their evil; The LORD our God will destroy them.