Justice can be a harsh taskmaster.”
–Louis L’Amour (We Shaped the Land With Our Guns)
“And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.”
–John 16:8 (NKJV)
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8 — Understand, you senseless among the people; and you fools, when will you be wise?
9 — He who planted the ear, shall He not hear?
10 — He who instructs the nations, shall He not correct, He who teaches man knowledge?
11 — The LORD knows the thoughts of man, that they are futile.
12 — Blessed in the man whom You instruct, O LORD, and teach out of Your law,
13 — That You may give him rest from the days of adversity, until the pit is dug for the wicked.
14 — For the LORD will not cast off His people, nor will He forsake His inheritance.
15 — But judgment will return to righteousness, and all the upright in heart will follow it. (NKJV)
Justice is coming! Repent, forsake your wickedness, or face the consequences. That seems to be the theme of Psalm 94. We may wonder when the Lord will act, but rest assured He is acting right at this moment. The wicked may scoff and point out that God has not punished or judged them. In fact, they might think who does He think He is with the right to judge me. “Think again fools! When will you finally catch on?” (94:8, NLT) God knows your thoughts for good or bad, for righteous or for evil.
In this evil time that we are facing don’t be fooled into thinking that God is not there. Don’t be like those who just don’t get it–God hears and sees and will judge. We live in a time when some of the first words anyone might say to you could be, “Who are you to judge?” “Stop judging others.” Don’t you realize that this is the New Testament, God does not judge, He loves. People better realize that in this life of sin and wickedness there is a pardon to receive, but only if we throw ourselves at the mercy of the Judge. People of God should welcome His judgment because it is true and right.
We should learn from the suffering we endure and see around us. We should be aware of the Lord’s instruction, and never forget that He is aware of us and our affliction. He is always in the process of training His people and will use adversity and suffering for their eternal good. Don’t be alarmed, but recognize that justice is coming! Judgment comes for the righteous. Think of “Tombstone” with the Earp brothers and Doc Holliday walking down the street–Justice is coming! God will take care of His people, He will not forsake them for they are His inheritance. “Those who live right get rewarded. Those evil crime bosses who think they can get away with murder have another thing coming. God sees their deed and will see that justice is done. The sheriff has arrived, and law-abiding citizens can rejoice.” (William J. Petersen)
“Arm of the Lord, awake, awake!
Thine own immortal strength put on;
With terror clothed, hell’s kingdom shake
And cast thy foes with fury down.”
–Charles Wesley
———————————
8 — Understand, you senseless among the people; and you fools, when will you be wise?
9 — He who planted the ear, shall He not hear?
10 — He who instructs the nations, shall He not correct, He who teaches man knowledge?
11 — The LORD knows the thoughts of man, that they are futile.
12 — Blessed in the man whom You instruct, O LORD, and teach out of Your law,
13 — That You may give him rest from the days of adversity, until the pit is dug for the wicked.
14 — For the LORD will not cast off His people, nor will He forsake His inheritance.
15 — But judgment will return to righteousness, and all the upright in heart will follow it. (NKJV)
Justice is coming! Repent, forsake your wickedness, or face the consequences. That seems to be the theme of Psalm 94. We may wonder when the Lord will act, but rest assured He is acting right at this moment. The wicked may scoff and point out that God has not punished or judged them. In fact, they might think who does He think He is with the right to judge me. “Think again fools! When will you finally catch on?” (94:8, NLT) God knows your thoughts for good or bad, for righteous or for evil.
In this evil time that we are facing don’t be fooled into thinking that God is not there. Don’t be like those who just don’t get it–God hears and sees and will judge. We live in a time when some of the first words anyone might say to you could be, “Who are you to judge?” “Stop judging others.” Don’t you realize that this is the New Testament, God does not judge, He loves. People better realize that in this life of sin and wickedness there is a pardon to receive, but only if we throw ourselves at the mercy of the Judge. People of God should welcome His judgment because it is true and right.
We should learn from the suffering we endure and see around us. We should be aware of the Lord’s instruction, and never forget that He is aware of us and our affliction. He is always in the process of training His people and will use adversity and suffering for their eternal good. Don’t be alarmed, but recognize that justice is coming! Judgment comes for the righteous. Think of “Tombstone” with the Earp brothers and Doc Holliday walking down the street–Justice is coming! God will take care of His people, He will not forsake them for they are His inheritance. “Those who live right get rewarded. Those evil crime bosses who think they can get away with murder have another thing coming. God sees their deed and will see that justice is done. The sheriff has arrived, and law-abiding citizens can rejoice.” (William J. Petersen)
“Arm of the Lord, awake, awake!
Thine own immortal strength put on;
With terror clothed, hell’s kingdom shake
And cast thy foes with fury down.”
–Charles Wesley