Reading: Psalm Chapter 94
The cry of millions of sufferers through the ages has been
“Where is God? What is He doing about the evil,
sickness, sorrow and death currently swamping humanity? If He
exists and is all-powerful, as we are constantly being told,
then why doesn't He do something to stop earth's ills?”
1. Vengeance Belongeth unto God
The Psalmist had similar queries. But he was an spiritual analyst who
arrived at amazing answers. Let us examine his questions and answers
which he recorded for our benefit. His first point is:
Vengeance Belongeth unto God.
| Psalm 94: | 1: “O LORD God, to whom vengeance belongeth; O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, shew thyself.” |
| Verse: | 2: “Lift up thyself, thou judge of the earth: render a reward to the proud.” |
| Verse: | 3: “LORD, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph?” |
Yahweh exacts vengeance against all unrepentant sinners in direct
proportion to their guilt. But He has set a time for His vengeance.
He never acts hastily but first waits to see if the sinner requests
pardon. His method is to first offer mercy; then if sin persists
- to punish. Last of all He deals out vengeance. The following
Bible verses prove that Yahweh has and will punish evildoers.
| Jude 7 | “Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.” |
| Deuteronomy 32: | 35: “To me belongeth vengeance, and recompence; 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: | 43: “Rejoice, O ye nations, with his people: for he will avenge the blood of his servants, and will render vengeance to his adversaries, and will be merciful unto his land, and to his people.” |
| Isaiah 61: | 2: “To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;” |
| Isaiah 63: | 4: “For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come.” |
| 2 Thessalonians 1: | 7: “And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, 8: In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:” |
| Hebrews 10: | 30: “For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people. 31: It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” |
These are sobering facts which the enemies of Christ and the Gospel do well to consider;
because a day of terrifying vengeance is fast approaching.
2. How Long O God?
Still, the inevitable question is: How long do we have to wait for
Yahweh to act? Why does He take so long to do things? Why is evil on
the upsurge and God so silent? The world is crying out for action - soon!
In (Psalm 94) the same questions are asked.
| Verse: | 3: “LORD, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph?” |
| Verse: | 4: “How long shall they utter and speak hard things? and all the workers of iniquity boast themselves?” |
| Verses: | 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. |
The answer is: The Almighty will remain silent till His time of grace is ended.
He is allowing plenty of time for evil men to repent and be saved. He doesn't want
any one to die if there is even a small chance that they might repent. That is why
He doesn't act straight away. The Bible says:
| 2 Peter 3: | 9: “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that ANY should perish, but that ALL should come to repentance.” |
Yahweh is patiently waiting for people to repent and accept His free
gift of salvation through Yeshua His Son. His love compels Him to hold back
his frustration and anger at mankind's unwillingness to change its
ways. But when He finally decides that ‘enough is
enough’ then the universe will witness a display of
vengeance beyond all imagination. So let us all stop questioning
Yahweh's reluctance to punish iniquity. It is because of His enormous
patience that all of us alive today have obtained mercy and salvation.
Had He acted in vengeance years ago, I for one would never see the
Kingdom of Heaven.
3. Yahweh Knows
Yahweh knows absolutely everything. If He wanted to He could look into
every secret of your life. But He respects your privacy and doesn't
pry into men's minds unless He has to. Then he is able to measure and
analyse every motive, every thought, every word and every deed.
| Verses: | 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.” |
4. Yahweh Punishes / Teaches
The Most High disciplines all those whom He loves. But do not mistake
His discipline or mild punishment (discipline) for vengeance. Discipline
is applied as a means of instruction. Vengeance is another matter.
- Divine vengeance is the unrestrained, final retribution of God on the ungodly. It will come unmixed with mercy and will end in the death of the sinner. See Yahweh’s Wrath.
- Divine chastisement is a different matter. It is the lot of all the sons and daughters of Yahweh. We are all in need of correction, discipline and instruction from Yahweh's law. These measures improve one's character. Like reward, discipline and punishment are instructional tools.
| Verse | 12: “Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O LORD, and teachest him out of thy law.” |
5. Yahweh is Always With Us
The LORD will never abandon His children. Though the enemy may scheme a million
schemes, and though at times it may appear as though our feet are slipping, yet
in the end Yahweh's people will be victorious. The reason for absolute
victory is because
| Verses: | 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.” |
6. Who Will Stand Against Evil?
The world is sick. Evil is apparently overwhelming good: and the forces of
righteousness appear almost paralysed. Resistance to evil is weak. Like the
deadly disease of AIDS, spiritual apathy is devastating many churches. It is
at this apparently hopeless time, when truth seems to be on the way out, that
the Almighty asks this challenging question:
| Verse | 16: “Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? or who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?” |
Yahweh asks a similar question in the prophecy of Isaiah. Let me quote it:
| Isaiah 6: | 1: “In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the
Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the
temple. 2: Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. 3: And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. 4: And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. 5: Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. 6: Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: 7: And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. 8: Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. 9: And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. 10: Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed. 11: Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate,” |
- Who is willing to expose Error?
- Who will stand up and speak for the Truth?
- Who is willing to enter the spiritual battle against Unrighteousness?
- Are you?
If you are unwilling to fight in the good fight; if you are not interested in defending
the church - which is the body of Jesus Christ, then you may well have that fearsome
problem - spiritual AIDS!
But if your soul is being stirred at this very moment, then repeat Isaiah's answer with me:
“Then said I, Here am I; send me!”
7. The Attack & Defence
Satan and his team are very active in attacking Truth. One of their targets are those
who proclaim Truth. In fact the more you present the Truth, the more hatred you will
arouse in the hearts of the wicked. Sad to say, that is fact that every preacher and
follower of God has to learn.
| Verses | 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.” |
Our divine commission is to proclaim the
Everlasting Gospel of
salvation to a sin-sick world on the very brink of eternity. The nearer we get to the Saviour's return,
the more earnestly we should proclaim the Gospel. No matter how daunting that duty may appear to be
and no matter how strong the opposition, always remember that Yahweh and His Son Yeshua (Jesus)
are with us - even to the end of the world. That is the divine promise which cannot fail.
| Matthew 28: | 18: “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19: Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” |
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