God’s Vengeance and Discipline (Psalm 94)

Those of you who know me know that I love movies. The revenge film is a peculiar subset of cinema that I enjoy. I won’t make a list, but a good recent example is the John Wick series. At its core, it’s a simple story: a man named John Wick has just lost his wife to cancer, and just before her death she gave him a little dog. This dog is his final memory of his wife. One night, a gang comes, breaks into his house, steals his car, and in the scuffle, a member of the gang kills the little dog.

So John Wick—who happens to be an ex-professional assassin—takes his revenge.

There’s a reason why people like revenge movies: it’s quite satisfying to see someone who has been wronged get back at the people who wronged him.

But there’s always a problem in revenge movies, and that is that the revenge always goes wrong, or at least off the rails. Even if only one person killed his dog, and only four people broke into his house, John Wick ends up killing about a hundred people. These films, even though they can be satisfying on multiple levels, show why men are not able to manage vengeance well.

God, on the other hand, is more than able to handle it.

We see at the end of Psalm 93—the psalm that came just before today’s text—that “your decrees are very trustworthy, and holiness befits your house, O Lord, forevermore.” At its core, vengeance is a good thing, because it is justice rendered against an injustice committed. Men are not well-suited to render justice in the right way, because we are also unjust. That’s why we have laws and judges, to keep us from rendering justice in the wrong way. But God is a perfectly holy, perfectly just God, so when he renders justice, it is always well measured, always perfect.

It’s really important to know this, because the question of injustice is a constant in the Bible. Injustice—of any kind—is an affront against the God of the universe, a crime that takes on cosmic proportions.

With that in mind, let’s begin our reading. We don’t know exactly what situation brought on the writing of Psalm 94, but it doesn’t matter—from Genesis 3 on, the situation he describes is always current.

The Wicked Deserve Judgment (v. 1-7)

O LORD, God of vengeance,
      O God of vengeance, shine forth!
            2       Rise up, O judge of the earth;
      repay to the proud what they deserve!
            3       O LORD, how long shall the wicked,
      how long shall the wicked exult?
            4       They pour out their arrogant words;
      all the evildoers boast.
            5       They crush your people, O LORD,
      and afflict your heritage.
            6       They kill the widow and the sojourner,
      and murder the fatherless;
            7       and they say, “The LORD does not see;
      the God of Jacob does not perceive.”

In these first verses, the psalmist isn’t talking about “ordinary” sinners. He’s not talking about the guy who cheated on his taxes or had an extra-marital affair. The psalmist is talking about those people whom we would consider the “big bads”—the enemies of God’s people, the oppressors of the weak.

These people, he says, deserve God’s judgment because of their pride; because they exult in their power and pour out arrogant words.

They deserve God’s judgment because they crush God’s people.

They deserve God’s judgment because they murder people who can’t protect themselves—the widow, the foreigner, the orphan.

And throughout it all, they imagine that they can do it with impunity—they deserve God’s judgment because they don’t believe God is watching, and they mock God’s people because they seem to continue to act with no consequences. “The Lord does not see,” they say. “The God of Jacob does not perceive.”

Think of those people throughout history who have amassed power for themselves, and who, because of their power, imagine themselves above the law, imagine themselves above all authority, and who act in their own selfish interests, to the detriment of anyone in their way, because they think that no one will be able to stop them.

Of course no one’s power lasts forever. Every wicked empire sees its end eventually. But that’s little consolation to those who are oppressed by them.

So it is normal and right for the oppressed to cry out to God, and to ask him the blunt question the psalmist asks here: O Lord, how long shall the wicked exult? God, how long can this go on? How long can these wicked people continue to murder and oppress the weak?

In our day, it’s more fashionable to say that we should pray for the wicked, that God would love them—and there is a place for that. God can save whomever he likes, and if the wicked come to Christ in faith, we will be happy about that.

Even so, we have to see that that’s not all the Bible says on the matter. It is normal to ask God to rise up and judge these wicked leaders, to give them what they deserve for their wickedness.

But what’s interesting here is that after asking God to judge the wicked, the psalmist turns to speak to the wicked themselves.

God Is Watching and Acting (v. 8-11)

The first thing the psalmist says to these wicked rulers is that they’re wrong. They say, “The Lord does not see; the God of Jacob does not perceive.”

But (v. 8):

8       Understand, O dullest of the people!
      Fools, when will you be wise?
            9       He who planted the ear, does he not hear?
                  He who formed the eye, does he not see?

It is complete madness to imagine that we’re able to pull a fast one on God, the Creator of all things. A creator is, by his nature, more complex and more knowledgeable than his creation. The Creator of ears can hear—of course. The Creator of eyes can see—of course. You could ask a little child the questions in verse 9, and they’ll answer correctly.

Which is why the psalmist calls these arrogant rulers “the dullest of the people,” and “fools.” For all their perceived intelligence, they are missing the most obvious thing.

But God doesn’t just see; he doesn’t just hear. V. 10:

10       He who disciplines the nations, does he not rebuke?
                  He who teaches man knowledge—
            11       the LORD—knows the thoughts of man,
      that they are but a breath.

God rebukes the nations.

We may have a hard time seeing that when we look at it from where we are, because we only see what’s in front of us now. But if we’re able to take a step back, we can see it clearly.

Throughout Israel’s history, what do we see? We see Israel’s enemies punished in the Old Testament, and we see Israel herself disciplined when she rejects God.

And if we look further than that, we can see the same thing. The fall of the Roman Empire. The fall of the Third Reich. No evil lasts forever. God is a just God, and he rebukes the nations.

It’s really important to see what the psalmist is doing here—and I thought about saying this earlier, but I wanted to bring our attention to it at this point in the psalm, because it’s easy to get lost.

Every psalm serves multiple purposes at the same time. At their root, the psalms are songs meant to be sung in the assembly—they are songs of worship. But at the same time, they are teaching tools. Every parent knows that one of the most effective way to teach children anything is through songs—songs with repeated phrases and melodies that they can sing and memorize and remember later. That’s what’s happening here.

But the way the psalmist is going about it is interesting, because in v. 8-11, in the song he is speaking directly to these wicked rulers, telling them how foolish they are to imagine that they can continue practicing wickedness and that God won’t notice or do anything about it.

Why is the psalmist doing that? He knows that—more than likely—these wicked rulers won’t be in the assembly singing with the rest of God’s people. They’re not going to hear these things.

You see, the psalmist’s pedagogy is very creative. These words are for God’s people, to help them to see much bigger than they would see on their own. What would they see on their own? They would see the oppression that they or people they love are enduring. And in calling out the wicked here, the psalmist is lifting their eyes higher than that. He’s giving the people confidence—that God sees and God hears and God acts.

You see, the psalm is doing exactly what v. 10 tells us God does. What does he do? He “teaches men knowledge”. There is no one better suited to take on this task, because he knows the thoughts of man. Our Creator knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows what we are capable of, and he also knows what we need.

And it is to this aspect of God’s discipline—his good discipline, for the good of his people—that the psalmist turns next.

God’s Discipline Is a Blessing (v. 12-15)

So now, the focus turns away from the wicked rulers who are threatened with God’s rebuke, and onto God’s people, who are “blessed.” V. 12:

12       Blessed is the man whom you discipline, O LORD—

Stop there for just a second. This sounds like a contradiction of what came before. V. 10— “He who disciplines the nations, does he not rebuke?” And now, suddenly: “Blessed is the man whom you discipline, O Lord.”

We’ve got to be clear in our definitions, because people always ask the question. They’re going through a painful situation, and they ask me, “What did I do? Is God punishing me?”

The answer is both simple and…not so simple. Sometimes we suffer just because we live in a world that has been tainted by sin. But sometimes we suffer the consequences of things we have done, and God never promises his people that these consequences won’t come.

When we speak about “the discipline of God”, we’re talking about a consequence that comes from God because of sin that we have committed, OR a correction that comes because there is a danger of sin that we need to be prepared for.

It’s important that we see that God can do the same thing, for two very different reasons, and with different results. God’s discipline can produce different things, depending on his goal in disciplining, and the way people respond to it.

Let’s take two examples from the Bible. The first is the Pharaoh in Egypt, in the book of Exodus. When God sends Moses to call the Pharaoh to let the people go, what does the Pharaoh do? He hardens his heart. So God rebuked him—he disciplined him, sending the plagues against Egypt. In the end, the Pharaoh didn’t respond to this rebuke in the right way; he hardened his heart until the end, and ended up losing everything for it.

Now, compare that to one of my favorite stories from the Bible. We find it in the book of Daniel, chapter 4. The King of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, is profoundly proud of the massive and powerful kingdom he has built. He’s arrogant and prideful. And to discipline him for his pride, one day God causes the king to lose his mind. He is driven from his kingdom and lives outside like an animal for several years. 

Then one day, he lifts his eyes to heaven, and God puts a stop to it. The king’s reason comes back to him. He doesn’t forget the last several years of madness, but now he can think about it. And what does he do? He doesn’t curse God for making him go through this ordeal—he praises God. He says (Daniel 4.34-37):  

At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever, 

for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, 

and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; 

35  all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, 

and he does according to his will among the host of heaven 

and among the inhabitants of the earth; 

and none can stay his hand 

or say to him, “What have you done?” 

36 At the same time my reason returned to me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my majesty and splendor returned to me. My counselors and my lords sought me, and I was established in my kingdom, and still more greatness was added to me. 37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble. 

When the king regained his mind, he could have responded like Pharaoh—I’ll bow to no one, I’ll surrender to no one, I am my own master. But that’s not what he did. When his mind returned to him, he humbled himself before God, and declared to all of Babylon  the good authority of God.

The difference is obvious. In the Pharaoh’s case, the discipline of the Lord was judgment against him. In Nebuchadnezzar’s case, the discipline of the Lord was instruction to him, teaching him to humble himself before God.

Both of those types of discipline are described in this psalm, sometimes even overlapping. For the wicked, God is a God of vengeance against their wickedness. For his people, God is a God of instruction—his discipline blesses them rather than punishing them.

That said, let’s pick up at v. 12 again:

      12       Blessed is the man whom you discipline, O LORD,
      and whom you teach out of your law,
            13       to give him rest from days of trouble,
      until a pit is dug for the wicked.
            14       For the LORD will not forsake his people;
      he will not abandon his heritage;
            15       for justice will return to the righteous,
      and all the upright in heart will follow it.

There are several things here that are really important to understanding how God’s discipline for his people is different from the punishment the psalmist prayed for at the beginning.

First, God’s discipline to his people is given in accordance with his law: the man who is disciplined by God is taught “out of his law”. In this context that means the law of Moses, but more broadly speaking, God’s law is the revelation of his character to his people. That means that everything God tells us to do and not to do, he tells us because he wants his people to be like him. He wants his people to reflect his own character. And when his people deviate from what he tells us, and consequences come, those consequences aren’t meant to punish us, but to teach us—to show us why God’s law, God’s character, God’s ways, are better than ours.

Secondly, God’s discipline is a means of protection for his people. Blessed is the man whom you discipline, whom you teach out of your law, to give him rest from days of trouble, until a pit is dug for the wicked. So here we have both of these things coming back together: positive discipline for God’s people, catastrophic discipline for the wicked. The same righteous character that demands judgment for the wicked provides protection for God’s people. Following God’s instruction leads to rest and safety.

Thirdly—and perhaps the most reassuring—God’s people can count on this. The Lord will not forsake his people; he will not abandon his heritage (God’s people are often described as his heritage). How did the wicked rulers of the world treat God’s heritage? V. 5—they crush and afflict them. That is not how God treats them; he is faithful to them. V. 15 then: justice will return to the righteous, and all the upright in heart will follow it. If God remained inactive, then wickedness would continue totally unchecked among his people. But he is not inactive. He will provide for his people the holiness he requires.

So think about this for a minute. Look back at the earlier verses. The arrogance and the pride and the violence of the wicked are not just problems for them—the same sin that infects them infects all of us. But justice will return to the righteous, and the upright in heart will follow us.

This is a promise, and we see that promise fulfilled in a multitude of ways—but most ultimately, we see it fulfilled in Jesus Christ. When God sent Christ to live a perfect, sinless life for us, Christ lived out the justice God requires. And when he died for our sins, God poured out his perfect, just punishment against our sin—except he poured it out on Christ, instead of on us. God’s perfect justice is always, always, always fulfilled: either in the punishment of the wicked, or in his punishment of Christ in our place.

Justice has returned to us—so we, whose hearts have been made upright by God, follow it.

We Can Trust God’s Judgments (v. 16-23)

And this is where the psalmist has been bringing us this whole time. He may not have known exactly how justice would return to the righteous when he wrote this psalm, but he knew God would be faithful to do it. Which is why he ends his psalm victoriously. V. 16:

16       Who rises up for me against the wicked?
      Who stands up for me against evildoers?
            17       If the LORD had not been my help,
      my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence.
            18       When I thought, “My foot slips,”
      your steadfast love, O LORD, held me up.
            19       When the cares of my heart are many,
      your consolations cheer my soul.
            20       Can wicked rulers be allied with you,
      those who frame injustice by statute?
            21       They band together against the life of the righteous
      and condemn the innocent to death.
            22       But the LORD has become my stronghold,
      and my God the rock of my refuge.
            23       He will bring back on them their iniquity
      and wipe them out for their wickedness;
      the LORD our God will wipe them out.

I know all of this might seem hard to believe when we’re in the midst of suffering. But here’s what we need to remember: we may think things are bad, but we don’t know how bad they could be.  If the Lord hadn’t been our help, our soul would soon have lived in the land of silence. God doesn’t wantonly abandon his people, and he doesn’t condemn his people to senseless suffering. He disciplines his people for their good.

Do you see how realistic this is? The psalmist never claims that God protects his people from any and all pain. He freely admits that the cares of God’s people, especially his people living under great wickedness, are many. But what does he say? V. 19: When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.

What exactly are the consolations God gives to his people?

His consolations are the promises that the Lord is there. He is a stronghold and a refuge for us. He will not let injustice go unanswered. He exercises perfect judgment on all sin, and he holds our feet from slipping in the meantime.

Conclusion: learning Perspective

So before we end, we need to ask ourselves: What is the goal of this psalm? The answer to that question is, perspective.

I can’t tell you the number of times newly married couples have called me, simply devastated, over a problem in their marriage. I listen to them, and I get it: the pain and disappointment we can find in a marriage are genuine, and very frightening.

The thing is, I’ve been married for twenty-two years now. I have a slightly different perspective than someone who’s been married for twenty-two weeks, or months.

The reason why these situations are so scary for them is because they’re new. They’ve never gone through anything like that before; they don’t yet know what’s normal and what isn’t, what’s manageable and what’s not.

It’s scary because it’s uncharted territory. But once you’ve lived decades of marriage, you see that it’s not unsolvable. It’s not nothing, but it’s normal. It’s a blip. Loanne and I can deal with the exact same situations today, and be a bit annoyed. But we don’t need to call anyone, and we’re not afraid. We’re fine—not because we’re wiser, but because we’ve been married for twenty-two years, and that gives us perspective, to see it for what it is. And the things that scare us today probably wouldn’t scare a couple who’s been married for fifty years.

Here’s the point: God’s people need a more elevated vision. We need perspective.

So many of us “suffer” over nothing. And others of us suffer over things that are incredible painful…but that are still finite and temporary.

In the scope of eternity, the century of difficulty we have to contend with on earth, while it is very real and very hard, is a mere blip on the timeline.

Yes, we suffer; but with that suffering comes the knowledge of everything that comes after.

With that suffering comes the knowledge of what God is doing in that suffering—that he’s disciplining us, not to punish us, but to help us grow, to make us more like him.

And with that suffering comes the knowledge of the eternal joy that we will have in Christ. Eternal joy in the presence of a holy God who will wipe away all traces of sin and its effects.

The fact that we are here, breathing, not in hell, is a sign of God’s love. It’s a sign of how good things really are. The fact that we are in this room, hearing God’s instruction from his Word, able to come into his presence without being incinerated, shows us his love. The fact that we have been given faith in Jesus Christ, and forgiveness for our sins, shows us not just how God loves us now, but how he will love us forever.

Our suffering is difficult, for sure.

But the consolations of God in Christ far outweigh anything we could suffer.

Even oppression.

Even enemies.

Even sickness.

Even sin.

Even death.

The Lord will not forsake his people; he will not abandon his heritage. When the cares of my heart are many, his consolations cheer my soul.