This psalm is considered to be written by David as an explanation of the theological issues of Psalm 1 (Read the sermon on Psalm 1). Many have difficulty reading this psalm due to the attributes of God it presents. A. W. Pink writes:
It is sad to find so many professing Christians who appear to regard the wrath of God as something for which they need to make an apology, or at least they wish there were no such thing … Others harbor the delusion that God’s wrath is not consistent with His goodness, and so seek to banish it from their thoughts. … But God is not ashamed to make it known that vengeance and fury belong to Him … The wrath of God is as much a Divine perfection as His faithfulness, power or mercy … The very nature of God makes Hell as real a necessity as Heaven is (The Attributes of God, 1975, p 75).
See our discussions on this subject as seen in Psalm 58 and in Psalm 109.
- Verses 1-7-David asks the question as to how long God will allow those who practice injustice to continue in their ways. They act as though God does not see what is happening. Worse, they think He does not care about what happens to the widows and the orphans. The answer is in God’s timing. Deuteronomy 32.35 and Romans 12.19 present the case that recompense is God’s prerogative not man’s occupation. With this, God promises to make the wrong right in His timing. An apt description of them is found in Psalm 10. Verse seven presents the unjust rulers as Israelites and not a foreign power. Foreign powers believed their god would be stronger than the God of Israel. The phrase “God of Jacob” would only be found on the lips of the Jewish rulers. This makes the atrocities worse. They knew the right thing to do but refused to do it for sake of gain.
- Verses 8-11-David answers those who say God does not know, see, or care. He is omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, and just. The logic of verse ten is telling the Israelites who are guilty of these transgressions that God does judge and He will judge them. This is the same argument that Paul uses in Romans 2-3. Listen to our sermons on Romans 2-3.
- Verses 12-19-David asks, like he asked in 1 Samuel 17, who will arise as the champion to stand in the gap for those oppressed? The world today has need of men like Martin Luther who stated rather somberly: “Here I take my stand; I cannot do otherwise: May God be my help! Amen.” For our society to be restored to any sense of civility, we need people to stand for what they know is true. David shows that our sense of whom God is determines our desire to stand for Him and what He values. Have we lost the sense of the reality of our God? Do we believe as did David, and Paul in 2 Corinthians 12.9-10, that when we are weak He becomes our strength? Or do we attempt to stand for Him in our own might. Paul had something to say on this subject too. Read 1 Corinthians 16.13, Ephesians 6.10-20, Philippians 4.1-9, 1 Thessalonians 3.6-8, 2 Thessalonians 2.13-15, and 1 Peter 5.12. In these passages Paul and Peter command us to stand firm in the Lord, in our faith, in His Word, not in ourselves.
As we grow older, life does not come easier except that our faith in God grows through our Bible studies, our prayers, our memorizing His Word, and our fellowship with Him and others. This is what John was describing throughout the book of 1 John and specifically in 1 John 1.1-4 and 1 John 2.12-14.
These verses show us eight blessings for following God:
- God disciplines
- God instructs
- God develops faith over time
- God will never forsake His own
- God judges with righteousness
- God helps defend His own against evil
- God upholds when His own are in danger of falling
- God comforts the soul of those who are His
- Verses 20-23-God tells us there is no fellowship between light and darkness in 1 Corinthians 6.14-16. Here, David, reminds us of this same truth. God cannot have fellowship with evil. God is the one who will expose the unrighteous deeds of those outside of Him. We are to let our light so shine before men that they have to proclaim the goodness of God, which is what Jesus taught us in Matthew 5.13-16. Look closely at verse 21. Does this sound like the abortion laws coming into full effect? Who will stand up for what is right? Not violently, for vengeance is the Lord’s, but in votes, in teachings, in practice?
I normally do not place large quotes from commentaries in my writings, yet this is the second one in this post. This quote is taken from Word in Life Study Bible (1997):
Have you ever felt frustrated by problems in society that just seem to go on and on? Perhaps you’ve lamented, “Why doesn’t someone do something? Why don’t things ever change?”
The composer of Psalm 94 appears to have felt that way. Looking around at the injustices of society, the writer cried out to God, the righteous Judge, to do something, yet also wondered how long wickedness would continue (Ps. 94:1–3). This psalmist’s frustration compares with an urban pastor who appeared in housing court one day, where many of his poor parishioners were having their cases decided. The minister sat for hours, witnessing one case after another. In every verdict, the judge was siding with the rich and powerful, even when the facts seemed to overwhelmingly favor the poor.
Finally the pastor could take no more of what he saw as blatant injustice. Shaking with outrage, he leaped to his feet and cried, “Your Honor, if it please the court, I have a question.”
The judge stopped his proceedings and acknowledged the pastor. “Yes, Reverend, what is it?”
“Your Honor, I’ve been watching all day long as case after case after case has gone against these poor people. Where is the justice in this court?”
Immediately the judge replied, “Reverend, you don’t understand. This is not a court of justice. This is a court of law. If you want justice, go change the law.”
The judge’s point is well taken. When evil triumphs in society, or when justice is not served, it could be the result of an imperfect system or institution “which devises evil by law” (94:20). In such cases, things will change if the righteous engage in reforming the system, with God’s help.
Sometimes the real question is not Why don’t things change? but Why don’t believers change things?
Reflect on the state of the United States in light of this psalm. What is next? How long? This psalm is a cold, hard reminder to the truth that it does not matter what you believe if you are not willing to defend it, proclaim, and live it. If we are not willing to do these tasks, how can we say we love Him?
This psalm begins by showing God as wrathful and just, and then towards the end it shows His great love.
Verses 17-19 shows His unfailing mercy and goodness to us. God has the right to punish us and turn away from us, but instead He sent His Son to save us. So, when we are in trouble, he helps us. When we are in distress, He comforts us.
As stated in verses 12-19, we should stand up for God and defend His ways. He does not reject us, so we in turn need to Hold on to His values against the ways of the wicked. It is interesting to look at this Psalm as a reflection of how we are doing as a nation.