Psalm 94: Blessed are the Disciplined

Today’s reading is Psalm 94.

When we started reading the psalms two and half years ago, we met two people: the righteous and the wicked (Psalm 1). The righteous meditated on God’s law day and night. The wicked followed their own paths. The righteous are blessed; the wicked are judged. Psalm 94 takes us back to that dichotomy. But it explains the separation of these two characters doesn’t happen immediately. The prosperity of the righteous may take time to come to fruition. The judgment of the wicked may take time to be meted out.

At the same time, Psalm 94 provides deeper understanding of precisely who are the righteous. In a beatitude calling to mind the first line of the psalms, our present psalmist claims:

Blessed is the man whom you discipline, O LORD,
and whom you teach out of your law,
to give him rest from days of trouble,
until a pit is dug for the wicked.

Psalm 94:12-13 (ESV).

The righteous who meditate on God’s law are not wholly innocent, perfectly obedient, self-sustaining righteous people. Not at all. Rather, we are people who have to be disciplined by God, corrected by God, called to account by God. We are people who have needed to repent under God’s disciplining hand. The righteous are not those who have accomplished righteousness by our own perfect working. We are those who have heeded the disciplining hand of the Lord through His Word and Law. We are those who have heeded the disciplining hand of the Lord even when He administered that discipline through the actions of wicked men. We know the Lord disciplines whom He loves (see Proverbs 3:11-12; Hebrews 12:5-11). We accepted it and grew from it.

The wicked who are punished then are not those who just couldn’t cut it on their own. They are those who refused the Lord’s discipline and training. They rebelled, pushed back, ignored, until God’s discipline finally became God’s punishment, retribution, and judgment.

The righteous are not righteous because we have lived better than the wicked. We are righteous because when the Lord disciplined, we heeded. When the Lord corrected, we repented.

What will you do when the Lord disciplines?

Tomorrow’s reading is Psalm 94.

PODCAST!!!

Click here to take about 15 minutes to listen to the Text Talk conversation between Andrew Roberts and Edwin Crozier sparked by this post.

PATHS:
Discuss Today’s Meditation with Your Family

How does Psalm 94 prompt or improve your hope in God?

Psalm 58: Judge Jesus

Today’s reading is Psalm 58.

On Friday, we like to find Jesus in the Psalms. We indeed find Jesus in Psalm 58. However, be aware, most people don’t like the Jesus we find in Psalm 58. We don’t find baby Jesus, lying in a manger, shepherds visiting him by night. We don’t find toddler Jesus, living in a house, visited and worshiped by wise men. We don’t find adolescent Jesus, demonstrating wisdom beyond His years, conversing with elders and rabbis in the temple. We don’t find adult Jesus, telling parables, healing the sick, forgiving sins. We don’t even find crucified Jesus, hanging on the cross, praying for His persecutors.

We find Judge Jesus. We find the rider on the white horse from Revelation 19:11-16:

Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fined linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.

In Psalm 58, we find the Lord Jesus “revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus” (2 Thessalonians 1:7-8, ESV). People don’t like this Jesus. Even Christians don’t like this Jesus. But we must remember Jesus the conquering King. In His first trip to earth, He conquered sin, death, and Satan. In His return, He will conquer those who prefer sin, death, and Satan. Those who impenitently continue to practice injustice, violence, and sin will be judged in the wrath of God.

Do not envision Jesus as the boogey-man with whom we can frighten kids (or adults) into obedient submission. But know this: Judge Jesus is coming. King Jesus is coming. You have a choice. Keep Jesus at arm’s length, follow your own path, pursue sin. Or you can enlist in His army. But beware, while some in that white-garbed army will be the elders who cast down their golden crowns (Revelation 4:4), the faithful from churches like Sardis (Revelation 3:4-5), and the penitent from churches like Laodicea (Revelation 3:18), many who make up the army will be those martyrs given white robes when told to wait for the justice Judge Jesus will bring on those who killed them (Revelation 6:9-11).

We find Jesus in Psalm 58. When we find Him, we learn “surely there is a God who judges on earth.”

Next week’s reading is Psalm 59.

PODCAST!!!

Click here to take about 15 minutes to listen to the Text Talk conversation between Andrew Roberts and Edwin Crozier sparked by this post.

PATHS:
Discuss Today’s Meditation with Your Family

What do you want to share with others from Psalm 58?