The Lord is Against Those Who Do Evil
Summer in the Psalms • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Today we are once again listening to God’s Word as it comes to us in Psalm 34. In the RCL, which we are following this summer, Psalm 34 is divided into 3 sections over three consecutive Sundays so this morning we conclude our reflection on what I trust has been a very meaningful psalm for all of us.
If you were here last Sunday you will remember that for the second section I decided to take a phrase that was repeated a number of times in that section and reflect on it; that was the phrase, “the fear of the Lord.” What is it and what does it mean for how we live our lives?
This Sunday I want to do something similar, but admittedly it is on a topic that you don’t hear too many sermons on. Probably because it is a difficult topic. Three times in this section we encounter statements on what happens to the wicked or the evil.
The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and his ears are attentive to their cry;
but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
to blot out their name from the earth.
The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them;
he delivers them from all their troubles.
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
The righteous person may have many troubles,
but the Lord delivers him from them all;
he protects all his bones,
not one of them will be broken.
Evil will slay the wicked;
the foes of the righteous will be condemned.
The Lord will rescue his servants;
no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.
Here they are:
16 but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to blot out their name from the earth.
21 Evil will slay the wicked; the foes of the righteous will be condemned.
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So I want to take some time this morning to reflect on what can be described as God’s Judgment, or Eternal punishment or even what we sometimes call the reality of Hell.
Of course, this psalm is not principally about the condemnation of the wicked. Rather it’s about God and what he does for those who cry out to him, those who fear him, those who are close to him. But in this section the psalmist does address the reality of those who are not. Those who reject God, those who live as though he has no authority in their lives, those who have not turned to Him and accepted the gift of forgiveness and new life which only He can give.
Rather, what the psalmist does is call for God to punish the wicked.....
And you know? this call of the psalmist for God to punish the wicked, or this declaration of the psalmist that God will punish the wicked is found in a significant number of other psalms.
Here are just a few examples:
The psalms begin that way in Psalm 1:4-6
4 Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. 6 For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.
9 Bring to an end the violence of the wicked and make the righteous secure— you, the righteous God who probes minds and hearts.
Psalm 37 if full of these kind of prayers or declarations
28 For the Lord loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed; the offspring of the wicked will perish.
10 who says, “I will cut off the horns of all the wicked, but the horns of the righteous will be lifted up.”
6 The Lord sustains the humble but casts the wicked to the ground.
The psalmist in Psalm 34 and in many others thanks God for bringing judgment to the wicked, he thanks God for bringing an end to those who do evil and cutting them off from the face of the earth.
In fact at times the psalmist will rejoice in their judgment!
4 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth. Selah
12 Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them; let all the trees of the forest sing for joy. 13 Let all creation rejoice before the Lord, for he comes, he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his faithfulness.
Psalm 97:1
1 The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad!
3 Fire goes before him and burns up his adversaries all around.
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....not just in the Psalms, but in the Law (Torah), and in the prophets.... Day of the Lord passages.... a glorious day for the righteous.....a terrible day for the wicked....
But, you might be saying, Andrew, that is so Old Testament!
Well, actually, it’s not.
Consider what Jesus himself says in Matthew 10..... he’s sending out his disciples to preach and he says about those people or towns that reject Him and reject His disciples:
15 Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.
28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Or remember Jesus famous sheep and goats parable.....
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
Or consider Paul’s words in 2 Thess. 1 where he speaks about God’s judgment especially upon those who cause suffering and harm towards God’s people
6 God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you 7 and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. 8 He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might
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Or finally, consider the book of Revelation.....throughout that book are symbolic descriptions of God’s judgment against sin, wickedness, and evil. In Rev. 20 we encounter another symbol, the lake of fire, where all those who have rejected the forgiveness and life that God offers us in Christ....those who’s names are not written in the Book of Life....
13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.
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So, in the Bible the condemnation of the wicked or of those who have rejected God and his way for life is REAL. The final judgment of God of all people is REAL. And the existence of some kind of experience of eternal punishment or torment is REAL.
I suspect talk of all this makes many of us feel uneasy....
I think part of that is good and understandable..... we are created in the image of God....we don’t like the idea of eternal punishment, we care about people......and we get that from God.....he cares about all people even the wicked God continues to shower with his common grace and care.
Consider
45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
16 In the past, he let all nations go their own way. 17 Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.”
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Why eternal or unending punishment??
first let me say the Bible does not give us a clear answer to this question.....
we were created as creatures that were intended to live forever....
because of God’s unending love for the good creation and especially the good creatures that he made in his own image.....so infinite so unending is his love for us that anything which would corrupt or infect or stain that which he loves with an unending love, should be subject to an unending punishment..... the unending punishment is a testimony to unending love and infinite value God places on the creatures he has made in his own image.
OK, you might be saying, perhaps Andrew I can see more clearly why the reality of eternal punishment is necessary and real.....but why does the Bible speak about them as often as it does? Is God’s intention to frighten us into a relationship with Him?
To that question I’d want to say two things:
To warn those you love about something that is harming them either now or in the future is loving! In fact, that kind of warning is really a demonstration of his love.
parents do it all the time with their young children....and even their older ones at times.
because God loves us he warns us SO THAT we will turn away from sin and its consequences and receive the gracious gift of God.....we find this all through the prophets for instance....
a dominant theme in the OT is how God, because he loves his people, time and time again warns them when they wander from him.....
Covenant blessings and curses..... Deut. ..... warning them......sending prophets to tell them.... all with the desire that they will turn from their disobedience and find forgiveness and life in a living relationship with God....
God uses these warnings to create a healthy fear in us....
2. God will deal with all injustice. God will deal with the wicked, the unrighteous, the evil doer, those who wish to harm me, those who are greedy and self-serving, who care for nothing except themselves..... God has it covered, so we don’t have to.
19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.
And precisely because we know this is the Lord’s job..... we can live this way:
9 Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.
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It is precisely because God loves all people so very much that he warns them and awakens in them a healthy fear that will turn their hearts to him.
And so.....how do we know that God truly loves all people in this way?
Peter is writing in this part of his letter about the Lord’s second coming..... when will Jesus return? It had only been about 40 or 50 years since Jesus ascended but already there were people thinking boy, Jesus is taking a long time to return!!
9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
Speaking about prayer and our call to pray for all people.....
3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.
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Bible teaches that all of us are sinners, and because of that have been separated from God and worthy of condemnation and punishment....
9 What shall we conclude then? Do we have any advantage? Not at all! For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin. 10 As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; 11 there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. 12 All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
15 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry;
17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. 18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
22 The Lord will rescue his servants; no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.
You see God loves us.....and he sent His Son to save us and give us life!
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
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That my friends is the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.....believe it and you will be saved.