The Blessed Life Receives Discipline from God

When you find yourself in the dark, it is good advice to find the light. In Psalm 94, the Psalmist cries out, “O Lord, God of vengeance, God of vengeance, shine forth!” My Bible puts an exclamation point to that request. Verse two echoes verse one, “Rise up, O judge of the earth; repay to the proud what they deserve.”

At the outset, when facing a difficult situation or enemies, it is good advice to let God deal with them. In the opening verses of Psalm 94, the writer acknowledges that justice and vengeance are best served up by God. As we move through Psalm 94, we find four reminders when confronting evil and injustice.

First, Remember God will Avenge (Psalm 94.1-7).

The Psalmist lists the charges against the wicked in Psalm 94.3-7.

Psalm 94:3–7 ESV

O Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked exult? They pour out their arrogant words; all the evildoers boast. They crush your people, O Lord, and afflict your heritage. They kill the widow and the sojourner, and murder the fatherless; and they say, “The Lord does not see; the God of Jacob does not perceive.”

Our culture craves superheroes who can avenge the evils of the world. Who’s our favorite Avenger? The Incredible Hulk, Ant-Man or Wasp, Iron Man? My favorite Avenger is Captain America. In one scene in Avengers, Thor and Loki are described “like gods.” Captain America replies, “There’s only one God, ma’am, and I’m pretty sure He doesn’t dress like that.”

As fun as those superheroes are, they pale in comparison to Almighty God. However, those superhero movies generally play up the villain well. There is some type of evil that the superheroes are confronting.

In Psalm 94, the wicked wound people with their words and take the lives of those on the fringe of society. The wicked are destroying the widow, the immigrant and the orphan.

The Psalmist cries out along with most people throughout the ages when faced with wicked people and regimes, “How long?” How long, O Lord until you avenge?

As I think of the Psalmist’s cry for how long, I remember the cry of the martyrs in Revelation 6.9-11. Listen to the word of Revelation.

Revelation 6:9–11 ESV

When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.

As we think of the injustice of the world and remember those who are persecuted for the name of Jesus, I want to share a brief prayer from Release International that Trevin Wax shared in an article from The Gospel Coalition (https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/a-prayer-for-persecuted-christians/). The month of November signals a reminder to pray for our brothers and sisters who are persecuted for the name of Jesus.

Father God, for those who are widowed and orphaned may they know the comfort that comes from Your promised presence even when they walk through the valley.

May they be strengthened by Your Spirit, enabling them to rejoice with the psalmist as they proclaim that the Lord will not abandon them in death.

Could you use Psalm 94 as a prayer reminder to pray for those who are enduring persecution and hardships?

Second, Remember God Sees All (Psalm 94.8-11).

Psalm 94:8–11 ESV

Understand, O dullest of the people! Fools, when will you be wise? He who planted the ear, does he not hear? He who formed the eye, does he not see? He who disciplines the nations, does he not rebuke? He who teaches man knowledge— the Lord—knows the thoughts of man, that they are but a breath.

The Psalmist confesses that evil can’t outsmart God. The Psalmist asks a series of questions. If God created the ear, don’t you think He can hear? If God created the eye, don’t you think He can see?

Adam and Eve could not hide from God. Cain couldn’t hide from God after he killed his brother. David couldn’t hide after he sinned with Bathsheba and killed her husband.

God disciplines or trains the nations in verse 10. We will find this word again in verse 12. God rebukes the nations, teaches mankind knowledge. He knows the thoughts of man. He knows that man’s thought are but a breath. It is the word that Solomon uses in Ecclesiastes for mist, vapor, or vanity. Someone describe this word as what’s left over after a bubble pops.

The Apostle Paul picks up on this theme in his letter to the Corinthians.

1 Corinthians 3:19–20 ESV

For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness,” and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.”

God sees all. The Psalm will close with God holding evil accountable and destroying evil. Until that day, we live in the middle.

Third, God Works in the Middle of Life’s Messes (Psalm 94.12-15).

Psalm 1 begins with blessing—Blessed is the one who walks with God. Psalm 2 ends with blessing—Blessed are those who find refuge in God. And in Psalm 94, the blessing shows up in the middle. Sometimes life begins with blessings. Sometimes it ends with blessings. And sometimes the blessings are found in the middle of the mess as in Psalm 94.

Psalm 94:12–15 ESV

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. For the Lord will not forsake his people; he will not abandon his heritage; for justice will return to the righteous, and all the upright in heart will follow it.

The word for discipline that we found in Psalm 94.10 and 12 is the same word we saw in Psalm 2.4 when God addressed the kings of the earth to be “warned” or be “disciplined.” The word discipline carried with idea of correction or instruction. In Psalm 94, the blessed one is disciplined and taught from the law or instructions of God. The word of God is our instruction manual. In this context, and in much of the Bible, it is the Old Testament law that is in view. The Bible is a manual for dealing with difficult people.

I believe that God blesses His people by leading them through adversity. We will confront evil and injustice all our days. God can bless His people by showing them how to live and leading them with truth and giving them rest (Psalm 94.12).

In other words, “God blesses His people with correction and care.”

This blessing in Psalm 94 sounds like it may fit well in the blessings that Jesus gives in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5. In that sermon, we read words like “Blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are those who mourn, blessed are the meek, blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.” The list closes with “Blessed are the persecuted.” Our blessing from Psalm 94.12 sounds like it could fit right with them. “Blessed is the man you discipline, O Lord, and whom you teach out of your law.”

In fact, the final blessing on persecution from Matthew 5, could fit here in Psalm 94. In Psalm 94, the writer is face to face with some evil people that have no regard for God or life.

Listen the Jesus’ words in Matthew 5.10-12.

Matthew 5:10–12 ESV

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

God can bring blessings in the middle of the adversities of life.

Fourth, Remember God Stands Up by Laying Down (Psalm 94.16-23).

Psalm 94:16–23 ESV

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

Again, the Psalmist calls out and confesses His help in the Lord. Who will stand up against evil? It is the Lord who will help. God will one day deal with injustice and evil. He will wipe it out. Until then, we are called to live in this world under the blessings that God provides.

I think Psalm 94.19 is good medicine for the soul in any season. “When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.” The word for consolation could also mean comfort of “breathing deeply.” It is the same word for the Holy Spirit, the breath of God who brings comfort to our soul.

In Psalm 94.21, the accusation of conspiring against the righteous and condemning the innocent continues. In the same way the proud killed the widows and orphans, now they continue against the righteous and the innocent.

In Matthew 27, we have a group who came together against the life of the righteous and condemn the innocent to death.

Matthew 27:1–4 ESV

When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. And they bound him and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate the governor. Then when Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he changed his mind and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” They said, “What is that to us? See to it yourself.”

The death of Jesus is God’s way to avenge the evil of this world. The Son of God was forsaken so we could be forgiven. The Son of God shows the way of blessing. He stood up to the evil of the world by laying down his life.

As you read through this Psalm, you find lots of “they” and “them” talk in referring to the wicked. But if you look at it from God’s perspective, we could be in their camp, too because we have injured and taken advantage of people created in God’s image.

As we seek to live out the truth of this Psalm 94 between the first and second comings of Jesus Christ, we are called to trust God will avenge and we must love our enemies.

Matthew 5:44 ESV

But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

With Veteran’s Day, just ten days away, Louis Zamperini’s story can show us what Psalm 94 looks like in real life. Louis Zamperini, an American P.O.W., who survived the horrors of multiple Japanese prison camps gave his life to Jesus Christ at a Billy Graham crusade in Los Angeles. Louis’ life was a wreck after returning home from the war as he lived what is now known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (P.T.S.D.). Every night for four years, Louis had nightmares of the Bird, the primary Japanese officer that tortured him. After, Louis gave his life to Jesus, he never had another nightmare of the Bird. It’s like God wiped away those nightmares. God simply wiped away those wicked memories with His unfailing grace.

Later, at the age of 95, Zamperini had a physical. The doctor asked if he had any anxieties. He told the doctor that he didn’t have any anxieties. She said, “Everybody has anxieties. What do you mean?” Zamperini replied, “I said that I loved my neighbor as myself and believed in doing good to those who hated me.” The doctor was astounded and gave the aged veteran a hug and said, “I’ve learned something today.” Those are the secrets to a happy, long life (“‘World War II Isn’t Over’: Talking to Unbroken Veteran Louis Zamperini”, by John Meroney, The Atlantic, 11-11-2014).

When we can entrust revenge to God and love our enemies, then we are well on our way to the blessed life.

5 Day Devotional Guide on Psalm 94

Dominant Thought: God blesses His people with correction and care.

You may want to refer to the sermon notes for further discussion. Take a moment to read the assigned Scripture and then reflect or discuss the questions. Customize this outline to your situation. Here are some questions to ask from the Discovery Bible Method:

What are you thankful for today or this week?

What challenges are you facing?

Have 2 or 3 people read the scripture out loud.

Can you summarize this passage in your own words?

What did you discover about God from this passage?

What have you learned about people from this passage?

How are you going to obey this passage? (What is your “I will” statement?)

With whom are you going to share what you have learned?

Based on this passage, what can we pray about?

Day 1: Psalm 94.1-2

Day 2: Psalm 94.3-7

Day 3: Psalm 94.8-11

Day 4: Psalm 94.12-15

Day 5: Psalm 94.16-23

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