Psalm 35 - The Anatomy of Justice

When I was young I never thought that God wanted to hear my problems. I never believed that my pains and my aches were any of his concern, that He had much better things to do. I thought that maybe God was too busy for me and that's why he gave me parents. Fortunately, I was wrong as we'll see. 1 Peter 5:7 says that we are free to "cast our cares" upon God, frankly becasue he cares. In second grade, I remember having a bully who was four grades ahead of me and a lifetime of growing beyond me in size - he was huge. Anyway, I remember when my five foot mama heard about this during our car ride home - she was furious and drove me straight back to school to take care of business. She confronted the boy that was actually probably bigger than she was, but the young man quaked in fear. I don't even know what she said, but the boy never bothered me ever again - simple, swift justice. Now, you might be thinking - Chris, you just told me that God wants to deal with my frustrtations and my worries so why doesn't God take care of my "bullies" in life like your mom took care of yours? Great question. Although God is a just God, His timing is specific - allowing people like you and me to have a chance to understand his love in Christ Jesus. God is just, but God is also love. Because its frustrating anc confusing at times, today we get to study the anatomy of God's justice - Psalms 35



Verses 1-9 King David seems to spend a lot of time in the Pslams talking about his enemies and his afflictions - which seems weird as the Psalms is generally looked at as a book of praise songs. Anyway, this section of the chapter is devoted to David voicing his concerns and his desire for revenge, but he wrote it in a poetic pslam - weird. David is probably one of the few men to ever walk the Earth that understood our first postulate in the anatomy of God's justice - "God is no slack concerning his promises" (2 Peter 3:9). I could recite that verse over and over, but I think my heart is set on a scope of instant justice. In a world with microwaves, airplanes, text messaging, and all the other modern ammenities, it's easy to become impatient with God. When something crummy happens, we wonder why God doesn't just get to business. When a jerk shoves us into a locker at school, we wonder why God doesn't consume Him with righteous flames. When someone cuts me off on the freeway, I always with that I had the ability to pop their tires with a simple prayer, but such is not the case. One of the biggest problems with our understanding of God is that he is not on the same time scale that we are in. When we consider God's work to be too late or too early, He acts precisely when He means to. When God makes a promise to avenge us and to judge the wicked, he will follow through (Rev.). In verse 9, after pleading his case, David is joyful as he truly understands God's timing in regards to justice. The first important aspect of God's form of justice (backed by an infinite amount of wisdom) is that it is timed precisely perfectly.

Verses 9-21 Even though nothing has happened in regards to finding justice, David says that he will rejoice in God. One of the major concepts I struggle with personally is the idea that bad people get away with what they do. Sure, they pay the consequences of their actions, but most of the time, in my humble opinion, they reap a far less "punishment" than they deserve. Even more so, there are people in the world who prosper off of their evil - how is that fair? How can God let this happen? In the Old Testament, there is a book named after a prophet named Habakkuk. In this book are the complaints are a very disgruntled man. As Habakkuk looks at the world, he cries out for God's justice to sweep throughout the world so that all the evil men would die. In Habakkuk's opinion, God was being trampled on. He was being disrespected. King David shows us an interesting aspect about God's seemingly "delayed" punishment for evil. Galatians 6:7 tells us that God is not mocked. That means in God knows what is happening and he has a plan. The verse continues to say that a man will reap what he sows - both physically and eternally. Hebrews 10:29-30 tells us that those who trample on the name of Jesus Christ will be trampled on in return. King David is able to rejoice in the understanding that God has already won. There is no one like our God - no one that can match his power. So why should he wait? Why shouldn't he just show us his victory now by taking out evil once and for all? Well ... that is because God's love is unmatched as well.

Verses 22-28 At the end of all things, we know that evil will not stand. There will come a day where all in the world that is wrong and spiritually numbing will be washed away; that there will come a day when Jesus Christ returns to claim his bride (the church) and destroy all those who tried to corrupt her. Deuteronomy 32:35 (as well as Hebrews 10:30 & Revelation 12:19) tells us that vengeance is God's and not ours. King David was a man filled with joy - known for music, his outbursts in dance, and his life of praise. David understood that it was not his job to take care of his troubles - that he was not in charge of keeping evil in check. What a relief - to know that God is in control. Know that God is in control with good reason. If I were in charge of destroying evil ... a lot of people would be dead ... including people who need to hear the love story of Jesus Christ. Reading the second part of 2 Peter 3:9, it becomes clear that God's primary objective is not too kill all that is evil, but to weed out even the smallest portion of good that exists in mankind. God's wish is that all would come to know the redemption He has provided in His son as a sacrifice. Why does it seem like God is taking a lifetime to do business? Why does it seems sometimes like He's turning a blind eye to the evil that plagues this world? It's because he's giving our lost brothers and sisters a chance to come back home. The anatomy of God's justice is preceded by the potency of His love.


- Chris