Friday March 15
God is the Final Judge!
Psalm 139:19-24
For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
19 Oh, that You would slay the wicked, O God! Depart from me, therefore, you bloodthirsty men.
20 For they speak against You wickedly; Your enemies take Your name in vain.
21 Do I not hate them, O LORD, who hate You? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You?
22 I hate them with perfect hatred; I count them my enemies.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties;
24 And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.
Today, we will finish our chats on Psalm 139, a great chapter that reminds us that our awesome God is both omniscience and omnipresent! David first looks at how God intimately knows him and his every thought. God knows where he is and there is no place he can flee or hide from His presence. Then he recalls in awe how God created him in his mother’s womb, designing every detail of his body and planning out His life!
Realizing this David knows that there is no way we can deceive God, no way we can escape God, and no way we can ignore God! Therefore, the only conclusion is that the most sensible thing in all the world is that we should obey God!
Suddenly in verses 19-22, David turns from his marveling at Who God is and what God has done in creating him and directing his life, to the evil world and the wicked people in it that choose to oppose God and dispute what He says about them in in His Word. David called these people wicked, violent, liars, blasphemers, and rebels, and he grieved because of them.
Even as we should take the time and make the effort to set our minds and thoughts on heavenly things and God’s wonderful love and plan for our lives, we must also accept and deal with the reality of the wicked and evil world in which we live. David’s first response was to pray that God would deal harshly with them. The Scriptures teach that “God is angry with the wicked every day” (Psalm 7:11). It might appear that they are getting by with their evil deeds, but God is keeping a record and is noting every detail that He will call them to account for one day.
At the same time God also grieves over sinners and is not willing that any should perish (Ezekiel 33:10-11). The Father grieves over the wicked (Gen. 6:6). The Son does (Mark 3:5; Luke 19:41), and so does the Holy Spirit (Eph. 4:30). Yes, it is difficult to love rebellious sinners and still hate their sins, but we need more "holy hatred" in this day when blatant sin is a popular form of entertainment. For more verses on how we should respond see Psalm 11:5; 45:7; 97:10; Amos 5:14-15; and Romans 12:9, 19-21. Whenever we pray "Thy kingdom come," we are asking the Lord to judge the wicked, and then we must leave the matter in His hands.
We also need to notice how David closed this chapter with a prayer for God to search His own heart, know his anxieties and concerns, forgive him, and lead him. We must be cautious as we examine ourselves because we do not even know our own hearts (Jeremiah 17:9). It is best to open the Word and let the Spirit search us and speak to us, for then we discover the truth about ourselves (Hebrews 4:12-13; James 1:21-27)
We must never dispute with God, for He loves us and wants only the very best for us. Yes, my friend, God intimately knows us, He is always with us, and we should never ignore Him since He is the One who gives us our life and sustains it! And most of all He loved us so much that He gave His only begotten Son to die in our place for our sins (Romans 5:8).
God Bless!
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