Rejoice with him, O heavens;
bow down to him, all gods,
for he avenges the blood of his children
and takes vengeance on his adversaries.
He repays those who hate him
and cleanses his people’s land.”
The bad guy gets it in the end. It’s important. The crowd cheers when the Death Star blows up. It is human nature to seek revenge. That is why it is better when God takes vengeance. The psalmist would not have us laugh gleefully at the sight of the torture and death of our enemies. Better is to rejoice that God has executed his judgment on the world we messed up and is making things right. If it is revenge we seek on all who violate God’s wishes, we had better start running. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and the wages of sin is death so imagine someone gazing with delight at our judgment. It is not the judged we rejoice over, but the Judge.
In our social media culture, everyone is a judge and vengeance is meted out every time someone posts their verdict. People react with laughing emojis when someone gets “destroyed” online. The world is worsening and we cry out more and more, “Come, Lord Jesus!” We look at the news and ask, “How long O Lord?” We may even wish God’s justice on these knights of the keyboard so we can see it and laugh at them, asking them how it feels. May that not be. Today, pray that we can rejoice at the final justice of God with the return of Jesus.
Dear Lord, thank you for the promise that you will right the wrongs in the world. We pray for those who will suffer vengeance. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Pastor Brad Boyer
Cape Community Church