For those who may wish to ‘study’ this chapter, the following simple resources are provided for you. Each passage has a four-Part approach to help you take in and think further about what you have read.
Passage: Psalm 94
1 The Lord is a God who avenges.
O God who avenges, shine forth.
2 Rise up, Judge of the earth;
pay back to the proud what they deserve.
3 How long, Lord, will the wicked,
how long will the wicked be jubilant?
4 They pour out arrogant words;
all the evildoers are full of boasting.
5 They crush your people, Lord;
they oppress your inheritance.
6 They slay the widow and the foreigner;
they murder the fatherless.
7 They say, ‘The Lord does not see;
the God of Jacob takes no notice.’
8 Take notice, you senseless ones among the people;
you fools, when will you become wise?
9 Does he who fashioned the ear not hear?
Does he who formed the eye not see?
10 Does he who disciplines nations not punish?
Does he who teaches mankind lack knowledge?
11 The Lord knows all human plans;
he knows that they are futile.
12 Blessed is the one you discipline, Lord,
the one you teach from your law;
13 you grant them relief from days of trouble,
till a pit is dug for the wicked.
14 For the Lord will not reject his people;
he will never forsake his inheritance.
15 Judgment will again be founded on righteousness,
and all the upright in heart will follow it.
16 Who will rise up for me against the wicked?
Who will take a stand for me against evildoers?
17 Unless the Lord had given me help,
I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death.
18 When I said, ‘My foot is slipping,’
your unfailing love, Lord, supported me.
19 When anxiety was great within me,
your consolation brought me joy.
20 Can a corrupt throne be allied with you –
a throne that brings on misery by its decrees?
21 The wicked band together against the righteous
and condemn the innocent to death.
22 But the Lord has become my fortress,
and my God the rock in whom I take refuge.
23 He will repay them for their sins
and destroy them for their wickedness;
the Lord our God will destroy them.
A. Find Out:
- What does God do, so what does the psalmist ask? v.1,2
- What do evil-doers do? v.4-7
- What does the psalmist warn them about the Lord? v.8-11
- Who is blessed and what does the Lord do for him? v.12-15
- What had the Lord done for him? v.16-19
- What does he see about the corrupt/ v.20-23
B. Think:
- What expressions of wrong doing are recorded here?
- What does the psalmist know the Lord does?
- What is his own testimony?
C. Comment:
This psalm is like waves on the beach. Themes are repeated, like they come crashing in on the beach. There is first of all the wicked. They are proud and arrogant (v.2-4), they come against God’s people (v.5), they oppress the weak (v.6) and they think that they get away with it (v.7). Their thoughts are futile (v.11), they are corrupt and bring misery (v.20) and they oppose goodness (v.21). The ‘waves’ ‘roll in’ throughout this psalm.
The second theme is the Lord. He avenges (v.1), He judges the proud (v.2), He hears and sees all that goes on (v.9), He punishes and disciplines (v.10) and He teaches.
The third theme that keeps coming through is the testimony of the psalmist, what he knows, has experienced and expects of the Lord. Yes, he struggles with the wicked but he also knows what the Lord does. He knows it is good when God disciplines you (v.12) because that discipline brings us out of our stupidity (v.13a) and brings us to a place where righteousness and uprightness will be the foundation stones of our lives (v.15). he had felt overcome by evil-doers (v.16) but God had stepped in (v.17) and made him steady (v.18) and brought joy instead (v.19). The Lord had become a place of protection and security (v.22) and as a result he knew the lord would deal with the wicked (v.23).
D. Application:
- Does our experience of the Lord bring us confidence?
- Know Him and be at peace.