Psalm 94 – Overview
New King James Version
The writer sees evil-doers in power, and smarts under their oppressions. His sense of the divine sovereignty, of which he had been singing in the previous Psalm, leads him to appeal to God as the great Judge of the earth; this he does with much vehemence and importunity, evidently tingling under the lash of the oppressor. Confident in God’s existence, and assured of his personal observation of the doings of men, the psalmist rebukes his atheistic adversaries, and proclaims his triumph in his God: he also interprets the severe dispensation of Providence to be in very deed most instructive chastisements, and so he counts those happy who endure them. The Psalm is another pathetic form of the old enigma—”Wherefore do the wicked prosper?” It is another instance of a good man perplexed by the prosperity of the ungodly, cheering his heart by remembering that there is, after all, a King in heaven, by whom all things are overruled for good. (Spurgeon)
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The object of the psalm is to show that God “is” the protector of his people; that he “does” regard them; that he “will” interpose in their behalf.
The psalm embraces the following subjects:
(1) An appeal or prayer to God as the God of vengeance, or as a just God, Psalms 94:1-2.
(2) a statement of the character and purposes of the wicked who were bringing these calamities upon the nation, Psalms 94:3-7.
(3) a direct appeal to these invaders themselves – an appeal based on the ground that God could “not” be indifferent to the conduct of people; that he must hear their words, understand their thoughts, see their acts, and know all that they did, Psalms 94:8-11.
(4) Consolation in the trouble derived from the fact that this was a deserved chastening of the Lord, and was not designed for their destruction, but for their good, Psalms 94:12-15.
(5) The fact that God is a source of confidence, comfort, and support to his people, in all Such times of trial, Psalms 94:16-23. (Barnes)
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“In this song, we see how the very things which assault faith, and threaten to produce despair, may be made the opportunity for praise, in the place and act of worship.” (G. Campbell Morgan)
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God the Refuge of the Righteous
1
O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongs—
O God, to whom vengeance belongs, shine forth!
2
Rise up, O Judge of the earth;
Render punishment to the proud.
3
Lord, how long will the wicked,
How long will the wicked triumph?
4
They utter speech, and speak insolent things;
All the workers of iniquity boast in themselves.
5
They break in pieces Your people, O Lord,
And afflict Your heritage.
6
They slay the widow and the stranger,
And murder the fatherless.
7
Yet they say, “The Lord does not see,
Nor does the God of Jacob understand.”
8
Understand, you senseless among the people;
And you fools, when will you be wise?
9
He who planted the ear, shall He not hear?
He who formed the eye, shall He not see?
10
He who instructs the nations, shall He not correct,
He who teaches man knowledge?
11
The Lord knows the thoughts of man,
That they are futile.
12
Blessed is the man whom You instruct, O Lord,
And teach out of Your law,
13
That You may give him rest from the days of adversity,
Until the pit is dug for the wicked.
14
For the Lord will not cast off His people,
Nor will He forsake His inheritance.
15
But judgment will return to righteousness,
And all the upright in heart will follow it.
16
Who will rise up for me against the evildoers?
Who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?
17
Unless the Lord had been my help,
My soul would soon have settled in silence.
18
If I say, “My foot slips,”
Your mercy, O Lord, will hold me up.
19
In the multitude of my anxieties within me,
Your comforts delight my soul.
20
Shall the throne of iniquity, which devises evil by law,
Have fellowship with You?
21
They gather together against the life of the righteous,
And condemn innocent blood.
22
But the Lord has been my defense,
And my God the rock of my refuge.
23
He has brought on them their own iniquity,
And shall cut them off in their own wickedness;
The Lord our God shall cut them off.
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