The Cry for God’s Justice
How do you respond when you see people seemingly getting away with evil around you? We shall look at a psalm that was written when the Israelites returned from Babylon in 536 BC, before its destruction in 516 BC.
In this psalm the Israelites are remembering their previous times of grief and sadness as they sat beneath the trees in Babylon (1). They hung up their harps, because they had no heart for praise songs (4). They were in Babylon because they disobedient to their covenant with God and demonstrated a heart of unbelief (2). To make matters worse their tormentors mocked them and called for them to sing of the songs of Zion; songs which extolled the security of the Lord (3). Their captors mocked them implying their God was powerless to help them.
Yet in their hard circumstances the psalmist pledges not to forget Jerusalem, the place that God has chosen on this earth for His presence to dwell. The psalmist is promising not to forsake his faith in God. It is unthinkable, and he calls a curse upon himself (5-6). The psalmist is demonstrating great humility in declaring God to be his chief joy (6).
The psalmist finishes this psalm by calling God to execute His vengeance upon Edom, who constantly conspired against Israel and cheered her downfall; and the cruel Babylonians. God had already promised that they would reap judgement upon themselves for their evil (Lam 4:21; Obadiah 10-14; Isa 13:16). How blessed is God who executes justice upon the earth (7-9). Brethren, pray for your enemies that they would repent of their evil and believe in Jesus Christ. Pray also for Jesus to return to save His saints from the presence of evil and judge the world in righteousness.