Alright, brethren, Psalm 94.
I want you to look down at verse
19. The psalmist said, "...in the multitude
of my thoughts within me, thy comforts delight my soul." And that's what we see take place
in this psalm. The church was being oppressed.
This was either whenever David sent messengers to the Amorites
and they oppressed and afflicted the messengers, or it was when
the Lord had turned Israel over to captivity and they were being
oppressed by the enemy. But whatever the case, they were
being oppressed. The true elect church of God
being oppressed and afflicted by the enemies of God. And the
enemy was triumphing. They were triumphing. And the
Lord's people were cast down. They were afflicted. The enemy
appeared to prevail. And God was silent. God was silent. This was on purpose. This was
for their good. In the first half, the writer
has a multitude of thoughts going on. We read this in his heart. He has a multitude of thoughts
in his heart within him. just like we do in this sort
of situation. But in the midst of those thoughts,
a change comes in the middle of the psalm. And then, the second
half, the Lord's comforts comfort his soul. Believers have experienced
this. In the first half, we hear the
multitude of thoughts that we have when enemies rise up. And
in the second half, we see what the Lord does to comfort us and
settle us. Let's read it again. Let's see
this. Listen to the multitude of thoughts
in the first half. O God, to whom vengeance belongeth,
show thyself. Lift up thyself, thou judge of
the earth. Render a reward to the proud.
Lord, how long shall the wicked triumph? How long shall they
utter and speak hard things, and all the workers of iniquity
boast themselves? They break in pieces thy people,
O Lord, and afflict thine heritage. They slay the helpless, the widow,
and the stranger, and murder the fatherless. That's the Lord's
people he's talking about. Yet they say the Lord shall not
see, neither shall the God of Jacob regard. And then his thoughts
turn to the enemy and he gives a warning to the enemy. He says
in verse 8, Understand ye brutish among the people, ye fools, when
will you be wise? He that planted the ears, shall
he not hear? He that formed the eyes, shall
he not see? He that chastised the heathen,
the word there is nations. And he's saying, he that can
chastise whole nations. That's what he had done with
Israel. He was chastening the whole nation. He said, shall
not he correct individuals personally? Will he not do that? He that
teacheth man knowledge shall not he know, the Lord knoweth
the thoughts of man that they are vanity. So you see there
is a multitude of thoughts going on here. He is calling on the
Lord. He sees the enemy triumphing. He is asking the Lord how long.
Then he turns and speaks a word to the enemy. And then in the
multitude of his thoughts, a change comes. And it seems the Lord
did for him what he says next. Look at verse 12. Blessed is
the man whom thou chastenest, O Lord, and teachest him out
of thy word. Now from here on, he's settled.
From here on, he's settled. He says that thou mayest give
him rest from the days of adversity, That's what he was seeing all
around him was adversity. He saw you chasing your people,
that you may give us rest from the days of adversity until the
pit be digged for the wicked. For the Lord will not cast off
his people, neither will he forsake his inheritance. But judgment
shall return unto righteousness and all the upright in heart
shall follow it. Who will rise up for me against
the evildoers? Or who will stand up for me against
the workers of iniquity? Unless the Lord had been my help,
my soul had almost dwelt in silence. It seems like he's referring
to what he was saying at the first half and the trouble, the
multitude of thoughts within him. If the Lord hadn't held
me up, I'd almost dwelt in silence. When I said, my foot slippeth,
thy mercy, O Lord, held me up. In the multitude of my thoughts
within me, thy comforts delight my soul. And how does the Lord
comfort His people? He turns us to Christ. He turns
us to behold Christ and Him crucified. And that's where we find our
refuge and our comfort. Now look what He says here next.
It's what He's doing in shadow here. Verse 20, shall the throne
of iniquity have fellowship with thee which frameth mischief by
a law? The throne here of iniquity. Remember the rulers in Israel?
Remember the scribes and Pharisees? How did they frame their wickedness
against the Lord? We have a law. That's what they
said. We have a law. He says, Shall
the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee which frameth mischief
by law? They said we have a law and by
our law he ought to die because he made himself the son of God.
And what were they doing? What were they doing? Look at
the next line. They gathered themselves together against the
soul of the righteous and condemned the innocent blood. That's Christ. He's the righteous. They were
gathered together against the righteous, against the innocent
blood, Christ Jesus. But he's beholding this, and
it's like he's seeing this by faith. The next verse he said,
but the Lord is my defense. That very one that they gathered
against, that righteous one, that innocent one, He is my defense. And my God is the rock of my
refuge. And so the Lord brings us to
commit all judgment to Him with some assurance now. Now listen
to the wording. And He shall bring upon them
their own iniquity, and shall cut them off in their own wickedness.
Yea, the Lord our God shall cut them off. He's not asking a question
about it now. He's settled. He's committed
all the judgment to God. I want to just show you two or
three things here. The first thing is we must remember
that vengeance belongs to God. Vengeance belongs to God. He
begins here in verse 1, he says, O Lord God, to whom vengeance
belongeth, O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, show thyself, lift
up thyself, thou judge of the earth, render a reward to the
proud. Two times he declares Vengeance
belongs to God alone. Vengeance belongs to God alone.
He's the judge of the earth. Now, I know we're sitting here
the day after Christmas and some may be thinking, well, this doesn't
seem like a very comforting message to speak about vengeance. I believe
you're going to see, if the Lord will help us here to see this,
this is a very comforting message. This is the reason our Lord Jesus
was born into this world. Right here. He says he's the
judge of the earth. The psalmist asks God to shine
forth, to do what's just. He's the judge of the earth.
He asks Him to render a reward to the proud. Now, it's not wrong
to ask God to execute vengeance. That's not a wrong thing. But
we have to be very, very careful. Me and you have to be very, very
careful. When the enemy triumphs and God is silent, When the enemy
is triumphing all about and God's silent and we're cast down, it's
easy, first of all, to grow impatient. To grow impatient. He says, Lord,
how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph?
He says, how long shall they utter and speak hard things and
all the workers of iniquity boast themselves? They're breaking
in pieces your people, O Lord, and afflicting your heritage.
They're slaying the innocent. The helpless. It's easy to grow
impatient. But you know, we know how long
the Lord's going to wait. We know how long. He's told us
how long. It's His long-suffering and the
long-suffering of God is salvation. And we know the Lord's going
to tarry and not pour out vengeance until He's called each and every
single one of His redeemed to Him. He's going to wait until
He's called all His people to Him. Remember what he said in
Romans 9? What if God, willing to show
His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering
the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction? Why would He do
that? That He might make known the
riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy. That He is aforeprepared
unto glory, even us who He's called Not the Jews only, but
also the Gentiles. So we don't really ever want
to get to a place where we're questioning God how long, because
what if God's willing to wait? The long-suffering of God is
going to result, it's going to end in the salvation of His people.
It's a good thing that God's waiting. I've got children and
family, and you've got children and family, that we're praying
God will save before He returns. I'm thankful if he's pleased
with Terry, maybe it'll be that he would save our unbelieving
children. But he will wait to pour out
vengeance until he's called the last one to himself. And we have
to be careful of this too, because when we're personally wronged,
when we're personally wronged and offended, or brethren we
love are wronged, It's easy for us to fall into a spirit of sinful,
spiteful revenge. The Samaritans, you remember
when the Lord was going with His disciples through the Samaria,
and the Samaritans rejected the Lord Jesus. And James and John
said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from
heaven and consume them even as Elias did? But He turned and
rebuked them. And he said, you know not what
manner of spirit you're of. For the Son of Man's not come
to destroy men's lives. We've already done a good job
of that. He said he came to save. See, God is the judge. And Christ
our Savior is the judge. All judgments He is. And He always
judges what's right. But God's wrath and His vengeance,
His wrath and His vengeance are one and the same. And His wrath
and His vengeance is not a sinful passion like what we're apt to
have. We want revenge. I'm going to
get even. That's what we're apt to fall
into. God's holy. God's fury and His vengeance
is just. It's righteous. It's God doing
what is right. It's His just judgment. He justly
rewards, He recompenses what is just, what is right to the
sinner, what the sinner has earned. That's what God gives the sinner. It's just vengeance. Now some
people think the God of the Old Testament is the God of wrath
and vengeance and the God of the New Testament. He's not the
God of wrath and vengeance. God doesn't change. The God of
the Old Testament of vengeance and fury is the God of the New
Testament of vengeance and fury. He will in no wise clear the
guilty. But it's a holy, just pouring out of what's right. It's a recompensing of what is
just upon the sinner. But here's the thing too we need
to remember. God hears, God knows. He hears and He knows. He turned
and they were saying, the enemy's saying, God won't regard. And
one thing they're saying is this. They see the Lord's people, they
see them triumphing over the Lord's people. They see the Lord's
people are broken in pieces. And they're saying to them, God's
not going to regard you. God's not regarding you. Look,
you're broken in pieces. You're broken in pieces. Let
me show you this over in Psalm 30, I think it's Psalm 38. This
whole Psalm is speaking of Christ, but look here. He talked here
later on about my foot slip. I would have slipped if it wouldn't
have been for the Lord. The Lord was doing what He was
doing with Israel to correct Israel and chasten Israel to
look to the Lord only. But in the midst of it, the oppressors,
the ones the Lord was using to do it, were saying, God's not
hearing, He's not regarding. Listen right here. He said, He said in verse 17, ìLord, Iím
ready to halt, my sorrows continually before me, for I will declare
mine iniquity, I will be sorry for my sin.î He got the point
of the chastening. ìBut my enemies are lively and
theyíre strong, and they that hate me wrongfully are multiplied.î
They were going to take it and and throw it on him. And he says,
they also that render evil for good are mine adversaries because
I follow good. Forsake me not, O Lord, O my
God. Be not far from me. Make haste
to help me, O Lord, my salvation. And that's what he's saying here
back in our text in Psalm 94. Though the enemy may say God
doesn't regard, he doesn't hear. They do have a heart that God
doesn't hear them and doesn't regard them when they're doing
wickedness. But it's also this idea of Look at how you're cast
down and how God has forsaken you. He's not going to hear you. But here's the word we need to
remember, verse 9. He said, He that planted the
ear, shall he not hear? God gave the ear, He'll hear.
He that formed the eye, shall He not see? He that chastised
the nation. That's what was going on. Shall
He not correct individually? Shall He not chasten individually
His people? He that teaches man knowledge,
the Lord knows the thoughts of man that they're vanity. We need
to remember this too, the Lord hears His people. He's never
not hearing His people. He's never not regarding His
people. That's a joy to God's people. So we're to commit when
we're in this troubling time and it's going to be this way
all to the end of our days. Commit it all to the Lord. He said, commit all your care
unto the Lord. Cast it all on Him, for He cares
for you. Commit all judgment to Him. Remember,
that's what Christ did. He didn't revile. He didn't revile
back. He committed it to Him that judges
righteously. Go over to Romans 12. Romans
chapter 12. And look here at verse 17. He
says, Romans 12, 17, he says, Recompense to no man evil for
evil. Provide things honest in the
sight of all men, and if it be possible, as much as life in
you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not
yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath. Give place to wrath
in ourselves and when others are wrathful towards you. Don't
take vengeance, for it's written, vengeance is mine. I will repay,
saith the Lord. Therefore, if thine enemy hunger,
feed him. If he thirsts, give him to drink.
For in so doing, thou shall heap coals of grace on his head. That's what he's saying, kindness,
warmth of grace. And it's doing what he says next.
Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. But
now here's the thing. Here's my second point. So the
first point is, all vengeance belongs to God, commit it all
to Him. But, here's what happens. You know this in just an individual
situation when, I don't know, something mundane could happen,
and you know, you have to You're apt to think, you know, they
shouldn't have said that to me, or whatever, and all this multitude
of thoughts comes up. How is the Lord, and even when
it's something greater than that, but how is the Lord going to
correct us and bring us to really cast it all on Him? How is He
going to do that? He makes His child see, first
of all, that in ourselves, we are no different from the wicked.
We are no different from the wicked in ourselves. We are no
different from any other wicked sinner. And all this description
of the wicked that God gives here, proud and boasting in themselves
and saying God doesn't regard. There is no difference in us
by nature than any other sinner in this world. That is the same
description of us. All have sinned and come short
of the glory of God. Where do we behold this though?
Where do we behold, where do we learn this, that there's no
difference between any of, where do we learn it? We learn at the
one place we get all our light, look to Christ crucified. That's
where we're going to learn this. That there's no difference in
any child of God's grace than any other sinner in this world
in ourselves but God's grace. That's the only difference is
God's grace. How do you see that look into Christ? Because it
took our substitute coming here and bearing the vengeance of
God to redeem us so that God's vengeance will not fall upon
us. That's what we need to see. Vengeance has already been poured
out on all God's elect. And at the same time, with the
same stroke of the sword, He redeemed us. He redeemed us. Go over with me to Isaiah 61.1. Let's hear the Lord declare this.
Vengeance has already been poured out on you who believe the Lord
Jesus, who are truly His. Vengeance of God has been poured
out. He has given a just recompense of what we earn by our sin. But the difference is, He poured
it out on Christ. And by pouring it out on Christ,
He redeemed us. Look here, you know this verse. Verse 1, the Spirit of the Lord
God is upon me because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good
tidings. Unto the meek he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison
to them that are bound." Now watch these next two words. To
proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, that's the year
of Jubilee, that's redemption accomplished. And the day of
vengeance of our God. Both happen on the cross in Christ
at the same time. And that's comfort to all that
mourn. And that's what our Lord gives
us. Go with me over to Isaiah 63. God poured out vengeance
on His elect, on Christ. And when He did that, it was
the Jubilee, it was the acceptable year of the Lord. You know, in
the Jubilee, it was the 50th year, they blew the trumpet,
and as far as we can tell in the Scripture, Israel never observed
it. God gave a command to, but they never did. because it was
fulfilled when Christ came. But that Jubilee, on that year,
all the debts were wiped clean, everything was restored, the
servants were set free. That's what Christ said, I came
to declare the acceptable year of the Lord, to set my people
free and to settle vengeance, the vengeance of God for them.
You know, think about Adam and Eve. After they fell in the garden,
God poured out vengeance on Adam and Eve and redeemed them in
one stroke when He slew that substitute animal in their place
and covered them with the coats of His skin. Now watch this,
turn to Isaiah 63. Now this speaks of what Christ
did for His people when He came the first time and it also speaks
of what He is going to do when He comes the second time to those
who do not believe on Christ, who reject Christ. Now watch
what He did the first time, verse 1. Who is this that cometh from
Edom with dyed garments from Basra? That is this that is glorious
in his apparel traveling in the greatness of his strength. I
that speak in righteousness mighty to say. Now get the picture here.
He's coming, he's returning to glory from this earth. This is Edom. We live in Edom. He's returning to glory from
Edom. How is this Edom? You know who
the Edomites are? The Edomites were the descendants
of Esau. They were God's greatest enemies.
They were God's greatest enemies. All God's elect Jacobs are sinners,
just like all the Esaus that God hates. every one of us. In fact, if you looked at the
Edomites and all their idolatry, and you looked at Jacob's descendants
in Israel, same idolatry was going on in the land of the Edomites
and in the land of Israel. Same idolatry was going on. What's
the difference? God chose. He said, I love Jacob
and I hate Esau, not based on any good or evil in them. And
so Christ came to this Edom. He came right here to this Edom.
Verse 2, Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments
like him that treadeth in the wine-fat? I have trodden the
wine-press alone, and of the people there was none with me.
Now watch this next word. I will tread them in mine anger,
and trample them in my fury, and their blood shall be sprinkled
upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment, for the
day of vengeance is in my heart, and the year of my redeemed is
come." See those two things? The cross was the winepress that
Christ tread all by Himself. There was nobody to help Him.
He had to come and satisfy justice. As God, as God, it was His vengeance
and His fury He was pouring out. But as the man, Christ Jesus,
He's the one that bore the fury and the vengeance in place of
His people. And because He did that, it's the year of the redeemed. It was when He accomplished the
redemption of His people. Look at verse 4 again. For the
day of vengeance is in my heart, and the year of my redeemed has
come. I looked, there was none to help.
I wondered that there was none to uphold. Therefore, mine arm
brought salvation unto me, and my fury it upheld me. See, God's vengeance, It's not
a passion, it's not a sinful passion of anger like you and
I would have. God's fury is just fury, it's
just wrath against sinners. And by Him pouring out that just
wrath and Him bearing that just wrath in place of His people,
that vengeance in place of His people, He settled justice, He
satisfied justice and at the same time wrought the redemption
and the salvation of His people. Vengeance is settled for us,
brethren. He did it. Judgment is not going
to be, God, you've taken a risk that maybe you're going to come
into judgment and God's going to pour out vengeance. For His
people who only trust Christ, solely trust Christ, wholly look
to Christ and nothing else. Nobody else. Him only. He did
this by himself. He tread the winepress alone
and he killed us in that work when we died in him under the
fury and justice of God, the vengeance of God, and at the
same time he saved us from our sin. Now when he comes back,
if men aren't trusting him, He says, verse 6, and I, this is
a conjunction, and not only did He work salvation and His own
fury upheld Him, His own justice was satisfied, and I will tread
down the people in mine anger and make them drunk in my fury
and I will bring down their strength to the earth. He's coming again
and God will pour out vengeance on everybody who's not found
resting in Christ alone. Believe on Christ. Trust Christ. Don't look to any work in your
hand or anything you've done or hope to do. Trust Christ alone. He's the one that, He's the refuge. He's the rock of refuge who's
borne the fury and the vengeance and upheld His own justice with
His own vengeance and satisfied and saved His people. He's done
that. Here's the result in the heart when he makes you know
this. Look at verse 7. I will mention the lovingkindnesses
of the Lord and the praises of the Lord according to all that
the Lord has bestowed on us and the great goodness toward the
house of Israel which he's bestowed on them according to his mercies
and according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses. Look
back at Isaiah 51. Look at this. Here's his word
to you. Isaiah 51, 22, and the Lord was
saying this in Isaiah's day. It's all in the context of how
he did this historically by letting Israel be taken captive into
Babylon. But all that was just a picture
of Christ going to the cross and redeeming his people. And
look what he did now, because Christ did this, Isaiah 51, 22. Thus saith thy Lord, thee Lord,
and thy God, look at this next part, that pleadeth the cause
of his people. Behold, I've taken out of your
hand the cup of trembling, even the dregs of the cup of my fury. Thou shalt no more drink it again.
But I will put it in the hand of them that afflict thee, which
have said to thy soul, bow down, that we may go over. Thou hast
laid thy body as the ground and as the street, and to them that
went over." That's what was happening to our psalmist. He was being
made to lay down by these that were oppressing him. And the
Lord's promising His people, you're not going to be afflicted
by me. You're not going to drink the
fury of my wrath. But those that are rejecting me and harming
my people, they will. They will. In the last day, Revelation
19 speaks of this. Revelation 19 and 11, I saw heaven
open, behold a white horse, he that sat upon him was called
Faithful and True, and in righteousness he did judge and make war. His
eyes were as a flame of fire, on his head were many crowns.
He had a name written that no man knew, but he himself, and
he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood. And His name's
called the Word of God. And the armies in heaven that
follow Him on white horses are clothed in fine linen, white
and clean. And out of His mouth goes a sharp
sword that with it He should smite the nations and rule them
with a rod of iron. And He treaded the winepress
of the fierceness of the wrath of Almighty God. That's Christ. and he hath on his vesture and
on his thigh a name, King of kings and Lord of lords." He's
accomplished that for his people. All who reject Christ, Scripture
says, the wrath of God abideth on you. That's what the Scripture
says. We don't want to fall into the
hands of an angry God. We don't want to meet God in
His vengeance. We don't. because He is going
to take, He will not clear guilty sinners. He has to take vengeance
on every sinner. We want to be found in Christ
because those in Christ, vengeance has already been poured out on
Christ and He redeemed His people. Now let me show you this third
thing and I'll be brief here. When He brings us here to behold
Christ crucified, we get troubled, we have the multitude of our
thoughts within us, like it did all through the first half of
this psalm, and He chastens you. He takes you as a loving Father,
turns you to Christ on the cross, and says, look to my Son. And
beholding Him, you behold, vengeance has already been poured out on
me. You behold God's mercy, you behold His salvation. He's taken
out of your hand that cup of fury, and you won't drink it
again. and He's given you salvation, He's given you redemption. And
beholding this, you find rest. You find rest in Christ. And
you know what that makes you do? When you see His judgment
and you see how perfectly He satisfied justice, that makes
His people say, I'm just committing it to Him. Best thing that we
can do, I'm casting it all on Him. My judgment is in His hands. Lord, I confess my iniquity,
I confess my sin to you, but I can't do anything about the
workers of iniquity that want to take vengeance. My judgment
is in your hand, Lord. That's where he brings it. Commit
yourself to the Lord. Look, verse 14. For the Lord
will not cast off His people, neither will He forsake His inheritance. But judgment shall, it has, returned
unto righteousness, and all the upright in heart shall follow
it. That's what the psalmist, he was filled with a multitude
of these thoughts. And the Lord made his judgment
return unto righteousness. He made his judgment go from
looking at all the afflictors, and all the oppressors, and all
the trouble, to Christ His righteousness. And he saw there that God has
already made judgment return unto righteousness in Christ
and what Christ did on the cross. And that chastens, that teaches
you that the true judgment is all in Christ's hand, it's all
committed to Him, and it makes you committed all to Him. Verse
17, he said, Unless the Lord had been my help, my soul had
almost dwelt in silence. When I said, My foot slippeth,
thy mercy, O Lord, held me up. That's like what we read in Psalm
38. My foot was slipping, Lord, but You had mercy on me. You
held me up. God works good. making his child
confess our iniquity to the Lord, making us confess and be sorry
for our sin. That's what he does. That's what
he was doing with Israel. That's what the psalmist was
being taught right here. That's what we and you are being
taught when we need to be corrected. And what a blessing it is to
them the Lord chastens. It is a blessing. It is a blessing. It brings you to Christ where
judgment is settled. It makes you cast all your judgment
into His hand. And He is the judge. He is the
judge. Look at verse 19. In the multitude
of my thoughts within me, thy comforts delight my soul. We go from being like he was
at the beginning of the psalm and asking Lord how long and
your people are being broken in pieces. You go from that multitude
of those thoughts to thy comforts delighting my soul." In Babylon
they were still surrounded by enemies just like we are. But
within you have His comforts delighting your soul. And what
is this comfort? What is it? I tried to show you
there where He pointed him to Christ. He
showed him Christ. He showed him gathered together
against the righteous, against him who is the innocent blood.
And when He makes you see that, it makes you see Christ bore
the cross on your behalf. He brings you to this place,
verse 22, but the Lord's my defense. They gathered together against
Him. They railed on Him. They rejected Him. They said,
we have a law. We're going to crucify Him. He's
not good enough to be in our midst. They crucified Him, nailed
Him to the tree. But that one they nailed to the
tree. Satisfied vengeance for me. Redeemed my soul. And He
is my defense. He is my God, the rock of my
refuge. That's where He brings you, brethren.
That's where He brings you. And you just leave the rest to
God. However God's pleased to do it,
whenever God's pleased to do it, that's good. That's the best
time. That's the best time. It's the
right time. God doesn't do it because it's right. It's right
because He does it. However He does it, it's right.
And it's best to wait on Him and commit all judgment to Him. Commit it all to Him. Brethren,
that's what His people are going to do. That's what He's going
to make us do. That's what He's going to make us do. Amen.