The cross of Christ is the most glorious demonstration of the sovereignty of God. Jesus’ death on Friday—evil’s most glorious victory in history—became Satan’s most devastating defeat on Sunday. Just as predicted in Genesis 3:15, the seed of woman was bruised upon His heel and the serpent was bruised upon his head. It is a wonderful microcosm of Jehovah’s sovereign judgment.
The theme of Psalm 94 is the sovereign judgment of Jehovah. It begins with a petition for divine action. “O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongs—O God, to whom vengeance belongs, shine forth! Rise up, O Judge of the earth; render punishment to the proud. Lord, how long will the wicked, how long will the wicked triumph?” (vv. 1-3).
Next, there is a description of the wickedness of those who are evil. “They utter speech and speak insolent things; all the workers of iniquity boast in themselves. They break in pieces Your people, O Lord, and afflict Your heritage. They slay the widow and the stranger and murder the fatherless. Yet they say, ‘The Lord does not see, nor does the God of Jacob understand’” (vv. 4-7).
Then, the psalmist rebukes the wicked for their folly. “Understand, you senseless among the people; and you fools, when will you be wise? He who planted the ear, shall He not hear? He who formed the eye, shall He not see? He who instructs the nations, shall He not correct, He who teaches man knowledge? The Lord knows the thoughts of man that they are futile” (vv. 8-11).
The psalmist’s unshakable faith in Jehovah’s sovereign judgment permeates the final verses of this composition. Here he writes: “Blessed is the man whom You instruct, O Lord, and teach out of Your law, that You may give him rest from the days of adversity, until the pit is dug for the wicked. For the Lord will not cast off His people, nor will He forsake His inheritance. But judgment will return to righteousness and all the upright in heart will follow it. Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? Who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity? Unless the Lord had been my help, my soul would soon have settled in silence. If I say, ‘My foot slips,’ Your mercy, O Lord, will hold me up. In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comforts delight my soul. Shall the throne of iniquity, which devises evil by law, have fellowship with You? They gather together against the life of the righteous and condemn innocent blood. But the Lord has been my defense and my God the rock of my refuge. 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” (vv. 12-23).
Unshakable faith in Jehovah’s sovereign judgment makes an impregnable defense when the wicked triumph and the workers of iniquity boast in themselves.
The Lord reigns!
