¹O Lord, God of vengeance, God of vengeance, shine forth! ²Rise up, O Judge of the earth, render recompense to the proud. ³How long shall the wicked, O Lord, how long shall the wicked exult? … ¹⁹When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your consolations delight my soul.”

Against the universal cry, “Is there any justice in the world?” this psalm answers with a resounding, “Yes!” This is the hope for all who believe in the righteousness of God: in the end, there is a real and definitive difference between those who seek to live righteously and those who do not. God will judge, and His judgment is severe. He is consummately just in everything He does. As Abraham responded to God’s plan to destroy the city of Sodom while his nephew Lot was still there with his family:

“Far be it from You to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?” (Gen. 18:25)

The psalmist echoes this when he refers to God as the “Judge of the earth” (vs. 2) whose judgment is perfectly righteous (vs. 15).

This psalm centers on a human plea for God to take vengeance on one’s enemies, the sentiments of which modern-day “comfortable” Christianity recoils and reacts with all manner of excuses for God and for the OT. However, we don’t need to apologize for God nor impugn the OT as being sub-Christian or inferior spirituality. Resistance to the idea of God being vengeful comes from the emotional baggage of the word as describing the ancient Greek gods that acted uncontrollably and capriciously, epitomizing the worst of human vengeance. This has been compounded by the medieval overemphasis on threats and scare tactics of a God who was seen more for His anger than His love and grace.

The classic Biblical passage on the subject of God’s vengeance shows Him mincing no words:

“Vengeance is Mine, and retribution, in due time their foot will slip; for the day of their calamity is near, and the impending things are hastening upon them.” (Deut. 32:35)

We cannot relegate this thinking to pre-Christian theology, for we see Paul quoting it as an essential understanding of God (Rom. 12:19, also see Heb. 10:28-31). When properly understood, though, God’s vengeance and wrath are part of His divine perfection and are required by His justice. God can indeed be angry and punish those who arrogantly flaunt their rebellion against Him. Such is the defining characteristic of Satan (see the allusions in Isaiah 14:12-14, Ezekiel 28:15-17). God will not forgive that enemy for permanently setting his hard-core heart on rebellion against his Creator. Likewise, the Lord will not forgive and redeem humans who follow in Satan’s attitudinal and behavioral footsteps. One cannot imagine the horror of a human image-bearer spending eternity in a continuous state of defiant arrogance against the holy and righteous God!

The writer of this psalm longs for God’s justice, something that should resonate with believers and non-believers alike. He does not ask permission to take vengeance himself. This is an important caveat: vengeance belongs to God, not us. The first seven verses lay out his request. Notice he doesn’t ask for an exception to God’s lovingkindness and mercy, as though vengeance is an aberration in the Lord’s character. No, the Lord is “God of vengeance”; that is intrinsic to who He is, along with all His other attributes. As the apostle Paul wrote: “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap” (Gal. 6:7). We must never underestimate or minimize God’s capacity to act on His anger!

The psalmist appeals to God’s justice in the face of imminent danger from his “enemies.” Yes, there are times when he who is without sin should cast the first stone, but this is not one of those times! The “wicked” (vs. 3) and “evil” (vs. 23) are “arrogant (vs. 4), mercilessly crush God’s people (vs. 5), and kill the disadvantaged (widows, foreigners, and children without parents). The Lord cuts no quarter with those who exult over the abhorrent behavior (vs. 3), and the psalmist knows that.

Yet, God’s threat of judgment always serves as a warning and opportunity for God’s mercy. He will not force repentance; that is up to each individual. So, the psalmist lays out his call to repentance in verses 8-11. He does not hesitate to call adversaries “senseless” and “stupid” (vs. 8) and to point out how ludicrous it is to think that God does not hear and see what they are doing. The Lord and Creator of all can even read their minds. So they should be warned.

Following this, we read in verses 11-15 of the blessing for those who live righteously. That blessing, first of all, is the knowledge that any difficulty they face is not God’s wrath or vengeance against them but is chastisement to correct them. They understand that ultimately, God’s “judgment will again be righteous” (vs. 15), and by inference, those who live righteously will be vindicated and avenged for the wrongdoings against them.

Given all that has been said, the psalmist expresses confidence that justice is not an impersonal principle but is wound up in the One who will defend him and all who follow the Lord (vs. 17-19). Even when his faith flags, he knows God’s lovingkindness will prevail. He will find great solace to soothe his anxiety: “When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your consolations delight my soul” (Ps. 94:19). Although his enemies wield earthly judgments and condemnation against the righteous (vs. 21), the psalmist can confidently say, “But the Lord has been my stronghold, and my God the rock of my refuge” (vs. 22); he is confident that God will destroy His enemies.

While this psalm speaks of the time in Israel’s history when surrounding enemies were pressing in on God’s people, we today can borrow this psalm to help us when we are faced with emotional demons from the past, namely, criticisms, bullying, abuse, or any action taken against us to make our lives miserable. This psalm gives us a godly, accepted prayer for current struggles we face, like those who oppress, harass, persecute, or otherwise seek our harm. We don’t need to feel guilty when we dare think of them using biblical terms like “enemy” and “evildoer” and ask for God to take vengeance. We pray that they will be convicted of their evil ways when they realize their behavior has come under the wrathful judgment of a righteous God. But we do this with the hope that they will repent and turn to God. This kind of prayer anticipates the apostle Paul, who took severe action against one who was guilty of arrogant sin:

I have decided to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. Your boasting is not good … (1 Cor. 5:5-6a)

Sometimes, unrepentant and defiant sin needs the extreme chastisement of God to bring the sinner, hopefully, to their spiritual senses.

Lord, may my arrogant accusers be confronted with Your vengeance so they might repent and turn to You.