READ Psalm 94:1–10. 1 The LORD is a God who avenges. O God who avenges, shine forth. 2 Rise up, Judge of the earth; pay back to the proud what they deserve. 3 How long, LORD, will the wicked, how long will the wicked be jubilant? 4 They pour out arrogant words; all the evildoers are full of boasting. 5 They crush your people, LORD; they oppress your inheritance. 6 They slay the widow and the foreigner; they murder the fatherless. 7 They say, “The LORD does not see; the God of Jacob takes no notice.” 8 Take notice, you senseless ones among the people; you fools, when will you become wise? 9 Does he who fashioned the ear not hear? Does he who formed the eye not see? 10 Does he who disciplines nations not punish? Does he who teaches mankind lack knowledge?
OPPRESSORS. There is much anger today against the greedy and heartless wealthy. God is the avenger of those who have been oppressed in every age, and he will judge those who use the power of their money to enhance their lives at the expense of others. Riches are not an evil in themselves, as Abraham and Job demonstrate, but they are an enormous temptation to self-sufficiency (1 Timothy 6:9–10). George Herbert’s stinging poem “Avarice” describes how, by overloving money, we give it a power over us that dehumanizes us. He says to money: “Man calleth thee his wealth, who made thee rich; And while he digs out thee, falls in the ditch.”89 God’s judgment on oppressors takes many forms.
Prayer: Lord, I praise you for being a God who avenges the weak and marginalized. But this truth is a two-edged sword. It comforts me when I see the horrendous inequities in the world. Yet it also confronts me with my own complacency in my comfortable life and my indifference to those in need. Go on dealing with my heart until I change my life. Amen.