September 19, 2018 (Wednesday)
Psalm 94 reflects the frustration felt by many Christians in today’s world. We long to see a world-wide turning to God, an awakening of the spirit of man to follow God’s will to bring peace to this world. We feel the pain of Longfellow’s verse: “In despair I bowed my head–there is no peace on earth,” I said; for hate is strong, and mocks the song of peace on earth, good will to men.” Let us pray daily for the fulfillment of verse 15, “Judgment will again be founded on righteousness, and all the upright in heart will follow it.” This goal cannot be reached unless the hearts of people are changed, and only the Lord can make that happen.
This Psalm is a prayer for the revelation of the righteous judgment of God, and an expression of confidence in the ultimate triumph of right.
Who were the oppressors of whom the Psalmist complains? From the contrast in Psalm 94:5; Psalm 94:8; Psalm 94:10; Psalm 94:12 it would seem that they were foreigners, who openly despised Israel’s God as indifferent to the sufferings of His people (Psalm 94:7 – They say, “The Lord does not see; the God of Jacob takes no notice.”). The Psalmist’s clear assertion of the Divine education of the nations is almost without parallel in the Old Testament.
There is little or nothing to fix the date of the Psalm. Possibly it may belong to the closing years of the Exile, and refer to harsh treatment which the Israelites had to suffer in Babylon. If so, the cry for vengeance is an echo of the language of Isaiah 40-66 and Jeremiah 50, 51. But it may belong to some later time in the post-exilic period, when the struggling community was oppressed by foreign governors.
In the Septuagint (Greek translation of the Old Testament) the Psalm bears the title A Psalm of David, for the fourth day of the week, and according to Talmudic tradition it was the special Psalm for that day in the services of the Second Temple. (End of Excerpts from the Cambridge Bible Commentary).
Psalm 94
New International Version (NIV)
I. God of Vengeance, Shine Forth! (1-2)
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.
II. Judge the Blasphemers! (3-7)
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.”
III. You, O LORD, Have Power and the Will to Use It (8-11)
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?
11 The Lord knows all human plans;
he knows that they are futile.
IV. Blessed Is the One You Discipline, O LORD! (12-15)
12 Blessed is the one you discipline, Lord,
the one you teach from your law;
13 you grant them relief from days of trouble,
till a pit is dug for the wicked.
14 For the Lord will not reject his people;
he will never forsake his inheritance.
15 Judgment will again be founded on righteousness,
and all the upright in heart will follow it.
IV. You, O LORD, Are Our Champion (16-19)
16 Who will rise up for me against the wicked?
Who will take a stand for me against evildoers?
17 Unless the Lord had given me help,
I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death.
18 When I said, “My foot is slipping,”
your unfailing love, Lord, supported me.
19 When anxiety was great within me,
your consolation brought me joy.
V. Tyrants Are Doomed (20-23)
20 Can a corrupt throne be allied with you–
a throne that brings on misery by its decrees?
21 The wicked band together against the righteous
and condemn the innocent to death.
22 But the Lord has become my fortress,
and my God the rock in whom I take refuge.
23 He will repay them for their sins
and destroy them for their wickedness;
the Lord our God will destroy them
Compare three translations side by side. Click here.
New International Version (NIV)
I. God of Vengeance, Shine Forth! (1-2)
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.
II. Judge the Blasphemers! (3-7)
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.”
III. You, O LORD, Have Power and the Will to Use It (8-11)
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?
11 The Lord knows all human plans;
he knows that they are futile.
IV. Blessed Is the One You Discipline, O LORD! (12-15)
12 Blessed is the one you discipline, Lord,
the one you teach from your law;
13 you grant them relief from days of trouble,
till a pit is dug for the wicked.
14 For the Lord will not reject his people;
he will never forsake his inheritance.
15 Judgment will again be founded on righteousness,
and all the upright in heart will follow it.
IV. You, O LORD, Are Our Champion (16-19)
16 Who will rise up for me against the wicked?
Who will take a stand for me against evildoers?
17 Unless the Lord had given me help,
I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death.
18 When I said, “My foot is slipping,”
your unfailing love, Lord, supported me.
19 When anxiety was great within me,
your consolation brought me joy.
V. Tyrants Are Doomed (20-23)
20 Can a corrupt throne be allied with you–
a throne that brings on misery by its decrees?
21 The wicked band together against the righteous
and condemn the innocent to death.
22 But the Lord has become my fortress,
and my God the rock in whom I take refuge.
23 He will repay them for their sins
and destroy them for their wickedness;
the Lord our God will destroy them
The following Longfellow poem, “Christmas Bells,” which became a beloved Christmas Carol, captures the spirit of Psalm 94 (Longfellow wrote this during the Civil War, after the death of his wife and the wounding of his son in battle):
I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
Words: Henry W. Longfellow (1863)
Originally a poem (without music)
(Music: John B. Calkin, 1872)
I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play;
In music sweet the tones repeat,
“There’s peace on earth, good will to men.”
I thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along th’ unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
And in despair I bowed my head:
“There is no peace on earth,” I said,
“For hate is strong, and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.”
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor does He sleep,
For Christ is here; His Spirit near
Brings peace on earth, good will to men.”
When men repent and turn from sin
The Prince of Peace then enters in,
And grace imparts within their hearts
His peace on earth, good will to men.
O souls amid earth’s busy strife,
The Word of God is light and life;
Oh, hear His voice, make Him your choice,
Hail peace on earth, good will to men.
Then happy, singing on your way,
Your world will change from night to day;
Your heart will feel the message real,
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
Listen to Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash sing it:
Listen to the Carpenters with a different tune:
Here’s a contemporary version of the old hymn, sung by Casting Crowns:
Same song, same singers–different video:
Words: Henry W. Longfellow (1863)
Originally a poem (without music)
(Music: John B. Calkin, 1872)
I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play;
In music sweet the tones repeat,
“There’s peace on earth, good will to men.”
I thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along th’ unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
And in despair I bowed my head:
“There is no peace on earth,” I said,
“For hate is strong, and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.”
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor does He sleep,
For Christ is here; His Spirit near
Brings peace on earth, good will to men.”
When men repent and turn from sin
The Prince of Peace then enters in,
And grace imparts within their hearts
His peace on earth, good will to men.
O souls amid earth’s busy strife,
The Word of God is light and life;
Oh, hear His voice, make Him your choice,
Hail peace on earth, good will to men.
Then happy, singing on your way,
Your world will change from night to day;
Your heart will feel the message real,
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
Listen to Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash sing it:
Listen to the Carpenters with a different tune:
Here’s a contemporary version of the old hymn, sung by Casting Crowns:
Same song, same singers–different video: