Do you ever just want justice because of some oppression or affliction? Someone wrongs you and you want to take care of it and issue your own justice. No doubt you would return harm for harm and cause things to simply be equal again. I’ve been there. Someone has said something about me that wasn’t true and I wanted to scream to the world that it was slander. I’ve wanted to say things back and return hurt for hurt.
But you know what? It’s not my place to return anger for anger. It is God who issues justice. I simply have to rest in God’s providential care for me and trust God to do what He does. Is that easy? No way. But it’s the way I should respond. How does the psalmist respond when he has been pushed around, despised, and afflicted all his life? To understand this psalm we have to realize he is speaking for Israel when he writes. Let’s dive in.
They’ve been afflicted for a long time
The psalmist begins by saying Israel has been afflicted (treat with hostility) for such a long time. Ever since the psalmist was young all he’s known is the affliction of Israel. Israel has been oppressed for so long. But even in their affliction those who despised Israel never overcame Israel. There was a reason this was the case.
The description of the affliction
In vv. 3-4 we see the incredible suffering in this description. The enemies of Israel plowed furrows down the backs of Israel. Think about this description. It was as if they were actually plowing trenches into their backs. This was the terrible pain of hostility shown to Israel from their enemies. Sometimes in our own lives, the pain of affliction is so bad that we can hardly stand it. Not health concerns and other types of things we go through, but things we experience from others who oppress us. They do and say things that hurt us.
The solution to the affliction
The solution is found in v. 4 where we read that “The Lord is righteous.” He is Just. He is Upright. He is always in the Right. That is the God we serve. When God looks down on our difficulties and affliction caused by others He does so through the lens of His own righteousness. And I will say, I would not want to be on the wrong end of God’s righteousness. Verse 4 tells us that God’s righteousness caused Him to cut the cords of the “plow” that was causing all the pain in our lives. Think about that for a minute. God did not issue judgment in a way that the psalmist may have wanted as we will see in the next section. He simply relieved the affliction by stopping it. Why? Because God is righteous and Israel was faithful to worship Him.
The solution of the psalmist
In the next few verses, the psalmist prays for their enemies, but not in a way that would necessarily bring them closer to the Lord. Verses 5-7 give us the psalmist’s solution. He prayed they would be put to shame (v.5). He prayed they would be as dead grass and whither away (vv.6-7). He also prayed that their enemies would not receive any blessing from the Lord or the people of the Lord (v.8). The psalmist was reacting from pain he experienced since his youth.
The reason for Israel’s protection
This protection is stated in v.8. It is because the blessing of the Lord is upon them. While the psalmist would hope people would not greet their enemies with this phrase it does describe Israel’s relationship with the Lord. They received the blessing of the Lord because they were serving the Lord. The Lord had also made a commitment to Israel to protect them and provide for them as a nation. So how does any of this apply to us today?
What does it all mean?
God loves us and cares about each of our problems. When we are oppressed or afflicted by someone God cares. God cares when we experience hurt or difficulty caused by others. And regardless of how we might pray for God to vindicate us, He may choose to release the oppression as the way. It is not for us to choose the way God decides to provide relief and justice. In many cases, those who oppress or afflict us are those who have no real relationship with the Lord. They hurt others because of their own pride or selfishness. We simply rest in God’s provision for us in the middle of the storms we face.
Some questions…
- Who has hurt you lately?
- How have you responded to that hurt?
- How have you prayed? Have you prayed against someone? Have you prayed that God would take care of it?
- Will you turn over that hurt today and just allow God to “cut the cords” and relieve your pain?