Thought from today’s Bible reading from 1 Kings 1-2; Psalm 37, 71, 94.
David begins Psalm 94 by asking God to take vengeance upon those who show their contempt for the Lord by abusing others.
“How long shall the wicked, O Lord, how long shall the wicked exult? They pour forth words, they speak arrogantly; all who do wickedness vaunt themselves. They crush Your people, O Lord, and afflict Your heritage. They slay the widow and the stranger and murder the orphans. They have said, ‘The Lord does not see, nor does the God of Jacob pay heed’” (Psalm 94;3-7).
The oppressors that David describes believe they can mistreat others without penalty. As long as they have the ability to abuse others, they have no sense of morality that restrains them and no fear of God that would keep them from acting so wickedly. They believe that God will not see their actions; therefore, they are free to do as they please. However, David made it clear that this was not the case.
“Pay heed, you senseless among the people; and when will you understand, stupid ones? He who planted the ear, does He not hear? He who formed the eye, does He not see? He who chastens the nations, will He not rebuke, even He who teaches man knowledge? The Lord knows the thoughts of man, that they are a mere breath” (Psalm 94:8-11).
Nothing that we do will escape God’s notice. Even our thoughts are known by Him. We need to remember that everything we do will be judged by Him (2 Corinthians 5:10). Just because we have the ability to do what is wrong, does not mean we should do it. We need to act righteously in all that we do.
Tomorrow’s reading: Psalm 119:1-88
[I’m using the Chronological reading plan on the Bible Gateway website if you’d like to follow along, too.]
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