BIG IDEA:
WICKED RULERS WILL GET WHAT’S COMING TO THEM =
THE WRATH OF GOD
INTRODUCTION:
Imprecatory Psalm
"Vengeance is mine" saith the Lord
Answers the Questions:
Is there a God who really judges?
Can wicked rulers get away with injustice and lies?
Will the righteous ever be rewarded?
I. (:1-2) WICKED RULERS CANNOT HIDE THEIR MORAL BANKRUPTCY
A. (:1) They May Claim Integrity
1. Speaking righteousness?
2. Judging uprightly?
ASIDE: They Always Have an Inflated Opinion of Themselves
Note the change in address:
"O gods"
"O sons of men"
B. (:2) They Always Show Their True Colors
1. Planning unrighteousness in their wicked hearts
2. Administering violence instead of justice
II. (:3-5) WICKED RULERS ARE HOPELESSLY IN BONDAGE TO SIN
Why should we expect righteousness from them?
Why should we be surprised at their wickedness?
A. They Have Been Shackled in Sin Since Birth
"estranged from the womb"
"go astray from birth"
Nothing but wickedness and lies
B. They Cannot be Restrained in Their Wickedness
like a poisonous serpent that cannot be trained
III. (:6-9) WICKED RULERS ARE HELPLESS BEFORE THE WRATH OF GOD
Various Images of God’s Vengeance and Judgment:
A. (:6) Shattering their teeth
they might seem like powerful young lions, but they are powerless before the wrath of God
B. (:7a) Flashflood = "flow away like water that runs off"
C. (:7b) Headless Arrows
D. (:8a) Withering Snail
E. (:8b) Miscarriages of a Woman
8 months of suffering with no fruit for her labor
F. (:9) Summary: Sudden and Complete Destruction
IV. (:10-11) THE DESTRUCTION OF WICKED RULERS IS A NECESSARY TESTIMONY TO THE JUSTICE OF GOD
Answers a lot of fundamental questions
We need that type of forceful testimony
A. (:10) Response of the Righteous: Rejoicing in Their Vindication and Deliverance
B. (:11) Response of the World: Morality Matters
1. Surely there is a reward for the righteous
2. Surely there is a God who judges on earth
Wicked rulers will get what’s coming to them!
* * * * * * * * * *
DEVOTIONAL QUESTIONS:
1) How terrible are the judgments facing the wicked? How fearsome is the devastating power of the wrath of God once it is unleashed against wickedness? (vv.6-9)
2) How deep-rooted is the poison of wicked judges? How can they imagine themselves to have any ounce of integrity when they have been characterized by
speaking lies all their life? (vv.1-5)
3) How can the righteous rejoice at God’s execution of the wicked? What attributes of God are glorified in His exercise of vengeance? How does this help the righteous patiently endure unjust suffering until the day when God rights all wrongs? (vv.10-11).
4) Does God want His children motivated by the prospect of future rewards (vs.11)? How prominent a theme in Scripture is this concept of future reward?
Download the entire Psalms commentary in pdf format
(including notes on each psalm from other commentators)
from:
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