At first the psalms may bring to mind gentle brooks and rolling meadows, beautiful poetry extolling God’s magnificence and care. Some of them, however, are anything but. A number seethe with anger. There are bad people out there, doing horrendous, evil things, and the psalmist is fed up. He rails against them, getting downright explicit with the sort of punishment he hopes God doles out. In the end, he declares, good people will be glad to see the evildoers get their own.
Read More justice, persecution, retribution, suffering
To take on retribution is to take on God’s role of judge. Paul spoke about this in Romans (12:19). There we’re told to love our enemies, feed them, and give drink to the thirsty. (Rom.12:20-21) Our temptation is to repay in kind. It is the role of wisdom to call us to restraint. Once we restrain our natural instincts we open the way for a redemptive response and leave judgment to the One who judges righteously.
Read More evil, retribution, restraint, the "Righteous One"
At first the psalms may bring to mind gentle brooks and rolling meadows, beautiful poetry extolling God’s magnificence and care. Some of them, however, are anything but. A number seethe with anger. There are bad people out there, doing horrendous, evil things and the psalmist is fed up.
Read More suffering, justice, persecution, retribution