"All men shall fear, and shall declare the work of God; for they shall wisely consider His doing" (Psalm 64:9).
One method God employs to direct the attention of an ignorant and darkened world to His divine providence is through His judgments. God brings into the light what men hide in the darkness. He shines His righteous rays of judgment on those who scheme against Him and His people. If, however, God chooses to restrain His hand for a time, He has promised that in the final days His judgments will be felt throughout the earth. At that time every hidden word, thought, and deed will be exposed before the throne of God. All men will be struck with reverent fear before the righteousness and justice of God. At that time, only those covered by the righteousness of Christ will escape the condemnation of God.
In Psalm 64, David describes the conniving schemes of his enemies who conspire against him. They shoot at him from an ambush; and they speak lies about him, sharpening their tongues like swords and aiming their words like deadly arrows. Despite their efforts, David does not despair, for he knows God will vindicate him. Like David, all believers can put their trust in the Lord because He has promised to deliver and protect His people from the enemy. Even when our foes conspire in secret, their evil plans ultimately will not succeed because God will bring their deeds to light and judge them by their works. While they attack from ambush, God will shoot them with arrows in the open (v. 7). While they sharpen their tongues with lies, God will turn their words against them, bringing them to ruin (v. 8). By their own evil deeds, they will fall.
When God judges such men, He causes all the world to consider His divine government. How common it is to witness the reactions of people when devastation strikes—they look up to heaven and consider that there is someone greater than themselves. Their guilty consciences burn within them, causing them to recognize God’s judgments. While the wicked may fear God after a period of reflection on such events, the righteous glory in God and rejoice that they have refuge in Him forever. The wicked remain in fear, plagued by God’s judgments, but the believer cherishes the hope of deliverance found only in Jesus Christ.
Do you have difficulty accepting God as judge? If so, consider why you should rejoice in His being a righteous judge. Do you have difficulty telling others about God’s wrath and judgments? Think about how Jesus told others of judgment (see Matt. 25:31–46).
