Will justice be done? Will their oppression and exploitation of the poor ever stop? Will God punish the wicked?
My heart grieves when I watch the news and see situations like this happening in the world today, especially the moment in Zimbabwe. Will God do anything? How can men like this get away with literal murder?
The Psalmist had the same sentiments in his time, but he did find an answer:
Look at these wicked people— enjoying a life of ease while their riches multiply.
Did I keep my heart pure for nothing?
Did I keep myself innocent for no reason?
I get nothing but trouble all day long; every morning brings me pain.If I had really spoken this way to others, I would have been a traitor to your people.
So I tried to understand why the wicked prosper.
But what a difficult task it is!
Then I went into your sanctuary, O God, and I finally understood the destiny of the wicked.
Truly, you put them on a slippery path and send them sliding over the cliff to destruction.
In an instant they are destroyed, completely swept away by terrors.
When you arise, O Lord, you will laugh at their silly ideas as a person laughs at dreams in the morning. (Psalm 73:12-20, NLT)
An interesting thing is that Psalm 73 and 37 talk about the same thing. Here’s the first 11 verses of Psalm 37. (Or read the WHOLE Psalm.)
Don’t worry about the wicked or envy those who do wrong.
For like grass, they soon fade away.
Like spring flowers, they soon wither.Trust in the Lord and do good.
Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.
Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires.Commit everything you do to the Lord.
Trust him, and he will help you.
He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act.
Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes.Stop being angry!
Turn from your rage!
Do not lose your temper— it only leads to harm.
For the wicked will be destroyed, but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land.Soon the wicked will disappear.
Though you look for them, they will be gone.
The lowly will possess the land and will live in peace and prosperity. (NLT)
So we can be assured that their day will come.
In the meantime, God has His purposes for delaying judgment. We see this in the story of Pharaoh, along with some other examples. As we be still and spend time in God’s word, we can begin to see what God is up to.
So let’s go back to Pharaoh in Exodus.
Firstly, we learned that God KNEW Pharaoh’s heart. He knew the extent of his stubbornness. Here’s a little example.
When Moses came to Pharaoh and asked that he let God’s people go, so that they could worship and sacrifice to their God in the wilderness. But Pharaoh says:
“Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go?” (Exodus 5:2, NKJ)
He had no fear of God. And by saying that, Pharaoh had it coming to him. Years ago, God had said to Abraham,
“I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you (and your descendants), and I will curse him who curses you…”
So hey, it’s dangerous to mess with God’s kids. So God would sort him out, for sure! God had a plan, and He was actually using Pharaoh to help fulfill it. He had said to Moses:
“Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh. When he feels the force of my strong hand, he will let the people go. In fact, he will force them to leave his land!” (Exodus 6:1, NLT)
Later on we read that “Pharaoh’s heart became hard and he did not let the people go.” (See Exodus 9:7.) And then a bit later we read that “the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh; and he didn’t heed them, just as the Lord had spoken to Moses.” (9:12)
And further on, we read about how God sent the final plague, the death of the firstborn. This had become too much for Pharaoh. He could not longer stand it. So he called for Moses and Aaron in the middle of the night, and he said:
“Get out!” he ordered. “Leave my people—and take the rest of the Israelites with you! Go and worship the Lord as you have requested. Take your flocks and herds, as you said, and be gone. Go, but bless me as you leave.”
Don’t you just love the hide of that guy, Pharaoh, asking Moses to bless him? Of course he didn’t qualify for God’s blessings. In chapter 14 we read again of how God hardened his heart, and Pharaoh and his army chased after the Israelites, and they were all drowned in the Red Sea.
See, even when it doesn’t seem He is doing anything regard the wicked, God has His ways. He does have a day of judgment for the wicked. God will overthrow them, and the meek will inherit the earth.
Tomorrow, I will share some other examples of how God hardening hearts.
(To learn more about Pharaoh and his stubbornness, go to the previous entry. Also you can read the whole story in Exodus 3-15.)
