The More Things Change….

Okay, so 3,000 years ago no movie theaters dotted a modern metropolis. No automobiles scurried around the countryside. Restaurants did not line the streets—bathed in neon and beckoning for citizens to enter. No marijuana shops called out for souls passing by to take a few moments to wander off from reality.

But human beings lived in ancient urban settlements, and today's population is pretty much like them. Neither God nor mankind has changed, as the Psalms often illustrate. The righteous could easily be heard to say today what is found in Psalm 94:1-3.

O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongs—
O God to whom vengeance belongs, shine forth!
Rise up, O judge of the earth;
Render punishment to the proud.
Lord, how long will the wicked,
How long will the wicked triumph?

Have we not all thought the exact same thing? How many entertainers are proud and profane? How many songs and movies exalt wickedness? How many television programs champion marital unfaithfulness? How many state legislatures enact laws contrary to the public welfare? How many court decisions have actually endorsed immorality? And how many homosexuals are loud, proud, and wear their sin like Sodom? Do not the meager efforts of Christians fall on deaf ears as the majority casts the Word of God behind their back?

Yes, God's people would like conditions to change! Of course, our first preference is that those who promote evil will see the error of their ways and repent. Occasionally, such a rare event does occur. But if a person is going to maintain the posture of iniquity until death, then why should they not enter into punishment now—and the sooner the better, since so many are influenced by them? This is what the writer of Psalm 94 is (like us) wondering. But the character of the evil one has only been hinted at. He defines their ungodly actions in greater detail.

They utter speech, and speak insolent things; All the workers of iniquity boast in themselves.
They break in pieces Your people, O Lord,
And afflict Your heritage.
They slay the widow and the stranger,
And murder the fatherless.
Yet they say, "The Lord does not see,
Nor does the God of Jacob understand (Ps. 94:4-7).

Wanna bet? (Christians should never gamble, but if they did, this one really is a sure thing.) These self-assured evildoers display excessive confidence in themselves. They do not exalt God for His righteousness or His wondrous ability to bring things about. No, they boast of themselves as if they were in control of all the matters on the earth. They are not.

Furthermore, they possess no concern for their fellow human beings who are made in the image of God. Other people are only there for their use. Like those who zip in and out of traffic lanes to save a few minutes of travel time, these ancients only view others as obstacles to swerve around or voiceless chumps to take advantage of. They afflict people without a pang of conscience. They take advantage of the lowly and the poor who have no one to defend them. Do they literally murder others? They would if they knew they could escape justice.

Apparently, they do not expect any reprisals from men. And they have convinced themselves that God doesn't care, either! Which is a colossal mistake! Just because God does not destroy the wicked immediately does not mean that He does not see or does not care. Patience should not be confused with indifference. God often gives sinners the opportunity to repent, to change their ways, and offer assistance to those whom they injured.

These wayward bullies are guilty of misusing logic. They think, "If God does not punish our sins immediately, the reason is that He either does not notice our ways, or He does not care." They could not imagine that God is vastly more complex than human beings are (Isa. 55:8-9) and that there might be other reasons for failing to exercise justice immediately. God severely chides them for their erroneous thinking.

Understand, you senseless among the people;
And you fools, when will you be wise?
He who planted the ear, shall He not hear?
He who formed the eye, shall He not see?
He who instructs the nations, shall He not correct,
He who teaches man knowledge?
The Lord knows the thoughts of man,
That they are futile (Ps. 94:8-11)?

As for the quality of their reasoning ability, God states plainly that they are woefully intellectually deficient. And He explains why. He is not a god like the idols who have eyes but don't see and ears that don't hear. He is the Creator who knows how all of these parts operate. Would the One who made these delicate and complicated instruments of sight and sound Himself not be able to see and hear?

As for understanding, God is the greatest of teachers—to those who have functioning minds. Furthermore, He goes beyond what is said or done. He even knows man's thoughts; He does not need to wait to see what someone does or to hear them declare their intent in speech. He is way ahead of those expressions. God knew what they were thinking before they committed any evil. Yet how many of those in positions of authority today likewise think God does not know or care about their evil plans. They say, "Fools never learn."