IIT UBF - University Bible Fellowship at IIT

Daily Bread

There is a God Who Judges the Earth

Date: Feb. 3, 2016

Passage

Psalm 58:1-11  (ESV)

To the choirmaster: according to Do Not Destroy. A Miktam of David.

  Do you indeed decree what is right, you gods?
    Do you judge the children of man uprightly?
  No, in your hearts you devise wrongs;
    your hands deal out violence on earth.
  The wicked are estranged from the womb;
    they go astray from birth, speaking lies.
  They have venom like the venom of a serpent,
    like the deaf adder that stops its ear,
  so that it does not hear the voice of charmers
    or of the cunning enchanter.
  O God, break the teeth in their mouths;
    tear out the fangs of the young lions, O LORD!
  Let them vanish like water that runs away;
    when he aims his arrows, let them be blunted.
  Let them be like the snail that dissolves into slime,
    like the stillborn child who never sees the sun.
  Sooner than your pots can feel the heat of thorns,
    whether green or ablaze, may he sweep them away!
10   The righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance;
    he will bathe his feet in the blood of the wicked.
11   Mankind will say, “Surely there is a reward for the righteous;
    surely there is a God who judges on earth.”

Daily Bread

Key Verse: 58:11

  Mankind will say, “Surely there is a reward for the righteous;
    surely there is a God who judges on earth.”

First, is there any justice in the earth? (1-5) The earth seems to be full of injustice. Wicked men vent their evil and apparently nothing can stop them. They are like a cobra that has stopped its ears and refuses to respond to the charmer's pipe. Sweet talk doesn't stop men who plot evil and speak lies. God's servants can't fight with Satan's tools. So what can we do?

Second, God is a righteous judge (6-11). When he was helpless to stop injustice and evil, David prayed. He prayed that God might disarm his enemies; that they might be like a slug that melts as it moves along, and that their evil plans might never see fruition--like a stillborn child that never sees the light of day. He believed in God's justice. He did not harbor grudges or plan human ways of revenge, but trusted the righteous God who judges all men. Jesus forgave his enemies; David committed his anger to the righteous God.

Prayer: Prayer: Lord, remove from me all grudges and help me to pray when I am angry. Give me Jesus' spirit to go one step beyond, and forgive.

One Word: Vengeance belongs to God

Daily Bread

From Adam to David

1 Chronicles 1:1-2:55

Key Verse: 1:2:9

Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared;

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Intro Daily