Psalm 94

Order of Service

• Prayer of Invocation
• Sermon
• Closing Prayer

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Sermon Title: The Posture of God's People in the Face of Wickedness

Scripture: Psalm 94

I. The Psalmist Addresses the Covenant Lord as Divine Judge (vv. 1–7)

A. God is called upon as the "God of avengings" — divine retribution, not human vindictiveness

1. Human vengeance is marked by anger, immediacy, limited knowledge, and disproportionate response
2. Divine retribution is just repayment to the proud for what they deserve (Psalm 94:2)

B. The call to "shine forth" evokes God's manifest presence

1. Moses's face shining after speaking with God (Exodus 34)
2. The Transfiguration — Jesus revealed in overwhelming light
3. Paul blinded by the light of Christ on the Damascus Road
4. God's shining presence dispels darkness and overwhelms wickedness

C. The haunting question: "How long, O Lord?" (Psalm 94:3)

1. A recurring cry throughout the Psalter and in Revelation 6
2. The legitimate prayer of God's people living amid ongoing trial and tragedy

D. The wickedness of the wicked is rooted in a false belief: "The Lord does not see" (Psalm 94:7)

1. They convince themselves God neither perceives nor cares
2. The Hebrew word for "perceive" in v. 7 is the same word used to call the wicked to "understand" in v. 8 — a pointed irony

II. The Psalmist Addresses the Wicked (vv. 8–11)

A. The psalmist speaks on behalf of the Lord, calling the wicked to perceive who God truly is

1. He who planted the ear — does he not hear your arrogant words? (Psalm 94:9)
2. He who formed the eye — does he not see your wicked actions? (Psalm 94:9)
3. He who disciplines nations — will he not repay? (Psalm 94:10)

B. The Lord knows even the thoughts of man, and man is but a breath (Psalm 94:11)

1. Echoes the theme of Book IV of the Psalter: man is like grass, fleeting and small (Psalm 90)
2. A call to humility — and perhaps even a note of hope for any wicked who would yet perceive

III. The Psalmist Addresses the Covenant Lord as Covenant Keeper (vv. 12–15)

A. Blessing comes through divine discipline: "Blessed is the man whom you discipline, O Lord" (Psalm 94:12)

1. God's people are taught through chastening; the wicked scoff and harden
2. This distinction arises not from human disposition but from God's work in the heart by his Spirit

B. The Lord will not forsake his people — the heart of his covenant-keeping love (Psalm 94:14)

1. Paul quotes this principle in Romans 11:2: "God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew"
2. His faithfulness rests not on the merit of his people but on his electing love

IV. The Psalmist Addresses the Lord, the Community, and His Own Heart (vv. 16–23)

A. The question of verse 16 — "Who rises up for me against the wicked?" — is answered resoundingly: the Lord (Psalm 94:16)

B. The psalmist rehearses what God is like and what he does for his people

1. Help, steadfast love, consolation — meeting his people in their distress (Psalm 94:17–19)
2. Stronghold and Rock of Refuge (Psalm 94:22)
3. "When I thought my foot slips, your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up" (Psalm 94:18)

C. The Lord will bring back iniquity upon the wicked and wipe them out (Psalm 94:23)

V. Fulfillment in Christ

A. Jesus speaks to his disciples facing tribulation in John 16:33: "In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world."

B. D.A. Carson: "By his death he has made the world's opposition pointless and beggarly. The decisive battle has been waged and won."

C. Believers still experience wickedness in this age, but Christ's victory is certain

1. We look to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2)
2. Because he has overcome, we can take heart