Advent Day 12 Psalm 37

08 December 2011 by Matt Gumm

In the opening chapter of Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis talks about the two people quarreling, making the point that there is an external standard of justice or fairness that people innately recognize and appeal to. As kids, we knew it was wrong to take "cuts" in the line at the drinking fountain. As adults, when we are out driving, it's still wrong to take cuts, and when someone else doesn't seem to know that, we can go out of our way to make sure they are aware.

All of us, in some form or fashion, are yearning for justice. Often, this can be self-serving, like when one of my children complains that another one won't let him or her "have a turn". At other times, this desire may have a wider and more outward-directed focus, such as injustice in the world. And we can be tempted to despair, because whether personal or widespread, our appeals for justice can often appear to go unanswered.

For believers, a text like Psalm 37 vividly reminds us that God is aware. It's His testimony to us that He knows the works of the wicked and the righteous, and distinguishes between the two.

This isn't just happy head knowledge. We need to recognize that our own petty attempts to obtain justice from others are not merely pathetic, but they are unnecessary. We can rest in the comfort that the scales will be balanced in God's timing, and according to His plan.

For Yahweh loves justice;
He will not forsake his saints.