“Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.” Psalm 37:7b.

Once again, the wicked are in view here, this is repeated continually in this psalm, all the way to verse thirty-eight. The theme of the destruction of the wicked gives hope to the righteous who are most often their victims.

“But recall the former days in which, after you were illuminated [accepted Christ as your Savior], you endured a great struggle with sufferings: partly while you were made a spectacle both by reproaches and tribulations, and partly while you became companions of those who were so treated; for you had compassion on me in my chains, and joyfully accepted the plundering of your goods, knowing that you have a better and an enduring possession for yourselves in heaven.” Hebrews 10:32-34.

God’s justice is highlighted here to comfort and encourage those who are His with the promise that evil will be punished. We do not see the end of evil because we are dwelling in time.

God being outside of time and knowing the beginning from the end sees the termination of all these things, and He says as much.

“The Lord laughs at him, for He sees that his day is coming.” Psalm 37:13.

If we could only grasp God’s perspective (and I add myself here) how it would ease our anxiety and increase our patience.

Nevertheless, we hold on to these promises by faith, and it is faith that God values in us so much.

“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6.

This brings us back to the concept of cruise-control (discussed in “Justice Walled Out, Part 2” posted on 9-22-24), we need to let God take responsibility for the big things in life, and the truth is all things are too big for us.

Jesus told us that, by worrying we cannot make ourselves any taller than we are, so why are we worrying about all these other things.

“Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?” Matthew 6:27.

Many people have tried to live their lives the way they thought it should be; as a result you have men and women constantly wrestling with their circumstances, as if somehow by sheer willpower they will get the things that they feel that life owes them.

This is weaved into the very warp and woof of our culture and hard to resist. There is no more exhausting way to go through life than to try to make everything happen the way you think it should.

You will get many things this way, but then you may just as easily see much of your hard work slip away for one reason or another.

People from broken homes or horribly busted families will want something better for their own families, but where do they learn what a normal home looks like?

Well, they learn from the “Brady Bunch” or “The Walton’s”, or some other such unrealistic source and drive themselves crazy trying to emulate a home life like these examples.

Society sets up certain standards by which we reach happiness, whether it is in riches, fame, or popularity, we strive toward that goal.

If we are Christians we often feel it necessary to help God along in helping us to reach whatever goal we feel it is that He wants us to reach.

There is a lot of self centeredness in that statement, and as a result we find ourselves not pressing on to the mark of the high calling of Christ Jesus, but rather struggling along trying to make something happen in a culture whose world view is anti-Christ.

This doesn’t work my friends, and the result is a lot of anxiety and spinning of the wheels, people would accomplish a lot more in this world on their knees in prayer than they ever will by trying to mold things with their bare hands and sheer strength of character.

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Romans 12:1-2.

This is the central urge of the rebellious evildoer, “Gain whatever it is I need in any way I can, people are not important, they are a means to a goal.” Now the average person will stop short of bringing serious harm to those around them in their quest for their dreams.

The evildoer though, is so self-centered that they could care less what damage they do to others.

And sadly, the injured parties may also include their own families, spouse, or children. The rationalization may be that it is for the good of the family, but it is all only for themselves.

Folks need to step back and examine their lives, what philosophy do they believe in? Are we deluded into thinking that the end justifies the means if it benefits the “family”?

Christian or not, one needs to be honest with themselves, because God says that, “evildoers shall be cut off” Psalm 37:9, and “yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more” Psalm 37:10.

God’s justice is as sure as tomorrow’s sunrise. Should the Christian fall under the same condemnation?

“Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; do not fret – it only causes harm.” Psalm 37:8

According to the dictionary, the word anger means, that due to a real or supposed wrong we have a strong feeling of displeasure or combativeness. Wrath, is, deeply resentful fierce anger, which could result in vengeance or punishment.

By looking at the definitions of anger and wrath, it is easy to see why the last phrase of this verse, “…do not fret – it only causes harm”, could be so true.

Aside from the obvious violence that comes from these emotions, another problem arises; you will be distracted from your walk with Christ.

Satan loves to get us stirred up emotionally, constantly replaying the tapes in our head of whatever wrong has been done to us.

This is bad for the digestion, bad for the heart, weakens us to disease, and takes the smile off our face; the smile that the world so desperately needs to see to be drawn to Christ.

All this for something that God has said that He will take care of. Where is God’s peace?

It is dissolving in a seething cauldron of hatred. Yes, we will have trials in this life, and we will not feel like smiling, but let it be for a reason, not because of the shadows of dead people.

It is a truly difficult thing to turn away from these feelings of anger and wrath towards very real vile and sinful men, but Jesus gives us the key to trusting God to take care of these matters.

“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” Luke 9:23b.

“You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” Isaiah 26:3.

“For evildoers shall be cut off; but those who wait on the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.” Psalm 37:9.

Look at the opposites here, the reward of the evil and the reward of the righteous.

Think of the chaos toward the end of the tribulation, when the righteous cry out.

“How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Revelation 6:10b.

And yet evil rolls on like a great juggernaut, unstoppable and irresistible.

Darkness covers the earth and the stench of death is everywhere. “How long O Lord?”

It must have felt like that during World War II, in Stalin’s Russia, Red China; even now Christians are slaughtered in the Middle East by ISIS and other Muslim jihadist.

In filthy alleys where young people die of drug overdoses, alone and in despair, or in affluent homes where spiritual values are lost and things replace God.

These too despair when it would seem that they should be the happiest.

They do not know that those who wait on the Lord will inherit the earth. They do not know that God loves them so much that He sent His Son to die that they might live.

Evildoers have done so much to remove God from our society that these little ones, cannot hear of Him in schools, in the media, or even in many mainstream churches today.

But all evildoers will be cut off and turned into hell. The Lord Jesus gives a bit of a look at this in Matthew chapter twenty-five, this takes place after the battle of Armageddon, and the King is here setting up His kingdom.

“All the nations will be gathered before Him [Jesus], and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’” Matthew 25:32-36.

Then the righteous will ask Him, when did we do all these things? And the King will reply that when they did it for even the least of His brethren, they did it for Him.

Jesus will then turn to those on His left hand and say:

“Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels…” Matthew 25:41b.

He will then say to them, for you did not do any of these things for the least of My brethren.

“And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” Matthew 25:46.

We fear that evildoers will get away with too many things in time, but God’s eye is on all and it will take an eternity for them to pay for what they do now.

“For He [God the Father] made Him [Jesus] who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain [grace is God showing you how to be saved from your sins, Ephesians 2:8-9]. For He says: ‘In an acceptable time I have heard you, and in the day of salvation I have helped you.’ Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” 2 Corinthians 5:21-6:2.

Justice will be as streams of water, green grass, trees and flowers taking over a vast desert. The righteous in Christ will bathe in the cool streams and forget the desert times.

Justice Over Evil, Part 1 taken from godisrevealed.com posted on 7-23-15, updated on 9-25-24 ck.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version, copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission, all rights reserved.