A recurrent theme we read in the Psalms is the distinction between the righteous and the unrighteous. There is a clear line between the two and how God views them. They have different portions assigned to them. The Psalmist continually ensured that the readers would know this. This truth, had to be remembered in good and bad times so that no one would be deceived. One thing I appreciate about David, is that he never accepted the reality of sin to define him. He never accepted injustice for the righteous. In fact, one of the characters of God that David highlights a lot in the Psalms is the justice of God. It is almost as though the bible wants us to focus on the fact that God is just whether we see it or not. Living in a world filled with injustice does not mean that the God of Justice is not bothered. In this post, I would like to highlights Psalms I read that talk about the justice of God.
First, let’s define the righteous and the unrighteous according to the bible. The righteous or the just according to the bible is one who is set apart for the Lord (Psalm 4:3), his portion is the Lord and because of that he can never be shaken (Psalm 16:8). He is the one that can enter the presence of God. The righteous is someone who “delights in the law of the Lord” (Psalm 1:2), someone who does not slander (Psalm 15:3), “someone who does his neighbour no wrong” (Psalm 15:3), “someone who keeps his oath even when it hurts” (Psalm 15:4), someone who has set his mind on the Lord, who trusts in the Lord, who follows the commands of the Lord, who does not practice idolatry, who speaks truth, who does not practice mockery of others, someone who is humble and rejoices with other righteous people. This is quite a list and I don’t know about you but it feels unattainable. In a nutshell, the righteous is perfect.
The wicked, the fool, the unjust are all synonyms the bible uses to refer to the unrighteous. The unrighteous on the other hand stands in direct opposition to God and his portion is eternal damnation. The unrighteous is one whose speech is vile, he is arrogant and thinks to himself that “there is no God” (Psalm 14:1), he is proud, he is a mocker, he practices idolatry and the worship of self, he oppresses the poor, the fatherless, the widow; he is filled with anger, rage, malice, slander and filthy language (Colossians 3:8). It is interesting to see that what the Lord considers evil is essentially putting anything or anyone above Himself and disobeying Him. I wonder if we often pause to realize that the moment we dethrone God in our lives we are viewed as wicked before Him? That means, when you live your life and make decisions without letting the Holy Spirit guide you through the word of God, you are taking the place of God and He does not like that; in that moment, He views you as wicked. God must have pre-eminence in everything including our lives. As Colossians puts it, Jesus “is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy” (Colossians 1:18). We live to glorify God, we live to reveal Jesus and we do this by submitting to God, His teachings, His commandments, and His rules. As the bible tells us, God is the same yesterday, today and forever. That consistency means He does not compromise on Himself, therefore He will never welcome evil or celebrate it. Psalm 15 asks the question “Who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may ascend on your holy hill?” talking about God and the answer is “he whose walk is blameless”. We have seen this to be the truth in the life of Jesus, he was the perfect man who was without sin yet when he died on the cross he was cursed because at that moment he was sinful; the one who knew no sin but became sin for us was cast out and removed from the presence of God so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21). If God did not change His character of justice for His own son, why do we think He will change for us and simply let us continue in sin without any consequence? God’s faithfulness to Himself is perfection, He does not compromise not even for His own son. He provided a way to be righteous and be accepted in His presence because guess what? Even today in 2022, only the righteous can come into the presence of God. In His love, God provided the means to enter His presence without dying through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross who bore our sins and gave us his righteousness. It is that simple to enter into the presence of God, accept Jesus as your personal saviour and you will reap the benefit of the presence of God. Not only that, you will reap the benefits of the righteous.
As a righteous person, your portion is God. It might not mean much to you but the God of the universe is your portion! That means everything is yours! What will He not do for you? What will He withhold from you? As Romans says “He who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all – how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32). This God is fierce and ready to fight your battles for you, He delights to do wonderful things for you, you only need to submit to Him. He has made the way, what are you waiting for? Remember, God is a God of justice and as such, He will ensure that the righteous is justified and the evil one condemned. I pray the Lord in His mercy helps you to come to Him and for you who are already His, I pray he sustains you to continue to submit to Him.
A Word Aptly Spoken 