A Sense of God’s Justice 感受上帝的公义

[Dexu Xia]

May this be the Lord’s payment to my accusers, to those who speak evil of me. Psalm 109:20

Today's Scripture    Psalm 109:6-9, 26-29 

Today's Insights  Psalm 109 is what’s known as an imprecatory psalm, where the author heaps curses, calamities, and destruction on the wicked, calling on God to judge them (see also Psalms 5, 35, 59, 69, 129, 137, 140). David had suffered unjustly in the hands of his enemies (109:1-5). In his imprecations or curses (vv. 6-20), he wasn’t seeking personal vengeance. Instead, he asked God to act on his behalf. He prayed for God’s justice and righteousness to prevail over evil and for Him to intervene and save him (vv. 26-31). David confidently proclaimed God’s justice in another psalm: “Those who know your name trust in you . . . . The Lord is known for his justice” (9:10, 16 nlt). Our world is characterized by trials, injustice, and wickedness. The Psalms can help us express our praises, laments, petitions, and cries to God for help and trust Him to bring justice in His time.

Today's Devotional  The news was horrific. A live-in foreign domestic helper had been so ill-treated by the family she worked for that she died. The employers were eventually jailed, but I felt it wasn’t enough. They should have suffered the same horrors they put that poor girl through, I thought, and then put to death. Then I wondered if my anger had crossed the line. Was I wrong to think such things?

Reading Psalm 109 gave me an insight into our natural sense of justice. David, for one, wrestled with anger toward those who wronged the poor and needy. “May his days be few . . . . May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow,” he charged (vv. 8-9).

But King David didn’t take revenge on these men—even though he had the power to. Instead, he turned to God as the true source of justice and deliverance. “May this be the Lord’s payment to my accusers, to those who speak evil of me,” he said. “Save me according to your unfailing love” (vv. 20, 26).

I believe God made us with an inherent sense of justice, for it reflects His own character. And we can express our feelings honestly. But ultimately we’re to leave judgment and punishment to Him—trusting Him to bring justice in His time and way. The apostle Paul states things clearly: “Do not take revenge . . . but leave room for God’s wrath” (Romans 12:19).

Reflect & Pray   What news or events disturb you? How can you pray for those in need and for victims of injustice?

 Dear God, You are the all-seeing, righteous God. May Your justice prevail so that all may come to fear and worship You.

By Leslie Koh

“这就是我对头，和用恶言议论我的人，从耶和华那里所受的报应。”(诗篇 109:20)

今日经文：诗篇 109篇6-9, 26-29 节

今日洞见：诗篇109篇是一篇咒诅诗，作者将咒诅、灾祸和毁灭倾倒在恶人身上，祈求上帝审判他们（见诗篇5、35、59、69、129、137、140篇）。大卫在敌人手中蒙受不公正的对待（109:1-5）。他咒诅（6-20节）并非为了个人复仇，而是祈求上帝为他行事。他祈求上帝介入，以公正和正义战胜邪恶，拯救他（26-31节）。大卫在另一篇诗篇中充满信心地宣告上帝的公正：“认识你名的人要倚靠你……耶和华以公义为名”（9:10, 16）。我们的世界充满考验、不公和邪恶。诗篇可以帮助我们向上帝表达我们的赞美、哀叹、祈求和呼求，并相信祂会在适当的时候施行公义。

  今日灵修 一个可怕的消息传来。一位外籍女佣遭到她帮佣的家庭虐待，最终不治身亡。雇主最终被判入狱，但我觉得这还不够。我想，他们应该像对待那个可怜的女孩一样遭受同样的折磨，然后处死她。然后我开始怀疑我的愤怒是否已经过了界线。我这样想错了吗？ 阅读诗篇109篇让我深刻地体会到我们与生俱来的正义感。例如，大卫曾因那些亏待穷人和贫乏人的恶人而怒火中烧。他控告说：“愿他的日子减少……愿他的儿女为孤儿，他的妻子为寡妇”（8-9节）。但大卫王并没有报复这些人，尽管他有能力这样做。相反，他转向上帝，寻求祂，祂是公义和拯救的真正源头。他说：“愿耶和华向那些控告我和用恶言攻击我的人施行报应。求你照你的慈爱拯救我”（20、26节）。

  我相信上帝创造我们时就赋予我们与生俱来的正义感，因为这反映了祂的品格。我们可以诚实地表达自己的感受。但最终，我们要把审判和惩罚交给祂——信靠祂会按照祂的时间和方式带来公义。使徒保罗说得很清楚：“不要报仇……宁可让步，听凭主怒。”（罗马书 12:19）

反思与祷告    哪些新闻或事件让你感到不安？你该如何为有需要的人和遭受不公平待遇的受害者祷告？

 亲爱的上帝，你是全知全能、公义的上帝。愿你的公义得胜，使所有人都敬畏你、敬拜你。作者：莱斯利·柯