Friday, May 26, 2023

Listen to the Word

“Your love, LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your justice like the great deep…”  (Psalm 36:5-6)

Psalm 36 celebrates the oceanic depth of the justice of God. God has high standards – or to use the image from the psalm, he has deep standards. He holds his people accountable for acting justly.

The Bible portrays the justice of God as a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it is used to encourage us. When we are mistreated, we can be confident that God notices, and he has our back. Just ask the slaves he miraculously rescued through the exodus – they could tell you that God’s passion for justice is a wonderful thing to experience. On the other hand, the Bible uses God’s commitment to justice as a threat. We need to know that we will not get away with violating the guidelines he has set for us, especially if we trample on the rights of others in the process.

God’s justice is deeper than the ocean. Remember that truth the next time you are mistreated and be comforted. Remember that truth the next time you are tempted to ignore God’s standards and be warned.

Live the Word

Praise God for his justice. Ask him to help you think of someone around you who is being mistreated in some way, and ask him to show you how you can stand up for that person.