God of Vengeance!

Psalm 94

One of my favorite movies over the years is Gladiator. It tells the story of a Roman General who has been faithful and effective in his service to Rome and the Emperor. But when the emperor is killed by his son, the general is viewed as a threat and is betrayed. His family is killed and he is sold into slavery. You feel the wrongness when you watch and you root for the general to find his revenge. When he finally gets it, you can’t help but feel a release of satisfaction. Most movies that deal with a revenge stir you up in this same way. It is a popular genre.

Have you ever thought about why it is such a popular genre? Why are those desires for vengeance so strong? It is a universal sentiment. So, is it wrong for a Christian to have desires for vengeance? Not according to the Bible. This morning’s psalm is a plea to God, in the context of corporate worship, to bring vengeance. This is not incompatible with the character of God.

In the past few psalms we’ve seen a great emphasis on the steadfast love of God. His “hesed.” We think of his great mercy. We will also worship him for his holiness and majesty as the psalmist highlights these attributes of God. We resonate with these.
But here the psalmist calls upon God, as the God of vengeance. How do we reconcile this with what we know about God?
The Westminster Divines define God as: infinite, eternal and unchangeable in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth. (WSC4)

Where does vengeance fit in? It fits into his justice. What does it mean that our God is a God of vengeance?