We're going to look at Psalm 75 and I would title Psalm 75, "Let Justice Roll Down." It's sad and difficult, but true, that injustice is one of the inescapable hardships of life in this fallen world. We had this experience in our family: my daughter was walking home one night from work, and a drunk and unlicensed driver careened up on the sidewalk and crushed her against a wall. She had massive, massive injuries. In fact, we thought that we may lose her.
It was a horrible injustice. This person had no business ever being behind the wheel of that car, and in ways altered the life of our daughter forever. Luella, my wife, tells me I tell this story and I don't ever give the conclusion. Nicole is doing very well, but it was a dark and hard time for our family.
Perhaps you're the victim of racial injustice. Perhaps there's been injustice in your family like physical or sexual abuse. Maybe you faced injustice in your career or at your job. Maybe you've experienced religious rejection or persecution. And in these experiences, it is tempting to look around to conclude that there just is no justice in this world.
Well, Psalm 75 is in the Bible to speak into these kinds of discouraging and disheartening moments. And Psalm 75 is powerful--this is really important to say--not because it speaks about God, but because it rewords God speaking about his justice. Let me read for you.
"At the set time that I appoint
I will judge with equity.
When the earth totters, and all its inhabitants,
it is I who keep steady its pillars.
I say to the boastful, 'Do not boast,'
and to the wicked, 'Do not lift up your horn;
do not lift up your horn on high,
or speak with haughty neck.'"
God is saying, "Don't you understand there is One sitting on the throne of the universe who, because he is perfectly holy all the time in every way, is the perfectly just judge?" And God says, "You have to trust my timing. At the time I appoint, I will judge with equity."
What does that mean? "I will judge with divine wisdom and impartiality." And God's warning to people who do not love him, do not follow him, do and obey him is, "Don't be proud." That's what "lift up your horn" means, because your day of judgment is coming.
Now here's the call of Psalm 75: to wait patiently for the perfect timing of the perfectly wise judge to execute his justice. In ways we don't understand it, the justice of God is already on the march, and the world is moving toward that moment when injustice will be crushed forever.
So, Psalm 75 speaks into these moments when we're disheartened and discouraged, to tell us that there's a judge who hears, there's a judge who understands, there's a judge who cares, and his justice is on the march.
Evil will not win; evil is not ultimate; injustice will not last forever because God is good, and God is wise, and God is holy, and he will crush injustice. And we will live in a place where righteousness and peace and justice reign forever and ever and ever. Now, I don't know about you, but I need to hear that very good news!
Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion
1. In what ways have you experienced injustice in your life or known someone who has experienced it? How have you processed that injustice in the past and what kinds of emotions have you experienced as a result? Why do you think injustice is so discouraging and disheartening to us? Why do you think we as human beings value justice so much?
2. Is it hard for you to genuinely believe that there is one sitting on the throne of the universe who is a perfectly just judge? As you re-read Psalm 75, how does that change your perspective in any way? How does knowing that God will judge perfectly in wisdom and impartiality help to give you hope where at one time you might have felt hopeless in your longing for justice in this world?
3. Why might trusting God's timing in bringing justice be something that's difficult for you to do? How can waiting patiently for his justice be something that changes us for the better? Why is justice delayed not the same thing as justice denied, and how might that truth bring you hope?
4. God hears, cares, and understands exactly what you're going through. Knowing that (combined with knowing that God will defeat all evil one day), how might God be calling you to renew your hope in him at this very moment as you wait for the one who is good, wise, and holy?
Conversation Prompts to Use with Children
For Younger Children:
• How do you feel when something happens to you that you think isn't fair? Why do you think it's so hard not to be upset when things aren't fair? Who makes the rules about what is fair and what's not fair? How can we trust the one who makes those rules? Is it encouraging to know that God is the one who ultimately decides what is right and wrong, fair and unfair, good and bad?
• When a person does something wrong and they don't experience the consequences of their actions, how does that make you feel? Even though that might happen from time to time in life, God is calling us to trust him even when we may not understand why someone doesn't get the consequences they deserve...how does that make you feel? How does that make you feel about God? Why do you think we can trust God even when some things don't make sense to us?
• Is God good? Does he care about you? Does he love you? Is he perfect? Do you think we can trust God even when things don't make sense to us? Why? How can you and I help each other to trust God and his perfect fairness even when certain things don't make sense to us right now?
For Older Children:
• How do you normally respond when certain things just aren't fair? What goes on in your heart when people don't get what you think they deserve for their bad or even evil actions? Who ultimately decides what is right or wrong in this house? This state? This country? The world? The universe? Why is it important to know the character of the one who ultimately decides what's right and wrong?
• If God is good, caring, loving, kind, and perfect, wouldn't it make sense to trust him when we don't understand why things happen the way they do here in the world? Why is it so hard to trust him then? What are we relying on when we mistrust God's timing for justice and why might that be so dangerous?
• Is justice-delayed the same thing as justice-denied? If God's timeline is infinitely longer than ours, and he promises justice will be served against all evil, how can we have hope in his timing when life is confusing? How can you and I help each other to trust God and his perfect fairness even when certain things don't make sense to us right now?
You have permission to print, repost, share, distribute, and translate this resource as long as you credit Paul Tripp as the teacher, do not charge for this resource, and do not alter the content in any way. If you require an exception or special permission, please email Info@PaulTripp.com.
