THE GOOD NEWS OF JUDGMENT
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On first reading, some of us might be surprised at the excitement and longing for God’s judgment expressed repeatedly in the Psalms. While many Bible readers today consider judgment something to be feared, the ancient Hebrew perspective should give us pause for further reflection. Hundreds and thousands of people who have been stripped of all they possess and who have the right entirely on their side will at last be heard.
Of course they are not afraid of judgment.
They know their case is unanswerable—if only it could be heard. When God comes to judge, at last it will. . . . When God ‘arises to judgment’ he will ‘help all the meek upon the earth’ (76:9), all the timid, helpless people whose wrongs have never been righted yet.* Interestingly, when God takes the side of the oppressed, downtrodden, and afflicted (see Psalm 76:9), the Psalms describe not only individuals, such as rulers and kings but also larger unjust powers and systems of injustice, including surrounding nations and neighboring lands.
As unlikely as it might sound initially, this is why God’s “wrath against mankind brings [Him] praise” (Psalm 76:10). We assume that fear is the lot of the afflicted and oppressed. So often, that is the reality in our world. But God has announced His intention to help the meek and judge on their behalf. Those who ought to be most afraid are those whose power and position will be under threat of God’s judgment. As Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5).
* C. S. Lewis, Reflections on the Psalms (London: Fount, 1961), 16, 17.
