“He who avenges blood is mindful of [his people]; he does
not forget the cry of the afflicted.”
(v. 12)
There is a comic book series that has been turned into a
cartoon and a series of live action movies call, “The Avengers.” In the series superheroes (Iron Man, Thor,
Captain America, and the rest of their team) fight against those who do evil –
particularly super villains who do evil – and harm the people of the
earth. They fight for those who cannot
protect themselves against the madness and wonton destructiveness of wicked
forces.
In reality there is an Avenger. He doesn’t go around in tights or armor. He doesn’t need them. He is the LORD,
enthroned in Zion. He is God, and he
avenges His people. He protects the
weak, defends the those who trust in Him, executes judgment on the wicked, and
promises that the needy and the poor shall be remembered and provided for.
I’m not sure we often think of God in those kinds of
terms. Part of the reason for that is
the way God works in the world. He
doesn’t appear in a flash of lightning (usually) and declare Himself. He doesn’t normally go around beating people
up with fists and kicks. Instead He
works through understated ways. He works
through His people. He works through
means. His victories sometimes look like
defeat (think of the cross, or even your own death when you will enter eternal
life). Instead of beating people up, He
often wins them over and changes their hearts.
Make no mistake, God works powerfully and miraculously to
defend His people to this day. There are
times that He rolls back his sleeve and displays wrath and power. When He does, it is terrifying. But on the whole, God chooses to work through
His Word and People. Do not forget, “God
chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak
things of the world to shame the strong. 28 He chose the lowly
things of this world and the despised things--and the things that are not--to
nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him.”
(1Corinthians 1:27-29 NIV)
The psalmist says that the needy will not
always be forgotten, and the hope of the poor will not perish
forever. That indicates that it sure
seems that the needy are forgotten, and they are by the world, but not by
God. The poor’s hope does die when it is
placed on earthly things, but not when they hope in the LORD.
In this world where people do what they want and ignore
God, we hold on to God’s promises. We
recount God’s praises. We gather for
worship and remember and rejoice in God’s salvation. We know that God has made Himself known; He
has executed judgment. “No one has ever
seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him
known.” (John 1:18 NIV) Jesus has come and has made God known to us.
No longer can we think that God is distant, angry, and
vengeful. He has avenged us and has
punished our sin in the cross of Christ.
He will avenge us yet again when Jesus returns to judge the living and
the dead. But now He is with us. He speaks to us in the word. We respond to Him in prayer and
obedience. He comforts us and reminds us
that this order of things will not last.
The wicked will perish – they will either die in baptism and rise a new
creation, or they will die eternally in condemnation, but they will
perish. We, however, shall remember God
and all He has done for us because of Jesus.
Father, help me
remember, make me mindful, of Your salvation, and let me live in Christ. Amen.
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