In verse 10, the Lord arises in all His majesty to bring judgment on sinners: “Now I will arise,” says Yahweh; “Now I will lift myself up. Now I will be exalted.”

This is a scary thing for those who are under the Lord’s wrath. The sinners tremble at His coming. In the past, I used to feel that the sections about God’s wrath and judgment were hard to swallow. And I still think that they are difficult to understand. Sometimes, it is hard to comprehend how the justice of the Lord and the compassion of the Lord work together. But, recently, I have become more appreciative of the Lord’s judgment for two reasons:

1. Since the Lord is the judge, it means that we are not. We don’t have to worry about classifying every person and every person’s action. This doesn’t mean we turn off our minds but it does mean that, ultimately, His work is the one that counts. He is in charge of deciding who deserves compassion and who deserves justice. That is probably why it is sometimes hard for us to understand how those two things balance. And, in one sense, we are not supposed to completely understand. It is the Lord’s job.  This helps me not be angry and bitter at the wicked because though I hate their sin, the Lord is the One who avenges and decides what is evil.

2. Since the Lord is the judge, it means that He will do it! Often, when I see evil in the world, I feel helpless and sometimes hopeless. What is this is not fixed? What if more people are hurt? But we can have confidence that the Lord is faithful to the righteous AND the wicked. He will take care of the wicked. He will punish them. This may sound harsh but, in reality, I think it is actually kind of comforting. I feel comforted knowing that the Lord knows every single evil deed committed and each deed must be paid for. Praise the Lord for Jesus who paid for the evil deeds of all who believe!!! But those who choose not to believe, they will be judged. I don’t mean to sound harsh but I think that when you are around evil, (and not that I have been around the worst evil, but from the evil I have been around), I am glad that I serve a God who takes care of the wicked.

The questions in verse 14 bring chills: Who among us can live with the devouring fire? Who among us can live with everlasting burning?

The answer: No one. Except the Righteous. The next few verses go on to describe the inspiring characteristics of the righteous man. Listen.

He who walks righteously, and speaks blamelessly; He who despises the gain of oppressions, who gestures with his hands, refusing to take a bribe, who stops his ears from hearing of blood, and shuts his eyes from looking at evil— he will dwell on high. His place of defense will be the fortress of rocks. His bread will be supplied. His waters will be sure.

I desire to be such a woman of God! Again, we turn to Christ who received the devouring fire and the everlasting burning for us, and so we can be confident in God’s presence. When He rises up, we do not need to tremble. Our place of defense is sure. Our bread is supplied. Our waters are sure.