Deeper Commentary
I suggest this began as a Psalm of David pleading for vengeance
against Saul and / or Absalom's group, which under inspiration was then
reused by the exiles in their pleas for vengeance against Babylon. The
stress that vengeance belongs to God was of course a major theme with
David, in that he refused twice to take Saul's life when he easily could
have done- because vengeance belongs to God and not man. And likewise it
was stressed to the exiles that vengeance upon the Gentiles who had abused
them belonged to God, and they were to pray for the time of His
vengeance to come.
A request for the shining forth again of God's glory from between the
cherubim (s.w. Ps. 80:1); even though the ark seems to have been lost
during the captivity.
Psa 94:2
This again is in line with the note on :1, that God and not man is
the judge who will repay the proud. And yet Israel had been punished far
less than their sins deserved (Ezra 9:13), and this desire for their
abusers to receive precisely what they did, to be punished as
their sins deserved, seems to reflect a lack of appreciation of that
grace.
Psa 94:3
This really had the answer "How long will it be before you exiles
repent and desire to return to your God as well as to your land?". The
truth was that they had gone into exile because they had 'triumphed' in
their wickedness (s.w. Jer. 11:15). But it had its basis in David's
wondering whilst persecuted by Saul "how long" before he would become
king.
Psa 94:4
The psalmists adopt God's perspective, that the essence of sin is
pride, and the greatest sin of Israel's abusers was their pride and
boasting. Whilst this complaint is obviously relevant to the Babylonians,
the words are used by David about the proud and arrogant words of those
within Israel (Ps. 31:18).
Psa 94:5
This is clearly relevant to the actions of the Babylonians (s.w. Lam.
3:34).But it was true also of David's enemies within Israel
This went on at the time of the Babylonian invasion, as Jeremiah's
Lamentations testify to. But we wonder whether the psalm had its origin
with David lamenting similar behaviour from Saul and his men.
Psa 94:7
This was the subconscious attitude of Saul and David's persecutors
within Israel. Whilst they may not have said these words, it was a fair
summary of the implications of their positions and actions. But it's quite
likely that the Babylonians actually said this in so many words. But
David's frequent plea for Yahweh to awake from sleep and hear, as if He
were deaf, is not far off the same attitude of those who acted as if God
were blind or willfully closing His eyes.
Psa 94:8
"Among the people" may mean that the people being criticized were
amongst God's people; they were warned that He who even disciplines the
Gentiles (:10) will even moreso judge His own people. The question "When
will you be wise?" suggests a strong desire in David [at this point] that
his persecutors repent; although often he simply wishes them dire
condemnation.
Psa 94:9
The exiles needed to be reminded of this, as they had the impression
God was seeing or hearing their situation (s.w. Is. 59:21; Ez. 12:2). It
was because of this attitude that they had gone into exile in the first
place (s.w. Jer. 5:21; 7:24). There are huge implications of believing in
God as the creator of men in His image. He can hardly be perceived as
insensitive to what we see and hear, seeing that He created ears and eyes.
The same logic demands that we believe that He can strengthen human
faculties just as He wishes (Ex. 4:11). see on :10.
Psa 94:10
The people being criticized were amongst God's people; they were
warned that He who even disciplines the Gentiles (:10) will even moreso
judge His own people; see on :8. It makes no sense to assume that the God
who teaches man is ignorant of that knowledge which He teaches; this is an
extension of the logic discussed on :9.
Psa 94:11
The Bible persistently emphasizes the colossal significance of the
thoughts, the spirit. And this prepares the way for the huge theme of the
Spirit in the New Testament, and the opportunity to receive a holy spirit,
the very spirit or mind of the Lord Jesus. It was because of the "thoughts
of man" that the earth was destroyed by the flood (s.w. Gen. 6:5).
"Futile" is the word for "vanity", which is commonly used of idolatry. And
this indeed is where modern day idolatry is committed- through having an
empty mind, filled with vanity, rather than the things of God's Spirit.
Psa 94:12
The chastening or "discipline" is the word used for David's
experiences after the sin with Bathsheba (s.w. Ps. 6:1; 38:1; 39:11). His
eyes were opened to God's law through that. It was the Gentile nations who
were disciplined in :
Psa 94:13
The idea is that if the exiles repented and accepted God's discipline
(:12), then their days of adversity in Babylon would come to an end, and
their abusers would be buried eternally in the pit. The days of adversity
or evil could equally refer to the evil which Judah had themselves wrought
(s.w. Dt. 31:18), the days [of punishment] for their own evil. And these
could be ended if they repented of it.
Psa 94:14
The implication could be, in the context of :13,15, that this would
be the case if they returned to righteousness and followed it. For God had
indeed rejected and forsaken His people because of their sins; the same
terms are used about this in Is. 32:14; Jer. 12:7. The psalmist's
understanding that ultimately God would not be left without a people
therefore implied to him that His people would ultimately repent.
Psa 94:15
As noted on :14, the idea could be that there would be a "return" to
justice, and again the righteous would follow righteousness. It was this
repentance by the exiles which would lead to God no longer rejecting and
forsaking His people (:14).
David so often parallels righteousness and justice / truth (Ps. 9:8; 33:5; 37:6; 72:2; 94:15; 99:7; 103:6; 106:3). Indeed, this parallel is so common in God's word. What it means is that the righteousness of God is a just righteousness. It's not fake, 'I'll turn a blind eye'. It is true, real, valid, and has integrity underpinned in the very essential justice of God Himself. Justice and righteousness may appear abstract ideas, mere theology. But the result is that the person who believes God's righteousness is imputed to him or her... will feel this, they will know it to be true, they can by grace, in faith, quietly hold their head up before God. And David after Bathsheba is our example. He believed and felt this imputed righteousness. It's not so much a case of 'forgiving ourselves' after God has forgiven us, but rather of being swamped by this very real and legitimate sense that truly, we have been counted righteous. And Paul in Romans holds up David after Bathsheba as the personal example to "every one who is Godly" in their time of spiritual need. See on Ps. 41:12.
Psa 94:16
David had been careful to stress that justice belongs to Yahweh;
hence he didn't take Saul's life when he had the chance. So the answer to
this question is "God". And this was likewise to be the answer arrived at
by the exiles.
Psa 94:17
This is very much the spirit of the exiles in Ps. 124:1,2. But they
were to follow the path of David, in devotion to God's word, repentance
and thence restoration.
Psa 94:18
Psa 94:19
The idea may be that David was confused, struggling with the idea of
ultimate salvation and blessing being so different from current realities.
But despite all that confusion, the simple love of God was his comfort.
His confusion was shared by the exiles, and also ultimately by the Lord
Jesus.
The initial reference would have been to the throne of Saul and
perhaps later of Absalom, but was easily reapplied to the throne of
Baylon.
Psa 94:21
This is how David perceived his persecution by Saul and Absalom. But
he was himself not innocent of blood nor was he completely righteous.
Psa 94:22
Psa 94:23
The intentional juxtaposition of past and future tenses reflects how David
believed that what he now wished in the present was utterly certain of
fulfilment. God likewise sees things in this way, and faith is all about
seeing things from His perspective.
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