Passage Read: Psalm 51-54
Meditation Verses: 52:5-7
Thought
The righteous are "weak" before the wicked, they are meek because they trust in the Lord to fight for them. Righteousness does good to those around it; wickedness does whatever it wants because it thinks it can get away with it. Wickedness does not care for the needs or wishes of those around it; it cares only about itself, exalting itself and displaying its power. So the wicked look down on the righteous as weak, and the righteous do not repay evil for evil, so the wicked have no fear of bullying the righteous. But in the end, the righteous know that the Lord will fight for them and deliver them from the power of the wicked, because He will destroy the wicked from the land of the living. The meek will inherit the earth; the wicked will be cast out of it, never to be seen again. So the righteous can laugh at the pompous wicked while they strut and bluster, knowing full well that his days are numbered, and the more he bullies, the more certain he makes his destruction.
Application
Seeing God uproot the wicked from the land isn't just a source of joy to the righteous, but it is a reminder to fear the Lord. He does judge the wicked, so I need to be careful not to fall into the trap of riches and power, and slip into the ways of the wicked. The righteous sees God's judgment on the wicked and fears, knowing that he too could easily walk that path. I could give in to jealousy over the wicked man's ability to get and do whatever he wants. I could give in to bitterness at the wicked man's mistreatment of me and frustration at the lateness of God's judgment, and I could turn my back on God and throw in with the wicked. Or I could take matters into my own hands and attack the wicked myself, when I have no authority to do so. When the wicked does perish, I need to take it to heart, be warned by it, and strengthen my resolve to walk in righteousness, patiently waiting for God's justice. Only then I can laugh at the men who trusted in themselves rather than the Lord, when the Lord brings His judgment.