The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry. 16 The face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth. —Psalm 34:15-16
Two of God’s attributes are on display in these verses that have a direct impact on the lives of everyone: God’s mercy and His justice. It might not seem obvious, but both of these should be comforting to those who trust in Christ. God is attentive to the righteous when they cry out to Him in their distress (Psalm 86:5-7, 3:4, 34:17, 57:2, 50:15, 59:1-2, 120:1; Lamentations 3:55-57;
Micah 7:7-9).
Who are the righteous? The Bible tells us “there is none righteous” (Romans 3:10-12). So here we must understand that “the righteous” are those who by faith are trusting in God for salvation and sanctification, the righteousness provided by God in Christ Jesus (Habakkuk 2:4b). These are the ones who look to God, seek His face, and cry out to Him (Deuteronomy 4:29, Isaiah 55:6, Psalm 27:4, 34:15; 1 Chronicles 16:11, Psalm 77:1-2, 2 Chronicles 7:14, Zephaniah 2:3).
In contrast, the wicked, those who do evil, will receive God’s justice (Psalm 60:12, Micah 3:4, Zephaniah 3:5).
God turns His face away from them and He will “cut off” even the memory of them. Those who trust in God will rejoice in His care for them, not only in His mercy, but also in His justice. He shows Himself both as sovereign and as our Father in the way He cares for us (Psalm 9:9-10, Psalm 121, Micah 7:18-20). He is trustworthy and just. He is our protector and vindicator. We can trust that His justice will prevail.
Therefore, God’s people will be quick to thank Him for His attention to their cries (Psalm 107) and will glorify Him by leaving revenge in His hands (Romans 12:17-21, 1 Thessalonians 5:15). It is for everyone who loves God to also hope in Him, calling to mind new mercies we experience every day (Lamentations 3:21-23). God is faithful to both hear us and provide what we need (Psalm 34:8-10, 17, 19). We can trust Him to deal with the hurts and injustices we face in this world (Psalm 32:4, 43, Habakkuk 3:16b-19).
So, I urge you to seek Him, look into His Word, and get to know His character more. Call on Him, trust Him in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). As Andrew Murray put it, “My Father sees, my Father hears, my Father knows,” and my Father cares!
For Reflection
What attribute of God might I need to study in God’s Word to gain a fuller picture of God?
What new mercies can I thank God for today?
What injustices do I see that I can cast on Him and entrust to Him (1 Peter 5:7)?