When I find myself in a difficult situation—where I might have been lied about or deceived, as Psalm 120:2 describes—I know my first feelings are pain and hurt, which quickly give way to anger. At the risk of sounding like Yoda, anger can lead to hate and revenge.
Here, the psalmist is handing over the job of avenging injustice to God. Romans 12:19 tells us not to take revenge but to allow God to deal with injustice in His way. Scripture repeatedly calls us to bring our thoughts of revenge and anger to God Himself, trusting that He will act on our behalf. This is for our good, freeing us from the burden of taking matters into our own hands and ultimately leading us to forgive our enemies, knowing that God will handle the rest.
I know this is easier said than done. The psalmist even gives vivid images of what God’s wrath might look like—the first is a piercing warrior’s arrow, sharp and swift. The second is the slow-burning coals of the broom brush. The broom brush is a type of shrub common in the Middle East, known for its dense, hard wood that burns slowly and steadily once ignited.
God is a God of detail. He sees the pain we carry and the struggles we face. Even more, He felt the same pain when He came as a man. God does not take the injustices of the world lightly. When we look at the events around us and wonder, “Where is God?”—we can trust that He sees everything and cares deeply for His creation. We need to trust that He will work out those injustices in His time and in His perfect way, (quick and precise as an arrow, or slow and burning like the bush) even when we can’t see or understand it.