HE RIGHTS WRONGS THAT ARE DONE
Part 7 of The 10 Awesome Attributes of God: 
He Fulfills Your Deepest Needs

Doug Bullock
Eastern Hills Bible Church
Manlius NY 13104


A man in the old west was being tried for stealing a
horse. You need to remember, now, that stealing a
horse in the old west was a very grave and serious
offense. A person could be hanged if found guilty of
such a deed.   It so happened that the man was accused
of stealing a horse from another man in that town whom
no one liked. The man whose horse had been stolen had
always made it a point to get the best of any person
with whom he had any dealings. He had never tried to
do anything good for anyone other than himself.
Consequently, the man whose horse had been stolen
didn't have a single friend in the entire town.
The case was tried and presented to the jury. The
evidence against the accused man was pretty strong.
After about thirty minutes of deliberation, the jury
returned to the court chambers. "Gentlemen of the
jury, have you reached a verdict?" the judge asked.
The chairman of the jury stood up."Yes, we have, your
honor," he replied."What is your verdict?" inquired
the judge. There were a few moments of silence and
then the chairman spoke."We find the defendant not
guilty if he will return the horse." After the judge
had silenced the laughter in the court room, he
admonished the jury." I cannot accept that verdict.
You will have to retire until you reach another
verdict," said the judge. The jury went back into
their room to deliberate toward another verdict. Now,
no member of the jury had any particular liking for
the man whose horse had been stolen. At one time or
another he had gotten the best of each of them. About
an hour passed before the jury could reach another
verdict. They re-entered the courtroom. They took
their place in the jury box and the courtroom grew
silent. "Gentlemen of the jury," began the judge,
"have you reached a verdict?" The chairman of the jury
stood up."Yes we have, your honor," he replied."What
is your verdict?" asked the judge.   The courtroom was
totally silent. You could have heard a pin drop.
Everyone eagerly awaited the verdict. The chairman
read the decision reached by the twelve good men,
tried and true."We find the defendant not guilty, and
he can keep the horse!"

We enjoy a story like that because we feel like the
bad man is finally getting his just desserts.  He is
getting what is due him.

This is another example of the fact that as human
beings we all have a sense of justice.  We want
someone to bring justice, to right wrongs. 

Indeed, the world is full of injustice.  Whether it is
seen in cruel despots such as Adolf Hitler, Pol Pot,
or Milosevic such leaders of mass destruction make us
cringe.  When we hear about 2 girls and their mother
who disappeared in Yellowstone, Sarah Ann Wood, or the
black man dragged to death, we are outraged and deeply
moved for justice. 

I read recently of a person in a Dallas movie theater
that sat down in one of the seats and felt something
sharp.  She turned around to look and there was a
needle poking through the seat with an attached note
that said, "Congratulations you have been infected
with HIV".  The center for disease control reports
that this has taken place in several cities recently.
That is outrageous.

Most of us believe that we have been treated unfairly
at some time or other perhaps by a  spouse that
divorced us, a business partner that stole from us, or
a parent that hurt us.  We have been blamed for things
we have not done, denied things we feel we deserve,
overlooked when we should have been recognized,
treated in an inferior manner, or have otherwise
suffered without just cause. Some have lost their
jobs, their savings, their homes, their friends, their
spouses, and even their lives unjustly. Some have
languished in prisons for crimes they never committed.
Others have endured the poverty, squalor, and disease
of slums through no fault of their own. Where is the
justice in all of that?

There is a need for justice -- we cry out for justice.
 In late 60's we asked for justice for blacks, and
against a war that many thought was cruel.  I can
remember sitting in Miss Mulbury's class listening to
songs that spoke of justice "Where Have All the
Flowers Gone" and "Abraham, Martin and John"

Is there justice anywhere?  You bet there is.  There
is a God who loves justice.  There is a God who is
justice.  He is good (perfect, holy, righteous, just)
in all he does, thinks and is. He will always act
according to his morally upright character.

(Psa 145:17)  "The LORD is righteous in all his ways
and loving toward all he has made."
(Deut 32:4)  "He is the Rock, his works are perfect,
and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no
wrong, upright and just is he."
(Psa 89:14)  "Righteousness(117 x) and justice (417x)
are the foundation of your throne;

When we say that God is just, we are saying that He
always does what is right, what should be done, and
that He does it consistently, without partiality or
prejudice. It has to do with God's actions. They are
always right and fair.

We have an inner desire or need for justice.  He is a
just God.  He will always be so.  With this as a
backdrop let's read together Psalm 37.  Often when we
read the stories or the letters of the New Testament,
they build on what is said previously.  Parts of
Paul's letters read like he is trying to logically
prove his case.  A is true, and B is true, therefore C
must be true.  The historical parts often build on
each other as well.  A happened, B happened, and the
result was that C happened. 

However, when you get the Psalms that patter is often
thrown out.  What you see again is one or two points
made over and over again with slight changes between
them.  After all these are songs, they were meant to
be sung.   Let's divide the room into three parts, and
have each part of the room read a part of the Psalm
and as we read see if we can identify the message.

Psalm 37 1  Do not fret because of evil men or be
envious of those who do wrong; 2  for like the grass
they will soon wither, like green plants they will
soon die away.  3  Trust in the LORD and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.  4  Delight
yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires
of your heart.  5  Commit your way to the LORD; trust
in him and he will do this:  6  He will make your
righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your
cause like the noonday sun.  7  Be still before the
LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men
succeed in their ways, when they carry out their
wicked schemes.  8  Refrain from anger and turn from
wrath; do not fret--it leads only to evil.  9  For
evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the
LORD will inherit the land.  10  A little while, and
the wicked will be no more; though you look for them,
they will not be found.  11  But the meek will inherit
the land and enjoy great peace.  12  The wicked plot
against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them;
13  but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he knows
their day is coming.  14  The wicked draw the sword
and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to
slay those whose ways are upright.  15  But their
swords will pierce their own hearts, and their bows
will be broken.  16  Better the little that the
righteous have than the wealth of many wicked;  17
for the power of the wicked will be broken, but the
LORD upholds the righteous.  18  The days of the
blameless are known to the LORD, and their inheritance
will endure forever.  19  In times of disaster they
will not wither; in days of famine they will enjoy
plenty.  20  But the wicked will perish: The Lord's
enemies will be like the beauty of the fields, they
will vanish--vanish like smoke.  21  The wicked borrow
and do not repay, but the righteous give generously;
22  those the LORD blesses will inherit the land, but
those he curses will be cut off.  23  If the LORD
delights in a man's way, he makes his steps firm;
24  though he stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD
upholds him with his hand.  25  I was young and now I
am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken
or their children begging bread.  26  They are always
generous and lend freely; their children will be
blessed.  27  Turn from evil and do good; then you
will dwell in the land forever.  28  For the LORD
loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones.
They will be protected forever, but the offspring of
the wicked will be cut off;  29  the righteous will
inherit the land and dwell in it forever.
30  The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom, and
his tongue speaks what is just.
31  The law of his God is in his heart; his feet do
not slip.  32  The wicked lie in wait for the
righteous, seeking their very lives;  33  but the LORD
will not leave them in their power or let them be
condemned when brought to trial.  34  Wait for the
LORD and keep his way. He will exalt you to inherit
the land; when the wicked are cut off, you will see
it.  35  I have seen a wicked and ruthless man
flourishing like a green tree in its native soil,  36
but he soon passed away and was no more; though I
looked for him, he could not be found.  37  Consider
the blameless, observe the upright; there is a future
for the man of peace.  38  But all sinners will be
destroyed; the future of the wicked will be cut off.
39  The salvation of the righteous comes from the
LORD; he is their stronghold in time of trouble.  40
The LORD helps them and delivers them; he delivers
them from the wicked and saves them, because they take
refuge in him.

What Are the Two Major Messages That Come from this
Psalm?

1. Evil will help people prosper for a time, but God
will bring them down
37:1  Do not fret because of evil men or be envious
of those who do wrong;  2  for like the grass they
will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die
away.

Why would we be envious of evil men?  Perhaps because
they are succeeding!  They are thriving and
prospering.  But like a green plant it is only for a
season.
12  The wicked plot against the righteous and gnash
their teeth at them;  13  but the Lord laughs at the
wicked, for he knows their day is coming.

It is very clear that evil helps people prosper for a
time.  It may be your neighbor who lies to his
customers, bribes public officials, and cheats on her
taxes.  Evil will help a person to prosper for a time.
 There is a wealthy, criminal, mafia-type class that
is exerting unfortunate influence in Russia right now.
 Crime has made them wealthy.  They have the fancy
cars, own the fine restaurants, and they live the
luxurious lifestyle.  Evil makes you rich for a time.


The rain it raineth on the just
    And also on the unjust fella:
      But chiefly on the just, because
      The unjust steals the just's umbrella.

But it is equally true that God is just.  Because he
is just he will eventually bring wickedness down.  In
fact look at verse 13  but the Lord laughs at the
wicked, for he knows their day is coming.  It does not
tell us how their end will come, when it will come, or
whether or not they will see it coming.  These verses
simply tell us that God is just, he sees what happens
and he will repay. 

This concept is found in the New Testament as well. 
Romans 12:19  Do not take revenge, my friends, but
leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is
mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord.

When you read the newspaper do you ever feel like, It
is just not fair!  You read about a criminal who's
done all sorts of things and he gets off scott-free on
some technicality.  Or you read about a scandal where
somebody has been dishonest and yet he's prospering
and he skips the country with millions of dollars.
And you're working hard and barely making it.  It's
just not fair!

My response to that is, You are exactly right.  Life
is not fair.  God never said life would be fair.
Because we live in an imperfect world, because there
is sin in this world, people do the wrong things and
innocent people get hurt and life is not fair.
That's why one day God is going to settle the score.
There is a heaven and there is a hell.  One day there
is going to be a judgment time when God is going to
clear the slates, settle the score.  There are going
to be rewards.

When you face a hurt do you ever find yourself
wanting to get even with that person?  Get even.
Revenge.  Iacocca said, "You don't get mad, you get
even!" That's a lousy way to live.  That's a lousy
philosophy of life.

Romans 12:19  Do not take revenge, my friends, but
leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is
mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. Don't
try to get revenge yourself, to get even yourself, let
God do it and He will repay those who deserve it.

Notice that one day God is going to settle the score.
 That means that God is very much aware of what people
do to you.  When you're put down, hurt, stabbed in the
back, maligned, people spread rumors about you that
just aren't true -- how do you respond to that?  You
let God settle the score.  God is very much aware of
what everybody does to you.  If you've been hurt in
the past, God understands, he knows.

The Bible says let God handle it.  He gives you two
options when you're hurt.  You can defend yourself or
you can let God defend you.  Who would do a better job
at it?  Who has better resources to get even?  Who has
more things at His disposal?  God says if you want to
get even on your own, if you want to defend yourself,
go ahead.  He steps back and watches you.  He will not
lift a finger against your enemy. But if you say ,
"I'm going to let God defend me," that person better
watch out!, The Bible says we reap what we sow.  If
people hurt you or malign you, they will reap what
they sow.  It's inevitable.  But you've got to trust
God and His faithfulness and let Him settle the score.

The greatest example of this is Jesus.  I Peter 2:23
(Living Bible) "Jesus never answered back when
insulted, when he suffered he did not threaten to get
even; he left his case in the hands of God who always
judges fairly.  " That's God's justice.  He judges
fairly, Jesus says, I'm not going to defend myself.
I'm going to leave that in the hands of the Father.
Because God is faithful to settle the score.


2. If I pursue God and good my life will be enriched.

4  Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you
the desires of your heart.  5  Commit your way to the
LORD; trust in him and he will do this:  6  He will
make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the
justice of your cause like the noonday sun

The text here gives us three ways to purse God.
Delight in him, commit your way to him, and trust in
him.  I love those words.  You might want to write
them down.  I am to delight in him.  That means I am
to enjoy him.  I am to commit my way to him, and trust
in him.  He will give me justice.  He will give me the
things I truly desire.  He will cause your
righteousness to be as bright as the sun at noon, so
that all can see. 
16  Better the little that the righteous have than
the wealth of many wicked;  17  for the power of the
wicked will be broken, but the LORD upholds the
righteous.

Wait, I thought he was going to give us the desires
of our heart.  But this verse says we might end up
with very little.  I had a conversation with a friend.
 He is facing a tough situation and is wondering what
to do.  I said "You are filled with rage."  He agreed.
I said, "God wants to get rid of your rage.  If you
stay in this tough situation God will do it.  If you
bail out, God will not."




  I asked God for strength that I might achieve,
      I was made weak, that I might learn humbly to
obey.
   I asked for health, that I might do greater
things,
      I was given infirmity that I might do better
things.
   I asked for riches, that I might be happy,
      I was given poverty, that I might be wise.
   I asked for power, that I might have the praise of
men,
      I was given weakness, that I might feel the
need of God.
   I asked for all things, that I might enjoy life,
      I was given life, that I might enjoy all
things.
   I got nothing that I asked for -- but everything I
had hoped for.
   Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were
answered.
   I am among all men, most richly blessed.
Confederate soldier whose name is unknown

At the first reading of this psalm it appears that
there are two kinds of people in the world, the good
and the bad. The righteous and the wicked.  God
blesses the righteous and he punishes the wicked.
Case closed. 

3. But where am I?
However, there is one thing that bothers me.  Which
one am I?  "Doug you are a pastor, you are among the
righteous."  But what about a friend of mine who had
an effective ministry that lasted over 30 years, that
helped thousands of people walk with God, but who was
drummed out of the ministry for secret
"unrighteousness".  Is he righteous or wicked.  I may
be among the righteous, but being a pastor doesn't
prove anything.

As I look at my own life I raise some questions.  4
Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the
desires of your heart.  Do I delight in the Lord?
Always?  How much? 50% of the time?  One way we can
tell if we are delighting in the Lord is by looking at
our heart's desires.  Are they good?  Some are!  Are
they all? 5  Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him
and he will do this: Without getting into too much
navel gazing I wonder if I commit my way to the Lord
enough to be considered righteous?  Sure I am
committed to the Lord on Sunday morning, but on
Tuesday morning when I yelled at my daughter
inappropriately was I committing my way to him?  Yes,
I have confessed and sought forgiveness but is it
enough?  A friend of mine said to me this week that he
lived for 30 years with a voice saying "You are not
good enough."  I feel that way at times.  Do you?
There are two kinds of people, the good and the evil,
the righteous and the wicked, but I feel like I am
sometimes good, sometimes wicked and sometimes
in-between.  It is as if the line between good and
evil goes right down the middle of my life, and I can
live on both sides.
Am I committed enough?  Do I trust enough?  Do I
delight enough to be considered righteous?  If I do
not, then how am I supposed to change?   I cannot do
them by myself. 
God is a just God who will reward the good, and
punish the evil, but my life is a mixed bag and I need
help to change.

A. By my actions and motives  I am all over the
place!
An honest assessment of my life lead me to conclude
that I need more information. God is a just God who
must punish evil, but how can I avoid being evil? 
This passage raises some great questions, which I want
to answer from a New Testament passage. The book of
Romans, chapter 3.
Look at verse 20  Therefore no one will be declared
righteous in his sight by observing the law;  Stop and
think about this.  We have said that there are two
kinds of people, the righteous and the unrighteous,
but in God's eyes none will get to be righteous simply
by doing good things, and by stopping doing bad
things.  Why?  Because no one can do enough of them
and stop doing enough bad things.  I cannot avoid the
justice of God, by being a good person.  I cannot be
good enough.

Why the law?  To point out our sin. 

The Law reflects but in no sense determines the moral
worth of a society. The values of a reasonably just
society will reflect themselves in a reasonably just
law.  The better the society, the less law there will
be. In Heaven there will be no law, and the lion will
lie down with the lamb. The values of an unjust
society will reflect themselves in an unjust law. The
worse the society, the more law there will be. In Hell
there will be nothing but law, and due process will be
meticulously observed.

   -- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.

  Look at verse 23  for all have sinned and fall short
of the glory of God.   If the world is divided into
two parts, the righteous and the unrighteous, then in
God's eyes we are all in the camp of the unrighteous.
If God punishes the wicked and blesses the righteous,
then we all deserve punishment.  Am I as bad as
others?  Not as bad as everybody?  But God says don't
hate and I do, he says don't sin when you get angry,
and I do, he says don't get jealous and I do, and he
says love me with all your heart, mind, soul, and
strength and I don't.  It is very clear to me that a
just God, if he is to be just, must punish me.    I
don't cut the mustard.  But God has a problem.  He
loves me.  He longs for me to know him and be in a
relationship with him.  But he also must be just. 

Remember King Arthur?  He was a just king.  As a just
king he had to enforce the law.  The law said that the
penalty for adultery was death.  The problem came when
he caught his own wife Guinevere in adultery with
Lancelot.  He loved Guinevere.  He cared for
Guinevere.  But the law demanded that he punish her.
In this scene she is being brought to the stake.  The
executioner is waiting for Arthur to give the signal
to set the torch. 


Did you catch that line?  If you kill her your life
is over.  If you let her live your life is a fraud.
It is your life or the law.  Arthur didn't know what
to do, except to wait for Lancelot to rescue her. 

God was in the same dilemma.  He loves us and longs
for a relationship with us.  He longs for us to know
him and delight in him.  But justice demands that we
die, because we fall short of his perfect standard, no
matter how hard we try.  God's love says, "I want
relationship".  His justice says "There is a penalty
to be paid." How can he be just and let us go?  In the
movie, Arthur stalls until Lancelot rescues her.  In
real life, the Father didn't stall, but he sent the
Son to pay the penalty.  Jesus rode in on his horse
with the music playing, tore us from the stack, and
put Himself up there.  Christ can resolve a situation
that Arthur could not. 

God's right demand for justice was satisfied by
Christ, his desire for a relationship was fulfilled
because Christ provided the way by which we might come
to the Father. 

Look back at verse 20. 20  Therefore no one will be
declared righteous in his sight by observing the law;
How can I be declared righteous and not have to
suffer the penalty of justice? 
But God did something.  21  But now a righteousness
from God, apart from law, has been made known, to
which the Law and the Prophets testify.  22  This
righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus
Christ to all who believe. 
The righteousness I need so as not to suffer at the
justice of God, comes from God.  It is given to me -
how?  Through faith in Christ.  To everyone - all who
believe, Jews Greeks, men, women, Albanians,
Serbians,....

There is no difference, 23  for all have sinned and
fall short of the glory of God,  24  and are justified
(declared right) freely by his grace through the
redemption (purchase) that came by Christ Jesus.  
Translation –  if I am Guinevere, Jesus Christ was
burned at the stake for me, so that I could be
declared right with he law. 

25  God presented him (Christ) as a sacrifice of
atonement, through faith in his blood. Why did he do
this? Why did Christ have to die?  Why did he have to
be punished as we say in the Easter service?  Because
we committed spiritual adultery and the penalty had to
be paid, or God would not be a just king.  If He let
us go He would be a fraud.    He did this to
demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he
had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished,
(the sins done in the Old Testament were passed over
with the understanding that Christ was to come who
would die for them).  26  he did it to demonstrate his
justice at the present time, so as to be just and the
one who justifies (declares right) those who have
faith in Jesus.  There is an implicit question here.
How can God be just (a good judge) and be a judge who
justifies evil people. there is nothing more evil than
an unjust judge because it perverts the whole system
of justice.  Woe to them that call evil good.  If you
cannot get justice in the courts, you might as well
forget it
A just God does not let guilty people go, anymore
than a just human judge would not let the men who
dragged that black man to death go.  When Christ died
it enabled God to be just, to exert justice and yet to
declare us right with the law.

150 years ago families crossed the great plains of
America on horses, covered wagon, etc...  as they
crossed the great plains there were no hills, the
grass was hip high for miles around.  In the Fall the
grass turned brown, and the real danger in the dry
seasons -- fire.  When a fire was started the winds
would drive the fire, sometimes up to 30-40 miles per
hour.  There was no place to hide or run.  What they
would do is then light a fire in front of them and
allow the fire to be pushed before them by the wind.
They would then step into the place where the fire had
just burnt the grass.  When the fire behind them came
upon them, it would go around them, leaving them safe.
 Judgement is coming just as the fire was.  The only
safe place is where the fire (judgement) had already
been.  Judgement has already come, and Christ endured
it for us.  The only safe place to escape judgement is
to step into the place judgement has already come,
that being accepting what Christ has done for us. 

In Civil War days, it was legal for a man who wanted
to stay out of the army of the North to pay someone
else to fulfill your draft obligation.  There was a
Mr. Pratt who paid Mr. White to serve in his place.
Mr. White was killed in action.  Mr. Pratt was
re-drafted; he took the agreement to the draft board
and told them the second draft was invalid because in
effect, he died in Mr. White, who went to war in his
place.  In very much the same way, we have an
identification with Christ as believers who are dead
with Christ, and crucified with Him.  It also
illustrates the just dying for the unjust of 1 Peter
3:18.

How do I respond?  Do I brag?  No?  27  Where, then,
is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On
that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith.
28  For we maintain that a man is justified (declared
right) by faith apart from observing the law.

Three responses:
1. I am not that bad! 
Yes, I am not perfect, but I am not that bad.  All I
can say is that by human standards you are not that
bad.  By God's standard we all fall way short.  God's
standards are the ones that count.  I can't even live
up to my own goals expectations and desires, how could
I live up to God's.  If you are still pondering this
I encourage you to say to God.  "God if you are alive
and real, and if I deserve your wrath in a place
called hell, show me.  Help me to see it."
There is a freedom that comes with confession.  But
I'm not the only one with this problem.   Once when
Frederick II, also know as the Great,  an
eighteenth-century king of Prussia, went on an
inspection tour of a Berlin prison, he was greeted
with the cries of prisoners, who fell on their knees
and protested their unjust imprisonment.  While
listening to these pleas of innocence, Frederick's eye
was caught by a solitary figure in the corner, a
prisoner seemingly unconcerned with all the commotion.

   "Why are you here?" Frederick asked him.
   "Armed robbery, Your Majesty."
   "Were you guilty?" the king asked.
   "Oh yes, indeed, Your Majesty.  I entirely deserve
my punishment."
   At that Frederick summoned the jailer.  "Release
this guilty man at once," he said.  "I will not have
him kept in this prison where he will corrupt all the
fine innocent people who occupy it."
We want justice for others, and mercy for ourselves.

2. I am that bad, and I believe in Christ. 
Some of you might understand this for the very first
time today, and you might want to respond to Christ by
saying I recognized that I fall way short, I believe
that Christ died for me.  I want to give you an
opportunity to respond to Christ in faith, by leading
you in prayer.  Let's bow our heads and pray together:
"God I recognize today that you are just.  I recognize
and agree that I fall short of your glory and
perfection.  I know that the penalty associated with
that is eternal death.  I believe that Christ died for
me, and I trust him and his death for me.  I ask for
and believe that I have forgiveness because of Christ.
 Help me to live for you."


3. I have already trusted Christ. 
Do you recognize that he wants to give you good
things.  If he gave up his son for you, will he not
also want to give you all things?  Does he not have
your good in mind?  Does he not want good for you?
Does it not make sense to follow and pursue him with
vigor, for he wants the very best for you.