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Commentary on Psalms 94 verses 12–23
The psalmist, having denounced tribulation to those that trouble God's people, here assures those that are troubled of rest. See Th2 1:6, Th2 1:7. He speaks comfort to suffering saints from God's promises and his own experience.
I. From God's promises, which are such as not only save them from being miserable, but secure a happiness to them (Psa 94:12): Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest. Here he looks above the instruments of trouble, and eyes the hand of God, which gives it another name and puts quite another color upon it. The enemies break in pieces God's people (Psa 94:5); they aim at no less; but the truth of the matter is that God by them chastens his people, as the father the son in whom he delights, and the persecutors are only the rod he makes use of. Howbeit they mean not so, neither doth their heart think so, Isa 10:5-7. Now it is here promised,
1.That God's people shall get good by their sufferings. When he chastens them he will teach them, and blessed is the man who is thus taken under a divine discipline, for none teaches like God. Note, (1.) The afflictions of the saints are fatherly chastenings, designed for their instruction, reformation, and improvement. (2.) When the teachings of the word and Spirit go along with the rebukes of Providence they then both manifest men to be blessed and help to make them so; for then they are marks of adoption and means of sanctification. When we are chastened we must pray to be taught, and look into the law as the best expositor of Providence. It is not the chastening itself that does good, but the teaching that goes along with it and is the exposition of it.
2.That they shall see through their sufferings (Psa 94:13): That thou mayest give him rest from the days of adversity. Note, (1.) There is a rest remaining for the people of God after the days of their adversity, which, though they may be many and long, shall be numbered and finished in due time, and shall not last always. He that sends the trouble will send the rest, that he may comfort them according to the time that he has afflicted them. (2.) God therefore teaches his people by their troubles, that he may prepare them for deliverance, and so give them rest from their troubles, that, being reformed, they may be relieved, and that the affliction, having done its work, may be removed.
3.That they shall see the ruin of those that are the instruments of their sufferings, which is the matter of a promise, not as gratifying any passion of theirs, but as redounding to the glory of God: Until the pit is digged (or rather while the pit is digging) for the wicked, God is ordering peace for them at the same time that he is ordaining his arrows against the persecutors.
4.That, though they may be cast down, yet certainly they shall not be cast off, Psa 94:14. Let God's suffering people assure themselves of this, that, whatever their friends do, God will not cast them off, nor throw them out of his covenant or out of his care; he will not forsake them, because they are his inheritance, which he will not quit his title to nor suffer himself to be disseised of. St. Paul comforted himself with this, Rom 11:1.
5.That, bad as things are, they shall mend, and, though they are now out of course, yet they shall return to their due and ancient channel (Psa 94:15): Judgment shall return unto righteousness; the seeming disorders of Providence (for real ones there never were) shall be rectified. God's judgment, that is, his government, looks sometimes as if it were at a distance from righteousness, while the wicked prosper, and the best men meet with the worst usage; but it shall return to righteousness again, either in this world or at the furthest in the judgment of the great day, which will set all to-rights. Then all the upright in heart shall be after it; they shall follow it with their praises, and with entire satisfaction; they shall return to a prosperous and flourishing condition, and shine forth out of obscurity; they shall accommodate themselves to the dispensations of divine Providence, and with suitable affections attend all its motions. They shall walk after the Lord, Hos 11:10. Dr. Hammond thinks this was most eminently fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem first, and afterwards of heathen Rome, the crucifiers of Christ and persecutors of Christians, and the rest which the churches had thereby. Then judgment returned even to righteousness, to mercy and goodness, and favour to God's people, who then were as much countenanced as before they had been trampled on.
II. From his own experiences and observations.
1.He and his friends had been oppressed by cruel and imperious men, that had power in their hands and abused it by abusing all good people with it. They were themselves evil-doers and workers of iniquity (Psa 94:16); they abandoned themselves to all manner of impiety and immorality, and then their throne was a throne of iniquity, Psa 94:20. Their dignity served to put a reputation upon sin, and their authority was employed to support it, and to bring about their wicked designs. It is a pity that ever a throne, which should be a terror to evil-doers and a protection and praise to those that do well, should be the seat and shelter of iniquity. That is a throne of iniquity which by the policy of its council frames mischief, and by its sovereignty enacts it and turns it into a law. Iniquity is daring enough even when human laws are against it, which often prove too weak to give an effectual check to it; but how insolent, how mischievous, is it when it is backed by a law! Iniquity is not the better, but much the worse, for being enacted by law; nor will it excuse those that practise it to say that they did but do as they were bidden. These workers of iniquity, having framed mischief by a law, take care to see the law executed; for they gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, who dare not keep the statutes of Omri nor the law of the house of Ahab; and they condemn the innocent blood for violating their decrees. See an instance in Daniel's enemies; they framed mischief by a law when the obtained an impious edict against prayer (Dan 6:7), and, when Daniel would not obey it, they assembled together against him (Psa 94:11) and condemned his innocent blood to the lions. The best benefactors of mankind have often been thus treated, under colour of law and justice, as the worst of malefactors.
2.The oppression they were under bore very hard upon them, and oppressed their spirits too. Let not suffering saints despair, though, when they are persecuted, they find themselves perplexed and cast down; it was so with the psalmist here: His soul had almost dwelt in silence (Psa 94:17); he was at his wits' end, and knew not what to say or do; he was, in his own apprehensions, at his life's end, ready to drop into the grave, that land of silence. St. Paul, in a like case, received a sentence of death within himself, Co2 1:8, Co2 1:9. He said, "My foot slippeth (Psa 94:18); I am going irretrievably; there is no remedy; I must fall. I shall one day perish by the hand of Saul. My hope fails me; I do not find such firm footing for my faith as I have sometimes found." Psa 73:2. He had a multitude of perplexed entangled thoughts within him concerning the case he was in and the construction to be made of it, and concerning the course he should take and what was likely to be the issue of it.
3.In this distress they sought for help, and succour, and some relief. (1.) They looked about for it and were disappointed (Psa 94:16): "Who will rise up for me against the evil-doers? Have I any friend who, in love to me, will appear for me? Has justice any friend who, in a pious indignation at unrighteousness, will plead my injured cause?" He looked, but there was none to save, there was none to uphold. Note, When on the side of the oppressors there is power it is no marvel if the oppressed have no comforter, none that dare own them, or speak a good word for them, Ecc 4:1. When St. Paul was brought before Nero's throne of iniquity no man stood by him, Ti2 4:16. (2.) They looked up for it, Psa 94:20. They humbly expostulate with God: "Lord, shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee? Wilt thou countenance and support these tyrants in their wickedness? We know thou wilt not." A throne has fellowship with God when it is a throne of justice and answers the end of the erecting of it; for by him kings reign, and when they reign for him their judgments are his, and he owns them as his ministers, and whoever resist them, or rise up against them, shall receive to themselves damnation; but, when it becomes a throne of iniquity, it has no longer fellowship with God. Far be it from the just and holy God that he should be the patron of unrighteousness, even in princes and those that sit in thrones, yea, though they be the thrones of the house of David.
4.They found succour and relief in God, and in him only. When other friends failed, in him they had a faithful and powerful friend; and it is recommended to all God's suffering saints to trust in him. (1.) God helps at a dead lift (Psa 94:17): "When I had almost dwelt in silence, then the Lord was my help, kept me alive, kept me in heart; and unless I had made him my help, by putting my trust in him and expecting relief from him, I could never have kept possession of my own soul; but living by faith in him has kept my head above water, has given me breath, and something to say." (2.) God's goodness is the great support of sinking spirits (Psa 94:18): "When I said, My foot slips into sin, into ruin, into despair, then thy mercy, O Lord! held me up, kept me from falling, and defeated the design of those who consulted to cast me down from my excellency," Psa 62:4. We are beholden not only to God's power, but to his pity, for spiritual supports: Thy mercy, the gifts of thy mercy and my hope in thy mercy, held me up. God's right hand sustains his people when they look on their right hand and on their left and there is none to uphold; and we are then prepared for his gracious supports when we are sensible of our own weakness and inability to stand by our own strength, and come to God, to acknowledge it, and to tell him how our foot slips. (3.) Divine consolations are the effectual relief of troubled spirits (Psa 94:19): "In the multitude of my thoughts within me, which are noisy like a multitude, crowding and jostling one another like a multitude, and very unruly and ungovernable, in the multitude of my sorrowful, solicitous, timorous thoughts, thy comforts delight my soul; and they are never more delightful than when they come in so seasonably to silence my unquiet thoughts and keep my mind easy." The world's comforts give but little delight to the soul when it is hurried with melancholy thoughts; they are songs to a heavy heart. But God's comforts will reach the soul, and not the fancy only, and will bring with them that peace and that pleasure which the smiles of the world cannot give and which the frowns of the world cannot take away.
5.God is, and will be, as a righteous Judge, the patron and protector of right and the punisher and avenger of wrong; this the psalmist had both the assurance of and the experience of. (1.) He will give redress to the injured (Psa 94:22): "When none else will, nor can, nor dare, shelter me, the Lord is my defence, to preserve me from the evil of my troubles, from sinking under them and being ruined by them; and he is the rock of my refuge, in the clefts of which I may take shelter, and on the top of which I may set my feet, to be out of the reach of danger." God is his people's refuge, to whom they may flee, in whom they are safe and may be secure; he is the rock of their refuge, so strong, so firm, impregnable, immovable, as a rock: natural fastnesses sometimes exceed artificial fortifications. (2.) He will reckon with the injurious (Psa 94:23): He shall render to them their own iniquity; he shall deal with them according to their deserts, and that very mischief which they did and designed against God's people shall be brought upon themselves: it follows, He shall cut them off in their wickedness. A man cannot be more miserable than his own wickedness will make him if God visit it upon him: it will cut him in the remembrance of it; it will cut him off in the recompence of it. This the psalm concludes with the triumphant assurance of: Yea, the Lord our God, who takes our part and owns us for his, shall cut them off from any fellowship with him, and so shall make them completely miserable and their pomp and power shall stand them in no stead.
“Who cause toil by your law.” No one receives a crown while he is asleep; no one is secure in his possession of the kingdom of heaven; no one with a full stomach is fit to discourse on fasting. You grasp now the force of the versicle: “who cause toil by your law.” All the commandments of the Lord demand effort. Without labor and toil, we cannot possess the kingdom of heaven. Do you want to know why? “If you will be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and come, follow me.” In other words, a person who desires to attain the kingdom of heaven, let him pray night and day; let him keep watch; let him fast; let him make his bed on rushes, not on down and silk. Penitence has no fellowship with soft luxuries. “For I eat ashes like bread and mingle my drink with tears.”
But, instead, I was in a ferment of wickedness. I deserted you and allowed myself to be carried away by the sweep of the tide. I broke all your lawful bounds and did not escape your lash. For what person can escape it? You were always present, angry and merciful at once, strewing the pangs of bitterness over all my lawless pleasures to lead me on to look for others unallied with pain. You meant me to find them nowhere but in yourself, O Lord, for you teach us by inflicting pain, you smite so that you may heal, and you kill us so that we may not die away from you.
"Will You have anything to do with the stool of iniquity, who makest sorrow in learning?" [Psalm 94:20]. He has said this, No wicked man sits with You, nor shall Thou have anything to do with the stool of iniquity. And he gives an account whereof he understands this, "For You make sorrow in learning." For from this, because You have not spared us, do I understand that You have nothing to do with the stool of iniquity. You have this in the Epistle of the Apostle Peter, and for this reason he has adduced a testimony from the Scripture: "for the time has come," he says, "that judgment must begin at the house of God;" that is, the time has come for the judgment of those who belong to the house of God. If sons are scourged, what must the most wicked slaves expect? For which reason he added: "And if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the Gospel of God?" To which he added this testimony: "For if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and sinner appear?" [1 Peter 4:17-18] How then shall the wicked be with You, if Thou dost not even spare Your faithful, in order that You may exercise and teach them? [Proverbs 11:31] But as He spares them not, for this reason, that He may teach them: he says, "For You make sorrow in learning." "Makest," that is, formest: from whence comes the word figulus (from fingo), and a potter's vessel is called fictile: not in the meaning of fiction, a falsehood, but of forming so as to give anything being and some sort of form; as before he said, "He that fabricated (finxit) the eye, shall He not see?" Is that, "fabricated the eye" a falsehood? Nay, it is understood He fashioned the eye, made the eye. And is He not a potter when He makes men frail, weak, earthly? Hear the Apostle: "We have this treasure in earthen vessels." [2 Corinthians 4:7] ...Behold our Lord Himself, how He shows Himself a potter. [Romans 4:20-21] Because He had made man of clay, He anointed him with clay, for whom He had not made eyes in the womb. And so when he says, "Have You anything to do," etc., he says, out of grief makest learning for us, so that grief itself becomes our instruction. How is sorrow our learning? When He scourges you who died for you, and who does not promise bliss in this life, and who cannot deceive, and when He gives not here what you seek. What will He give? When will He give? How much will He give, who gives not here, who here teaches, who makes sorrow in learning? Your labour is here, and rest is promised you. You take thought that you have toil here: but take thought what sort of rest He promises. Can you conceive it? If you could, you would see that your toil here is nothing toward an equivalent....
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SUMMARY
Psalms 94:20 presents a powerful rhetorical question, challenging the very possibility of God's fellowship or alliance with any form of institutionalized injustice. The psalmist, in a fervent plea for divine intervention against rampant oppression, highlights the utterly repugnant nature of rulers or systems that not only perpetrate evil but go so far as to pervert the very instruments of law and governance to legitimize their wicked deeds. This verse serves as a profound assertion of God's unblemished righteousness and His absolute incompatibility with any "throne of iniquity" that seeks to establish oppression by legal decree.
CONTEXT
Literary Context: Psalm 94 is a passionate lament and an urgent appeal to God, the ultimate Judge, for justice against the wicked who relentlessly oppress the innocent. The psalm begins with a cry for vengeance and divine judgment upon the arrogant evildoers who "crush his people, O Lord, and afflict your heritage". The psalmist describes the wicked's impunity and their defiant questioning of God's awareness or action in the face of their atrocities. In response, the psalmist confidently asserts God's omniscient judgment, reminding the foolish that the one who "implanted the ear, does he not hear?" Verse 20, therefore, emerges from this context of deep distress over widespread injustice and a profound conviction in God's righteous character, serving as a climactic rhetorical challenge to the notion that God could ever align with such systemic evil. It reinforces the psalmist's trust that God, who "will not forsake his people", must necessarily oppose those who establish injustice by law.
Historical & Cultural Context: In the ancient Near East, kings were often seen as divine representatives or even deities themselves, responsible for upholding justice and order. However, history is replete with examples of rulers who abused their power, enacting oppressive laws or perverting existing legal frameworks for personal gain or to suppress dissent. The concept of "law" (Hebrew: chôq) in Israelite society was not merely a human construct but divinely ordained, rooted in the Mosaic covenant, intended to establish righteousness, protect the vulnerable, and reflect God's character. Therefore, for a "throne of iniquity" to "frame mischief by a law" was the ultimate perversion of God's intended order. It represented a betrayal of the very purpose of governance and a direct affront to the divine mandate for justice. This cultural understanding of law as a sacred trust amplifies the horror and indignation expressed by the psalmist at its corruption.
Key Themes: The verse powerfully contributes to several overarching themes within the Psalms and broader biblical narrative. Firstly, it underscores the Divine Righteousness and Justice of God, unequivocally declaring His holy and just nature. His character is utterly opposed to all forms of evil, making fellowship with injustice an absolute impossibility, echoing sentiments found in His perfect justice and uprightness. Secondly, it highlights the Insidious Nature of Institutionalized Evil. The phrase "throne of iniquity" speaks to corrupt authority, while "frameth mischief by a law" describes the most dangerous form of injustice: wickedness that is systematized, legalized, and enforced under the guise of legitimate governance. This is more insidious than individual acts of sin because it perverts the very instruments meant to uphold order and justice, turning them into tools of oppression. Lastly, the verse emphasizes God's Absolute Separation from Iniquity. The rhetorical question demands a resounding "No!" God cannot have "fellowship" or partnership with injustice. His purity is such that He "cannot look on iniquity", especially when it is an established system.
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
The verse powerfully employs several literary devices to convey its message. The most prominent is the Rhetorical Question, "Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, which frameth mischief by a law?" This question is not posed to elicit information but to make a forceful assertion, implying an emphatic "No!" and thus highlighting the absolute incompatibility between God's character and institutionalized injustice. Personification is also evident in the phrase "throne of iniquity have fellowship," attributing the human capacity for relationship to an abstract concept of corrupt governance, thereby making the evil more tangible and abhorrent. Furthermore, the phrase "frameth mischief by a law" uses a vivid Metaphor, comparing the act of creating unjust laws to a craftsman (like a potter) deliberately shaping a harmful product. This imagery underscores the intentional, calculated, and systematic nature of the wickedness being described, emphasizing that it is not accidental but a deliberate perversion of justice.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Psalms 94:20 profoundly articulates the biblical truth of God's unwavering righteousness and His inherent opposition to all forms of injustice, especially that which is institutionalized and legally sanctioned. It asserts that God's holy nature precludes any complicity or partnership with systems that pervert justice and oppress the vulnerable. This verse serves as a divine standard against which all human governance must be measured, reminding us that true authority derives from and must reflect God's character, not contradict it. It also provides comfort and hope to the oppressed, affirming that God sees and will ultimately judge those who establish wickedness by decree, assuring His people that their cries for justice do not fall on deaf ears.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Psalms 94:20 challenges believers to a profound discernment regarding the nature of power and law in society. It compels us to recognize that not all that is legal is righteous, and that true justice must align with God's character, not merely human decrees. We are called to cultivate a prophetic imagination that can identify and speak against "thrones of iniquity" in our own contexts, whether they manifest in corrupt political systems, discriminatory economic policies, or social structures that perpetuate injustice. This verse provides both a lament for the present reality of legalized oppression and a profound hope in God's ultimate judgment. It reminds us that our primary allegiance is to God's kingdom of righteousness, and therefore, we must never passively accept or participate in systems that "frame mischief by a law." Instead, we are called to be agents of God's justice, advocating for the vulnerable and working for the establishment of righteous laws that reflect His heart for humanity.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Does God ever allow unjust laws to prevail, and how should believers respond?
Answer: While God, in His sovereign plan, may permit unjust laws and oppressive regimes to exist for a time, Psalms 94:20 emphatically declares that He does not have "fellowship" with them. This means He does not condone, endorse, or align Himself with such systems. His permission is not approval. Believers are called to a dual response: first, to lament and pray for justice, recognizing that God is the ultimate judge who declares "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay". Second, while respecting governing authorities as ordained by God for order, believers are ultimately commanded to "obey God rather than men" when human laws directly contradict divine commands or promote injustice. This may involve peaceful protest, advocacy, civil disobedience, or simply living out kingdom values that expose the darkness of unrighteousness.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Psalms 94:20 finds its ultimate fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ, who perfectly embodies God's righteous character and stands in absolute opposition to every "throne of iniquity." While earthly rulers "frame mischief by a law," Jesus established a kingdom founded on perfect justice and righteousness, where "the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many". He Himself was a victim of institutionalized injustice, condemned by a corrupted legal system that "framed mischief by a law" to crucify the innocent Lamb of God Himself. Yet, through His death and resurrection, Christ "disarmed the rulers and authorities", demonstrating that no earthly throne, however powerful or legally sanctioned, can ultimately stand against God's righteous judgment. His return will usher in a new heaven and new earth where "righteousness dwells"", and every knee will bow to Him, the true King of Righteousness, whose throne is established forever in justice and equity and whose reign is one of perfect, unassailable justice.