LUKE 18:1–8
“And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?”
(Luke 18:7).
Jesus told His disciples a parable to illustrate why they should never quit praying or lose hope. He had been talking about His return, and since His return was not going to be immediate, Jesus taught His people to persevere in prayer.
Jesus said there was an unjust judge who did not fear God or care for human opinion. A widow needed him to grant her justice, but he did not want to be bothered. The widow kept coming back to him, however, and finally the unjust judge decided that, since this woman was obviously not going to give up, he would see to it that her request was satisfied (Luke 18:2–5).
The point of the parable is: If unjust judges can be provoked to action by persistent petition, how much more will God, who loves us and wants to give us justice, respond to our persistent prayers? Don’t give up. Keep praying, and God will answer.
Jesus promised repeatedly that those who follow Him will suffer at the hands of unscrupulous men, becoming victims of persecution. They will be slandered and falsely accused. Anyone who has been falsely accused knows how it feels to yearn for vindication. When Christians have been victims of injustice and slander, they must cry to God day and night, and God promises to vindicate them.
One of the hardest things in life to bear is to be a victim of injustice. To be passed over for a promotion, cheated out of your wages, or incarcerated unjustly are painful experiences. We may try to comfort ourselves by saying that God is using these circumstances to purge and refine us, but the pain is still there. If it were not painful, it would not be suffering. In this parable, God tells us to cry out to Him for justice. He will bring it, if not in this world, in the world to come.
CORAM DEO
Proverbs 23–24
2 Corinthians 5
Read Romans 12:17–21. Are we ever allowed to seek our own vengeance? How does this teaching tie in with Jesus’ parable? Read Romans 13:1–5 and consider its relationship to the parable and your life. Is it right for Christians to seek official justice from God’s established lawcourts? Why can’t we ever expect perfect justice in this world?
For further study: 2 Kings 19:14–37; tape #B57INT.74/75
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