So that a man shall say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous: verily he is a God that judgeth in the earth.
Verily there is a reward for the righteous, and verily God judges in the earth, and men shall say and acknowledge it to be so. The saying belongs to the time when the righteous witness God's judgment and retribution upon the wicked, concluding that picture with their recognition that righteousness is rewarded and that God judges justly on earth. The words are prophetic, not an expression of personal feeling against the wicked, but a statement of what will come upon those who have merited punishment.
When the final outcome of faithful obedience and persistent sin is revealed, both the righteous and the wicked will acknowledge this truth. The wicked themselves will recognize that their ruin came from their own persistent sin and that God's throne is clear. God judges nations on earth for violating His laws, and the judgments that have overtaken guilty nations testify that He truly judges in the earth. His judgment is active in human affairs.
The reward of the righteous includes inheriting the earth and everlasting life in the new earth, where sorrow and death are gone. It assures that self-sacrifice for God's cause is not in vain, for God repays those who serve Him. The wicked, including hypocrites who use an appearance of piety to harm others, will receive just punishment, with their end according to their works. The righteous may rejoice when God's cause triumphs and people recognize this truth, without being glad at calamities.
Verily there is a reward for the righteous, and verily God judges in the earth, and men shall say and acknowledge it to be so. The saying belongs to the time when the righteous witness God's judgment and retribution upon the wicked, concluding that picture with their recognition that righteousness is rewarded and that God judges justly on earth. The words are prophetic, not an expression of personal feeling against the wicked, but a statement of what will come upon those who have merited punishment.
When the final outcome of faithful obedience and persistent sin is revealed, both the righteous and the wicked will acknowledge this truth. The wicked themselves will recognize that their ruin came from their own persistent sin and that God's throne is clear. God judges nations on earth for violating His laws, and the judgments that have overtaken guilty nations testify that He truly judges in the earth. His judgment is active in human affairs.
The reward of the righteous includes inheriting the earth and everlasting life in the new earth, where sorrow and death are gone. It assures that self-sacrifice for God's cause is not in vain, for God repays those who serve Him. The wicked, including hypocrites who use an appearance of piety to harm others, will receive just punishment, with their end according to their works. The righteous may rejoice when God's cause triumphs and people recognize this truth, without being glad at calamities.