TLIC Psalms. June 5. Let Them Be Blotted Out.  

Read Psalm 69:22-28.  ²²Let their own table before them become a snare; and when they are at peace, let it become a trap. ²³Let their eyes be darkened, so that they cannot see, and make their loins tremble continually. ²⁴Pour out your indignation upon them, and let your burning anger overtake them. ²⁵May their camp be a desolation; let no one dwell in their tents. ²⁶For they persecute him whom you have struck down, and they recount the pain of those you have wounded. ²⁷Add to them punishment upon punishment; may they have no acquittal from you. ²⁸Let them be blotted out of the book of the living; let them not be enrolled among the righteous.

Here is where Christ breaks from the psalmist. On the cross, Jesus prayed “Father, forgive them,” whereas the psalmist prays, “Father, blot them out.” David wants every good thing to be removed from the lives of his enemies – from fellowship to loneliness. From peace to punishment upon punishment. May God have no mercy upon their souls.

This difference makes us wonder if justice and forgiveness can co-exist. But the cross of Christ answers with a resounding, YES. The cross is the mingling of justice and forgiveness. It is atonement. Sins punished and paid for.

In Christ we must never be complacent about the injustice and evil in the world. But we must also allow the atoning mercy of Christ move us into the forgiveness of God, knowing that his justice is always a reconciling, restorative justice made possible by the One who was blotted out for all mankind. He will judge. And he will judge righteously.

To live is Christ means trusting God’s justice while also trusting his mercy.

You: Have you been able to see justice and mercy co-exist in your life?

You in Christ: How does the cross of Christ allow us to take injustice seriously, while also taking mercy seriously?

Christ in you: Is there an injustice in your life that you need to forgive? How can Christ help you to move toward mercy today?

Pray: Father, you offered me acquittal through your Son, even when I didn’t deserve it. Let this truth bring a love of both justice and mercy to my heart. Amen.