God is not like a semi-unhinged guy with a hair-trigger temper. He doesn’t randomly lash out when something happens that he doesn’t like.
No, God is gloriously holy and righteous. His wrath flows out of his holiness, obliterating all wickedness and leaving righteousness and justice in its wake. The wrath of God is just as steadfast as the love of God.
God’s overwhelming, glorious love for his people never changes, and his wrath against sin never changes as well. Both love and wrath are part of God’s immutable character.
1. The Wrath of God Means Justice Will Be Done
In its current state, the world is horribly, staggeringly, incredibly unjust. Every day, injustices occur by the millions. People sin against each other in horrific ways with seemingly little or no consequences.
Women and children are victimized by powerful men. Spiritual abusers take advantage of innocent, naive Christians. Young men and women die of drug overdoses while drug dealers keep getting richer. Doctors perform abortions by the thousands. Parents mistreat and even abuse their kids. Elderly individuals die of neglect.
Injustice. Is. Everywhere.
Heartbreak is rife.
Evil presses in all around us.
And if we didn’t know any better, we wouldn’t have any reason to believe that justice would ever be done.
This is exactly what Asaph experienced in Psalm 73. When he saw the prosperity of the wicked, he despaired.
Behold, these are the wicked; always at ease, they increase in riches. All in vain have I kept my heart clean and washed my hands in innocence. (Psalm 73:12-13)
When Asaph surveyed the state of affairs, it seemed to him that the wicked always prospered, often at the expense of the righteous.
