Sin can never stay hidden, but it will always be found out and exposed.
Even when it is not found out in this life, God’s perfect justice means that people will one day have to give an account for their every word and deed. That can be a troubling thought indeed, yet for Christ’s people it can also be very reassuring.
It’s reassuring because sometimes God’s enemies seem to get away with everything. They attack the church or they live in defiance of the Lord. Meanwhile, they just seem to keep scoring victories and never appear to suffer the consequences of their evil. But Psalm 21:8 affirms of the LORD: “Your hand will find out all your enemies.”
When God’s people first sang Psalm 21, they and their king were enjoying the many blessings of his prosperous rule. But that did not mean there were no enemies lurking in the shadows. Verse 11 still speaks of how wicked men “plan evil” and “devise mischief.”
As the Chief Engineer of Evil, Satan will try to undermine the people of God and the kingdom of Christ in whatever way he can. This Psalm reminds us that Satan will also use the conspiracies and attacks of godless people, conspiracies that can be deadly, difficult to endure, and almost impossible to expose.
But Israel sings in hope of their king’s ultimate victory: “Your hand will find out all your enemies” (v. 8). He will pull off the cloak of secrecy and he will expose their true character. And that means that the enemies of God's people will not have the power to fully accomplish their plans—not if God opposes them. He will find them out and punish them in his justice.
In a time when Satan continues to attack God’s Word and his people violently, this psalm inspires confidence. Those who plot against the truth of Scripture, who persecute his believers, and who defy the LORD, will not get away with it forever.
Christ our great King will soon return, and the Scripture says that he will “inflict vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus” (2 Thess 1:8). When all the peoples of the earth have to appear before Christ’s great throne for judgment, his hand will find out all his enemies (Rev 20:12).
This comforts us at the same time as it challenges us. The challenge is: Today is our life truly loyal to Christ the King? Are we living by faith in him and in obedience to his Word? When we think about the coming judgment, are we sure that our sins have been paid for through trusting in the blood of Jesus?
May God grant that we all be found out on that day—found out to be united to Christ our Saviour!
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