16 But to the wicked God says,
“What right have you to tell of My statutes
And to take My covenant in your mouth?
17 “For you hate discipline,
And you cast My words behind you.
18 “When you see a thief, you [g]are pleased with him,
And [h]you associate with adulterers.
19 “You [i]let your mouth loose in evil
And your tongue frames deceit.
20 “You sit and speak against your brother;
You slander your own mother’s son.
21 “These things you have done and I kept silence;
You thought that I was just like you;
I will reprove you and state the case in order before your eyes.22 “Now consider this, you who forget God,
Or I will tear you in pieces, and there will be none to deliver.
23 “He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me;
And to him who [j]orders his way aright
I shall show the salvation of God.”
The first part seems pretty obvious, those described in vv. 17-21 will not have a good end. Yet, that is our culture today, and if we are not diligent, it will suck us in. Sin is a slippery thing, and a small foothold can lead to any of these despicable ends. All that said, this section ends with a surprising statement, “You thought that I was just like you…”
May we never be guilty of that, though I think it is much easier than one would hope. We are quick to apply human logic to God, to wonder why he allows evil, and pain, and so much more. But we cannot see as He does, we do not view the entirety of human existence in an instant, nor can we take such things into account when we try to make sense of his actions.
What we do know, is that God created us to have fellowship with him, even to crave that connection with our creator. Anything else is a cheap substitute, settling for a mere shadow of what we were meant to be. When we find God, truly find Him, and begin to understand who He is and how great his love is for us, verse 23 is the natural reaction. This echoes the earlier part of the psalm, to offer a “sacrifice of thanksgiving”.
It’s interesting to think of thanksgiving as a sacrifice. It ought to be easy, but it’s even easier to gripe and complain, and to play the victim. But to give thanks, even when we see so much evil, and endure pain that makes no sense to us, that is a true sacrifice. It’s one that God desires, and we should too, for it puts us in a different frame of mind. We remember that God is good, and that all He does for his children is good. Even when we can’t see the end, we know God can, and for those who put their trust in Him, the end is good.