RIGHT WAYS REWARDED - Psalm 37:6

“Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun.”

(Psalm 37:6)

I remember the day I had a fight at school. I believe I was in my 3rd year of High School and it was just a random day in a normal week. We had entered the Science lab and as I went to sit at my work bench I was approached by this lad in my class. He was in my face, accusing me of stuff and he was being a jerk. I put out my hand to ease him away from invading my personal space. That’s when it came; out of nowhere, a boxer’s fist to the side of my head. My glasses were knocked across the room and in that split second I acted in like manner. Launching into the blurry figure in front of me, I swung a right-hander into his eye. What followed was a lot of flailing about, with me fending off punches and trying to make mine count. At this point the Science teacher had seen enough and stepped in to stop the fight.

Immediately the Head Teacher was called in and an investigation was started to find out the cause of this incident. Both of us were taken out of the class and questioned by the Head. Before the lesson was over, I was returned to the Science class (to cheers from my class mates), whilst my opponent was excluded temporarily from school.

You might be thinking “Wow. That was swift justice!” How come the other lad was punished, whilst I was let off? The reason I was cleared of wrongdoing so quickly, was because the other guy just happened to be the school the bully. I don’t doubt that the bully would have lied and made me out to be the offending party; yet it was my version of events that was believed and trusted. It all has to do with this Hebrew word “sidqeka” that we find in the part we read, which is best translated into English as “righteous reward.” This word means two things at the same time: being innocent of accusations brought, which in turn brings the favour of God. The benefits of living a life of integrity and honesty mean that when false accusations are brought against the innocent, God will see to it that the truth of our actions will be revealed. Those who have been unjustly charged with wrongdoing will be awarded God’s extra assistance.

We read the words “Commit your way to the Lord; trust Him and He will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun.” Are you trying to defend yourself in a dispute where you know you have not done the wrong you are being accused of? Are you being misrepresented or have lies been spread about you? You might not always be able to stop the lies or win the fight; but much like the sun is brightest in the middle of the day, God will see that the truth will out and in due time your integrity will shine for all to see.

Maybe someone has done you wrong. You’ve gone through the right channels to report what’s happening to those who need to know about it; but afterwards you feel you need to do more than that. “If only everyone knew my side of the story, all my problems would be solved!” We feel that if every person hears our side, about the way “so and so” has behaved, everything will be okay. It’s natural to care what everyone else thinks about us, as we wonder if our reputation is going to be harmed by misleading remarks or false stories going around. God wants to reassure you that you don’t need to go about setting the story straight with the entire world. Committing our way to the Lord involves relying on God to bring about the justice that we need. In due time, God will ensure that the genuine and the false will be seen for what they are. This requires a good degree of patience from you, as you trust what God has put into place to help you. Believe that God sees that your innocence and will ensure your cause will see the justice you deserve when it matters most.

Father God. You know the injustice I’ve experienced. I thank You, that You are a God of justice! Help me to honour Your ways and not to copy the ways of those who use lies and deception. I place my trust in You, that You will make the truth come out. I trust You to defend me. In Jesus name!

Paul Martin has written a two volume resource for Youth Pastors and volunteers. Each volume contains over 60 ready-to-use sessions to help teach young people through the Bible. Using an interactive Bible study method, each session looks at the lives of God's people and through led discussion, asks questions to discover:

- Where are the key words or phrases that will lead me to understand what I'm reading? - How does what I'm reading apply to my life?

- What is God saying to me today through what I'm reading?

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