from Psalm 99
We like the idea
of an avenging angel;
the notion that divine judgement might
embody itself in one who will visit
righteous retribution upon those who
misuse their power
to abuse and exploit and destroy.
There, in the scriptures,
we find an image of the avenging God,
jealous and wrathful, and we imagine
a dark death-like figure
confronting the unrighteous
with the reality of their sin/crimes
immediately before
the vengeance is exacted.
Injustice, of course,
takes many scales and forms:
small acts of indifference, greed
and fearful withholding;
and medium sized dealings of opportunism,
Then there are the avertings of eyes,
the stoppings of ears,
and the convenient silences
in the face of political compromise
and institutional apathy.
Two millennia ago,
fortunately for us, a carpenter
from a northern province in Palestine
enacted a word of grace
to override demands for vengeance,
and to liberate us from our fears.
Still, the psalmist reminds us, God,
like the aforementioned carpenter,
is a lover of what is right and true.
No longer directed by fear
but guided by love,
his friends now join joyfully
in his work of justice.
©Ken Rookes 2011
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