The troubles of the just man and God’s deliverance

April 20, 2023 - Thursday, second Week of Easter

Psalm 34:2 and 9, 17-20

We continue to listen to Psalm 34 which we also meditated upon yesterday. Yesterday, we looked at it as a lesson in receiving the Holy Communion, today let us focus on the verse that says: “Many are the troubles of the just man, but out of them all the LORD delivers him” (Ps 34:20). The psalmist drew this statement from his Jewish tradition, life and personal experience. The classic example is Joseph sold into slavery by his brothers, thrown into prison by his master, and then elevated to the position of second in command in Egypt. Then, there is David chosen by God as king but pursued by Saul who wanted to kill him. And yet, in the end, Saul died in a battle and David became king of Israel after him. 

But, the Bible also provides us with examples of righteous people who died without experiencing apparent deliverance from the Lord. Abel was killed by his brother, many prophets died at the hands of their people, and the Maccabean martyrs were tortured and killed for refusing to deny their faith. And as we come to the New Testament, the paramount example of “the just man” experiencing many troubles is Jesus Christ. And it is Jesus Christ that shades light at the mystery of the suffering of the just and the way of God’s deliverance.

There is suffering as a consequence of sin or wrong choices in life, purifying suffering that purges us from wrong attachments and vices, and there is vicarious suffering for the sake of others. When the brothers of Joseph came to him a beg him to forgive their wrongdoing, Joseph already realised that his sufferings served a purpose. He said to his brothers: “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive” (Gen 50:20). The famous fourth song of the suffering servant in the book of Isaiah (Is 52:13-53:12) includes this line: “he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.” (Is 53:12). We discern in this servant’s song the prophecy of Jesus’ passion. Our Lord came to give his life as a ransom for many (see Mark 10:45). But how about deliverance? 

The Bible portrays God’s deliverance from death in two different ways. The first way is evident in the story of Joseph and David. God intervenes on behalf of His people by preventing their physical death. They either escape the plots of their enemies or get healed from a deadly sickness. The second way is revealed to us in the Gospel. Jesus not only spoke about his passion but also his resurrection and Saint Paul said that “through many tribulations, we must enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). In this case, the Lord’s deliverance comes after physical death as eternal life and resurrection from the dead.

The Church affirms the truth that death is not the end of everything but a bridge or a passage to a life that defies our imagination that does not know troubles, suffering, and even death (see Rev 21:4).