Proverbs 21.12
“The Righteous One observes the house of the wicked; he throws the wicked down to ruin.”
The Lord sees and watches how people go about life. And he watches nations. This proverb tells us that the Lord observes the evil that is done by wicked people, and that he punishes evil people and nations for their wickedness.
As we have learned from history and the bible, God’s judgment isn’t immediate. Wicked people – and evil nations – will operate for a period of time. Sometimes they are even outwardly successful and prosperous, especially wicked people who gain power. The outward prosperity of the wicked often causes people to question God. Here is the prophet Jeremiah asking God this very question:
“Righteous are you, O Lord, when I complain to you; yet I would plead my case before you. Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all who are treacherous thrive?” (Jeremiah 12.1)
King David asked the same question:
“O Lord, God of vengeance, O God of vengeance, shine forth! Rise up, O judge of the earth; repay to the proud what they deserve! O Lord, how long shall the wicked,
how long shall the wicked exult? They pour out their arrogant words; all the evildoers boast. They crush your people, O Lord, and afflict your heritage. They kill the widow and the sojourner, and murder the fatherless; and they say, “The Lord does not see; the God of Jacob does not perceive.” (Psalm 94.1-7)
When the wicked prosper, it seems to offend our sense of justice. We want to see the unrighteous punished immediately. We want evil destroyed and eliminated, and we want good blessed and promoted. But the bible is quite clear: God administers judgment and justice his way in his time. Romans 12.9: “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”
Wicked people do not think that God sees, and they are blind to the reality that God is paying attention. They make the fatal mistake of equating the delay of consequences with the absence of them.
