Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; but he who trusts in the Lord, mercy shall surround him. Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous; and shout for joy, all you upright in heart! (Psalm 32:10-11)
If we take this verse at face value, then it would plainly say the wicked will suffer hardship and the righteous will enjoy the mercies of God. That is a truth that is repeated again and again throughout the Scripture. That being said, there is an interesting detail that is not so evident when we read this in English but one that is definitely noteworthy. If we were to view this verse in Hebrew, we could see a cantillation mark is placed on the first use of the word “the LORD.” That is interesting because, typically the cantillation mark is placed at the end of a phrase, meaning that this verse could be read this way: “Many sorrows shall be to the wicked and he who trusts in the Lord,” thus implying that the wicked and the righteous oftentimes suffer the same lot.
Actually, the Messiah confirms that this notion is true; He said that God “makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45). On another occasion Yeshua said, “In the world you will have tribulation” (John 16:33). The point is that David may have very well intended to say that both the wicked and the righteous are bound to endure hardship but with a major distinction — the righteous will obtain mercy to endure the hardship. Not only that, but those who trust Him understand that, at times hardship is necessary to bring about His purpose for us. We may not like the medicine’s taste but we understand its necessity and know that, in time, it will bring about its intended purpose.
Where the wicked are concerned, they have no such hope; they despise the medicine and they despise the sight of the righteous man who endures hardship with perseverance, which in turn indicts the evil committed by wicked men. I would imagine that is especially true when the righteous count it all joy as they enter into such difficulty and rejoice at the opportunity to suffer for His Name’s sake.
There is another scenario, however, that we should consider: to witness the righteous suffer with an upright heart and determination to endure all for the sake of the Kingdom might be the medicine certain people need in order to have a change of heart. In this life, it is inevitable that we will suffer, and so, we may as well make it count for something worthwhile and of eternal value. If hardship will render God’s purpose in us and inspire a change of heart in others, then so be it. In the end, we will be able to rejoice and shout for joy at all the LORD has done.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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