Basketball takes place on a court with clearly marked boundaries. If you’re dibbling the ball and your foot crosses the out-of-bounds line, you turn the ball over to the other team. The game only takes place within the lines.

In life, the Lord places boundary lines for our good. I made a vow to my wife to stay faithful to her, a boundary in marriage sanctioned by God. The 10 Commandments form boundaries, as well as the Sermon on the Mount. Flourishing takes place within the lines.

While life is best lived within God’s boundaries, the Lord reacts—like a thunderbolt—against those who flaunt the lines.

The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord is on his heavenly throne. He observes everyone on earth; his eyes examine them. The Lord examines the righteous, but the wicked, those who love violence, he hates with a passion. On the wicked he will rain fiery coals and burning sulfur; a scorching wind will be their lot.

There’s not much that God hates with a passion. His anger is generally reserved for overweening pride. But in this case those who promote violence, build on injustice and harm the innocent appear in his sights. It’s rather shocking to read.

Those who love violence use various tools. Some amass weapons and launch wars. Others take to the internet to mob those they disagree with. Violence comes in many forms, but it’s always willful and corrupt.

While it seems that often the violent skate away consequence-free, in reality flaunting God’s lines leads to disaster. It’s comforting to know that the Lord keeps his eye on those outrageously opposed to him. We may not live to see it, but the wicked will eventually reap what they sow.

Psalm 11 in Through the Bible in 2024

Photo by Andrew Krasilnikov