Aim: To be thankful to God for His sovereign work—even in employing wickedness (for our good).
Doctrine: God's saints need evil men, in order to grow. This is because the Lord always employs means, and these are not always pleasant.
Exegesis: God's uses of evil men, in the churchman's life: faith is required, to endure the ''prosperity'' of the wicked (vv. 1-2); love is engendered, at the Lord's righteous dealings with sin (vv. 3-4); hope for perseverance is developed, against the backdrop of difficulty (vv. 5-6).
Further application: The saint's proper responses to the existence of evil men: gratitude to God, that He supplies tools for my sanctification; and humility, realizing that I also am lost outside of Jesus.
Key verse: v. 1 ''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?''
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Rev. Mark Henninger received his Masters of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois, and he has been Pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Peoria, Illinois for more than 30 years.