Psalm 125:3 “For the rod of the wicked shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous; lest the righteous put forth their hands unto iniquity.”
Here we have a blessed sure promise and a stark warning! The promise of God is that “the rod of the wicked shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous”. The “rod of the wicked” refers to the mean and oppressive domination that the wicked always seek to exact upon “the righteous”. In this case, to “rest upon” is to remain upon, day after day, year after year, and on and on without any relief. The “righteous” does not mean absolute perfect behavior in life, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” (Romans 3:23); but, “the righteous” are “the elect of God” who daily strive to “Put on … holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; …” (Colossians 3:12). These are Eternally “righteous” because, in His Sacrificial Death, our gracious Lord has “made” His “elect” “righteous” (Romans 5:19); thus, fit for Eternal Life in Heaven. The “lot of the righteous” is the lives, service to God, and the Church “of the righteous”. The “wicked” are those who show no evidence of a moral compass, no sense of integrity, no heart for compassion, and certainly no love for God or godliness; they seem to be entirely guided by carnal lusts and greed and will dominate and destroy others to obtain their “wicked” desires. The blessed promise is that this vile “rod of the wicked shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous”; that is, the “wicked” might mistreat and harm “the righteous” for a while, but eventually the Lord will put a stop to their wickedness and bring relief to His “righteous”. But, there is a warning to “the righteous”, “lest the righteous put forth their hands unto iniquity”! That is, the Lord will eventually give His “righteous” relief from the “wicked”, unless His “righteous” begin to use the same “wicked” devices and methods as the wicked use. Just because the “wicked” are being “wicked”, we are not freed from our Lord’s commandments to behave in a “righteous” manner. The old saying that ‘two wrongs don’t make a right’ seems to be the overall theme of this passage. The “righteous” are indeed seen as “the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid” (Matthew 5:14) when they heed the Commandment to “take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” (Ephesians 6:13). So, let us not join the “wicked” to counter the “wicked”; but let us, in the very face of the “wicked”, “be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord” (I Corinthians 15:58); that is, fight the wicked and wickedness with godly-good – our Lord will eventually give us relief!