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“Vindicate me, LORD,” cries the psalmist. And in these words, I hear the ache from countless tales of injustice. I hear the cry of the mother of six children as she struggles in poverty after her husband the doctor abandons the family for his young mistress. I hear the cry of the aging advertising executive who loses his position as the company decides to save expenses by hiring a cheaper, younger replacement. I hear the cry of the husband cut off from his children by a spiteful ex-wife.

I hear the cry of countless people in my own city who are stuck in circumstances with no apparent resolve. They suffer the pain of broken relationship, financial ruin, job humiliation, devastating deception, church division, and more. I am surrounded by people who have been trapped, sometimes for years, in painful circumstances that appear to have no resolve.

There is real pain and real suffering all around us. Only when we come to face the overwhelming reality of injustice, can we understand the cry of the psalmist who cries, aches, and breaks for vindication.

As the psalmist cries out to the LORD, he is looking for covenantal justice. If YHWH is God and the just judge of His people, the psalmist believes YHWH is responsible to judge this case and deliver his oppressed child from the painful grip of unjust treatment. As the psalmist continues his prayer, he confesses his dedication to walk in the way of the LORD, his refusal to fellowship with the wicked, and his commitment to worship the LORD.

Is he trying to demonstrate before YHWH why he deserves vindication? Possibly, but there is another way to understand his language. Facing a situation that he cannot resolve, he chooses to trust in the faithfulness of the LORD. He rejects the allure of wicked ways to resolve his problem or bitter fruit to nourish his ache.

His cry for vindication takes us beyond the minor inconveniences of daily life, which challenge us to trust in the Lord’s goodness. His cry touches those aches and struggles and injustices that seem to offer no hope of resolution. Ever.

What happens when a family who enjoys a thriving business faces the sudden destruction of their building by an unexpected tornado. When they try to rebuild the insurance turns out to be unreliable, and they are forced into bankruptcy, losing their life savings and the fruit of their years of hard work. After exploring every legal option, they realize there is no recourse.

What happens when grown children watch their widowed mother remarry a man who proceeds to deplete her savings and cut off the rest of the family? Despite repeated attempts at legal intervention, they cannot resolve the situation.

It wouldn’t be hard for most of us to list page after page after page of injustices that people around us continue suffering every day.

This makes me think of another injustice. The gospels record the unjust sufferings of an innocent man at the hands of religious bigots. Jesus enters into the struggle of humanity, revealing the hope and love of God. He is mocked, beaten, and cruelly killed. There seems to be no recourse for such injustice, and in his great agony, he cries out, “My God, My God why have you forsaken me?”

There is no last minute rescue. He dies. He breathes his last breath. He drops his head. He is finished. The lifeless body is taken from the cross and sealed in a tomb. The joy, hope, and excitement of a new kingdom dies as Jesus dies. Now darkness fills the hearts of his people as they wander into a hopeless night.

After the night, after all hope is lost, after their is no future left, the Father surprises and shocks His people by resurrecting Jesus through the power of the Spirit. This resurrection is the vindication of Jesus. The just Judge heard his final cry and has responded. The just judge vindicates Jesus by raising Him up from the dead. And according to Philippians, the just Judge will vindicate Jesus in the sight of all men when every kneed will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus in LORD!

Paul write Philippians to a people who are suffering. He encourages them that God will not forsake them and that He will complete the work He’s begun. He proceeds to encourage them that in the midst of suffering injustices, they can look forward with hope to a day of vindication. Just of Jesus will be vindicated in the sight of all men, his people will be vindicated as well.

This “good news” gives the Philippians and the psalmist hope that the injustices will not be forgotten. That in the end God will redeem, restore and vindicate the people of God. This hope gives the people of God the power to do the unthinkable. We can rejoice in the midst of injustices. We can see beyond the ache of unresolved abuses and serve those around us with a spirit of gentleness and love.

But lest we ignore all injustice in the world, this message of ultimate vindication gives us hope that all our efforts at resolving the injustices of others in this world will one day be fully realized. So we can serve the poor, help the needy and pray and serve those who suffer around us, trusting that our efforts are not in vain. For the just Judge will vindicate His Son, and in Christ all injustices will be made right.

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