Wednesday, September 06, 2006

Providential Justice

A Lunchtime Vignette.

A while back I was sitting in a little eating area at Pike Place Market in Seattle. I was reading over some notes and eating a hotdog. Tourists crowded the pig statue for pictures. The fish mongers were tossing halibut for the cameras. Natives were grabbing a quick bite.

I like bicycle messengers in principle. Some of them, however, are jerks. One such jerk pushed his bike through the crowd, plopped down on a bench, and leaned his bike against the table so that it pretty effectively cut in half the capacity of the narrow corridor. People struggled by. One middle-aged woman asked if he would move his bicycle. He responded, "hey, f--- off. I'm only gonna be here a few minutes."

Just as my blood pressure started to rise, I heard a crash. A blind man, very startled and confused, had bumped into the bike. He was unhurt, but a bit distraught. Kind people assured him not to worry and guided him away.

Meanwhile, the bike messenger was picking up the front of his bike and looking at it like kid with a broken toy. The front wheel had "tacoed", that is, it was folded over like a taco shell because some of the spokes had broken. He gathered up his bag, his bike, and left his sandwich. It was unlikely his bike would be making any deliveries that afternoon.

We aren't to seek vengeance, but I think it is quite all right to delight in God's providential judgments.

"Vengeance is mine, and recompense, at the time when their foot shall slide: for the day of their calamity is at hand."

Deut. 31:35

4 comments:

Lauren said...

It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

But we daren't gloat. An amen, however, I think is in season.

Mike Pitzler said...

Kewl. I thought he was gonna get a caning. Folding the wheel was even better.

Matthew 13:41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that cause stumbling, and them that do iniquity,

Anonymous said...

Interesting article.

And yes, God does make recompense. Vengeance belongs to Him. There is no need for us to act.

Heidi said...

I am still stuck on the opening paragraph, with a pig statue and fish being flung. That is like the beginning of the story books I loved best when I was little, where you could spend the whole story with mind fastened wonderingly on the first few lines.

But it is poetic justice, which though not always the justice God exercises does demonstrate how really perfectly balanced His justice is.