God is a righteous judge, and a God who feels indignation every day (Psalm 7:11)
God is the righteous judge, which means He will punish all evil doers giving to each person what they deserve. Ever since our first ancestors rebelled against their good Creator, we have experienced pain, sickness, sin and death that reminds us of God’s right judgement.
David understood that God will justly punish his enemies (v6), yet how could he be confident that he would not be ultimately punished for his sin (v8)? He knew that God alone could forgive sin (Psalm 51:1-2). That forgiveness would ultimately come through Jesus the Son of David, who took the punishment for our sins on the cross. Therefore, God is righteous by punishing our sin, and He is merciful because He punished His Son in our place.
In this fallen world, if you have trusted in Jesus as your substitute you can live confidently knowing that God is not against you even in suffering. You can rest in God’s righteousness because He will one day judge all wickedness and create a new heavens and new earth where death, mourning, crying and pain will be no more (Revelation 21:4). Spend time today thanking God for his justice and his mercy (v17).