Psalm 37 English Standard Version He Will Not Forsake His Saints Of David. 37 Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! 2 For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb. 3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. 4 Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act. 6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. 7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! 8 Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil. 9 For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the LORD shall inherit the land. 10 In just a little while, the wicked will be no more; though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there. 11 But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace. 12 The wicked plots against the righteous and gnashes his teeth at him, 13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he sees that his day is coming. 14 The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose way is upright; 15 their sword shall enter their own heart, and their bows shall be broken. 16 Better is the little that the righteous has than the abundance of many wicked. 17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but the LORD upholds the righteous. 18 The LORD knows the days of the blameless, and their heritage will remain forever; 19 they are not put to shame in evil times; in the days of famine they have abundance. 20 But the wicked will perish; the enemies of the LORD are like the glory of the pastures; they vanish—like smoke they vanish away. 21 The wicked borrows but does not pay back, but the righteous is generous and gives; 22 for those blessed by the LORD shall inherit the land, but those cursed by him shall be cut off. 23 The steps of a man are established by the LORD, when he delights in his way; 24 though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the LORD upholds his hand. 25 I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread. 26 He is ever lending generously, and his children become a blessing. 27 Turn away from evil and do good; so shall you dwell forever. 28 For the LORD loves justice; he will not forsake his saints. They are preserved forever, but the children of the wicked shall be cut off. 29 The righteous shall inherit the land and dwell upon it forever. 30 The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice. 31 The law of his God is in his heart; his steps do not slip. 32 The wicked watches for the righteous and seeks to put him to death. 33 The LORD will not abandon him to his power or let him be condemned when he is brought to trial. 34 Wait for the LORD and keep his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land; you will look on when the wicked are cut off. 35 I have seen a wicked, ruthless man, spreading himself like a green laurel tree. 36 But he passed away, and behold, he was no more; though I sought him, he could not be found. 37 Mark the blameless and behold the upright, for there is a future for the man of peace. 38 But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed; the future of the wicked shall be cut off. 39 The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; he is their stronghold in the time of trouble. 40 The LORD helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him. This psalm sounds a lot like some of Jesus' teaching from the Sermon on the Mount. Don't worry or let your heart be troubled because of the evildoers--their time is coming when they will quickly die off like the grass or flowers of the field. Instead we are to trust in the LORD, fulfill the covenant He has given us ("dwell in the land"), befriend faithfulness and delight in the LORD. We will see the phrase "delight in the LORD" several times in this psalm. This time, we are told that if we delight in the LORD, He will give us the desires of our hearts (because when we delight in Him, our desires are His desires).
We are told to commit our way to the LORD and we are to make our righteousness and justice shine brilliantly for all to see so that they will praise, honor and glorify the LORD with us. We wait patiently for the LORD to accomplish His purposes in His time, specifically His judgment of the wicked. We do not worry when we see them prospering here and now because we know that judgment is surely coming upon them one day soon. We are not to become like them--angry, full of wrath, and only ever thinking and doing evil continually. Such people will be cut off from the LORD's blessings and His covenant people--they were not allowed to live in the Promised Land and their high-handed sins of rebellion were punishable by death. The would even be "cut off" from the blessings of heaven if they chose not to submit to God and His plan of salvation for them. Those who wait on the LORD will "inherit the land" (for us, this is the promise of heaven) and while we are told here that the meek will inherit the land, Jesus changes this in the New Testament to say that the meek will inherit the earth (which I think refers to the New Heaven and the New Earth that will be part of our eternal inheritance as children of God). We just need to wait for God's perfect timing to deal with the righteous--for God has been patient with all of us so that many of us would have time to come to repentance. All of us deserved condemnation and wrath, but God made a way for us to be saved. Don't we want as many who are currently in the camp of the wicked to repent and become children of God before the judgment comes? The wicked make plans and plot against the righteous and gnash their teeth (probably in angst when their plans are spoiled by God), but the LORD high and lifted up sees the wicked and their plans. He delivers His saints and He laughs at the plotting of the wicked. He turns their own plots against them so that they are caught in their own snares and they die by their own swords, and He breaks the bows of them that imagine themselves to be powerful and use that power to torture and persecute the innocent and the righteous. We pray for the LORD to intervene and do this again in so many places in our world today where it seems like there is no safe harbor for those who follow the LORD and where wicked men seem to prosper. The LORD knows our days and will make sure that we always have enough, even in hard times. We are to trust in Him for everything that we need, and we are to trust that our eternal inheritance and blessings are secure, even if we do not seem to experience material blessings in this life. "Better is the little the righteous has than the abundance of the wicked." O how I wish that so many today would learn this lesson and not covet the riches and power and prestige of the wicked people among them--the ones who they even call their "idols." We need to learn to be content with whatever the LORD gives us because He is a good, good Father who would not withhold any good thing from His children, yet for our sakes, He did let His own Son experience some pretty terrible things that ultimately were for the good of the whole world. Can He not also be doing the same in our lives where He knows that things we go through will ultimately work out for the good of others--particularly when it comes to others believing to gospel? The LORD knows the way of the blameless (one of my favorite things to identify as God's will for me is to be blameless and holy and to be a person of integrity). Such a man has nothing to fear from the LORD, but the wicked are like the flowers of the field, just like we talked about before. Here today and gone tomorrow, like smoke or a vapor that disappears quickly in the wind. The wicked man "borrows" with an intent to steal and never pay back, but the righteous man is both giving and generous, giving what the LORD has blessed him with with no intent of ever being paid back. How we look at and handle money says a lot about what is in our hearts. Are we trying to acquire and hoard money because we find security in it or we worship it, or is money just another resource that God has made us stewards of to allow His blessings to pass through our hands as they are passed along to other people? This is in the same thought for David as those who are blessed by the LORD that will inherit "the land" (which we've already pointed out is our inheritance of eternal life in the New Heaven and the New Earth in the New Covenant) and those who would be "cut off" from these covenant blessings. Again, how we handle money says much about our hearts. "The steps of a man are established by the LORD, when he delights in His way. Though he stumble, he will not be cast headlong, for the LORD upholds his hand." This is another great promise and a comforting verse to all of us when we mess up that God does not cast us aside and abandon us. He helps us back up and takes us by the hand and walks with us ever step of the way--just like a parent that holds firmly onto the hand of their little child. Even if the child trips, they will still be securely held by their father (or mother). David adds in the next stanza that in all of his years here on earth he has never seen the righteous man forsaken or the children of said righteous man begging for bread. As far as David knows, God has always taken care of all those who belong to him, and David has no reason to doubt that God will continue to do so. Such a righteous man has money to lend, and his children are a blessing to him (and probably to everyone else too). We are therefore to turn from evil and do good so that we can have the blessings that God promises to those who belong to Him and avoid the judgment and curses that will fall upon the wicked. The LORD will preserve and keep His saints (those who belong to Him), but the wicked will be destroyed and forgotten. The righteous man loves the Word of the LORD and memorizes His Word so that he will not stumble or sin. Such a man, full of the Word of God, speak wisdom and justice that all who know him should listen to. The LORD watches over the righteous so that even when the evil make plans to kill him in public, that man is protected or when they try to take such a man to court, that righteous man is not condemned. David again trusts that God will be the Righteous Judge in the end that will make sure His saints inherit the blessings He has promised, and the wicked will not prosper forever and will receive the just consequences of their sin and rebellion. The man of peace has hope and a future, but the wicked will be cut off both from their blessings as the nation of Israel and of the family of God that will reside with Him in heaven. The LORD will deliver all those He has made righteous and will be their safety, refuge and strength in times of trouble. He is their salvation. Psalm 36 English Standard Version How Precious Is Your Steadfast Love To the choirmaster. Of David, the servant of the LORD. 36 Transgression speaks to the wicked deep in his heart; there is no fear of God before his eyes. 2 For he flatters himself in his own eyes that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated. 3 The words of his mouth are trouble and deceit; he has ceased to act wisely and do good. 4 He plots trouble while on his bed; he sets himself in a way that is not good; he does not reject evil. 5 Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds. 6 Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; your judgments are like the great deep; man and beast you save, O LORD. 7 How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings. 8 They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights. 9 For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light. 10 Oh, continue your steadfast love to those who know you, and your righteousness to the upright of heart! 11 Let not the foot of arrogance come upon me, nor the hand of the wicked drive me away. 12 There the evildoers lie fallen; they are thrust down, unable to rise. David is the psalmist here again (though David writes many of the psalms, there will be other psalmists later such as Moses, Solomon, and Asaph to name a few. Many palms also have no known author). David starts off as is customary by focusing on what he sees as the problem or issue--the wicked and the way in which they seem to go unpunished. They do not fear the LORD (if they did they would obey His commandments), they plot evil schemes day and night--even as they are laying in bed (possibly meaning they are even dreaming about them when they are asleep). They imagine themselves so crafty that not even God can find them out or punish them for their wrongdoing, as they have evaded every other kind of law enforcement. He refuses to reject evil and refuses to do good--everything that comes out of his or her mouth are trouble and deceit (and since we know that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks, this is what is inside the wicked person's heart and mind at all times). I know a song based on the next stanza here, so I will post it here. The psalm (and this song that is based on it) tell us that no matter how bad things look to us, God is still loving, faithful, righteous and just. We can trust in Him and what He will do. Goodness and mercy for those who have been transformed by the LORD and His gospel, and justice and wrath for those who continue to rebel against the LORD and His law, and His gospel. The Flood of Noah is something David points back to in order to show us God's destruction of the wicked and God's preservation of those whom He has chosen to preserve (Noah whom God had found to be righteous, Noah's wife and Noah's 3 sons and their wives, and all the animals that God caused to come onto the Ark so that the whole world could "reset" after it had been so corrupted by sin). David points to the fact that these people and animals were safe in the security of the Ark because God closed the door and kept them safe inside, so they need not fear the judgment that was going on outside--though the people outside that had rebelled reached a point where the door to the Ark would be closed by God Himself and no matter how much they wanted to get inside the Ark after God had closed the door, they could not.
For those of us who are in Christ, even death is not something we need to fear, as David seems to focus next on the blessings that await God's people in heaven. They will be "in the shelter of His wings" and will experience the abundance of His house--even drinking from the River of Life the flows from the throne of God and living in His light forever (see Revelation 21 and 22). It seems that the LORD has given David either a glimpse back at what it was like in the Garden of Eden or a look forward to what it will be like in the New Jerusalem or maybe a bit of both as the end is very much like the beginning. All that David can pray is for what we call the "perseverance of the saints"--that God would keep him as the person that God has made him and not let him become like the old man that would be under condemnation and judgment. We know this to be a fact for those who are in Christ from the New Testament as we are told "There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." (Romans 8:1), but what does it mean to be "in Christ"? I think it's very similar to the picture painted here of being safe inside the Ark. God put you there, God seals you in and God does all the work to keep you safe through the judgment and deliver you to the other side, but the Ark of Salvation that has been provided for us is the gospel of Jesus Christ. He is the only one that can save us and He said so Himself in John 14:6, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No man comes to the Father except through Me." And remember the "purpose statement" towards the end of the Gospel of John, "30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." (John 20:30-31). We can be certain that Jesus is the Christ (the Messiah, our Savior) and that in Him (and Him alone) we have salvation from sins and eternal life. We too can repent and believe the gospel no matter what we have done--there was grace even for the thief/murderer that died next to Jesus when he repented and believed, but there was nothing that could be done for the one who continued to curse God with his dying breath. God's love will not force us to love Him back, but one day we will all worship the King of Kings and Lord of Lords either by choice or by compulsion. Which will it be for you? If you want to know more about how you can surrender your life to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords today, connect with me through my 99-1 Discipleship Discord server, and I'll be happy to speak with you. Psalm 35 English Standard Version Great Is the LORD Of David. 35 Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me! 2 Take hold of shield and buckler and rise for my help! 3 Draw the spear and javelin against my pursuers! Say to my soul, “I am your salvation!” 4 Let them be put to shame and dishonor who seek after my life! Let them be turned back and disappointed who devise evil against me! 5 Let them be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the LORD driving them away! 6 Let their way be dark and slippery, with the angel of the LORD pursuing them! 7 For without cause they hid their net for me; without cause they dug a pit for my life. 8 Let destruction come upon him when he does not know it! And let the net that he hid ensnare him; let him fall into it—to his destruction! 9 Then my soul will rejoice in the LORD, exulting in his salvation. 10 All my bones shall say, “O LORD, who is like you, delivering the poor from him who is too strong for him, the poor and needy from him who robs him?” 11 Malicious witnesses rise up; they ask me of things that I do not know. 12 They repay me evil for good; my soul is bereft. 13 But I, when they were sick-- I wore sackcloth; I afflicted myself with fasting; I prayed with head bowed on my chest. 14 I went about as though I grieved for my friend or my brother; as one who laments his mother, I bowed down in mourning. 15 But at my stumbling they rejoiced and gathered; they gathered together against me; wretches whom I did not know tore at me without ceasing; 16 like profane mockers at a feast, they gnash at me with their teeth. 17 How long, O LORD, will you look on? Rescue me from their destruction, my precious life from the lions! 18 I will thank you in the great congregation; in the mighty throng I will praise you. 19 Let not those rejoice over me who are wrongfully my foes, and let not those wink the eye who hate me without cause. 20 For they do not speak peace, but against those who are quiet in the land they devise words of deceit. 21 They open wide their mouths against me; they say, “Aha, Aha! Our eyes have seen it!” 22 You have seen, O LORD; be not silent! O LORD, be not far from me! 23 Awake and rouse yourself for my vindication, for my cause, my God and my LORD! 24 Vindicate me, O LORD, my God, according to your righteousness, and let them not rejoice over me! 25 Let them not say in their hearts, “Aha, our heart's desire!” Let them not say, “We have swallowed him up.” 26 Let them be put to shame and disappointed altogether who rejoice at my calamity! Let them be clothed with shame and dishonor who magnify themselves against me! 27 Let those who delight in my righteousness shout for joy and be glad and say evermore, “Great is the LORD, who delights in the welfare of his servant!” 28 Then my tongue shall tell of your righteousness and of your praise all the day long. David once again asks the LORD to deal with the people that were his enemies and for the LORD to be his shield, defense and salvation. He knows it the LORD fights the battle for him, that the victory is secure. The javelin and spear are ranged weapons and David asks for the LORD to use His weapons that can reach the enemies from far away, even though they think they are pursing David and that they are winning. Most of all though, David requests for God to make him know, "I am your salvation."
David asks for the enemies that are pursuing him to be as worthless as the chaff that the angel of the LORD will drive away. Remember Psalm 1 that talks about this and how John the Baptist picks up on it in Matthew 3:11-12 and Luke 3:16-17 (speaking of Jesus), 11 “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” So it is that Jesus will sort out the good and righteous "wheat" that belongs in the storehouses of heaven from wicked "chaff" that will be burned in the unquenchable fires of hell that were prepared for the devil and his angels. David prays for their way to be dark and slippery as the angel of the LORD pursues them--David knows that the angel of the LORD (that is Christ) will ultimately be the one to execute judgment and will fulfill what the Word says, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay." These are the words of the LORD spoken in the book of Deuteronomy and quoted in the book of Romans and the book of Hebrews. We see this request again that we've seen several times for those that try to ensnare others to be likewise ensnared by traps they don't see and even to be caught up in the traps that they are laying for others. David says he will rejoice and shout to the LORD when he sees this reversal and sees the LORD take vengeance on his enemies (though we aren't sure that this will happen in this life, we ultimately know that is will happen in the end times, and I think we will all rejoice that the Father, Son, Holy Spirit and Church have all had their enemies defeated). David then gives testimony of the things they have done to him and how the LORD has made him a different kind of person. The wicked would bring false accusations against David and they would repay David's good to them with evil towards him, yet David would mourn and grieve when these people became ill and he would pray for them--probably not just for their physical healing, but for the salvation of their souls. We may see that David is at a point now where he wants the fiery judgment of God to come upon these men, but it seems David has already interceded for them many times over and they do not want to be saved. They have made up their minds that they want to be counted among the wicked, so then David prays for their end to come quickly to them--which can in itself be a prayer of mercy, because David does not want to see them suffer long periods of time. David also knows the longer they live and thumb their noses at God, the more injury it does to the name of the LORD and the people that are known by His name--the righteous who worship Him and identify themselves as His children. How did they repay David's kindness to them? They have rejoiced at David's suffering and all gathered together to watch him suffer and they have been tearing him to pieces constantly. David calls them wretches and profane mockers at a feast--they are the ones that get perverse pleasure out of trying to make everyone else as unhappy as they are and it makes them angry to see anyone else happy, because they are not happy. David says that it's like they are grinding him with their teeth. David asks the LORD, "How much longer?" until He will intervene. David sees the situation as if he is being surrounded by a pride of lions and that they are each taking swipes and bites at him--playing with him until he dies. He needs someone that the lions are afraid of to step in and show them who's really in charge. But David wonders how long it will be until the LORD rescues him. Will it be rescue in this life, or will David's rescue come in the form of being taken out of this life so that he can offer praise before the very throne of God without need of fearing his enemies any more? David asks for the LORD to make sure that his wicked enemies have nothing to brag or boast about. David does not want the people following after these leaders who believe themselves to be strong and lead the people away from God. David is concerned not just for himself, but for the entire congregation of the nation of Israel, that these evil men not be allowed to be victorious, for if they can slay the one that is king, then the people might make one of them the king assuming that David was in the wrong and that God allowed these men to kill him to show that they were right and David was wrong. That's the way things worked in those days. So then David prays for the public embarrassment of these men so that everyone knows they are the ones that the LORD is displeased with and that no one should follow them unless they also want to come to a similar end and face the vengeance of the angel of the LORD. David desires for all to see what the LORD will do for him and for the praise of the LORD to be on the tongues and lips of all the people. "Great is the LORD, who delights in the welfare of his servant!" Psalm 34 English Standard Version Taste and See That the LORD Is Good Of David, when he changed his behavior before Abimelech, so that he drove him out, and he went away. 34 I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. 2 My soul makes its boast in the LORD; let the humble hear and be glad. 3 Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together! 4 I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. 5 Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed. 6 This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all his troubles. 7 The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them. 8 Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! 9 Oh, fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack! 10 The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing. 11 Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD. 12 What man is there who desires life and loves many days, that he may see good? 13 Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. 14 Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. 15 The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry. 16 The face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth. 17 When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. 18 The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. 19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all. 20 He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken. 21 Affliction will slay the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be condemned. 22 The LORD redeems the life of his servants; none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned. It seems that while David was running from Saul that he sometimes ran to other people who should have been considered his enemies. Abimelech is not someone that David should have been talking to and probably would have loved to kill David, but the LORD protected David (and the covenant that He had made with David) despite David's poor choice here. I assume this is something similar as to what David did at Gath where he pretended to be a madman as both instances say that David "changed his countenance."
David understands that if he trusts in the LORD, he need not fear anyone or anything else. He also says that he knows that "the angel of the LORD" (we know Him better as Jesus, the second person of the Trinity) encamps among His people and defends and saves them. We can take refuge in the LORD and know that He will not withhold anything that we need. It was important at this time and in the place for the LORD to show that He was please with His people by the blessings He poured out on them. When they were walking right with Him, they were in a place to have His favor poured out on them, but when they were living contrary to God's plan, then His blessings would be withheld to show them that they needed to repent. Now God's people have the Holy Spirit living inside of us to tell us when we are doing what is right or wrong--though God still sometimes uses this method of positive and negative reinforcement in our lives. David encourages the people to control their tongues and keep their tongues from evil. We know James said that if any man is perfect, he will control his tongue. Our words reveal what is really going on in our hearts. The LORD turns towards the righteous to give them His attention when they cry out for help, but the LORD turns away from the wicked--not even revealing Himself to them. He will cause the wicked to be cut off from the earth and forgotten. He heals the brokenhearted as no one else can do. Don't miss the prophecy here about Jesus in this last part--none of His bones would be broken. Jesus is the only one who is truly righteous, so these promises are from Him. Then comes the promises for those who take refuge in the person and work of Jesus (who are simply the "servants" of God)--they are redeemed and will never be condemned. Psalm 33 English Standard Version The Steadfast Love of the LORD 33 Shout for joy in the LORD, O you righteous! Praise befits the upright. 2 Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre; make melody to him with the harp of ten strings! 3 Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts. 4 For the word of the LORD is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness. 5 He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the LORD. 6 By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host. 7 He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap; he puts the deeps in storehouses. 8 Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him! 9 For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. 10 The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples. 11 The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations. 12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage! 13 The LORD looks down from heaven; he sees all the children of man; 14 from where he sits enthroned he looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth, 15 he who fashions the hearts of them all and observes all their deeds. 16 The king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength. 17 The war horse is a false hope for salvation, and by its great might it cannot rescue. 18 Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, 19 that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine. 20 Our soul waits for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. 21 For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. 22 Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us, even as we hope in you. The praises of the LORD are to be on the lips of those who are righteous and upright. We are to sing to Him a new song--the song of our redemption and salvation--with instruments and with our voices. We see where it says "the word of the LORD is upright" and we assume this means the Scripture, which we call the Word of God, but what if this is describing the second person of the Trinity who is called The Word of God and The Word of the LORD? "...All His work is done in faithfulness." Does that take on a new meaning to you? For His name is "Faithful and True"! He loves righteousness and justice for He is also called The Righteous One and Just. The earth is full of the steadfast (unshakable) love of the LORD as we see revealed through the Son. Again, we see the Word of the LORD at work in creation. We know from the book of Colossians that the Son of God is the Creator of all things (we also know this from John 1). He made the heavens and all the celestial bodies--the sun, moon, starts and planets--and the seas and all that is in them. There is even an indication here of the fountains of the deep that were stored up for the time of the Flood. Everyone in the whole earth should stand in awe of Him--God our Creator! For He spoke and it came into being and by His command was everything established. This should bring about a holy fear of the LORD. He literally spoke us into existence and can speak us out of existence too. Even if every nation gathered together in rebellion against the LORD, they could not stand against Him (we'll see this in the end times when Jesus returns as the Conquering King and destroys all His enemies with the sword that comes out of His mouth). He makes their wisdom and their plans to be folly, and no one can defeat His plans for all people in all generations (that is the gospel of Jesus Christ). The people that worship Him are those He has chosen for Himself from among the nations, and those people will be blessed for worshiping Him as the LORD. While this promise is written here to the nation of Israel, we know that God has extended this grace to all those who have been grafted into the Vine (see Romans 11). The LORD looks down from His throne in heaven on high and sees that the people trust in their own strength and military might to be their salvation, but the LORD says that neither the king, nor his army are safe from Him if they stand in opposition to Him. They believe in a false salvation and false savior (the antichrist) who cannot save them. "The eye of the LORD" represents His blessing for those who fear Him, but for those who live in rebellion to Him, they fear that He sees everything and knows all their thoughts and motivations--not just their external deeds. Those of us who belong to the LORD need not be afraid of Him, but we do have a holy reverence for Him (the fear of the LORD that is the beginning of wisdom). Those who fear Him hope in His steadfast love and know that nothing can hurt them--not even death or famine--unless His love permits it. Ultimately, whether happens to us in this life, we are still sure that He will safely deliver us to the joy that has been promised to us that is living in complete communion with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit and with each other. David was waiting for the deliverance that the LORD that would be provided in both the First Coming and Second Coming of Christ, and we still currently wait expectantly for the Second Coming--both for our rescue and for God's judgment to be poured out on those who have chosen the path of rebellion. However, we also look forward to the LORD's salvation that He provides whenever anyone comes to Him by grace through faith because the LORD has chosen to reveal Himself to them. So then we all rejoice and hope in the LORD and trust in His steadfast love. Psalm 32 English Standard Version Blessed Are the Forgiven A Maskil of David. 32 Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. 2 Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. 3 For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. 4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah 5 I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah 6 Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found; surely in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him. 7 You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah 8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. 9 Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you. 10 Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the LORD. 11 Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart! This psalm in particular resonates with me because it is truly a blessing to have not just transgressions or trespasses (where we accidently crossed over a line we didn't know was there) sins forgiven, but also our iniquities--that is our high-handed rebellious sins that we intentionally committed. Even more blessed than being forgiven though is that the LORD chooses not to hold our sins against us. WOW! The psalmist says that in such a man there should be no deceit--he should be a person who loves the LORD and loves His Law.
David tells of how he had "dry" times in his spiritual life and he calls on those who are righteous to pray for those in that kind of place and for those in that place to ask for prayer. In all this, the LORD is our "hiding place," our deliverance, our refuge and our strength. Then, speaking through David, the LORD says that we should not need to be forced to go in the direction we don't want to go like a horse or mule that must be controlled by bit and bridle. We should desire to go in the same direction as the LORD wants us to go. He should not have to fight us for us to be obedient to Him. The wicked do not have any joy because they have nothing to look forward to--they live only for the present and know they are living under constant condemnation, but the righteous can find joy in all situations knowing that the LORD is for them and with them, so we can choose to be happy despite our circumstances. Psalm 31 English Standard Version Into Your Hand I Commit My Spirit To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 31 In you, O LORD, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame; in your righteousness deliver me! 2 Incline your ear to me; rescue me speedily! Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me! 3 For you are my rock and my fortress; and for your name's sake you lead me and guide me; 4 you take me out of the net they have hidden for me, for you are my refuge. 5 Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O LORD, faithful God. 6 I hate those who pay regard to worthless idols, but I trust in the LORD. 7 I will rejoice and be glad in your steadfast love, because you have seen my affliction; you have known the distress of my soul, 8 and you have not delivered me into the hand of the enemy; you have set my feet in a broad place. 9 Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am in distress; my eye is wasted from grief; my soul and my body also. 10 For my life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my iniquity, and my bones waste away. 11 Because of all my adversaries I have become a reproach, especially to my neighbors, and an object of dread to my acquaintances; those who see me in the street flee from me. 12 I have been forgotten like one who is dead; I have become like a broken vessel. 13 For I hear the whispering of many-- terror on every side!-- as they scheme together against me, as they plot to take my life. 14 But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, “You are my God.” 15 My times are in your hand; rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors! 16 Make your face shine on your servant; save me in your steadfast love! 17 O LORD, let me not be put to shame, for I call upon you; let the wicked be put to shame; let them go silently to Sheol. 18 Let the lying lips be mute, which speak insolently against the righteous in pride and contempt. 19 Oh, how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you and worked for those who take refuge in you, in the sight of the children of mankind! 20 In the cover of your presence you hide them from the plots of men; you store them in your shelter from the strife of tongues. 21 Blessed be the LORD, for he has wondrously shown his steadfast love to me when I was in a besieged city. 22 I had said in my alarm, “I am cut off from your sight.” But you heard the voice of my pleas for mercy when I cried to you for help. 23 Love the LORD, all you his saints! The LORD preserves the faithful but abundantly repays the one who acts in pride. 24 Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the LORD! We are once again in a place in David's life where he is trusting in the LORD to be his place of safety and protection and the one who will defend him from his enemies. David actually calls the LORD his "fortress" here and these may be the words that inspired the hymn "A Mighty Fortress is Our God."
In the next part, we see that David asks to be delivered from the snares and traps that have been set for him by his enemies, but it actually ends with words that we are more familiar with from Jesus speaking from the cross--I believe that He wanted the Jews who were listening to have their minds come back to this song that they heard so often, "Into Your hand I commit My spirit." David says that he can commit his spirit to the LORD because it is the LORD that has redeemed him, and because the LORD is faithful. David says that he hates idolatry and those who trust in worthless idols. He chooses to praise the LORD for His steadfast love. He knows our every distress and weakness and has never stopped fighting for us. He has never allowed the enemy to truly have victory over us, even when it looks like we have lost the battle, God is still in control and the victory still belongs to Him. David then cries out for the LORD to once more not turn away from David in his distress. David is grieving and suffering greatly--David says this is result of his own iniquity, but he asks the LORD to once again have grace on him. I don't know exactly when this is, but I'd imagine that it is likely either between the time of David's sin with Bathsheba and his confrontation by Nathan the prophet, or that this is slightly after that confrontation when the child of David's adulterous relationship was destined to die and David fasted and wept and refused to sleep both night and day until the child died, for he knew once the child was dead, he could do nothing to bring the child back, but every moment that the child was alive, he would fast and pray that the child would not die because of David's sins. We do seem to have indications of other points in David's life where he also struggled with depression and feelings of being sapped of all of his energy, but I'd imagine these were two of the most trying times for him and it is one of the only "iniquities" that we have recorded in the life of David (iniquity is a high-handed sin of rebellion for which there would be no sacrifice for forgiveness--usually these were punishable by capital punishment). David's enemies aren't satisfied to try to just physically assassinate him, but they also want to try to assassinate his character and reputation so that none of the people want to follow him. David says that he hears the whisperings of his enemies everywhere he goes. The sin of gossip is deplorable to the LORD and it should not be the identity of any who belong to Him. James has much to say about what comes out of our mouths and if we use the same tongue to attack our brother that we use to praise God then we are liars because we cannot love God whom we have not seen and hate our brother whom we have seen. Fresh water and brackish water cannot come from the same spring (the same water source). So which kind of heart do you have? One that is controlled by the flesh of which gossip is one of the evidences, or one controlled by the Spirit? (See Galatians 5:16-26, Romans 1:28-32). I hope only listed a few places where our tongues and mouths can get us in trouble and show what it in our hearts a general principle here though is spoken by Jesus: Matthew 15:10-20 English Standard Version What Defiles a Person 10 And he called the people to him and said to them, “Hear and understand: 11 it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.” 12 Then the disciples came and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?” 13 He answered, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up. 14 Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.” 15 But Peter said to him, “Explain the parable to us.” 16 And he said, “Are you also still without understanding? 17 Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? 18 But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. 20 These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.” David then says that he wants his life to match up with the things he says with his mouth. He says, "You are my God" and "I put my trust in You," but he needs the strength to live this out day-to-day. He entrusts God with all his days, and when God decides that David's purpose is over, then David has no expectation that he would live on this earth any longer. David's one request is that he not be put to shame for worshiping the LORD, and I think that has to do with David's heart that people would know how great and powerful and glorious the the LORD is. If David spent his whole life worshiping the LORD and He was unable to deliver David from his enemies, then what kind of God is that? Is He really worthy of our worship? The LORD seems to be okay with David implying that His name is on the line since David is called by the name of the LORD and everyone knows that David belongs to the LORD and the LORD belongs to David. David wishes for the truth to come out and for all the liars to be shut up. He desires the wicked to be put to shame and for them to go silently to Sheol--meaning that they would have no one mourning their death. David does desire justice, but he wants it to come from the LORD so that no one can say that David took justice into his own hands. He is going to let the LORD fight his battles for him. God's promises and the identity He has given to us cover us and protect us from the lies, gossip and slander. We know who we are in Him and what He thinks of us and what He has done for us. That will never change! His steadfast love endures forever and it is a rock and a fortress that we can find safety, shelter and security in. The LORD is on our side (we'll see this in Psalm 124 when we see "Our Help is in the Name of the LORD"). We need not worry about the worthless words of evil men. The LORD will judge them. David imagined that he had messed up so bad with his sin that he had lost his salvation (been "cut off" from the LORD's people and the LORD's covenant), but he cries out to the LORD for mercy, and he receives it. He was surrounded and the enemy was pressing in like a city that was being besieged. The walls that seemed like they were there to protect him where now about to collapse in on him. The LORD allows this to happen in our lives sometimes when we begin to trust in someone or something else other than Him for safety and security. He also does this to show the enemy that even though they imagine they can trust in their own strength and numbers, that they cannot even touch one of us that belongs to the LORD unless the LORD allows it. The LORD will protect those who belong to Him, so we can be sure of our salvation as we wait on the LORD to deliver us (even so, come quickly Lord Jesus!). |
Daniel WestfallI will mostly use this space for recording my "journal" from my daily devotions as I hope to encourage others to read the Bible along with me and to leave a legacy for others. Archives
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