Psalm 37:1-40

There are many different kinds of people on the earth but for the most part they can be divided into two groups: those that fear the Lord and those that do not.  It is difficult for us to think of these two groups coexisting but that is the way that God has planned it.  Conflict between these two contrasting groups is inevitable but that should not be our main concern.  We must recognize that God has all of this under control and He will make sure that all is well in the end.  The structure of this Psalm is very creative.  It is and acrostic with every new phrase beginning with a new letter of the Hebrew alphabet.  The poem is organized by its content in an inverse order or as a chiasmus with the first verse matching the last verse in content, the second verse matches the second to the last verse in content etc…  The message of this Psalm should be a great comfort to all who fear the Lord.

DON’T FRET HAVE FAITH: In the face of adversity we all have a tendency to fret and worry.  David lets us know that we do not need to be worried about the evil doers with whom we share the earth.  They will soon fade away and the conflicts we face with them are simply temporary.  God has a far better future planed for us.  Our job is simply to have faith in the Lord and live in obedience to Him no matter how difficult that may seem.  As we trust Him He will guide, direct and provide.  We need to learn to be still before the Lord instead of fret about what we think He should be doing in a particular situation.  We cannot allow ourselves to be infected with the evil plans of the wicked for them we will become just like them.  We must learn to patiently and silently wait on the Lord to do what is right.  God has everything under control and we can trust Him to take care of us.  We can defeat fret with faith.

THE WICKED ARE WARNED: The wicked, who do not fear the Lord, may make threats and seek to hurt the Lord’s children, but the Lord laughs in the face of these wicked men because He knows what their end will be.  They think they will attack the poor but they end up having their own weapons turned against them.  God is not worried about all of the bravado and threats that the wicked make.  They do not have any power over Him and they need to beware of the consequences of their actions.  It is far better to lack wealth now than to have God stand against us in the future.  The wicked will experience eternal damnation.  It is far better for the godly to experience temporary hardship than to have to face the plight of the wicked.

THE RIGHTEOUS ARE REWARDED: There are rich rewards that God gives to those who fear Him and walk in His ways.  God guides them along the path of life and provides comfort and hope even in times of trouble.  David testifies that God has been faithful to provide for the basic needs of all who are righteous.  They do not need to beg for bread but instead are able to generously share with others.  It is a great joy to be able to serve others and not just live for our own desires.  God grants wisdom to the righteous and gives him solid footing on the paths that he takes.  There are rich rewards associated with living our lives in righteousness.


GOD’S JUDGMENT IS JUST: God knows exactly how to judge men for their evil and their actions.  He is all-knowing and is always just.  Those who sin against God will be destroyed in the end even if they may seem to have the upper hand for a short while on the earth.  Those who fear God will enjoy great blessings for all of eternity even if they must suffer for a short while on the earth.  We must always look to the Lord as our refuge and our strength for He is our hope and help in times of trouble.  Things may not appear as we want them to, but we must always remember that the Lord is holy and just in His judgments.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Isaiah 54:1-17

Hope is a wonderful blessing from God, without which we would be vulnerable to all kinds of destructive tendencies in our lives.  Today’s society is marked by depression, anger, fear, anxiety and self-righteousness, in large part, because of the sense of hopelessness that prevails in our culture.  Isaiah writes to a people who are about to be taken into captivity because of their sin.  God knows that they will feel rejected, threatened and hopeless so He reveals His future plans for the nation in order to give them hope in the midst of the coming trial.  Hope is the expectation of good based upon the promises of God.  Many times when our lives are marked by the sins mentioned above it is because we have forgotten or failed to focus upon the promises of God’s Word. THE PROMISE OF GOD: From the very first day that God revealed His plan for the nation of Israel, He promised numerous descendants.  God chose Abraham, not because he was more righteous than any of the other people of his
Read more

1 Timothy 2:11-15

Let a woman learn quietly   with all submissiveness.    I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.    For Adam was formed first,   then Eve;   and Adam was not deceived, but   the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.    Yet she will be saved through   childbearing—if they continue in   faith and love and holiness, with self-control. There is certainly controversy and confusion about this passage in many churches today.  The idea of a distinction between men and women and their roles in the family and church certainly goes against the flow of many cultures around the world.  Some would argue that the literal and plain teaching of this passage is no longer applicable to today’s culture.  However, it is always dangerous to discard biblical teaching or try to interpret Scripture based on the cultures in which we live.  Certainly, the Spirit who inspired this text was aware of the many changes that would occur in future cul
Read more

1 Timothy 1:1-2

Paul,   an apostle of Christ Jesus   by command of   God our Savior and of Christ Jesus   our hope, To Timothy,   my true child in the faith:   Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. The true sign of maturity is multiplication.  Believers, churches, and ministries that do not reproduce are not demonstrating true maturity.  One of the key characteristics we can identify in Paul’s ministry is that he was constantly reproducing godly believers who were faithfully following the Lord.  Evangelism, discipleship, and leadership training are the hallmarks of mature ministers and ministries.   THE APOSTLE: Paul was called by God to be an Apostle.  Though Paul converted after the resurrection and assentation of Jesus, he met Jesus in the road to Damascus and was instructed by Jesus in the desert.  Paul considered himself to be the least of the Apostles because he persecuted the church and did not walk with Jesus on earth like the other Apostles.  However, God had
Read more