Scripture:
Psalms 37:1-40 NKJV
[1] Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity. [2] For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, And wither as the green herb. [3] Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. [4] Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. [5] Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. [6] He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday. [7] Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. [8] Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret—it only causes harm. [9] For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the Lord, They shall inherit the earth. [10] For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more; Indeed, you will look carefully for his place, But it shall be no more. [11] But the meek shall inherit the earth, And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. [12] The wicked plots against the just, And gnashes at him with his teeth. [13] The Lord laughs at him, For He sees that his day is coming. [14] The wicked have drawn the sword And have bent their bow, To cast down the poor and needy, To slay those who are of upright conduct. [15] Their sword shall enter their own heart, And their bows shall be broken. [16] A little that a righteous man has Is better than the riches 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 upright, And their inheritance shall be forever. [19] They shall not be ashamed in the evil time, And in the days of famine they shall be satisfied. [20] But the wicked shall perish; And the enemies of the Lord, Like the splendor of the meadows, shall vanish. Into smoke they shall vanish away. [21] The wicked borrows and does not repay, But the righteous shows mercy and gives. [22] For those blessed by Him shall inherit the earth, But those cursed by Him shall be cut off. [23] The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, And He delights in his way. [24] Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the Lord upholds him with His hand. [25] I have been young, and now am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his descendants begging bread. [26] He is ever merciful, and lends; And his descendants are blessed. [27] Depart from evil, and do good; And dwell forevermore. [28] For the Lord loves justice, And does not forsake His saints; They are preserved forever, But the descendants of the wicked shall be cut off. [29] The righteous shall inherit the land, And dwell in it forever. [30] The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom, And his tongue talks of justice. [31] The law of his God is in his heart; None of his steps shall slide. [32] The wicked watches the righteous, And seeks to slay him. [33] The Lord will not leave him in his hand, Nor condemn him when he is judged. [34] Wait on the Lord, And keep His way, And He shall exalt you to inherit the land; When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it. [35] I have seen the wicked in great power, And spreading himself like a native green tree. [36] Yet he passed away, and behold, he was no more; Indeed I sought him, but he could not be found. [37] Mark the blameless man, and observe the upright; For the future of that man is peace. [38] But the transgressors shall be destroyed together; The future of the wicked shall be cut off. [39] But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; He is their strength in the time of trouble. [40] And the Lord shall help them and deliver them; He shall deliver them from the wicked, And save them, Because they trust in Him.
Observation:
Over the last few weeks I have had a verse on my heart. It’s one that gives me reassurance and allows me to rest in the fact that GOD is ultimately in control and knows my every need. As I was reading last night that verse was carefully placed on the pages of the Bible that I found myself reading. What caught my attention however, were all the verses that surrounded it. Reading through Psalms 37 was rather refreshing, but as I dove in to see what was going on my spiritual eyes were opened a little wider. I started to wonder what King David was thinking as he wrote this. Psalm, the meaning of the word Psalms may help open that up a little more. The word refers to a sacred song or poem used to worship and praise the LORD. The fact the the largest book in the Bible consists of songs and poems used to worship the LORD should open our eyes to what it is we should be spending our time doing. King David had it figured out. As he begins to open his heart here in Psalms 37. He starts with some very important words… “Don’t fret” in other words don’t be anxious, or worry, don’t let yourself be troubled, “because of evildoers, nor be envious of the workers of iniquity. What King David had seen all his life is people who did not do the right thing seemingly doing well. After being hunted by Saul for so long, not to mention acting like he was insane to convince a king that he was no threat. He had seen a lot of social injustice. Evil people prospering as he had to not only run for his life and hide in caves just to do the right thing. Although I would love to go through this Psalm verse by verse I’m not going to have the time to do so. I set aside the first 2 hours of my day to write these SOAPS and enjoy doing so. What you read is not A.I. it’s my heart as the Holy Spirit brings out what is in the pages of the Bible. OK back to the point. As king David was praising the LORD in this Psalm, he knew that he had something that the evildoers didn’t. At some point the evildoers would be snuffed out, but he would not. His trust for GOD and his willingness to to the right thing even when it didn’t benefit HIM was bigger than what they would gain by their willingness to do whatever brought them what they wanted in the moment. Verses 3 through 7 are very encouraging. They seem to just light a fire in my heart. A fire that just puts forth trust knowing that HE sees all and is in all. It also brings Galatians chapter 6 and verse 9 to my mind. Delighting himself in the LORD was David’s way of saying he knew that GOD would provide what he needed. He didn’t need to compromise his integrity in order to get it. He only needed to trust and believe, and GOD would show who he was in due time being patient and waiting on HIM was the key. I’m sure this was easier said than done as he saw all that the evildoers were gaining. But everything they got was only temporary and he knew it. That didn’t keep him from seeing it and wondering why they always got what they set out to get. As we read through this Psalm we see David going back and forth several times giving a contrasting view. What he is saying is everything they chase everything, they obtain, all that they covet, it’s all going away, nothing they do well last. As they use their power and manipulation to get what they want right now. It’s all grass and flowers. Meant to pass and burn but, “The meek shall inherit the earth.” The word meek, although it rhymes with weak, has nothing to do with being weak. It’s actually the opposite. The word means: power under control. Those who control themselves will inherit the earth. David’s approach was not to get all worked up. He had trust in the one who created him. The one who came to him in a field as a little boy and poured oil over his head telling him he would be king. It wasn’t something he had sought out, it was brought to him. As he approached the giant he knew what he had been promised and he stood on that. This Psalm is a reflection of his trust in spite of all the injustice he had seen. Sitting there after a lifetime of walking with the LORD he knew that he had never lacked anything. As we start to bring this observation to a close I wanted to bring the verse that has been floating around my brain for a while now to the surface but its hard this Psalm is so good I can’t just bring it to focus on one verse. I’m looking at verses 23 through 31 and just being overwhelmed with GOD’S arms as they wrap around me. David’s steps were not only ordered by GOD but they were not perfect. He had seen a lot but always had what he needed. Verse 25 is the one I have been meditating on, “I have been young,and now I’m old yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread.” GOD took care of David. As I close this portion I want to point out the last verses as well, “ And the LORD shall help them and deliver them; HE shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, Because they trust in HIM.”
Application:
Over the last 16 years I have had a lot of opportunities to grow in my faith. Trusting GOD to do what HE said is not always easy, It comes with having to rest in what HE said and chewing on it bringing it back to your mind. Not only thinking about it but saying it out loud reminding HIM of what HE has said. You see, the enemy’s tactics are convincing. As everyone around you seems to be getting everything they want because they are willing to compromise, what they are getting is only temporary. It won’t last. The only thing that will make it through the fire is what you have done for the kingdom. Over the years I have had the opportunity to listen to lots of men tell entire churches of thousands that life here matters. Building a bank account and storing up treasure here is how you can tell that GOD is blessing you. But that’s just not it. Living for this world is too small of a thing to live for. This is what I know. I have been walking this path for a long time, and GOD has never left me. I have always had what I needed. Never have I gone without. Now when I say that I have to bring to light that in my walk with GOD I have been homeless, some would say that I didn’t have what I needed …. Well then you would have to say the same about Jesus. HE was homeless, did HE have what HE needed? Yes, all HE needed was GOD, the “I AM” HE trusted the LORD for every word spoken, turning 2 fish into enough to feed thousands, by giving thanks for what HE had asked the increase was brought at just the right time, and no one was left begging bread, GOD will bring us what we need. Being homeless allowed me to see just exactly how GOD takes care of HIS people, soup kitchens, and homeless shelters, kept me from going without, and honestly brought me to a better understanding of HIM, and how HE works, providing my needs through the kindness and love of others, GOD will not forget about what you need. HE will supply all your needs according to HIS riches and glory. As I sit here I know that compromise is not an option…. Trusting in HIM is all I got. The truth is its all you got as well… you can get whatever you want but will it last if you get it through deceit and dishonesty. Our life here will fade, everything you have will rust and fade as well.all that will last is what you did for the kingdom. I will be a kingdom minded man and watch HIM take care of not only me but the generations to come. GOD’S got me…. HE’S got you to just trust in HIM.
Prayer:
Father, you are so good. You see us. Nothing gets missed by you. Every need we have is met. All we need to do is seek you. You know our needs. The way you provide for the sparrows is evidence that you think of us far more. They are not concerned about tomorrow because they know that you have them. You have us as well and your provisions are unreal. All I want is more of you. I am humbled by the way you have taken care of me over the years. The way you have taught me . The love you have for those who have come to you weary and with heavy burdens. You see them. You see their needs. You saw mine, and fed me in those moments. How wonderful are your ways? We may not see them at the moment, but as we look back we can see your hand gently guiding our steps… All I can say is that you are truly amazing. Thank you…. Now it’s our turn to be your hands and feet… the very parts of you that our sin pierced. Its in the mighty name of Jesus we pray amen.