Psalm 37 - Take a Long Look (For the Christian Who Is Discouraged )
"Sinners are not, as a general rule, punished here. Their sentence is reserved until the Day of Judgment ... This is not the time of judgment. Judgment is yet to come." Charles H. Spurgeon
The righteous are preserved in Christ with a special preservation and in a peculiar safety. This is affirmed in Chapter 37.
Concerns of God's children vs. the wickedness around us -
V1 Don't fret, worry or grieve about the wicked.
1. They will be cut down like grass and wither as a green herb.
2. Righteous men are in distress -
V6 God will make your innocence as clear as dawn. His justice of your cause
will shine like the noonday sun.
3. Great plots are laid against the righteous; they are pursued with malice, their
intended ruin is at every turn. V12-15 are God's answer.
4. The just have small means. The answer is in V16-17.
5. Hard times will come. V19 is the answer.
6. The wicked seem to get away with everything - getting richer and richer. V20
is the answer.
7. The righteousness fall. V24
8. Some wicked get by in life and die in prosperity. V28 Their seed will be cut off.
V35-36
9. The righteous seem to have to carry a heavy cross. The answer is V37.
10. Who stands up for the godly? V39-40
Psalm 91:1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
If we want to overcome, we must not fret. V1
We must
trust in the Lord and do good. V3
delight ourselves in the Lord and not put our contentment in earthly things. V4
commit our ways to God. V5
be patient and humble toward others. V7-11
be careful of our tongue and its use as a weapon. V14
be generous in mercy and in helping others. V25-26
study God's Word and share it correctly. V30-31
be patient and wait on the Lord. V34
In the end, the heir of the wicked is the righteous.
Psalm 23 repeats all of this. The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.....
Psalm 37:1-11 How to wait
When everything is going wrong, you get proactive.
V3 Trust in the Lord. Ask for His help.
Do good things; give help to those around you.
Enjoy what you do have.
V4 Seek His face and He will bring about the desires in your heart -- those that
He, Himself, placed there.
V5 Do something. Commit, obey, trust.
V6 And as clearly as they (people) see the dawn and the sun - so will they see your innocence and the justice of your cause.
But we must – V7 Be still and patient.
Don't worry.
Stop anger.
Turn from rage.
Don't envy.
3 kinds of peace -
no fighting with other people
no fighting against yourself
no fighting between us and God
V9 The wicked will be destroyed and we will live in the land.
V12-22 The end of godless people --
The wicked plot but soon perish. V12-13
They build up, but they will soon fall. V14-15
They will prosper, then wither. V16-17
flourish, then vanish. V18-20
borrow, but lose. V21-22
They will disappear like smoke. V20
V23-34 God's provision for His people --
God delights in him. V23
sustains him. V24
provides for him. V25-26
protects him. V27-28
prospers him. V29
instructs him. V30-31
delivers him. V32-33
exalts him. V34
David, at the end of his life, speaks from his experience.
It will be worth it all.
I have seen it happen!
V35-36 Evil thrives - then it is gone - it can't be found.
But look
They have an inheritance.
V38 The wicked have no future.
no hope.
But the Lord saves the godly. V39-40
He is their fortress.
He will rescue them.
He saves them and they find shelter in Him. Psalm 91:1
In this world of turmoil, there are pressures brought against us that create anxiety, worry, and fear.
We often cry to God, "What do You want me to do?"
In Psalm 37, and all through His Word, He simple says, "Just rest in Me."
Alternate plans -
Sarah and Abraham
Jacob
1 Peter 5:7 Cast your cares on Him for He cares for you!
V37 at the honest and good -
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