Psalm 36

Man's wickedness & God's righteousness

Man's wickedness (vs. 1-4)

Ps. 36:1 An oracle within my heart concerning the transgression of the wicked: There is no fear of God before his eyes.

Ps. 36:2 For he flatters himself in his own eyes, When he finds out his iniquity and when he hates.

Ps. 36:3 The words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit; He has ceased to be wise and to do good.

Ps. 36:4 He devises wickedness on his bed; He sets himself in a way that is not good; He does not abhor evil.

√ Man's wickedness

David had seen a good deal of life and understood what men were like.

He also knew his own heart and understood that all of us are born with a heart that is bent toward sin.

As Jeremiah prophesied…

“The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?"

Jer. 17:9

The point, those who know God and have walked with Him for any length of time understand that people are born with a sin nature - we're all wicked apart from Christ!

But understand, that's not the person whom David has in mind in these verses.

Rather, the person that David has in view here is that sinner who knows that they are sinning…

…and foolishly believes that he/she is getting away with it!

How can they be so wrong about life?

√ The pride of the wicked

Note vs. 1…

Ps. 36:1 An oracle within my heart concerning the transgression of the wicked: There is no fear of God before his eyes.

God revealed to David the root problem with the wicked.

"There is no fear of God before his eyes."

You see the repentant sinner is repentant toward God precisely because he/she fears God!

They understand the majesty and power of God and His hatred of sin.

As the light of His Holy Spirit illuminates that sin within his/her heart they are convicted of their sin and seek to become right before Him.

The fear of God is a good thing!

Proverbs 14:27…

"The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, To turn one away from the snares of death."

Ex. The fear of fire is a good thing!

Contrasted with the wicked person whom David is describing who lives in total rebellion to God believing that either God doesn't care…

…or that God won't do anything about their sin!

I would suggest that the person who does not fear God is a person who is stuck on themselves!

Arrogant to the point of spiritual blindness - not unlike Satan himself!

Note vs. 2 & 4 concerning the wicked…

Ps. 36:2 For he flatters himself in his own eyes, When he finds out his iniquity and when he hates.

Ps. 36:4 He devises wickedness on his bed; He sets himself in a way that is not good; He does not abhor evil.

This kind of person really believes that they are going to get away with their sin - so they lay awake at night thinking up new ways to be wicked.

Ap. Insight into the heart of the wicked

They may get away with sin for a time, yet, sin will catch up with them! God is not mocked, whatever a man sows he shall reap!

God's faithfulness (vs. 5-7)

Ps. 36:5 Your mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.

Ps. 36:6 Your righteousness is like the great mountains; Your judgments are a great deep; O LORD, You preserve man and beast.

Ps. 36:7 How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.

√ God's faithfulness

In verses 5-7 David calls our attention to the faithfulness of God…

…what a contrast to the unfaithfulness of the wicked!

David reminds us that we can count on God always doing what is right and good and that the safest place in the world is…

"under the shadow or His wings"

Ap. God will never let you down!

The reason that is hard to believe is that many, if not all of us have had people in our lives who we have trusted…

To love us

To care for us

To be there for us

…and yet, have failed to what they had promised in our lives.

Ex. A divorce

Leaving the spouse and the children to pick up their lives and make the best of a bad situation.

Ex. Still others have been the victims of very wicked people who took advantage of them (including religious leaders!)

These experiences with sinful people can leave a person jaded, bitter, and afraid to trust even God to care for them.

But, David reminds us that God can be trusted to always do what is right in our lives.

Sometimes we may not understand the process through which He takes us…

…but in the end we can be confident that as we look back at our lives and how God worked that we will recognize that He did the right thing.

Trust is essential to growing in Christ. Don't let the failure of people in your life rob you of the awesome things that God wants to do in your life…

…if you'll just trust Him and let go!

Ex. Rappelling - got to trust the rope to hold you!

The believers blessedness (vs. 8-12)

Ps. 36:8 They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house, And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures.

Ps. 36:9 For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light.

Ps. 36:10 Oh, continue Your lovingkindness to those who know You, And Your righteousness to the upright in heart.

Ps. 36:11 Let not the foot of pride come against me, And let not the hand of the wicked drive me away.

Ps. 36:12 There the workers of iniquity have fallen; They have been cast down and are not able to rise.

√ Blessed in the Lord!

David now turns his attention to those who trust in God and recounts for us the many blessings the believer has in a relationship with God.

Take note, because God has given to us who believe all the things that the wicked try to obtain by their sinful actions!

Abundantly satisfied w/the fullness of God's house

(vs. 8):

Provision for our physical needs - God has promised to provide all that we need for this life.

Jesus said…

Mat. 6:31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’

Mat. 6:32 “For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.

Mat. 6:33 “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Drink from the river of Your pleasures (vs. 8):

"pleasures" is the Hebrew = "Eden"

Reminds us that God designed the Garden of Eden to be a perfect environment for people to live in. It was a place where people could enjoy life to the fullest…

…as God meant it to be lived - filled with Godly pleasure!

In Christ we have access once again to real life. Not just the shadow that people live in apart from Jesus, but real life.

I believe that a person separate from Christ doesn't even have the capacity to enjoy life the way God meant it to be lived.

It's not till a person is born again that they truly begin to live!

John 10:10 “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

Truly, when we make God our dwelling place we live in "Paradise"!

Access to the fountain of life (vs. 9):

David reminds us that the source of life, the fountain of life is found in God.

Jesus offers that same fountain to whoever will come to Him.

John 4:13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again,

John 4:14 “but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”

Once again we see that Jesus claimed to be the source of that life - the true life which is only experienced when the Spirit of God takes up residence in our heart.

The believer experiences an endless supply of true life, both now and in eternity.

Eyes opened to see His light (vs. 9):

Enlightenment. David recognized that the wicked walk in darkness, while the believer walks in light.

You'll meet many people in life who think that they know where they are going. Yet, because they're walking in darkness they don't realize that they're walking toward their own destruction.

"whistling in the dark"

The believer walks in the light of God's glory and so understands that there is a path that leads to life, and others which lead to death.

By following the Lord we are able to see where we're going!

John 8:12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

Experience His loving kindness:

David reminds us that all of us have a need to be loved. God created us with the need for companionship - that we might ultimately seek a relationship with Him.

While the wicked seek to fill the need for love with all sorts of substitutes…

…they are never satisfied with anyone or anything.

The believer however is blessed in that they find their need for love fulfilled in Christ.

Look at Paul's prayer for the believers in Ephesus.

Eph. 3:17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,

Eph. 3:18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height--

Eph. 3:19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Close

√ A relationship with God

We were all created to have a relationship with God.

The wicked wrongly believe that they can find satisfaction in life through rebellion against God's commands.

Yet, they never actually experience lasting fulfillment.

The Christian can experience all the blessing of God through a relationship with His Son Jesus Christ.

Yet, so many of us miss the fullness of His blessings because we are afraid to trust Him.

Put your whole weight into His arms - He can carry you!