Psalm 37 - part 3

Wisdom for life

Intro

√ The dilemma of the wicked

We come now to the end of our study in psalm 37 in which David once again looks at the...

…dilemma of the wicked.

Dilemma defined:

1. A situation that requires a choice between options that are or seem equally unfavorable or mutually exclusive.

2. A problem that seems to defy a satisfactory solution.

In this case…

…why does it seem like the bad guys always come out on top and the good guys get trampled?!

The dilemma; if God is good and is watching over His children…

…how come it seems like the bad guys always win!?

Great question and one that we find addressed over and over again in the Bible.

Ex. Job, psalm 49 & psalm 73

David's answer echo's the theme we find throughout the scripture and that is that we should focus on the end of the game of life…

…not on the daily battles.

Ex. "It's not over till its over!"

So, this week we finish our study of psalm 37 by looking at the blessings that God has in store for the righteous - His children!

The righteous will be blessed (vs. 23-31)

Ps. 37:23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, And He delights in his way.

Ps. 37:24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the LORD upholds him with His hand.

Ps. 37:25 I have been young, and now am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his descendants begging bread.

Ps. 37:26 He is ever merciful, and lends; And his descendants are blessed.

Ps. 37:27 Depart from evil, and do good; And dwell forevermore.

Ps. 37:28 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.

Ps. 37:29 The righteous shall inherit the land, And dwell in it forever.

Ps. 37:30 The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom, And his tongue talks of justice.

Ps. 37:31 The law of his God is in his heart; None of his steps shall slide.

√ God's promise to the righteous

In contrast to the retribution which the wicked will receive for their evil lives…

…God's Word promises that the righteous will receive blessings from the Lord!

Note His promises to you!

The Lord establishes and protects you

The Lord provides for our daily needs

The Lord gives us an eternal inheritance

The Lord blesses us with wisdom

The Lord keeps us from falling

So, the righteous can look with confidence to the future knowing that God will make daily provision for his…

Body - food and shelter

Soul - hope and encouragement

Spirit - nourishment to sustain and grow our faith

Thus, David declares with boldness…

"I have not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his descendants begging bread."

In all David's long life, through his many difficult trials, he had found through personal experience that God was always faithful to come through in his life.

Ap. The same is true in our lives

That's not a promise that we will never experience difficult times! Rather, it is a promise that God will always bring us safely through those times.

Whether it be…

A physical trial

A emotional trial

A spiritual trial

…you can have confidence that God will bring it around for good in your life.

Ex. The disciples

Out of food - Jesus multiplied the little they had so that they had an abundance.

Overwhelmed with emotion - Jesus turned their sorrow and doubt concerning His death and burial around to produce unquenchable joy in their lives.

Spiritual weakness - Jesus took their spiritual failures (Peter denying the Lord, the disciples unable to cast out a demon) and infused them with the Holy Spirit so that they would recognize that it is Christ who works in them.

So it is in our lives! God will take all that the wicked throw our way and turn it for good in our lives.

But, it takes time to see the results in our lives.

Our duty is to trust God's Word to be true and wait for Him to bring His promises to pass.

√ Fruit takes time to grow

We're all ADD when it comes to the work of God in our lives!

On the one hand we want to see God's judgement against the wicked - NOW!

And, we want to see and experience God's rewards to the righteous (us!) - NOW!

But, we must remember that spiritual fruit takes time to grow. The harvest whether unto…

Bad fruit and judgement

Good fruit and reward

…is still future. Only God can tell when spiritual fruit is ripe.

Our duty is to remain faithful and to continue to plant good seed and wait patiently for the Lord to bring the harvest.

Note Paul's instructions…

Gal. 6:7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.

Gal. 6:8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.

Gal. 6:9 And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

And…

Ps. 126:5 Those who sow in tears Shall reap in joy.

Ps. 126:6 He who continually goes forth weeping, Bearing seed for sowing, Shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, Bringing his sheaves with him.

The point of both scriptures is that spiritual fruit takes time to come to harvest. While we're all in a hurry to see the harvest we must let God work out His perfect plan.

What David had learned from his long life is that good fruit in our lives does not grow over night.

It takes time for the good seed planted in our heart to bring forth the good fruit that God has in mind.

And, that sometimes the attacks of the wicked serve as the best "soil conditioners" to produce good soil in our hearts.

Ex. Wine

In the Bible wine is often used as a type, or picture of joy. Yet, to produce wine takes a great deal of time from the moment a seed is planted, until the vine grows, the grapes are harvested, crushed, fermented, and changed to wine.

Ap. Relax!

One of our biggest problems as individual Christians and as a collective body of believers is that we grow impatient waiting on the Lord.

We run ahead of Him when He tells us to wait

We don't wait when He tells us to rest

Then we find ourselves frustrated because our expectations aren't met.

David reminds us that we must wait on God's word and His promises to us regarding His plans for the wicked and the righteous.

The harvest is coming and the fruit will be joy!

The battle between good and evil (vs. 32-40)

Ps. 37:32 The wicked watches the righteous, And seeks to slay him.

Ps. 37:33 The LORD will not leave him in his hand, Nor condemn him when he is judged.

Ps. 37:34 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.

Ps. 37:35 I have seen the wicked in great power, And spreading himself like a native green tree.

Ps. 37:36 Yet he passed away, and behold, he was no more; Indeed I sought him, but he could not be found.

Ps. 37:37 Mark the blameless man, and observe the upright; For the future of that man is peace.

Ps. 37:38 But the transgressors shall be destroyed together; The future of the wicked shall be cut off.

Ps. 37:39 But the salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; He is their strength in the time of trouble.

Ps. 37:40 And the LORD shall help them and deliver them; He shall deliver them from the wicked, And save them, Because they trust in Him.

√ The battle against the righteous

David brings the psalm to a conclusion by describing the battle between the wicked and the righteous that goes on in this life.

The wicked plot against the righteous - the Lord frustrates his plans.

The wicked advances like a weed, the Lord applies spiritual "Round Up".

The wicked have no future, the righteous has a secure future.

The reason is the righteous win - they have the Lord!

Ex. Its not over till its over!

Doesn’t matter how many points the bad guys score, they're going to lose in the final inning and go home without the prize!

√ Trust in the Lord

Note the last phrase…

"Because they trust in Him"

…at the end of the day the righteous find the solution to the dilemma of the wicked by trusting God's Word over what we see with our eyes.

"For we walk by faith, not by sight." - 2 Cor. 5:7

The righteous recognize that God is able to see much better than we are and is able to accurately tell us what the end will bring.

So, David says…

"Trust in the Lord"

Ex. Trusting the Lord is like flying by instruments

Flying by instruments at night, or in a dense fog, requires absolute trust in one's navigational instruments. The reason, the instruments are better equipped to tell you the truth about what direction you're flying than your feelings are.

The electronic instruments can't be fooled by "feelings", they don't suffer from vertigo.

God is teaching each of us to "fly" by the navigational instrument of His Word.

His Word is better equipped to tell us the truth about the direction of life than our eyes or our feelings are.

Trust God because He will bring His word to pass!

Close

√ The end of the game of life

In the final analysis all that we experience in life is meant to grow our faith in God.

Even the wicked who work so hard against us are useful to the Lord.

For it is often through the attacks of the wicked that God is best able to grow the fruit of faith in our lives.

So remember…

It takes time to grow good spiritual fruit.

You have God's Word that He will bring a harvest in your life.