Plant A Tree For God’s Tomorrow (Psalm 37:32-40)

Eric Carle, the author of the classic kid’s book The Very Hungry Caterpillar has a less well-known book called The Tiny Seed. In it, a bunch of seeds are blowing on the wind and the tiny seed seems like it’s in danger of missing out on success. Other seeds blow faster and higher. Some land on mountains. Some fly high up toward the sun. Some plant and start to grow more quickly. Though the tiny seed does avoid some of the dangers that other seeds fall into, it seems like it may not sprout and grow at all. Finally, it takes root and grows into the tallest, most beautiful flower anyone has ever seen. People come from far and near to take a look at this magnificent flower and enjoy its beauty.

Some of the images and themes in The Tiny Seed are not unlike what we find in Psalm 37. A song about the true and lasting success of a Godly life. A song about pursuing ultimate things, rather than fleeting ones. A song where we see a contrast between people who seem great from one perspective, but in reality are headed toward destruction.

In this wisdom Psalm, David has been speaking to us about living out day-to-day goodness, the faithfulness of God, and the glorious inheritance that’s waiting for us in the life to come.

As the song comes to a close, David encourages us that, though we face attack and trouble, the best is yet to come. All will be made right again. And along the way we can find strength and shelter in the Lord, who rescues His people as He continues to lift us and grow us into beautiful examples of His grace for the world to see, like the stars in the heavens shining His glory.

We begin at verse 32.

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

In previous verses we talked about how those who are not believers are held captive by the Devil to do his will. There is a real struggle between good and evil. Satan has no plan to go quietly into the night.

Even if you’re not being actively attacked tonight, we do learn something here, and that’s that the unbelieving world is observing your life. You and I are being watched. And there are two important considerations a Christian should keep in mind in light of this knowledge.

The first is evangelistic. My life is being watched, so that is an opportunity to demonstrate to the world that God is real and He is alive and He actually works in the lives of His people. When people look at me, they should see the wonder of God and the mysteries of God. When people observe a Christian’s life, the goal is that they see God’s love and holiness and peace and joy, not simply someone who is somewhat more moral than the next guy. The goal of our Christian testimony isn’t that people know all the things we’re against and what we’re really upset about. It’s that people look at us and come to the conclusion that God actually exists and that He has the transformative power He claims to have. Jesus said the goal of our witness is that people take a look at our lives and glorify the Father in heaven because of what they see. So, consider the evangelistic aspect of the fact that your life is being watched.

But second, the fact that our lives are being watched means there should be an evaluation in our own hearts. Is that maturing righteousness that the Bible talks about really at work in my life? The Bible talks about God’s people being full of love and selflessness, full of generosity and forgiveness. That they’re full of peace and have answers for the hardest questions of life. Is that true of me? Knowing that the world is watching and that, in Jesus’ mind, we are meant to shine like a light in pitch dark, how’s the lamp of my life doing?

Psalm 37:33 – 33The Lord will not leave him in his hand, Nor condemn him when he is judged.

When it says the Lord will not do these things it means “never ever.” He’s a God ready to save, mighty to save. And we’re reminded here that He is the ultimate Judge over all things. God’s people may be brought into lower, earthly courts, but no matter what we can always appeal to the court of heaven and know we will be delivered. In the end, no matter what we may suffer, we won’t be left in the hands of our enemies, we won’t be left in the grave, we won’t be left in the sway of sin. God will fully, finally rescue us out of them all.

Psalm 37:34 – 34Wait 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.

Waiting on the Lord means to hope with real expectation. There’s a difference in how we wait for things. If you’re a James Bond fan, you’re maybe ‘waiting’ to see who will be announced as the next actor to play the character. But it has absolutely no bearing on your life. But, if you’re a guest at a surprise party and you’re gathered up before the person you’re celebrating arrives, you wait with expectation. Because you’re going to act a certain way. You know they’re coming. You listen and you watch and you keep quiet and get ready to shout “surprise!”

To wait on the Lord is not a passive thing. It’s an active hope. It’s a lifestyle and pattern of behavior. The term can mean that we twist or bind together with the Lord. As we wait for His coming, we’re to “keep His way.” That means to carefully observe our walk with Him. We’re to pay attention to our progress and our preparations for His soon return.

There’s an interesting contrast here: The wicked are shown lying in wait to assault the righteous, while the righteous wait for God to arrive and move and intervene. Likewise, the wicked are shown observing the Godly, wanting to accuse and trap them. The Godly are told to observe their walk and make adjustments so that they are bright and shining and upright as they go.

As we walk, keeping God’s way, we’re told that the Lord is busy in His work of “exalting” us as we move toward our inheritance. God is a master builder and gardener. He’s growing each of us and building us up, lifting us higher and getting us ready for that glorious presentation in heaven, where God will bring us with great joy into His glorious presence without a single fault. We wait for Him as He perpetually works toward that goal.

This isn’t like Waiting For Godot, where Godot is never going to show up. Our Lord is busy getting us ready, we want to be about that business as well.

Psalm 37:35-36 – 35 I have seen the wicked in great power, And spreading himself like a native green tree. 36Yet he passed away, and behold, he was no more; Indeed I sought him, but he could not be found.

The outward success of the wicked used to bother David. A number of his Psalms chronicle his talks with God about it. Now, in his old age, looking back and distilling the wisdom of a life lived following after the Lord, he’s gotten over it. And he doesn’t want it to bother us either. In verses 1 and 7 of this song he says outright, “Don’t worry about it.” As important or imposing as some wicked people may seem, from dust they came and to dust they will return.

When we first moved into the building here, there were two sizable trees out on the grass there where the kids play soccer. They got some kind of disease, as I recall, so they had to be removed. Had you run with a soccer ball toward them back in 2003 they would’ve made an impression, but now? There’s not so much as a bump left where they once stood. They’re totally gone.

I’m guessing most of us have never heard of the richest man in history. It’s not Bill Gates or Jeff Bezos, in fact, the wealth of this guy makes them seem puny. His name was Mansa Mula, ruler of the empire of Mali back in 1312. They say his fortune was “too vast to be imagined.” One professor of history said this about King Mansa: “Imagine as much gold as you think a human being could possess and double it, that’s what all the accounts [of Mansa Mula] are trying to communicate.”

But what about today? This most rich man, the powerful king over an empire is gone and forgotten. He’s got one more appointment left on this earth and that’s before the King of kings at the Great White Throne judgment. There he will stand, not in pomp or power, but in guilt and ruin.

David says here that the ungodly are like a native green tree, or a tree planted in its own soil. That’s an interesting image. When a person sends their roots down into their own soil, into this world, this temporal life, it comes with an expiration date. As we saw in a previous study, the clock is running down to that moment. But the Godly don’t anchor themselves to this world. Paul said in Colossians 2 that we’re to be “rooted and built up in Christ” so that our lives might be anchored onto that which is eternal. There’s no expiration date on His everlasting life, no closing date for heaven. What He gives is forever and ever.

While no place will be found the wicked, there will be found for those who believe. Jesus Christ ascended into heaven so that He might prepare a place for you and for me.

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

Rather than focus on what’s going on with the wicked in the world or comparing ourselves to them, David says, “Take a look at other righteous people.” We’re encouraged to watch them and observe their lives. To be ‘blameless’ simply means to be free of guilt. ‘Upright’ means a person who lives according the the standard set out by God. And so, David encourages us to look at the lives of Godly people. Study them. We’ve been furnished with many incredible specimens to examine, whether it was Paul or the other believers in the book of Acts or great men and women of God throughout the centuries. Mark them. Measure them. Observe them. Study their lives. We would all do well to regularly read the biographies of faithful Christians. Because to follow in their footsteps is to go God’s way. And when we go God’s way our future is “shalom.” That word we translate as “peace” is a rich word. It doesn’t just mean you won’t be under attack, it means wholeness and completeness, to be in a state of favorable circumstances, it means to be the recipient of the friendship and affection and blessings of God. It means to be in a prosperous relationship with the Prince of Peace. That’s what’s waiting when we go God’s way.

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

Those who reject Jesus Christ will die with this world. We live for the next world, a city who’s Builder and Maker is God.

Psalm 37:39 – 39But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; He is their strength in the time of trouble.

After all this talk about walking faithfully and doing good and going God’s way David makes it clear that the Godly can not do this work on their own. The idea isn’t that those who achieve a certain level of righteousness are recognized by God as worthy of a heavenly inheritance. It’s not even that God comes down, gives us some tools to do what He wants and then leaves us to go and save ourselves or improve ourselves or ‘righteous’ ourselves. SELF-righteousness is never what God wants. Rather, salvation, in all it’s parts is from the Lord. Moses and Isaiah both said the Lord “has become [our] salvation.” And, along the way He is our strength for living. “The Lord is my strength and my song.”

As God works out this salvation in our lives He’s also supplying and empowering us to live according to His commands. And so, especially during times of trouble, we’re to turn to Him and take shelter in Him like sheep to their shepherd. Sheep don’t know where to go. They don’t know what to do. They need to be led. They’re vulnerable and unable to protect themselves. That’s why they need a shepherd, who will lead them and help them and protect them so that they can grow and be fed and find rest. The Lord is our strong, saving Shepherd, especially (David says) in times of trouble.

According to one resource, the word ‘trouble’ here means, “An oppressive state of physical, mental, social or economic adversity.” I’d say that just about covers all the kinds of trouble we can find ourselves in. Other scholars define it as the narrow, squeezing parts of life. Or the fear associated with the onslaught of an attacking army. No matter what size or shape the storm clouds of trouble might be taking in your life, whether it’s a firestorm, a snow storm, a wind storm or a dust storm, the Lord is an ever-present help and is more than adequate refuge for His people. He is the Deliverer who brings His strength and His salvation to us when we go to Him.

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

By the end of the Psalm, David assures us that God is our future hope, our present hope, our only hope. In Him we find shelter and from Him we’ve been given a road to walk, His way, that leads to an everlasting inheritance in glory. As we walk with Him and keep His way He does the work of securing our steps, enriching our lives, delighting in us as we delight in Him, as He forms us and fashions us to shine like a star in the sky, that the world around us might behold His wonderful work and choose to also commit their way to Him.

Before we close, just one more thought from this Psalm. In the last 4 weeks I’ve pointed out how 5 times this Psalm promises that those who believe will receive an eternal inheritance from God when this life is over.

But the wicked are once again contrasted with the righteous in this regard. 5 times we’re told that those who do not accept Jesus as Lord and Savior face judgement and destruction. There’s no other option, no third category. You’re either saved and born again or you’re not. If you’re not a Christian, you’re headed for judgment. You’re going to perish and be cast into the Lake of Fire for all eternity. But it doesn’t have to be that way. God doesn’t want it to be that way. He made a way that you can be forgiven of your sins. Romans says, “The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Jesus says in Revelation 3 that He’s standing at the door of your heart, knocking, waiting for you to let Him in. Romans 10:9 says, “if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Do it tonight, before it’s too late and become one of the righteous David describes in this Psalm.

Step It Up And Dance (Psalm 37:21-31)

Everything around us is in the full bloom of spring. Many of us know that right away when we wake up every morning with asthma and itchy eyes. But it is lovely to see the many blossoms on trees around town. For a farmer, the bloom of spring is more than just pretty flowers to look at. As farmers watch the blossoms and the weather, they try to predict crop yield so they can plan for orders, equipment, and the like. More and more, researchers are turning to A.I. machine learning to try to predict the outcome of a given harvest.

In Psalm 37, we’ve been learning God’s wisdom from David about the lush life of the Godly person. David predicts the outcome of a life lived in trusting relationship with God. That person is going to be formed into a bright shining star in God’s hands. Their righteousness, we’re told, will be brought forth as the light, like the sun in the noon sky. David says the righteous life is a life full of promises and provisions and protection and, we see tonight, the production of spiritual fruit in all sorts of areas of our lives. Just as a fruit tree doesn’t grow it’s crop on one, solitary limb, so too all parts of our lives are going to be developed by God as we walk with Him, bearing the fruit of righteousness.

As has been the case in the first 2 sections, as David describes the Godly life, he contrasts it with the wasted life of the unbeliever. Showing the profound difference between the two.

We begin at verse 21 tonight, where we see the spiritual fruit of generosity.

Psalm 37:21 – 21The wicked borrows and does not repay, But the righteous shows mercy and gives.

When you examine the fruit hanging from the life of the ungodly, it is selfish in character. It’s like a stone fruit, with that hard core. David describes them here as being ready and willing to take advantage of the help offered to them by others, without paying back what is owed. Generally speaking, they are categorized here as takers. Of course that doesn’t mean there aren’t non-christians who are charitable or generous or that every unbeliever defaults on their loans. But, in a general sense, the core of the unsaved person is one of hard selfishness. A putting of self before others.

By contrast, we’re told here that those who belong to God are to be givers by nature. The new nature that we’re commanded to put on, created to be like God, righteous and holy. Our God is a Giver and He is rich in mercy. We’ve been grafted into Him through Jesus Christ and now He’s made us new and is continually forming us into the image of His Son. His Son is meek, and so (as we saw last time) we are called to meekness. God is merciful, so we are to behave mercifully. God is generous beyond compare, so we are called to generosity. And it’s a selfless generosity. Luke 6:35 says “lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great.” So we’re to give and to lend, expecting nothing back, not just to friends and family, but Jesus said there in Luke 6 we’re to act that way toward our enemies. “Be merciful just as your Father is merciful.”

Psalm 37:22 – 22For those blessed by Him shall inherit the earth, But those cursed by Him shall be cut off.
Again and again David comes back to this promise that God’s people will inherit the earth. 5 times he reminds us. This should have a great impact on our mindset, especially in regard to how we live life and how we bless others. When we’re generous, we’re not losing anything. In fact, acts of mercy and generosity are investments in heavenly treasure. David gives us a long view of life. And a long view keeps you from being short sighted. So, cultivate the fruit of generosity in your heart.

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

What a wonderful verse! We would do well to return often to verses 23 and 24 and receive God’s comfort and affection there.

We’re told that the steps of a righteous man are ordered by the Lord. What does this mean? Does this mean that you have no free will? That all the events of your life are already set in stone? No. The Bible does not teach what is sometimes referred to as “meticulous determinism.” You do have a free will. That’s what the Bible teaches. And it talks to us about what happens when we “turn” from God’s way. It commands us to “walk” in the Lord’s path. It uses the same image that David is using here of a man and his steps. So what does it mean that the steps are ‘ordered’?

Well, the term can mean “firmly established,” or “directed,” or “provided for.” It’s not unlike when you’ve seen in a movie someone learning a dance. Or perhaps you’ve gone to a class yourself. And there, on the floor, are an order of footsteps for you to learn and then follow.

God has prepared a path for each of us to walk in. Proverbs says as we seek His will, He will show us the path to take. Isaiah says He’s made it smooth. When we walk in step with what God has prepared, when we’re living in harmony with the Lord, David says God is delighted! Take that to heart: God delights in you when you trust Him and obey Him and go His way.

He delights in your big steps and your small steps. Sometimes we talk about living life “one step at a time,” meaning we’re just barely hanging in there in our daily lives. Other times, something big will happen and we’ll say something like, “That’s a big step in your career.” Big or small, God delights in you when you’re stepping with Him.

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

Each and every one of us is imperfect. We fall short of the Holy Spirit’s potential in us. But the Lord doesn’t have any buyer’s remorse as He watches our lives. Consider, for a moment, the person who penned this verse: David. The man who slept with his friend’s wife and then had him killed. The man whose pride led to a plague that resulted in the death of 70,000 Israelites. This same man is the one who can say, with the authority of the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, despite our failures, God is not going to hurl us down like trash. In fact, He uses His strength to keep us secure in His arms of love.

Does that mean God doesn’t care when we fall short or when we choose disobedience? Of course not. We don’t sin that grace may abound. We don’t fail that His strength may abound. The whole point of this Psalm is to talk about how a righteous person walks with God, in obedience, though imperfectly. As we go with Him, He loves to delight in us and is faithful to uphold in those missteps. If we go back to the dance analogy, God is our dance partner, enjoying that communion and the swirling of life’s steps. When we stumble, He is there to hold us up and keep us from sliding.

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

This was the testimony of David’s life. He had certainly experienced multiple instances of provision when he and his men were hungry. There was the showbread incident when he was on the run from Saul. Ziba brought him food when he was escaping from Absalom. As we talked about last time, this is not an absolute guarantee for all believers everywhere. What is absolute is God’s faithfulness. He is not gone. He is always Emmanuel, God with us. And we can go to Him with any need, knowing He is mighty to save.

Along with the fruit of generosity, we want to be harvesting crops of praise. Specifically, like David does here, we want to be regularly and publicly honoring God for His faithfulness. Let’s talk to one another about what God has done for us. What we have seen Him do.

Psalm 37:26 – 26He [the righteous] is ever merciful, and lends; And his descendants are blessed.

It struck me that here we see the righteous person actually doing what they should be doing. Remember, David is speaking in these 2 verses about what he’s personally experienced in life. Maybe verse 21 came off as theoretical, but verse 26 is actual. They actually lend. They’re actually generous. They really are merciful when they deal with others.

It made me think of all those politicians who say that they’re fiscally conservative when they’re trying to collect votes, but once they’re in power that’s all out the window. We’re up to $22 trillion debt right now. Which means, by the way, if they were to spread the load around, every single American would owe $67,000 (and counting)!

But the fruit of righteousness isn’t just hypothetical, it’s real. It’s growing in our lives. It impacts how we relate to people. Not just with those who need help, those we’re “lending” to in this song, but we see there in the home as well. “His descendants are blessed.” As we walk down the steps God has fashioned for us, we become a blessing to others, not a burden to them. In the home, in our community, toward our enemies. That’s the power of God’s work in our lives. That’s the power of spiritual fruit.

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

David consistently presents all of this as an either/or arrangement. It’s a binary decision. Two categories: righteousness or wickedness, evil or good, following God or not following God. Going God’s way isn’t something we do from time to time. Godliness isn’t an accessory in the Bible. It’s a different way of life. It’s an altogether different direction which takes you to a different destination. To be a child of God means to turn to Him and away from sin and away from idols. To turn off the old path and onto the new one God has carved out.

As he said back in verse 3, David says again, “Do good.” The fruit of goodness should be ripening on the bows of our lives. In the context tonight, one of the many ways we do good is through generosity. The Bible encourages this fruit in our lives. Jesus said it is better to give than to receive. We heard Luke 6:35 earlier. Proverbs 11:25 says “The generous soul will be made rich.”

As we’ve noted before, temporal land promises made to the Jews in the Old Testament are not applied to us. Rather, here’s how we can think of verse 27 in a New Testament context.

1 Timothy 6:18-19 – 18 Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, 19 storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.

Psalm 37:28 – 28For the Lord loves justice, And does not forsake His saints; They are preserved forever, But the descendants of the wicked shall be cut off.

You and I are safe in the hands of God. We are protected and preserved. But that does not remove the responsibility of obedience from us. God has decided what is right and what is not, what is good and what is not. He loves justice. And we are commanded to go His way. It’s one thing to stumble and fall short of God’s highest for us. It’s another to walk in disobedience. If you’re a Christian, that’s not really possible.

Ephesians chapter 2 says that Christians once walked in sin and disobedience, according to the course of this world, but now we have been made alive and set on a new path. A new set of steps in which we love what God loves, think like He things, speak like He speaks, and continually grow in grace.

Psalm 27:29 – 29The righteous shall inherit the land, And dwell in it forever.

Again the promise and the reminder of what’s coming. In this Psalm it is a constant calibration for us to keep life in perspective. In Proverbs 2, Solomon describes the Godly as being people of integrity and that they will inherit the land. And so we’re seeing lots of spiritual fruit. Of mercy, of generosity, of obedience, of integrity and now, in verse 30, the fruit of wisdom in the life of the righteous.

Psalm 27:30 – 30The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom, And his tongue talks of justice.

Our words, like our thoughts and our actions, are to be conformed into the righteous image of Christ, like a crate of nourinshing, ripe fruit, not rotten. The child of God here is described as speaking about the truth of God, the character of God, the goodness of God.

Perhaps at this point a reader thinks, “Well, I see all these great descriptors and promises concerning the righteous person. But what is the starting point? How do I find the next step on this path David is talking about?” An answer is furnished in verse 31:

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

The steps of life are found by taking heed to the word of God. More than taking heed, by internalizing and following God’s word. Where it’s not just a reference we turn to, but the supply at the very core of our being. When David examined the fruit of the righteous, when he took a good look at Godliness, he discovered that it was God’s word that directed a person’s steps. When a person believes and submits to God’s word is when the Lord is able to develop all that fruit and accomplish the wonderful things we’ve been reading about these last few weeks.

Of course, it doesn’t happen all at once. John Phillips writes, “God’s promises do not ripen in a day.” But, as we walk with God, looking forward to the ultimate completion of His work in us, we’re able to know which way to go by keeping God’s word in our hearts. As we step through each day, this walk with our Lord is not meant to be a trudge, but a delightful dance with the One who loves us. We delighting in Him and Him delighting in us, as He brings forth our righteousness like a star in the sky.

A Clockwatcher God (Psalm 37:10-20)

In the wake of World War 2, our culture has become infatuated with the idea of predicting the end of the world, or at least humanity. Whether it was the Population Bomb which said disaster was coming in the 80’s or climate alarmists who said we only had a few years to save the polar ice caps, there’s always someone putting a countdown out there. In 1947 some people developed what is known as “The Doomsday Clock.” Which is meant to “represents the likelihood of a man-made global catastrophe.” The idea is that, when the clock strikes midnight, it’s all over for mankind. And then these researchers tell you what time it is on the clock when they evaluate nuclear threats, climate change and who knows what else. Right now the clock is set at 11:58pm. Queue scary music!

The truth is, there is an end coming and it will arrive according to a very definite time table. We got a look at it as we studied through the book of Daniel. It is God who sets the clock of history, and, we learn from David in Psalm 37 that God is diligently watching that clock as well.

You’ve probably heard about the theory of God being a ‘clockmaker’. That, yes, there’s a God and He created the universe, but like a ‘clockmaker,’ He simply made the machine, wound it up and then walked away. He’s not involved in the universe, so the theory goes. Of course, this is not only contrary to what the Bible says, it’s contrary to the witness of history as well. God is the clockmaker, in that He made all things, but He’s also a clockwatcher, and He is intricately involved in this universe, moment by moment. Here, David depicts the Lord as carefully watching the clock of history, counting down the days to the end, when the wicked will be repaid for their evil and the children of God will be lavishly rewarded according to the riches of His grace.

As we saw last time, here in Psalm 37, David is an old man and has much wisdom to share with us about life and Godliness, peace and perspective. Throughout the text we’re reminded again and again of the Kingly reward that is coming for God’s people, their inheritance at the end of this era.

We jump in tonight at verse 10, where we read:

Psalm 37:10 – 10For 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.

There is no greater contrast than the one depicted in this Psalm. You have the delights of the righteous versus the destruction of the wicked. Now, in movies like An Inconvenient Truth when they make their predictions, they often end up being proven to be not quite true, or at least sensationalized hyperbole. The ice caps didn’t melt in 2016. They said there would be no snow on Mt. Kilimanjaro. That’s been chalked up to “literary license” now.

But when God says judgment is going to fall and the wicked will be no more, it’s not hyperbole. That’s the certain future for those who reject Jesus Christ. No second chances, no work-release program in purgatory. Each individual has a life to live, a choice to make concerning Jesus the Messiah and, when they die, then comes judgment for those who will not receive God’s free gift of salvation.
The wicked of the world seem to hold of lot of cards today, they seem to have their run of the place, but, in the end, they’ll be dealt with. There will be no place for them. There will be no underground black market in heaven, no rebel dissidents hiding in the hills. Sin and evil will be eradicated altogether like Smallpox. Even more than Smallpox, since it still exists in 2 labs today.

Psalm 37:11 – 11But the meek shall inherit the earth, And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

What an amazing promise it is to hear that it is those who are meek who will rule with the Lord. Think of David’s time, especially, where kingdoms were formed by might and bloodshed. But, God chooses the weak things of the world to shame the strong.

The largest non-government land owner in the world is? The Catholic Church. The estimated land held by the Pope is about 177 million acres. Little more than the state of Texas. I guess the Catholic Church is kind of a government. The private individual who owns the most land on planet earth these days is Australian mining magnate Gina Rinehart. She owns more than 46,000 square miles of land in Australia, which is about the size of Mississippi.

That all sounds like a lot, but you and I are going to inherit the whole earth! Right now there are 197 million square miles of land around the globe. It’s going to be given to us, restored, renewed, filled with the glory of God. No property taxes or off-limits sites. All ours.

Here in verse 11 we have the 2nd of 5 times that David will tell us that God’s people are going to inherit the earth. 3 times it says earth, twice more it says “land” but the Hebrew word is the same. Our inheritance is a sure promise. As part of that inheritance we’re told that we will enjoy an abundance of peace. Peace means more than just an absence of strife or conflict. It expresses “completeness, wholeness, harmony, fulfillment…[and] unimpaired relationships with others.”

We have quite a future to look forward to. But we don’t have to wait to start enjoying the peace of God. Remember how often “grace and peace” are extended to us in the New Testament letters. Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, spoke to us so that we might have peace now to guard our hearts and minds and, along with experiencing God’s peace for ourselves, we’re commanded to live at peace with others as much as possible. The land inheritance of verse 11 may be off in the future, but we can dip into the reservoir of God’s peace today in our personal experience and relationships.

Psalm 37:12 – 12The wicked plots against the just, And gnashes at him with his teeth.

We hear that phrase, “gnashing teeth” and it makes us think of how it’s used in the New Testament. A sad characteristic of hell is that it will be a place where men gnash their teeth in agony. The Bible is clear that you reap what you sow. Those who embrace wickedness and take delight in gnashing their teeth toward the innocent will reap a harvest of judgment, gnashing their teeth for all eternity.

Psalm 37:13 – 13The Lord laughs at him, For He sees that his day is coming.

Our God is not a toothless figurehead. He is a furious warrior when it comes to protecting His people. In 2nd Corinthians Paul talks about knowing the terror of the Lord. Though God does not delight in the death of the wicked, in the end He will cut them down. Their plans and their efforts mean nothing when facing His ultimate wrath. In the end, the Lord comes at them with the full force of His judgment, and His fury is justified. Look at verse 14.

Psalm 37:14 – 14The 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.

Injustice is not insignificant to God. It is a big deal. From heaven’s perspective, injustice and persecution and oppression and resistance against God’s people is not just some rude prank, they are murderous acts of hatred. If you’re not a Christian, you are a member of the camp here in v14.

Maybe you find yourself thinking, “Well, not every non-Christian is that way. I have plenty of friendly, non-believing friends.” Sure. Not every non-believer is a God-hating atheist or someone who persecutes Christians. But, there are only two camps a person can be a part of. You can belong to Christ or you can belong to this world and it’s ruler, the Devil. There is a real, personal Devil and he is a savage adversary of God’s people. His goal is to kill and destroy and tear down and, we’re told, he holds unbelievers captive to do his will, whether they signed up for the fight or not.

Now, on the flip side, these enemies of ours who are drawing the sword and bending the bow, they may be at war with God and with us by extension, but in the Church age, these are people we’re sent out to rescue. We’re sent to reconcile these people with God and save them from the coming destruction.

PUBG and Fortnite are wildly popular video games right now. If you’re not familiar with them, you’re dropped onto a map and everyone battles it out to the last man or the last team standing. As the fight goes on, there’s a shrinking circle. If you’re outside that circle you start dying. It’s the ‘blue zone.’

The Christian life is incredibly counter-intuitive. In the Bible, we learn that, out in the world there are enemies, held captive by the Devil to do his will and his will is to devour and destroy whoever he can, especially the people of God. Now, those enemies are not going to be victorious in the end. Jesus has already won the victory. But the Lord sends us out into the blue zone (in a sense) to try to rescue the people who are actively warring against God and His people. It’s an amazing grace that God pours out to and through us.

Psalm 37:15 – 15Their sword shall enter their own heart, And their bows shall be broken.

When we hear news of convicted criminals receiving light sentences, it upsets us. In the courtroom of eternity, all punishments are fair. The guilty receive what is just. It’s a reminder to us that we, too, deserve death, but Jesus Christ paid our penalty at the cross so that we might be saved.

Verse 15 also echoes what Jesus would later say in Matthew 26: Those who live by the sword will die by the sword.

Psalm 37:16 – 16A little that a righteous man has Is better than the riches of many wicked.

God talks a big game when it comes to His rewards and gifts. But it’s not just hype, His promises and provisions are expansive and lavish. When He rewards you, He does so many times over.

In 2011 a Minnesota waitress received what was possibly the world’s largest cash tip for a meal: $12,000. She was so taken aback she tried to return it. Her customer wouldn’t allow it. So, she turned it in to the police. After 60 days, it was hers for the keeping. That’s a remarkable reward for restaurant service. But the Bible tells us that, as we serve the Lord and do the work of a sower, He will reward us and produce a harvest of 30, 60, even 100 times as much as had been planted.

Matthew 19 says, “everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name’s sake, will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life.” Believe God, leave envy behind. Don’t pine for the dollars and cents of the wicked when you’ve got eternal gold waiting for you in heaven.

Psalm 37:17 – 17For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, But the Lord upholds the righteous.

Again we see God as a fierce protector of His people. But He not only protects, He upholds. The term can be defined this way: to “sustain, support, [to give] whatever is necessary.” It’s difficult for us to think outside of the physical, temporal life. But God promises to supply whatever is necessary for you to endure and to be effective and to continue developing as His masterpiece. He will uphold you and glorify Himself through you, not just ultimately in heaven, but through the ministry of the Holy Spirit today.

Psalm 37:18 – 18The Lord knows the days of the upright, And their inheritance shall be forever.

Just as God watches the clock of the wicked, so too He’s watching the clock on our lives. He’s counting down the moments until He can deliver us into our inheritance. He loves to give and is excited about spending eternity with us. He’s planned out our forever with Him. Did you know that there is a measure of ‘time’ (if we can call it that) in eternity? We’re told in Revelation 22 that there will be a Tree of Life that bears its fruit “every month.” God wants to keep clocking the days of our delight. And He’s looking forward to that moment when we’re face to face with Him.

Psalm 37:19 – 19They shall not be ashamed in the evil time, And in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.

The upright are those who have been made righteous through faith in Jesus Christ. They will not be disgraced or bear their guilt because of what the Lord has done for them. If you’re a Christian, your guilt has been dealt with at the cross. It’s done. There’s no last minute disqualification. I was reading an article the other day that talked about how it’s somewhat commonplace for some companies to have a long hiring process. The screening interview then the phone interview, then the first interview, a second interview, then a meal interview and a final interview. When it comes to salvation, the cross is the decider. In or out.

But what about this promise in the back half of the verse? That “in the days of famine [the upright] will be satisfied?” What are we to make of that promise? It obviously can’t be talking about the Kingdom or eternity in Heaven, there’s no famine there. Does the Bible promise that God’s people won’t go hungry?

We know that isn’t the case Biblically or historically. So how do we respond here? Well, first of all, David writes this Psalm from a different context and, more importantly, a different covenant than we’re under. God had made real, physical promises to Israel about things like wealth and supply and success if they remained faithful to Him.

When we look around today, we see that Christians do suffer immensely. Some of them are starving. A recent report concluded that persecution against Christians is at near genocide levels in parts of the world. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 4, “even now we go hungry and thirsty, and we don’t have enough clothes to keep warm. We are often beaten and have no home.”

So what about this and other similar promises? Well, we remind ourselves that we are to put our faith in spiritual things, not temporal things. Paul articulated how we can be sure God will supply our spiritual needs, no matter what state we’re in. Whether we’re hungry or full, abounding or suffering, the grace of God is enough to uphold us and deliver us into His plan. The source of Christian satisfaction isn’t found on a plate or in a bank account, but in a relationship with the living God. And, as we see in Psalm 37, He is a God who sees, who cares and who moves on behalf of His children.

Psalm 37:20 – 20But the wicked shall perish; And the enemies of the Lord, Like the splendor of the meadows, shall vanish. Into smoke they shall vanish away.

Before we move all the way off of verse 19, just one more thing: We recognize that verse 20 is making a promise that isn’t immediate, and so we accept that the promise of verse 19 is not immediate either.

The Bible speaks a lot about the briefness of life. That it’s just a vapor, a puff of smoke. God wants us to keep this mindset. It’s talked about in the Old Testament, it’s talked about in the New Testament. Knowing how short this life is but how significant our lives should be, passages like this one remind us to be keeping our mind’s eye on heaven’s clock, thinking through life not on the temporal level, but on the eternal level and behaving accordingly.

Tuesday, March 9, 2062. That’s the day that the internet death clock says I’m going to die. So I guess I don’t have to go jogging after all! It’s yet another one of those clocks that our culture has produced, like the Doomsday Clock.

I don’t think that’s really the date, but no matter what day my life on this earth ends and my life in heaven begins, for me and for you other Christians here tonight, all it will be is the death of death, of sin, of suffering and of struggle for us. That day is not the end of our lives, it’s the beginning of our forever life with Christ. Together we will inherit the earth, to delight in God’s perfect glory and peace, in His pleasures forevermore. Our Lord is watching the clock and looking forward to that day. We can too while we faithfully and joyfully live out the life He’s given us here on this earth.

Check Before You Burn (Psalm 37:1-9)

Psalm 37 is where we’ll be this evening. When you think of wise people in the Bible, who comes to mind? If you’re like me, Solomon comes first. Then maybe Daniel, the wise men from the east who followed the star. Maybe Joseph. I don’t usually put David on that list. It’s easier to think of him as a king or a poet or a warrior. But, because of the great depth of his relationship with the Lord he was a very wise man. In fact, Solomon writes in Proverbs 4 that David taught him the way of wisdom – that when Solomon was a boy his dad instructed him according to these great spiritual truths.

At some point in his old age David wrote Psalm 37. It is a very significant and very influential Psalm. It is quoted by Jesus in His sermon on the mount. Solomon quotes it in Proverbs 24. Peter references it in his first letter. It was a favorite passage of men like John Wesley and David Livingstone.

The prayer inscribed on a plaque in the Big Ben clock room references this Psalm. It’s a Jewish prayer said after meals. And, even if you’re not familiar with it as a whole, you’ll find familiar phrases like “the meek shall inherit the earth” and “He shall give you the desires of your heart” it its verses.

This Psalm has been called “a mirror of providence” and “a garment for the Godly.” It is a well-balanced meal, packed with nutrients for our spiritual lives. It addresses the present, anticipates the future, gives us perspectives and directives. It speaks to the emotional life, to our mindset and our ambitions. It makes promises and gives commands. It’s quite remarkable.

It’s classified as a wisdom Psalm. It’s not a song of praise or thanksgiving or lament. This Psalm is a carefully written discourse. David didn’t just jot it down quickly while out in a sheepfold somewhere. Scholars point out that this is one of the acrostic Psalms. Every other line begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. And they also point out that the Psalm has an incredible symmetry as it unfolds. Each couplet has a partner mirroring it later in the song.

But, it’s not just academic. This Psalm gives context and answers to many weighty questions. Like: “What is God’s will for my life?” Or, “How can I live out my Christianity day today?” Or, that question we may ask in more frustrating points of life: “What good is it to live a Godly life?”

Many times people ask “why do bad things happen to good people.” Sometimes, on the flip side, we wonder, “why don’t bad things happen to bad people?”

These sort of big, life questions are answered in Psalm 37. And it is directed to you and me tonight. Not just answering questions, but also revealing God’s intentions toward us. God’s desire is to form you and I into bright, shining lights, like the sun at high noon. It says so there in verse 6. It reminds us of what we read a few weeks ago in Daniel 12, that “those who are wise will shine as bright as the sky and those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars.” This is God’s plan. Psalm 37 declares it and describes how we participate in what the Lord is doing. Along the way, the Godly are dramatically contrasted with the wicked, who can be so distracting to us at times.

So let’s allow David to take us behind the curtain of all of this, starting in verse 1.

Psalm 37:1 – A Psalm of David. 1Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.

We’ll be told 3 times tonight “do not fret.” David says stop worrying, stop getting all worked up, about evildoers. He was speaking as much to himself as to us. This is a theme that comes up in a lot of his Psalms. It bothered him to see the wicked prospering and he talked to the Lord about it. Like many of us, he had been prone to focus on the negative, at least when it came to this issue. But here, as the old professor, he says in no uncertain terms: Don’t worry about them.

There’s a lot of wisdom in what he’s saying. I tend to be negative in my thinking. Perhaps some of you are the same way. But, if we’re so given over to the negative, how can we expect to be able to sing praises in a dungeon? There are Paul and Silas, chained and beaten, but singing hymns to God. If I live in the negative, that simply isn’t going to happen. And this Psalm really draws out the fact that mindset matters. We’ve been given the mind of Christ, we’ve been given a proper, supernatural perspective, but we must choose to use them in our thinking if we want the benefits we see described in this song.

David says, “Don’t be envious of the [wicked].” People who reject God may seem to be living a high life, getting what they want, indulging themselves. But, at best, all it is is a first class ticket on a plane that’s going to crash. Box seats in a burning building. Here’s the end of their road:

Psalm 37:2 – 2For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, And wither as the green herb.

David takes us to the conclusion of things and says, “This grass is going to be cut and burned.” And while our tendency is to be envious of the grass, David’s going to go on and explain, “But you’re a star!” Think of the immense brilliance and lasting majesty of our sun versus your Bermuda grass. This is quite an adjustment of perspective!

Psalm 37:3 – 3Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.

In the Bible, to “trust” God is not to be passive or to just agree intellectually with what God has said. It is an active lifestyle. It is a willful pattern of thought and behavior and choice. James discussed this in his letter where he talked about genuine Christian faith and he said, “faith isn’t faith if it doesn’t have works.” Meaning, that our trust in God is an active thing. Here, David says the same. We must trust the Lord and if we trust Him, we will be doing good. What is “good”? Well, the Bible is full of instruction on that topic. But this Psalm is a great place to start the study of Godly good. What does it mean to have a faith that works, in the New Testament sense? We’ve got at least 20 imperatives in Psalm 37, where David explains what it means to go God’s way, to live out our Godliness. He gives us two items right here in verse 3: dwell in the land and feed on His faithfulness.

Of course, to “dwell in the land” had a different context for an ancient Jew than it does for us, but the principle applies to us in the Church age as well. “Dwell” here means “tabernacle” or “be a neighbor.” This is immensely practical for us. Where am I? In what community has God placed me? In that community, how can I worship the Lord, as He tabernacles with me? And how can I be a good neighbor? Who is my neighbor? These are all topics that are directly dealt with by Jesus and the Apostles in the New Testament. One example is when Jesus told the parable of the 10 Servants. The noblemen went on a long journey and told his servants to “do business” till he returned. They were to dwell and develop and serve, just as David writes here. Dwell in the land.

And then he says, “Feed on His faithfulness.” What a lovely image! It means to graze and pasture. We can’t help but think of David’s most famous Psalm: Psalm 23, where God leads His people and we follow Him to green pastures and receive what He gives as our Good Shepherd. He takes us over rock and hill and then stops and says, “graze here.” We aren’t to go off and forage on our own. We follow Him and feed on His faithfulness toward us.

It also means that we are sustained by God’s truth. We think of Jesus emphatically saying to Satan, “Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

To feed on God’s faithfulness also assumes that we live our lives in such a way that there is opportunity for God to show Himself faithful to us.

These are ways David gives for us to “do good.” There are more to follow. But scholars point out that the word “good” is a very broad term. It of course includes moral goodness, but it also can be defined as joyfulness. Being pleasant and delightful. So, “Trust in the Lord and be joyful.” Be as pleasant as you can be! The Christian life is meant to be a delight. David says so in verse 4.

Psalm 37:4 – 4Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

To delight in God means to be refreshed in Him, to take a high degree of satisfaction in Him. It can even mean to pamper yourself in Him. Now, some spiritual disciplines do not come naturally. Some aspects of the Christian life can be an acquired taste for us, right? The good news is that, like in real life, you can acquire a taste for things. A 2010 study showed that kids who tried a vegetable they didn’t like 8 or 9 times began to like it more. Maybe there’s some area of Christian living that you’ve been feeling the Holy Spirit encouraging you to make a greater part of your routine but you haven’t quite acquired the taste for it. David would urge you to keep going back and partaking and discover the satisfaction God wants to supply. It’s worth the effort, because this verse comes with the incredible promise that, if we delight ourselves in the Lord, He will give us the desires of our heart.

J.J. Perowne writes: “Delight yourself in Him and you will choose and love that which He chooses and loves; therefore He will give you your heart’s desires.”

This promise not only highlights the lavish generosity of God, it also challenges us to think about what our hearts desire, right now. If, in the quiet of my heart, I ask myself, “What do you really want?” What’s the answer? Are my desires of lasting, eternal value or are they like dried up grass, about to be tossed in the fire?

David now goes on to explain that Godliness isn’t only enjoying God, it’s also embracing His command over your life.

Psalm 37:5 – 5Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass.

Herbert Lockyer writes, “The Hebrew…[says]…‘Roll your way upon the Lord,’ as one who lays upon the shoulders of one stronger than himself a burden which he is not able to bear.”

Perhaps Peter was humming Psalm 37 when he wrote, “cast all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” The idea of a God who unburdens His followers is so foreign to the human way of thinking. The gods of man heap fears and miseries and obligations on people. Not so with our Lord, our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.

Now when David tells us to commit our way to the Lord, it’s more than just asking God to help us out. It is to surrender the direction and destination of our lives to Him. When you get in the car and ask Siri to get you directions to the place you want to go, Siri is helping you out. Often, you disagree with the route she chooses, and you bypass certain turns or roads and go the way you think is best. That’s not the kind of arrangement David is calling us to here. Instead, it’s like we get in the car and just say, “Where are we going?” And following the route that’s laid out for us, no matter what. As we learned in our Sunday morning studies in Nehemiah a few weeks ago, sometimes that means taking a trip through a refuse gate or a valley gate. We can trust our Good Shepherd and we’re commanded to follow Him, believing that He will bring all His intentions to pass. While we don’t know specifically what tomorrow might hold, we do know the overall plan:

Psalm 37:6 – 6He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday.

God is fashioning and forming you into the image of His Son, that you might be a bright shining light to this world. A light that grows and intensifies as it continues to be formed by the Lord.

Psalm 37:7 – 7Rest 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.

It can be hard for us to stay content in the promises of God, especially when a lot of waiting is involved and we’re being distracted by other people. Certainly the wicked can be a distraction, as David points out here. But even comparing ourselves with other believers can be distracting in a bad way. Remember when Jesus was talking to Peter about his future, Peter said, “Well…what about JOHN!?!” Jesus’ response was, “Don’t worry about that. You need to concern yourself with you and Me.” When we become distracted by comparisons or by the activities of evildoers, it’s no good for us, it only robs us of contentment and rest.

Instead, David encourages us by reminding us of what God is doing and by reminding us of what happens at the end of the story. These reminders are meant to calibrate our thinking and keep us in the rest God wants for us. As we rest, we wait patiently for the Lord. To wait means to hope for, to look eagerly for, to expect Him. The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament writes, “waiting with steadfast endurance is a great expression of faith.”

Psalm 37:8 – 8Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret—it only causes harm.

This is the third time we’ve been told “do not fret.” To be commanded by the Holy Spirit just once is enough, but 3 times in such a small space should make us sit up and take notice. God is serious about this. The word used for “fret” in this Psalm means to be hot or kindled about something.

Ours is an angry culture. We’re quick to get all heated up about things. The Bible tells us to stop being so angry. David is very clear here: Cease from anger, forsake wrath. These are commands sent from heaven to you and me. “But what about ‘righteous anger’?Jesus cleared the temple, after all.” While there are legitimate reasons for truly righteous anger, like the anger displayed by Jesus when moneychangers were wickedly extorting innocent worshippers in the temple, if we’re honest, the things we get worked up about rarely rise to that level. Being angry about some cultural or political issue really isn’t on the same par as people defiling the Temple of Jehovah.

For me, this verse was a great reminder that anger is not a fruit of the Spirit. It’s not. In fact, it’s something I’m told in both Testaments to remove from my life. Get rid of it. Forsake it. Paul suggests in Ephesians 4 that we shouldn’t be mad about something for more than 12 hours! David says here, “It only causes harm.” It isn’t part of the new nature God has given us. It robs our rest. It distracts us from enjoyment of our relationship with Christ and it will distract us from evangelism. If we’re feeding the fire of anger toward someone, that is not going to make us want to love them or reach out to them with the Gospel.

Even the unbelieving world understands the destructive power of anger. What did Emperor Palpatine say to Luke Skywalker? “Give in to your anger. With each passing moment you make yourself more my servant!”

David once again reminds us of the fate of the wicked in verse 9:

Psalm 37:9 – 9For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the Lord, They shall inherit the earth.

As the song unfolds, David will continue his instruction and comparison. For now, we’re invited to think about our future inheritance, the Lord’s intentions for us, and the invitation that He extends through us to those who do not yet believe: People God doesn’t want to perish, but wants to save and satisfy. Rather than burn in anger or envy, we have access to the generous delights of a growing relationship with God. The One who is forming us to shine like stars forever. The One who gives, who goes with us and is coming quickly.