PSALMS 37
December 4, 2005
(Psa 37:1 KJV) Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.
How difficult it is for the Child of God to not be tempted to apply carnal negative comparison when he is in the midst of affliction or penury. How is it that the complacent and indifferent ride through their lives in carriages pulled by strong and healthy beasts, while the faithful Child of the Kingdom trudges along in deep mud? How is it that the wicked and cruel eat their food at a large table in a mocking manner and without counting, while the diligent servant seems to be relying on bare necessities?
Dear one, is this not judging your Lord who does all things well, who sees the doings of the children of man on the earth? Will you not be ashamed of this thinking? Don’t you see that the indulgence of the wicked who eats what he has withheld or even stolen from the mouth of the Children of the King? Don’t you see that it works as an instrument of judgment to his own soul as it chokes him? (1 Sam 15). Are you not comparing future rewards for the virtue you gained as a faithful servant in the midst of difficulty with the delicacy of the present ease?
In the day when the thrones are cast down and judgment is rendered, those who have carelessly eaten the flesh of the poor and the righteous will meet their righteous Lord, King, Protector and Father in the fury of His anger to reap the right rewards for their wicked actions, while you, my friend, will go on to enjoy the abundant beauty, joy and plenteousness that he has prepared for you from the foundation of the earth.
(2Ti 2:12 KJV) If we suffer, we shall also reign with him:
December 5, 2005
(Psa 37:2 KJV) For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.
You who have Jesus own the living and incorruptible seed of the Word of God. You have within yourself the fruit of the tree of life, which not only lives and abides forever, but also gives you eternal life. Why should you envy mere flesh, and the glory of it, which are but grass, here today and gone tomorrow?
My friend, if your eyes are turned towards the temporary earthly elements of this world, yes, you will be tempted to envy, and be jealous of the means of the wicked. But if your eyes are turned towards eternal and spiritual values, envying the fate of the wicked is like the centennial turtle being jealous of the life span of the ephemera, an insect, which in the same day is born and dies.
What are your eyes fixed on? What are the desires of your heart? Are they of corruptible physical and temporal values, or do you desire the incorruptible wealth of the spirit?
Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: (Mat 6:19-20 KJV)
Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed. (Joh 6:27 KJV)
December 6, 2005
(Psa 37:3 KJV) Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
Here is the key to abundant life, abundant provision, “Trust in the Lord and do good”, but can you see it? Can you understand it?
Physical senses see things in a distorted way, but spiritual senses see things as they really are. Our physical eyes see the God-despising wicked enjoy peace and plenty, and the righteous seemingly forsaken. But the eyes of the Spirit see differently.
The eyes of the Spirit see the wicked exchange an incorruptible inheritance for a mess of potage and despise a solid future inheritance for a flighty feeling of present wealth and comfort. The eyes of the Spirit see the wicked choosing to reign a little now and suffer forever, while the righteous suffers a little now but will reign with Him forever.
O dear one, do not look with the eyes of the flesh but look with the eyes of the Spirit. Let go of your own works and efforts that you hope will bring you safety and plenty; just trust the Lord by doing His good commandments.
But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
(Jam 1:22 KJV)
December 7, 2005
(Psa 37:4 KJV) Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
Do you believe from the bottom of your heart that if you delight yourself in Him, He will give you what you want? Can you say that you actually have experienced that you can count on God to honor the desires of your heart? Or do you feel that perhaps, God is hard-hearted, insensitive, deaf, and that it is difficult to get the things from Him that you desire? Do you feel that most of the time He, out of spite or narrow-mindedness refuses to give you the things that you want, and even the things that you need, even when you earnestly and sincerely pray for them?
There is no problem with God not holding to His Word of promise to care for you and supply all your needs. (Phil 4:19; Mat 7:7) Jesus promised you “abundant” life.(John 10:10). The problem must therefore originate from the things you “delight” in.
The promise to be given the desires of your heart is conditional to delighting yourself in the Lord. If you feel that God is not honoring your desires, could it be that maybe these desires are not in line with delighting yourself in the Lord?
Or maybe he is giving you the desires of your heart that are even unknown to you, as is beautifully expressed in this poem:
I asked God for strength, that I might achieve,
I was made weak, that I might learn humbly to obey...
I asked for health, that I might do greater things,
I was given infirmity, that I might do better things...
I asked for riches, that I might be happy,
I was given poverty that I might be wise...
I asked for power, that I might have the praise of men,
I was given weakness, that I might feel the need of God...
I asked for all things, that I might enjoy life,
I was given life, that I might enjoy all things...
I got nothing that I asked for--but everything I had hoped for,
Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered.
I am among all men most richly blessed.
But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
(Phi 4:19 KJV)
December 8, 2005
(Psa 37:5 KJV)Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
Have you ever asked a child (or a teenager) why he didn’t ask you permission before doing something, and have them answer something to the effect of, “I was afraid you’d say no!”? We can understand a child who has not fully matured in the fullness of the fear of the Lord to act in such a manner, but what about us adults?
How many of us, while ordained by God as examples for our children, do things without asking the Heavenly Father for His opinion--asking Him not only about WHAT we are doing, but also about HOW we are doing it? A wise friend of mine used to tell me when ever I’d ask Him what he thought of one of my wild ideas, “Have you asked the Lord about it?” or “Let’s ask the Lord”. I remember cringing then, because I cherished the idea, and didn’t want to put myself in the closet of prayer where I was in earshot of a possible “no”.
My dear friend, do you have stubbornly deferred plans in the workshop of your life? Do you have a ship that constantly seems to stay ashore, forever waiting for a favoring tide? Have you “committed” them unto the Lord, or are you afraid He’d say “no”, so you don’t?
How foolish! Don’t you see that it is the only way for inspired plans to come to pass, to check every step with Him? So commit your plans unto Him; if they are of Him, He will certainly put His stamp of approval on them, and they WILL come to pass, for nothing can stand in the way of the will of God. But if they are not of Him, be thankful they don’t come to pass, my friend, be thankful they don’t!
I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.
(Psa 40:8 KJV)
Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.
(Psa 143:10 KJV)
December 9, 2005
Ps 37:6And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.
Our righteousness is in the Lord only. We have no other vindication than that from the Lord. No argument of our own, no works or accomplishments, no third party testimony can ever truly vindicate our soul to ourselves or to others.
But man wants to see signs, he wants to see miracles to vindicate and prove one’s calling from God or on any given issue. Man wants to be able to process with his carnal senses and understanding before being convinced. What an error it is to try to prove one who is moved through the wind of the Holy Spirit by the means of carnal understanding. Those who asked Jesus for a sign to prove His Messiahship were told that the only sign they would receive is the sign of His resurrection. In the same manner sometimes, the seeming death and resurrection by the Lord of our ideals is sometimes the only vindication that others and we will get. We all see then, because it is obvious that we had nothing to do with it, but that the lord did it.
Let the Lord vindicate you, let Him bring forth your righteousness as the light and let Him be your judge in the heart of man. Have no fear. Look at your Lord and Master who did not answer up to the game of the scoffers (Luk 28:3,9) neither did he use his own powers to prove himself (Mat 26:53).
If you truly totally trust Him, you need not be afraid of the judgment of man. As the sun stands at noon at its highest in the sky, so will the Lord bring your judgment to be seen by all.
You do not have to justify yourself before man; let Him, and Him only be your vindication!
And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind.
(Psa 18:10 KJV)
December 10, 2005
(Psa 37:7 KJV) Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.
Sometimes it can be so hard to let the Lord have His way in our lives. Most of the time we feel that we want to be there at the controls. We own the inborn wicked notion that if we are not in control, everything will fall. How many marriages are broken because one of the partners can’t let go of the controls to let God have them? How many lives are useless because people are reluctant to let God in the driver seat, and even when they do, they become controlling back-seat drivers? The truth really is that unless we give up the controls to God, everything will fail. Absolute miracles happen when we take our hands off, rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him.
When are we going to understand that that attitude, which is born of a lack of faith, could be our spiritual enemy number one--the one that keeps us from being used of the Lord. Unless we let Him and give Him control of our lives, He cannot use us.
If we only knew, if we could only imagine, if we could only see the Lord patiently waiting for us to give Him a turn to play in the game of our lives! In our fretting over the wicked ones who seem to prosper in their ways, we try all our keys at the lock, we try to impress Him by our works and our human efforts, when really our strength should be actively and aggressively spent in prayer, asking God to give us the faith to let Him take the lead.
“Sweet Lord Jesus; help me, help me to give you the reins of my life and go sleep in the wagon in full trust and knowledge that you do all things well, and that you can do with my life much better that I can. In Jesus Name.”
O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.
(Jer 10:23 KJV)
December 11, 2005
(Psa 37:8 KJV) Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.
O, the anger and the wrath that we inflict upon others and ourselves because we fret. O, the evil that we commit because we are unable to trust Him. This seems to be one of the greatest lessons that the Lord is trying to teach us.
In the face of growing evil and injustice, we want to take up the banner and slay the infidels, the fornicators and the liars who are have become a reproach to the cause of Christ. We want to go and actively, aggressively fight for justice.
Maybe this makes us feel good; maybe this puffs some sense of worth into our poor deflated ego, but does it really solve the problem? Does it really change the situation? Even Jesus did not do it that way. All He came for was to give His life for us so we could receive the help of the Holy Spirit. All He came for was to show us an example of how God wanted us the understand His Laws. And the commandment He gave us was to “Feed My sheep”.
Let’s exchange our self-righteous and indignant anger for a missionary evangelistic heart. You will see that it is a lot easier to rid the heart of man of wickedness via the Words of the Gospel, than with words and acts of anger.
For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.
(Jam 1:20 KJV)
December 11, 2005
Psa 37:9 KJV For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.
This statement makes a point through polarizing two attitudes, the “evildoers” against “those that wait upon the Lord”. The one is “cut off” from the “earth”, while the other “inherits” it.
The “EARTH” is the Promised land of God’s perfect will for you; the land of God’s presence in your heart, life and soul; the land of His promises fulfilled in your life; the Land where peace of mind and heart reigns; the Land where God blesses you; the Land where He is… and you too can be, with Him.
Do you feel cut off from this “EARTH”? Do you feel far from the presence of your God? Do you feel separated from His promises to you? Are you waiting on Him, to bring you there by His will and power? Or are you trying to get there by your own works and doings? Are the sins of doubt and pride present in your heart and keeping you from trusting Him? Do you truly know that He is able to fulfill His word in your life better without your help? Can you let go of the steering wheel, go to sleep in the back of the car of your life and …let Him drive? Can you WAIT on Him?
The word “WAIT” here is the picture of a servant waiting on his Lord and Master, ready to fulfill His slightest demands at all hours of the day. He knows that if he obeys the every wish of his master, life be will secure and provided for for himself and his family. He knows that His Master is in total control of everything; all he has to do is obey.
You too can now enter this Promised Land of sabbatical rest with Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath, by giving Him the controls of your life. Be not as the evildoers who are cut off from this blessedness just because they cannot trust Him!
Psa 23:1-6 KJV <A Psalm of David.> The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. (2) He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. (3) He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. (4) Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. (5) Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. (6) Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
December 14, 2005
Psa 37:10 KJV For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.
Can’t you see,my friend, can’t you see, my child, that the all the greatness that evil men take pride in is but a temporal notion of happiness and wealth? Can’t you see that it is all but an illusion that will burn and vanish when the works of all mankind will be tried by fire? (1 Cor 3:12-15).
The palaces, the temples, the fancy clothing, the loud noises will all vanish. In the great day when God looks at every heart, only what is done for Christ remains. Only what is done for the Son contains the value of the currency of Heaven, the rest will perish in the great day when the first heaven and the first earth are passed away (Rev 21:1)
Beloved, envy not the wealth of the wicked, for what little you have as a result of your faith will remain forever. So labor not for the meat that perishes. It will not fill your heart; it will not satisfy your soul; it will not buy you a better place in My Kingdom. Be warned, and spend your life working for the true foundational currency of the Kingdom of Heaven. My Kingdom is not made of dead stones, but of living stones: PEOPLE.
My children have an eternal soul that can live forever, and that is the only thing that you can take with you to Heaven, the people that you have won for My Kingdom.
Mat 6:33 KJV But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
December 14, 2005
Psa 37:11 KJV But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
Peace seems to be so elusive. So much of what we do is geared toward controlling our environment, in our search and desire for peace. Not political peace, but peace of the heart, mind and spirit. It is the “impossible dream”, the unreachable star and yet, we want, desire and need it more that anything else. Just as a country cannot prosper and grow without peace, our spirit needs peace to bloom and flourish.
“The meek…shall delight themselves in an abundance of peace”. Here is the peace that passes all understanding; here is the pronouncing of the Promised Land of the heart; here is the country without walls, where the heart is at peace.
The gurus of our modern society show their plastic faces on the covers of glossy magazines telling us that they hold an edge on “peace”. They tell us that an abundance of peace is dependant on a certain thought pattern, a food, a new diet, an environment, a pill. They come out with manual after manual on new medical, emotional, mental or spiritual techniques, to help us create our own peace by our own works.
The psalmist who himself was an ardent warrior, tells us that it is the meek that inherit the earth and delight themselves in an abundant of peace. This seeming contradiction teaches us that peace is a gift given by God to those who humble their lives and spirits to Him. It settles of its own volition on the heart of those who cease struggling in their own efforts to obtain it.
O Child of God, don’t you see that your Lord waits for you to stop struggling, crying, and fussing in your own efforts to create what He has promised to give you? Will you stop waving your arms and kicking your feet and just rest and go to sleep in His arms? There you go, now, don’t you feel it?
The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.
(Pro 18:10 KJV)
December 16, 2005
Psa 37:12-13 KJV The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth. (13) The Lord shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming.
What proof of righteousness--to have the wicked plot against him! Why can’t the wicked leave the “just” alone? Why can’t he let him go his way and not bother? Because the just is the light that exposes his wickedness; he is the salt that brings out his hell-oriented flavor. The righteous doesn’t even have to speak or do anything of himself to expose the wicked, the Light of God reflects from Him all by Itself. He is like the moon, not shining of himself, only reflecting the light of the sun, so the wicked has to react and put it down because he is afraid. He is afraid because he knows that the contrast exposes him.
Wise Gamaliel advised the religious leaders who were persecuting the disciples to leave them alone. He even told them about other people who had started this or that movement and how, not being of God, they petered out of themselves (Act 5:34-39). But they couldn’t take such a chance with the disciples; they are part of the force of God that is conquering the world, they are the every limb of the rider and horse of he that is called Faithful and True, and who in righteousness doth judge and make war. (Rev 19:11)
Today the question is, does the Light of God easily reflect from you so that it’s influence is felt without you even doing or saying anything? Are you the light of the world, the salt of the earth? Does it make the wicked feel threatened? Does it make him feel that he has to fight you? Or do you blend easily with the crowd so that your presence doesn’t create any “uneasiness”?
Remember…
Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
(2Ti 3:12 KJV)
December 17, 2005
(Psa 37:14-15 KJV) The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as be of upright conversation. Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken.
Satan did not want Jesus to die on the cross. From the early beginnings of Jesus ministry, Satan tried to discourage Jesus from accepting this cruel death. Satan even offered Jesus the rulership of mankind if Jesus would only worship him. If Jesus would do that, He would obtain the ruling crown, and not have to go through the agony of the cross. In Gethsemane, Satan again tried to discourage Jesus from dying on the cross that he knew would defeat him forever. By allowing Jesus to die on the cross, Satan was not only carrying out his own death sentence, and the defeat of his own kingdom, but also the accomplishing of God’s purpose.
So are the enemies of the righteous. The righteous may not see their God in the Heavens keeping their enemy at bay and under control for His own pleasure. They may not see Satan trembling at His rebuke. How ridiculous it is for the enemy of those who trust in God to even think that Satan could ever succeed in thwarting God’s plan! Against the Creator? How amusing!
My friend, fear not the foe, the fiend that vexes your life. See God laugh in the Heavens while He watches Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai (Est 7:9), and while Judas received in himself the death he bought in betraying his Lord. (Mat 27:4-5). Yea surely, his day is coming!
Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me: O LORD, make haste to help me. Let them be ashamed and confounded together that seek after my soul to destroy it; let them be driven backward and put to shame that wish me evil. Let them be desolate for a reward of their shame that say unto me, Aha, aha.
(Psa 40:13-15 KJV)
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