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(By Pastor Larry Burkholder)
"When Wickedness Rules - Part 1"
Psalm 37
This psalm is thought to have been written by David in his old age. He deals with the ages-old problem which has to do with why the lawless seem to be prospering and the godly often suffer.
Is there any possibility that David had the book of Job nearby as he penned this psalm and pondered the problems of his daily life? Now, we need to remember, the book of Job does reveal that under God's control things do get a little "hair-raising", but they do come out right at the end. However, the end is so long in coming we may actually never see it!
In one hymn book is found "It Is Glory Just to Walk with Him". The first verse reads: "It is glory just to walk with Him whose blood has ransomed me, It is rapture for my soul each day; It is joy divine to feel Him near where'er my path may be - Bless the Lord, it's glory all the way!" And the very next verse reads: ''It is glory when the shadows fall to know that He is near, 0 what joy to simply trust and pray! It is glory to abide in Him when skies above are clear - Yes, with Him it's glory. all the way!" and the last verse reads: "Twill be glory when I walk with Him on heaven's golden shore, Never from His side again to stray; 'twill be glory, wondrous glory, with the Savior ever more - "Everlasting glory all the way!"
If you find yourself in the clutches of an unscrupulous individual, this psalm deals with that issue. Read this entire psalm and you will find there are keys to seeing yourself through unscrupulous deeds by unscrupulous people ... perhaps a spouse.
Is your faith one which never frets, but finds trouble interesting because it is wonderful to see how God will lovingly solve your life's difficulties and extricate you from such an individual? Read this Psalm and take it to heart! A heart heartened by God's Word is what all of us need "When Wickedness Rules".
I. Prospects Foreign to the Wicked (37:1-11)
Anything that is foreign to the wicked would, should, and could be in the heart of the righteous. Because of the fact that the ways of the righteous are foreign to the wicked is an advantage to the righteous. Only the righteous can understand the ways of God, a subject totally foreign to the wicked. Allow me to suggest some prospects which are foreign to the wicked.
A. The righteous man's discovery (37:1,2)
Allow me to use this illustration to get across my point.
One evening at a church dinner, Mr. Simms found himself seated beside a youthful-looking matron with a vivacious personality. After they became acquainted, she told him she was married to an invalid and that they had two sickly children. Their financial means was small, and the heavy expenses entailed by illness, couple with her husband's inability to practice his profession, had reduced their income to a minimum. ''In fact," she said, "sometimes when I go to bed at night, I scarcely know where tomorrow's meals are coming." Mr. Simms remarked that she seemed to have her full share of troubles and asked if she did not find the anxieties of life almost overwhelming. "Anxiety?" she replied, "Oh, no, I never feel that! I've learned by God's grace never to fret, but always to trust. TROUBLES SEEM TO ME INTENSELY INTERESTING. EVERY DIFFICULTY THAT COMES ALONG IS A PERPETUAL SOURCE OF WONDER. I AM SO EAGER TO SEE HOW THE LORD WILL GET ME OUT OF IT!
Later she stated: ''To stand aside and watch God's ever-varying but never-failing methods of extricating me from each tangle of trial is a thousand times more engrossing than the most thrilling drama ever written. Knowing as I do from the past experience that in every difficulty He will somehow land me safely on the other side, I can find no room for anxiety. "Why," she added with a fine touch of spiritual enthusiasm, "if life was stripped of what men call its cares and anxieties, it would be robbed of nearly all its interest and worth."
Now, I grant you, the problems she was facing had nothing to do with the wicked, but her theory works when we are faced with such circumstances.
The first great lesson on now to live in light of the wicked who prosper around us is: "Fret not." Do not be overly concerned, for that matter be not concerned at all because the following verses explain that the righteous are in a much better station in life than the wicked.
In Job 20:5 we find that "the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite is but for a moment." Exactly why should the righteous be envious of that?
B. The righteous man's dwelling (37:3)
Remember the years David lived as a fugitive from Saul. This went on for many years. He had not missed a meal. His life was yet intact. Now his enemy, Saul, is dead and he finds himself sitting upon his enemy’s throne. Yes, he indeed is dwelling "in the land."
Once again I am reminded, and I want to remind you also, what Job's friend, Zophar stated in Job 20:5, "...the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment," Again, I ask: "Why should the righteous be envious of this?"
Here then is the second lesson for us to learn: ''TRUST IN THE LORD." The cure for fretting is faith. Regardless of the circumstances, our Lord yet wants us to continue to trust Him. But, if you look carefully at our primary text, there is more we need to do and that is: "and do good."
True faith always produces good works. A faith that trusts in the in the Lord will find active outlets. And what is the result "… and verily thou shalt be fed."
C. The righteous man's delight (37:4)
"Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart."
Then we make the Lord the object of our affection, our meditation, and our activity, then we will find ourselves rejoicing in the Spirit. Evildoers delight in their position; but as a child of God, if you delight in what is what you consider yours, you will never envy theirs.
Remember the fine illustration of the lady with the husband who was disabled? She apparently found the secret of Psalm 37:4a, "Delight thyself in the Lord..."
Please note something of importance here: when you and I begin to show affinity or affection for someone other than our Lord, we will find ourselves extremely displeased as we find little delight in who ever that person is. When we begin to show affinity of affection for only our Lord, we will find ourselves extremely pleased. Psalm 1:2,3 tends to back up this theory, don't you think?
D. The righteous man's dependence (37:5,6)
Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noon. day."
The word "commit" means taking our situation out of our hands and totally placing it into His hands. Some characters came to my mind as I thought on this from the Old Testament such as Esther and Mordecai. And Joseph. And there is the woman with an issue of blood. And, oh, yeah, going back to the OT, what about Elijah at the brook Cherith and on the mount with all the godless prophets of Baal?
In the Liberty Commentary I find interesting its definition of the word "commit." They define it as "to literally mean roll over."
We’ve already considered "trust him" in a previous point. You see if we roll over something to him we have no control of what is rolled over as it goes into our Lord's hands.
Perhaps that is what the song writer meant when he wrote: "Leave it there, leave it there. Take your burdens to the Lord and leave them there. If you trust and never doubt, He will surely bring you out, take your burdens to the Lord and leave them there." AMEN?
E. The righteous man's discipline (37:7)
"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."
We've had a lot of that happening in recent years in our country alone, let alone all the rest of our world!
Literally defined "Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him" means "be silent, no murmuring. "We should never hear ourselves complain when the wicked prosper around us.
"To fulfill this lesson requires a special unction of grace. Synchronize your life with His timetable, and you will have learned this fifth lesson well." (Liberty Bible Commentary)
This takes much discipline of the Holy Spirit to guard our hearts and minds and realize that God is fully in control of the situation and simply wait for Him to work it out for our good and His glory (Romans 8:28). If we cannot or are not doing just this, then we are not using the discipline of the Holy Spirit as read in God's Word.
"Fret" here means "to blaze, or to get hot."
Dr. John Phillips writes: ''We could easily get into a fever or rage against those who are building pornography into a billion dollar business, against those who are destroying the moral fiber of our youth with drink and drugs, against those in our colleges who are systematically stripping our young people of any faith they may have in God. Our best resource, however, is in God, for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but spiritual and they are mighty through God for the pulling down of strongholds. Sometimes it takes greater discipline to WAIT than it does to WAR."
For our own interests, please turn with me to 2 Corinthians 10:4 which is the verse Dr. Phillips utilized that I just read. It reads: ''For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds." And the previous verse reads: ''For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh." (2 Corinthians 10:3)
F. The righteous man's deliverance (37:8-10)
''Here we have the deliverance from the power, the penalty, and the very presence of sin." (Phillips)
''Fret not" is the key to "'The Righteous. Man's Deliverance." Three times we are instructed, not asked, "fret not," and "wait patiently", and "not be-envious of evil doers." Remember: "they shall be cut off" as we previous considered.
''For evil doers shall be cut off" is in reference to 2 Peter 3:13 where we read: "… new heavens and new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.''
As the scythe cuts down the grass of the field. A sharpened scythe cuts the grass down with great ease. As one who has utilized a scythe many times, I know well the great blessing it is to use when it has been sharpened. With great ease will God ''cut off'' the wicked (2 Peter 3:13)
G. The righteous man’s domain (37:11)
"But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace."
An "abundance of peace" certainly is not ours in this world today! Yes, Matthew 5:5 our Lord stated the same wording. Here is an interesting comment by Dr. John Phillips. It reads: ''We tend to think that Jesus taught a lot of new and novel things whereas the scribes based theirs on the traditions of the elders. Jesus simply taught the Bible. He rarely introduced anything new. His soul was so saturated with scripture that they flowed out of His mouth and nearly all His teaching come right out of the Old Testament."
''For the meek shall inherit the earth" is ingrained in the biblical concept of the coming millennial reign of Christ. Note with me that our "abundance" is "the abundance of peace." Someone wrote: "An abundance of things is not nearly as impressive as the abundance of peace."
CONCLUSION:
Are we inclined to think that the pressures upon us are the greatest ever? 'The Psalmist would have had ample reason to feel that way. Hunted by his enemies, forsaken by his friends, maligned by his critics, David offers some wise spiritual advice in Psalm 37.
At an airport counter some await the information as to why their flight was cancelled or delayed. one perturbed passenger said to the ticket manager, "If you had told me that sooner, I wouldn't have lost my cool." It was rather obvious that whatever he had lost, it was yet missing! We too need to confess the regrettable occasions when we had acted in a similar fashion, perhaps even worse.
In a future devotional we will eventually get to Psalm 37:23, but perhaps it may be the key to our keeping our cool. It reads: "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way.''
