February 20, 2009
NEED A HAND?
Psalm 37
Jeremy Jaqua
Central Truth
The way of the Lord has been CLEARLY marked out in His Word. God not only gave us the blessing of His very words, but promises to give us the same strength that raised Christ from the dead to put those words into practice.
Key Verse | Psalm 37:23–24
The Lord grants success to the one whose behavior he finds commendable. Even if he trips, he will not fall headlong, for the Lord holds his hand. . . . The law of their God controls their thinking; their feet do not slip. (Psalm 37:23-24, 31)
Psalm 37
He Will Not Forsake His Saints
1 37:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, each stanza beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet Of David.
1
Fret not yourself because of evildoers;
be not envious of wrongdoers!
2
For they will soon fade like the grass
and wither like the green herb.
3
Trust in the LORD, and do good;
dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
2
37:3
Or and feed on faithfulness, or and find safe pasture
4
Delight yourself in the LORD,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5
Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him, and he will act.
6
He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
and your justice as the noonday.
7
Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,
over the man who carries out evil devices!
8
Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!
Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.
9
For the evildoers shall be cut off,
but those who wait for the LORD shall inherit the land.
10
In just a little while, the wicked will be no more;
though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there.
11
But the meek shall inherit the land
and delight themselves in abundant peace.
12
The wicked plots against the righteous
and gnashes his teeth at him,
13
but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
for he sees that his day is coming.
14
The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows
to bring down the poor and needy,
to slay those whose way is upright;
15
their sword shall enter their own heart,
and their bows shall be broken.
16
Better is the little that the righteous has
than the abundance of many wicked.
17
For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
but the LORD upholds the righteous.
18
The LORD knows the days of the blameless,
and their heritage will remain forever;
19
they are not put to shame in evil times;
in the days of famine they have abundance.
20
But the wicked will perish;
the enemies of the LORD are like the glory of the pastures;
they vanish—like smoke they vanish away.
21
The wicked borrows but does not pay back,
but the righteous is generous and gives;
22
for those blessed by the LORD
3
37:22
Hebrew by him
shall inherit the land,
but those cursed by him shall be cut off.
23
The steps of a man are established by the LORD,
when he delights in his way;
24
though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong,
for the LORD upholds his hand.
25
I have been young, and now am old,
yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken
or his children begging for bread.
26
He is ever lending generously,
and his children become a blessing.
27
Turn away from evil and do good;
so shall you dwell forever.
28
For the LORD loves justice;
he will not forsake his saints.
They are preserved forever,
but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.
29
The righteous shall inherit the land
and dwell upon it forever.
30
The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom,
and his tongue speaks justice.
31
The law of his God is in his heart;
his steps do not slip.
32
The wicked watches for the righteous
and seeks to put him to death.
33
The LORD will not abandon him to his power
or let him be condemned when he is brought to trial.
34
Wait for the LORD and keep his way,
and he will exalt you to inherit the land;
you will look on when the wicked are cut off.
35
I have seen a wicked, ruthless man,
spreading himself like a green laurel tree.
4
37:35
The identity of this tree is uncertain
36
But he passed away,
5
37:36
Or But one passed by
and behold, he was no more;
though I sought him, he could not be found.
37
Mark the blameless and behold the upright,
for there is a future for the man of peace.
38
But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed;
the future of the wicked shall be cut off.
39
The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD;
he is their stronghold in the time of trouble.
40
The LORD helps them and delivers them;
he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in him.
Dive Deeper | Psalm 37
There are a lot of things in my life I am very passionate about that could not have been accomplished without the help of others. I have played drums for 12 years, but would be nowhere near good enough to do it professionally without the help of many teachers. I have flown (and landed) airplanes on my own for two years, but could never have dreamed of that without hours of an instructor coaching me and "nudging" the controls. I love my fiance deeply, but cannot and will not love her as God calls me to in marriage without the consistent help of the Lord, His Word, and my community.
Something I have really come to recognize more clearly lately is how simple the Christian life really can be. Now, I am under no illusion that this is a constantly lived out thing for the majority of us (and believe me, I include myself). But when I read God's Word and understand more and more of His character, I begin to see how plainly He has laid it out for me.
It's easy for me to read the first part of verse 23 (NIV), "If the Lord delights in a man's way," and think that I have to figure out on my own what that way is, and that, if I miss it, God will be mad at me. What the Lord has been so sweet to remind me lately is that His way is always laid out for me in His Word. Notice the connection between verses 24 and 31. This says that when the Lord delights in the way I'm living, He is faithful to uphold me. Then it says that when His Word is in my heart, my feet will not slip. Our powerful, mighty, and LOVING God has clearly explained in His Word (2 Timothy 3:17) how we should live, and He will not leave us to carry it out in our own strength or wisdom. He is with us, holding us up as we PURSUE (action) living out His Word.
Discussion Questions
1. Do you put pressure on YOURSELF to live a life of godliness? Or are you relying on God's help?
2. How big of a role does Scripture play in your day-to-day decisions and interactions?
3. Do you really believe that what God has laid out in His word is enough?
4) Is your life characterized by passivity or action? Are you even giving God the chance to strengthen you as you PURSUE Him and His word?