This Psalm is an acrostic. It is written to man, not God. This Psalm deals with the question we've all had; why do the ungodly prosper while the people of God seem to struggle through life?
A Psalm of David.
1 Do not fret because of evildoers,
Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.
2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass,
And wither as the green herb.
As we consider the question of how life goes for the evil man verses the Godly, we can't react too quickly. Don't fret and don't be envious. There is a time coming when they will be cut down. We can't base our judgment on what we see over the short span of our life because our lives are to short and our vision too narrow to understand.
Isaiah 40 says……….
" All flesh is grass,
And all its loveliness is like the flower of the field.
7 The grass withers, the flower fades,
Because the breath of the LORD blows upon it;
Surely the people are grass.
8 The grass withers, the flower fades,
But the word of our God stands forever."
3 Trust in the LORD, and do good;
Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
4 Delight yourself also in the LORD,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
Trust, do good, dwell and feed……… these are the things of life. It's finding contentment in your life instead of dissatisfaction that someone else may have it better. How do we look around at the evil that is happening around us every day and not get cynical? How do we watch as a country founded on biblical principles carves its own foundational values from under it?
We live by trusting God; doing good in spite of it all. We live in the land. We maintain a presence here and we feed on God's faithfulness. It feels lonely at times doesn't it? We are to plop right down in the middle of all this evil and make every attempt to be holy. We must find our delight in the Lord because we'll struggle to find it anywhere else. And if our heart is inclined to Him, he will grant us the desires of our heart.
5 Commit your way to the LORD,
Trust also in Him,
And He shall bring it to pass.
6 He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light,
And your justice as the noonday.
These verses begin to sound like the maxims of the Proverbs. If our ways are committed to Him and our heart is made new by Him then those things that he puts on our heart will be brought to pass. If God gives you a Godly desire, He will bring it to pass.
Verse six might be read as God putting you in the spotlight for all to see how shiny and wonderful you are. Except, we know we possess no righteousness of our own. Therefore, I don't want my righteousness to be shown in the light of the day. If there is any righteousness brought to light then it is the righteous imputed to us by Jesus Christ.
7 Rest 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.
8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath;
Do not fret-it only causes harm.
This constant fretting can get to all of us. It seeps into your life when you don't realize it. We see so many attacks on our values, our ways, our God, our kids and it goes on and on. You feel like you have to be on the defense or ready to attack back all the time. But God says rest in the Lord. Wait for him. Don't worry about the wicked. If you build up wrath and fret it causes harm to you.
9 For evildoers shall be cut off;
But those who wait on the LORD,
They shall inherit the earth.
10 For 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.
11 But the meek shall inherit the earth,
And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
These are great promises. It's like the triumph of 2 Corinthians 2. We walk in triumph with the Lord even though it doesn't seem like it. This life will have its disappointments and frustrations but we need to hang in there a little longer. Wait on the Lord. It seems like the enemy is winning but the victory has already been declared. Hold on, hang in there. There is a very real promise that it will be well worth the wait.
12 The wicked plots against the just,
And gnashes at him with his teeth.
13 The Lord laughs at him,
For He sees that his day is coming.
This is what I think about when I see the rantings of some of these atheists who rage against God in the books they write, the interviews they do on TV and radio. They gnash their teeth; seething in hatred against the things of God. All the while the Lord laughs at him. There is a day coming.
14 The 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.
15 Their sword shall enter their own heart,
And their bows shall be broken.
The wicked and evil are making war against those that can't defend themselves. They make their way by casting down the poor and needy. They feed off those who are upright in conduct. They are disgusted that the upright don't act as they do. It makes them mad. But the sword they use will be the one that kills them. Their ability to harm will be broken.
16 A little that a righteous man has
Is better than the riches of many wicked.
17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
But the LORD upholds the righteous.
We should find contentment in what the Lord has given us. Even though it seems small compared to what the wicked man has it is what the Lord has given you. Don't covet the wicked man. His arms will be broken. His possessions will all pass away.
18 The LORD knows the days of the upright,
And their inheritance shall be forever.
19 They shall not be ashamed in the evil time,
And in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.
20 But the wicked shall perish;
And the enemies of the LORD,
Like the splendor of the meadows, shall vanish.
Into smoke they shall vanish away.
This is one of the rare places in the Old Testament that speak of eternity. The Lord has numbered our days and when they are up we will inherit eternity. What a promise! Until then, as we live in this evil time we won't be ashamed and there will be satisfaction in the time of famine. The Lord will watch over his people. The wicked though, are on their own. They will perish and all of God's enemies shall vanish like smoke.
21 The wicked borrows and does not repay,
But the righteous shows mercy and gives.
22 For those blessed by Him shall inherit the earth,
But those cursed by Him shall be cut off.
23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD,
And He delights in his way.
24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down;
For the LORD upholds him with His hand.
David gives us a couple contrasts to see how the righteous man looks and acts as opposed to the wicked man, as well as how the righteous is treated verses the treatment of the wicked. The righteous man is giving and shows mercy. His steps are guided by the Lord. The Lord upholds this man and he shall inherit the earth (after it is remodeled.)
25 I have been young, and now am old;
Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken,
Nor his descendants begging bread.
26 He is ever merciful, and lends;
And his descendants are blessed.
David had lived enough years to make an observation regarding the treatment of the righteous. He had lived through many difficult circumstances and he had never the righteous forsaken. This man reflects the God he serves…… he is merciful and giving and is a blessing to others.
27 Depart from evil, and do good;
And dwell forevermore.
28 For the LORD loves justice,
And does not forsake His saints;
They are preserved forever,
But the descendants of the wicked shall be cut off.
29 The righteous shall inherit the land,
And dwell in it forever.
Once again we see the promise of eternity for those that do good. This is not a works based salvation……… do good and dwell forevermore. These three things flow out of a love for the Lord and covenant relationship; depart from evil, do good, inherit eternity.
30 The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom,
And his tongue talks of justice.
31 The law of his God is in his heart;
None of his steps shall slide.
God's law is in his heart. He speaks from the abundance of his heart in wisdom and justice. This guides and directs his steps. They will all be sure and none shall slip.
32 The wicked watches the righteous,
And seeks to slay him.
33 The LORD will not leave him in his hand,
Nor condemn him when he is judged.
We are never at the mercy of the plans of the wicked. The Lord watches over his people and won't leave us in the hand of the wicked man.
34 Wait on the LORD,
And keep His way,
And He shall exalt you to inherit the land;
When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it.
35 I have seen the wicked in great power,
And spreading himself like a native green tree.
36 Yet he passed away, and behold, he was no more;
Indeed I sought him, but he could not be found.
Wait on the Lord. It sounds so much easier when we are reading a Psalm. It's not as easy to remember when we are at work or home. We are to wait but I think we should also wait with eager anticipation. He is coming soon. We should stay the course, keeping His ways and we will soon inherit the land. A day is coming soon when the wicked will be cut off. The evil of this world will be no more.
37 Mark the blameless man, and observe the upright;
For the future of that man is peace.
38 But the transgressors shall be destroyed together;
The future of the wicked shall be cut off.
39 But the salvation of the righteous is from the LORD;
He is their strength in the time of trouble.
40 And the LORD shall help them and deliver them;
He shall deliver them from the wicked,
And save them,
Because they trust in Him.
The blameless man has a future with the Lord. Those who stay in their sins, the transgressors, also have a future. They will be destroyed together. They will be cut off. Our righteousness comes from the Lord and that righteousness is our salvation. We all have had times of trouble and I think there are more times or trouble coming. The Lord is our strength in those times. He is the one who will deliver us. The wicked have no power over us…….. the Lord is still on the throne. He will save us because we trust in Him.
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