27 April 2016

SOME GLEANINGS FROM PSALM 37

By John Ollis

I am sure  we all love the Psalms, especially those written by King David. As a shepherd in the many isolated places he had to look after the sheep he had the opportunity to spend time with the Lord. We know he was a singer and a musician, but he was particularly a WORSHIPPER, and I sincerely believe it was in and through worship David received much revelation which he shares in his Psalms, he without doubt also received the grace and the strength to live a Godly life so there was never any repetition of backsliding.
We come to Psalm 37 and we see David reminding us that although we may have enemies,  we have read the last chapter in the BOOK and know we are the WINNER. I like verse 2 in the MESSAGE “in no time they’ll shrivel like grass cutting, and wither like cut flowers in the sun”.
Verse 2 tells us to simply trust in the Lord, and do good (think of others). We are not visitors to the promised land we need to “settle down” and “feed” and enjoy God’s faithfulness. Remember it is “new every morning”.
Verse 4 tells us to “delight” and enjoy God’s presence and blessing, and the result is “He shall give you the desires of your heart”. I think some people think if I delight in the Lord God will give me the BMW car I desire. The more we delight in the Lord, the more God’s desires for us become paramount, or as Jesus says “seek first God’s kingdom and rule and all that we need will be give to us. What a mighty God we love and serve.
Verse 5 reminds us, we need to regularly (daily/constantly) commit our way to the Lord, and again the result will be God’s will shall come to pass in our live and the added bonus of Christ’s imputed righteousness will be manifest in our lives.
 
Again we are reminded  to simply “rest in the Lord” (verse 7) and know that our Sovereign Lord has everything under control, most of us can get IMPATIENT  but God’s timing is NOT the same as ours. Not only rest in the Lord ,but verse 8 tells us to “cease from anger” because the results of anger causes harm. Anger can be the result of impatience.
David for the next few verses talks about the wicked, then in verse 16 reminds us “a little that a righteous man has is better than all the riches of many wicked people.has .We must never forget GOD KNOWS EVERYTHING, including “our days”  and He already has a future inheritance prepared for us, as well as the glorious inheritance we enjoy as Believers right now (verse 18)
God told us to commit our way to Him, and David tells us in verse 23 THE STEPS OF A GOOD MAN ARE ORDERED BY THE LORD AND GOD DELIGHTS IN US (one of the results of us delighting in the Lord) and even thought we may start to slip sometimes God is there to UPHOLD US WITH HIS HAND.
I can so relate to David’s testimony in verse 25 I HAVE BEEN YOUNG, AND NOW AM OLD, YET I HAVE NEVER SEEN THE RIGHTEOUS FORSAKEN , NOR HIS DESCENDANTS BEGGING BREAD. He meets our needs, and those of our family, Praise the Lord.
Jesus talks about “out of the heart the mouth speaks” Jeremiah tells us, the heart of man is deceitful and desperately wicked, and here David in verse 30 tells us the righteous speak wisdom, and he tells us why in verse 31 The law of God is in his heart. Psalm 119  the Psalmist tells us Thy Word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against You. It has been said of the Bible, “This book will keep you from sin, but sin will keep you from this book. O how we must hide God’s Word in our heart and let is change our lives, not treating the Bible as a book of information but the source of revelation.
This is a glorious Psalm full of the truths that David had received from the Lord as he meditated and watched over the sheep, and let his heart reach out to worship God. David is such a role model for us, Let’s do it.