What You Need To Know!
TAKING THE NEXT STEPS • Sermon • Submitted
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· 19 viewsGod's providence is assured and suffcient to preserve and keep the one who trusts him.
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INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
Is life fair?
It is the most heart rending question to a whole generation of people called millennials.
Whereas previous generations have often fought for justice in the world, they have most often accepted that the world is unfair and unjust, and that in order to succeed we have to deal with the hardships and adversities we encounter in life, millennials as a cohort on the other hand have been surprised by the levels and layers of difficulty and struggle they have to face down, just in the ordinary pursuits of daily living. Not everyone in this generational group is like this, but as a group they tend to think this way about life. This is true particularly in the western hemisphere, and culture. Life is generally more comfortable, the economy better, and standards of living much higher than for their parents or grandparents. Most have not face major deprivation, war, cataclysmic adversity a natural disaster that has completely devastated their lives or region. They are accustomed to to having money for regular visits to the coffee shop, an fairly easy passage through school and college, safe places where they are protected from hearing things with which they disagree, and have the expectation that in the corporate world they will have little problem making good money almost immediately after of college. So when life is tough or things go wrong, or there is a price to be paid for success and progress, it sometimes comes as a shock, a significant emotional and mental shock, that the world does not routinely grease the skids for them, just because of who they are. In short, they have been sold a bill of goods, that fails to deliver once they enter the unprotected world outside of their home and educational environment, where they are finally responsible to make their own way without being propped up in some way.
was written for millennials!
Of David.
Do not fret because of those who are evil
or be envious of those who do wrong;
for like the grass they will soon wither,
like green plants they will soon die away.
Trust in the Lord and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him and he will do this:
He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
your vindication like the noonday sun.
Be still before the Lord
and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.
Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
do not fret—it leads only to evil.
For those who are evil will be destroyed,
but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.
A little while, and the wicked will be no more;
though you look for them, they will not be found.
But the meek will inherit the land
and enjoy peace and prosperity.
The wicked plot against the righteous
and gnash their teeth at them;
but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
for he knows their day is coming.
The wicked draw the sword
and bend the bow
to bring down the poor and needy,
to slay those whose ways are upright.
But their swords will pierce their own hearts,
and their bows will be broken.
Better the little that the righteous have
than the wealth of many wicked;
for the power of the wicked will be broken,
but the Lord upholds the righteous.
The blameless spend their days under the Lord’s care,
and their inheritance will endure forever.
In times of disaster they will not wither;
in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.
But the wicked will perish:
Though the Lord’s enemies are like the flowers of the field,
they will be consumed, they will go up in smoke.
The wicked borrow and do not repay,
but the righteous give generously;
those the Lord blesses will inherit the land,
but those he curses will be destroyed.
The Lord makes firm the steps
of the one who delights in him;
though he may stumble, he will not fall,
for the Lord upholds him with his hand.
I was young and now I am old,
yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken
or their children begging bread.
They are always generous and lend freely;
their children will be a blessing.
Turn from evil and do good;
then you will dwell in the land forever.
For the Lord loves the just
and will not forsake his faithful ones.
Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed;
the offspring of the wicked will perish.
The righteous will inherit the land
and dwell in it forever.
The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom,
and their tongues speak what is just.
The law of their God is in their hearts;
their feet do not slip.
The wicked lie in wait for the righteous,
intent on putting them to death;
but the Lord will not leave them in the power of the wicked
or let them be condemned when brought to trial.
Hope in the Lord
and keep his way.
He will exalt you to inherit the land;
when the wicked are destroyed, you will see it.
I have seen a wicked and ruthless man
flourishing like a luxuriant native tree,
but he soon passed away and was no more;
though I looked for him, he could not be found.
Consider the blameless, observe the upright;
a future awaits those who seek peace.
But all sinners will be destroyed;
there will be no future for the wicked.
The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord;
he is their stronghold in time of trouble.
The Lord helps them and delivers them;
he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in him.
In it the writer...
David deals with the the big questions about life, about injustice, adversity, wisdom, folly, rewards and punishments (VanGemeren, Willem A. “Psalms.” In The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, edited by Frank E. Gaebelein, Vol. 5. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1991, 297).
What emerges is a principle, which can only be described as providence, the overarching rule of God, whereby the wicked will eventually be punished and the righteous will be rewarded by God.
Furthermore, the wrongs of the world will be brought to an end and God will establish utterly impeccable justice under the sovereign rule of his hand. In the meantime, however, the psalmist acknowledges and admits that things are not perfect and that the world is both unsafe, unfair and brutal. It is because of the sin and wickedness of men. Their pride, greed, selfishness and lack of concern for God, God's rule and holiness has perverted the course of history, with the result that injustice and evil prevail, and adversity and suffering are as much a part of the natural order of things in this present age as birth and death (, , , , ).
So what then is the final conclusion of the Psalmist?
The wicked will perish like grass that grows and is then scorched by the sun ().
They may plot against the righteous and even wound them from time to time, but God will turn their fierce anger against them, and they will ultimately fail and be punished in judgment (). While the wicked are dishonest in their dealings, it is God who will reward the righteous with a lasting inheritance, and the wicked will lose what little they once possessed (). While the wicked scheme against the righteous, their plans will not prevail, and they will not ultimately be able overcome those who belong to God; there will be a reversal of fortunes in the end (). Once they have been removed, once they have been punished, once the books have been balanced, the wicked will be no more - even if you were to look for them you will not be able to find them ()!
On the other hand, the prospects of the righteous are far better!
God Has undertaken to give to the righteous the desires of their hearts (), whenever they first delight themselves in the Lord.
Their way, the course of their lives, will not fade away unto death, but grow brighter and brighter, as they reach the goals God has for them, when he will vindicate their cause at the end of the age and in the ages to come (). So it is vital that the righteous simply commit their way to God. That ism they are to trust God with the final outcome, and not to fret and worry about it, to the point they seek to manipulate things for their own ends and benefit ().
Let God be you benefactor, and he will vindicate you!
The righteousness should not fret, be eaten up with dread or anxiety over the future, or about the outcome of something uncertain in the future (). Neither should they become angry and impatient about the speed at which things unfold or at which God works, because God is dealing with ultimate and permanent outcomes, which will be in their favor, and not immediate and temporary benefits and comforts in this age (, , , , , , ).
In the midst of this conversation about the fate of the wicked and the rewards of the righteous, the Psalmist also contemplates the providence of God in this life. He notes that God guides and protects each step that we take. So in our lives as we ask about taking the next steps, it is vitally important to know that between the present moment and teh day of victory and vindication, God is watching over every step in order to bring us safely home ()!
In the midst of this conversation about the fate of the wicked and the rewards of the righteous, the Psalmist also contemplates the providence of God in this life. He notes that God guides and protects each step that we take. So in our lives as we ask about taking the next steps, it is vitally important to know that between the present moment and teh day of victory and vindication, God is watching over every step in order to bring us safely home ()!
In our passage the psalmist first makes an assertion about God's providence, then he testifies as this his own observation and experience of God's providence and finally he encourages his readers to surrender to God and trust in his providential care and blessing. There is a hint here that this declaration comes from a moment of doubt or crisis in David's life when he saw the apparent thriving of the wicked, who reject God and and do not trust in his providence. But on reflection and further observation, he realizes that they are doomed to perish along with their ways, as quickly as the grass is withered by the heat of the sun. This is critical, because the next observation is based on confidence in the providence of God and his care for his people, and all who put their trust in him!
In our passage the psalmist first makes an assertion about God's providence, then he testifies as this his own observation and experience of God's providence and finally he encourages his readers to surrender to God and trust in his providential care and blessing. There is a hint here that this declaration comes from a moment of doubt or crisis in David's life when he saw the apparent thriving of the wicked, who reject God and and do not trust in his providence. But on reflection and further observation, he realizes that they are doomed to perish along with their ways, as quickly as the grass is withered by the heat of the sun. This is critical, because the next observation is based on confidence in the providence of God and his care for his people, and all who put their trust in him!
1. Firm Steps
1. Firm Steps
The promise made by the psalmist here is that God will make our steps firm.
But what does that mean?
First of all…
The idea of taking steps is a familiar biblical metaphor for living one's life. The idea of walking in a certain way means to conduct one's life in a certain manner.
The idea of walking in a certain way means to conduct one's life in a certain manner. So, the psalmist said in that he will not walk in the way of sinners or the ungodly (, ). In Deuteronomy the metaphor of walking for how one conducts their life is a most common way of referring to righteousness as a way of life (; ; ; ; ; ; ). In other words, to take steps forward is to conduct ones life, live one's life, to make personal progress or to move forward in living one's life.
The idea of walking in a certain way means to conduct one's life in a certain manner. So, the psalmist said in that he will not walk in the way of sinners or the ungodly (, ). In Deuteronomy the metaphor of walking for how one conducts their life is a most common way of referring to righteousness as a way of life (; ; ; ; ; ; ). In other words, to take steps forward is to conduct ones life, live one's life, to make personal progress or to move forward in living one's life.
So, the psalmist said in that he will not walk in the way of sinners or the ungodly (, ). In Deuteronomy the metaphor of walking for how one conducts their life is a most common way of referring to righteousness as a way of life (; ; ; ; ; ; ). In other words, to take steps forward is to conduct ones life, live one's life, to make personal progress or to move forward in living one's life.
Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.
Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.
Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.
Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.
Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.
Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.
Walk in obedience to all that the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess.
And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul,
If you carefully observe all these commands I am giving you to follow—to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him and to hold fast to him—
because you carefully follow all these laws I command you today—to love the Lord your God and to walk always in obedience to him—then you are to set aside three more cities.
You have declared this day that the Lord is your God and that you will walk in obedience to him, that you will keep his decrees, commands and laws—that you will listen to him.
The Lord will establish you as his holy people, as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the Lord your God and walk in obedience to him.
For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.
What the psalmist says, building on the metaphor, is that the Lord will make the steps of the one who delight's in God, firm.
Now, before we deal with the condition, we should explore what it means for God to make our steps firm.
The idea behind the word is that to direct, place, make firm, arrange, establish, fix, etc., (Brown, Francis, Samuel Rolles Driver, and Charles Augustus Briggs. Enhanced Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1977, 465).
So the psalmist is claiming that God will direct and firmly establish the steps of those who delight in him.
There is a certain assurance in this that although the wicked are destined at some point to fail, and their success is temporary and short-lived, the righteous will prevail, because God will direct their paths and establish there steps (their lives and its outcome) firmly enough not to fail (Brown, Francis, Samuel Rolles Driver, and Charles Augustus Briggs. Enhanced Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1977, 857). It is the noun steps that carries the metaphor for the course of one's life, and it is the final outcome that is put beyond question, as we shall see in the next clause.
The individual elements of the journey may be tough and hard to walk out, but the final outcome is not in question for those who delight in the Lord.
But the promise is conditional, on delighting oneself in the Lord ().
This person is described as a strong man(גֶּ֫בֶר), the hero (Clarke, Adam, trans. The Holy Bible with a Commentary and Critical Notes. New Edition. Vol. I–VI. Bellingham, WA: Faithlife Corporation, 2014, Vol. 3, 339).
But what does it mean to delight yourself in the Lord?
It basically means to take pleasure in something, or to enjoy it, but has the underlying notion of being mindful of or paying proper attention to something (Brown, Francis, Samuel Rolles Driver, and Charles Augustus Briggs. Enhanced Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1977, 342).
The truth is that the way many of us conducts our lives, the Lord is lucky to ge a mention in dispatches or a brief window of attention on Sunday morning! He is hardly at the center of our lives, or at the core of our devotion. But that is what David is saying. If we want the course of our lives to be finally established and if we expect to prevail and be vindicated in the end, then we must delight in the Lord, give him our wholehearted devotion and attention!
The promise is conditional!
Now we note that the psalmist is thinking in term of outcomes, as the use of the metaphor steps seems to imply. He says that even if the man who delights in God stumbles, he will not fall ().
Now this is vitally important...
Building on the metaphor of steps as a reference to the entire course of one's life...
He envisions the individual steps being sometimes uncertain, or over difficult or uneven terrain, so that one might stumble. Nevertheless, God will not allow the stumbling steps to undermine and overpower the outcome.
How will be do this?
By upholding or sustaining those who delight in the Lord, with provision and strength from his own hand.
God will bless his people with encouragement , support and even the provisions they need to stay the course until life is finished victoriously.
The word translated stumble from the Hebrew is surprisingly strong compared to the English in the NIV. Likely it is chosen to draw a contrast with the use of the Hebrew for being utterly cast down, and therefore totally lost. The one word means a genuine fall, a real misadventure in the course of living for God, but the other word means to be cast down headlong, a violent fall with irreparable damage and loss. Though the one who delights in the Lord may actually fall, he will not be utterly lost and irrevocably cast down into oblivion, because God will uphold him with his own divine hand. The word fall is used to refer to falling, to falling into a pit, falling off a tower, leaves falling from a tree, falling backwards, etc. (Brown, Francis, Samuel Rolles Driver, and Charles Augustus Briggs. Enhanced Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1977, 658). So even when the setbacks are quite severe, the one who delights in the Lord can expect providential and divine restoration and redemption. This is not just about little missteps, but an assurance that in the highest levels of setbacks as we seek to stay focused on God, he will redeem the outcome of our lives and keep us on track for his final will to be done!
The idea is that as the one who delights in the Lord stumbles and falls, God will reach out and lay his hand on him so that the extent of the fall and the hurt caused by the fall is mitigated, not irrevocable and cannot do lasting or permanent damage.
Who will ensure the success and victory of the righteous, or the one who delights in the Lord?
It is the Lord himself, YAHWEH, whose name appears emphatically at the beginning of verse 23...
To emphasize the source for this remarkable claim (VanGemeren, Willem A. “Psalms.” In The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, edited by Frank E. Gaebelein, Vol. 5. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1991, 302).
Why can we be so sure of the success of the righteous?
Because it is the Lord himself who directs his steps in the right paths to achieve the planned and perfect outcome ordained by God.
The psalmist makes no bones about it, it is the Lord himself who is the guarantor of the promise made in this passage! In the long run God's will and providence will prevail! We must understand that God has promised not shield from all hurt, and indeed he asks us to endure sacrifice and hardships for him. What he does promise is that not a single thing in this world will do permanent damage to his people who trust him and will never removed them from the love and care of his divine providence ()!
2. Familiar Providence!
2. Familiar Providence!
The psalmist then turns to an example of this principle in his own observation and experience.
What has he observed?
We do not know how old David was when he wrote this psalm, but he calls himself "old." This is entirely relative for different cultures and times. Life spans in the Bible for the kings of Israel and Judah were often relatively short. Certainly life spans are generally longer for us right now, and considerably longer than they were in certain parts of the west over a 100 years ago.
The point is that...
He is reporting on his observation of life in the world around him from the vantage point of age and experience.
And this is what he has seen; the righteous have never been forsaken, or let down by God, and their children have never gone without the timely and sufficient provision of God.
To be forsaken by God would be to be left alone by him, or left in a certain situation or condition, without his intervention (Brown, Francis, Samuel Rolles Driver, and Charles Augustus Briggs. Enhanced Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1977, 737).
This is the complete opposite of what he previously asserted, that for the one who delights in the Lord...
God would act in providence, he would lay his hand on them to bear them up when they fall or stumble. So David is affirming that he has seen the principle at work in genuine instances, that he has affirmed in his testimony or prophetic observations!
So David is affirming that he has seen the principle at work in genuine instances, that he has affirmed in his testimony or prophetic observations!
This not mere talk David affirms, I have see God doing this stuff in reality. None of his righteous have I seen forsaken, and neither do their children go begging for bread.
In other words, he has seen evidence in the lives of the righteous that God really does uphold them, and that he daily meets their needs.
God not only keeps them in the ultimate course of their lives, but is active in the individual steps of the journey.
There is a spinoff here. The generosity and providence of God has a tendency to produce generosity among the righteous toward others, and even among their children. To benefit from the providence of God, does not make them sponges soaking up all the good he has to offer, but rather channels of that good to others. Indeed, one might argue that those whom God has blessed and helped, become helpers and blessers of others, instruments through which God extends his mercy into the lives of others.
3. From Evil to Good
3. From Evil to Good
Then comes the warning, or possibly the exhortation.
If it is indeed the one who delights in the Lord whose steps are firmed up by God, and if it is indeed the righteous who are not forsaken, then those wicked that caused the consternation earlier in the psalm, need to turn back to righteousness and follow God.
To the wicked he says that there is only one way to ensure longevity, and that is to turn from wickedness to righteousness.
Now this is vitally important, because he is showing them the path to enjoying the providence of God, it is through repentance and the pardon of God, his forgiveness.
All is not lost unless the wicked refuse to repent. There is a way to reverse the situation and to benefit from the providence God offers to the righteous!
CONCLUSION
CONCLUSION
What two things is God faithful to do?
That is there are two things that God will not fail to carry forward, in his divine purpose.
He will not fail to love the just, and he will not forsake those who are faithful to him ().
For the Lord loves the just
and will not forsake his faithful ones.
Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed;
the offspring of the wicked will perish.
That is, he will keep an establish those who serve and trust him over the long haul, without turning back or away from God and righteousness.
God will also faithfully punish the wicked. As sure as his blessings are to the faithful, so are his punishments for the wicked. He will completely wipe out the wicked and their offspring, meaning that all sin and evil will be brought to a swift and final end, without compromise or admixture ().
For the Lord loves the just
and will not forsake his faithful ones.
Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed;
the offspring of the wicked will perish.
It is only the righteous that will inherit the land forever (). That means only the righteous will find a place in God's enduring purposes, beyond the present age. There is only one chance, one hope, for the wicked, they must turn to God from sin.
The righteous will inherit the land
and dwell in it forever.
