Psalms Lesson 3
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PSALMS 37
PSALMS 37
IN THE LIGHT OF ETERNITY!
IN THE LIGHT OF ETERNITY!
The New International Version (1984) Psalm 37
Do not fret because of evil men
or be envious of those who do wrong;
1 Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. 2 But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. 3 For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
1 Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong; 2 for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. 3 Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy 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 do this: 6 He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.
7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. 8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil. 9 For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land. 10 A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found. 11 But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace. 12 The wicked plot against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them; 13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he knows their day is coming.
14 The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright. 15 But their swords will pierce their own hearts, and their bows will be broken. 16 Better the little that the righteous have than the wealth of many wicked; 17 for the power of the wicked will be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous. 18 The days of the blameless are known to the Lord, and their inheritance will endure forever. 19 In times of disaster they will not wither; in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.
20 But the wicked will perish: The Lord’s enemies will be like the beauty of the fields, they will vanish—vanish like smoke. 21 The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously; 22 those the Lord blesses will inherit the land, but those he curses will be cut off. 23 If the Lord delights in a man’s way, he makes his steps firm; 24 though he stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.
OUR GOAL FOR OUR STUDY....TO CONSIDER:
OUR GOAL FOR OUR STUDY....TO CONSIDER:
OBSERVATION OF THE PSALM
The Psalm deals with the difficult issue contrasting the wicked and the righteous.
THE WICKED AND THE RIGHTEOUS
Two Kinds of people are considered in this passage. The wicked and the righteous are contrasted in terms of their character, their lifestyle and the ultimate outcome of their lives.
INTERPRETATION
WHAT DOES THE PASSAGE MEAN?
People who live ungodly lives often prosper, while those who try to obey God are afflicted. Psalm 37 does not really provide an explanation for this seeming injustice. Rather, it challenges the believer to view this reality in light of eternity and to respond in faith
HOW SHOUD WE NOT RESPOND TO THE BEHAVIOR AND APPARENT WELL BEING OF THE UNGODLY? (V1, 7,8)
“DO NOT FRET”
Corrie Ten Boom quotes
Corrie Ten Boom quotes
Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.
Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow; it empties today of its strength.
Forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart.
When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don’t throw away the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer.
It is not my ability, but my response to God's ability, that counts.
Any concern too small to be turned into a prayer is too small to be made into a burden.
Memories are the key not to the past, but to the future.
Worry is a cycle of inefficient thoughts whirling around a center of fear.
Let God's promises shine on your problems.
Faith is like radar that sees through the fog.
Do Not...
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
HOW SHOULD WE RESPOND WHEN THE WICKED DO WICKED THINGS AND PROSPER WHILE WE SUFFER AND STRUGGLE? WHAT ARE THE POSITIVE COMMANDS IN VERSES 3-8
3 Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy 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 do this: 6 He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. 7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. 8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil.
RESTING IN THE LORD, DOES NOT DEPEND ON YOUR EXTERNAL CIRCUMSTANCES, BUT ON YOUR RELATIONSHIP TO GOD HIMSELF......Oswald Chambers
TRUST,
DELIGHT,
COMMIT,
BE STILL,
WAIT FOR HIM,
REFRAIN FROM ANGER AND TURN FROM WRATH
Oswald Chambers says, “Fretting springs from a determination to get our own way…All our fret and worry is caused by calculating without God.”
How does this resonate with you?
THE END
THE END