For the Righteous

Series Review

Text Context

Matthew 5:5 ESV

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Derek Kinder notes that there is no finer exposition of this Beatitude than Psalm 37.

This Psalm encourages the meek, who can be understood as the righteous, to not get discouraged because of the apparent success of the wicked. The righteous are told to trust in the Lord and live faithfully to Him and to not follow after the ways of the wicked. This Psalm describes the ways of the righteous and the wicked and consequences of those ways. And there is certainty about each of these ways. We can count on the consequences of the wicked coming to fruition and the consequences of the righteous coming to fruition.

The portion of this Psalm that we will consider today offers assurance. Not assurance from experiencing trial, but assurance that God will provide whether in trial or not. Assurance, that living the way of the righteous is always best, and the wicked are to be pitied.

Psalm 37:23–26 ESV

The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand. I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread. He is ever lending generously, and his children become a blessing.

Promise

Matthew 7:11 ESV

If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

Often our problem is we have difficulty really believing this promise. We struggle with it because of what we see in our trials, or what we don’t see. Where is God in illness? Where is God in disappointment? Where is God in the tunnel when there does not appear to be a light at the end of it? And the same dynamic that was in play during the days in which this Psalm was written is the same dynamic in play today. We become frustrated when those who could care less about honoring God succeed while we struggle. Even beyond that, we can become discouraged and frustrated when others experience good developments and results in life while we struggle.

Introduction

FCF: The righteous lack confidence in God.

Those who are righteous in the eyes of God must understand something: They did not make themselves righteous. Righteousness is not achieved, it is granted.

Philippians 3:9 (ESV)

not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—

Our righteousness is not our own. It comes from Christ. And what I want everyone who calls themselves Christians here today is that God, in His wisdom chose to make you righteous, and He therefore has a purpose for you and He therefore will provide you what you need to live out that purpose. He will provide and you can be confident in that provision.

Providence

The guardianship and care provided by God

Everything belongs to God. He is therefore the guardian of all things and all people. This is part of His common grace towards the world. In the case of those whom He has made righteous through Christ, His church belongs to Him and He cares for them in a particular way. He forgives their sin and provides the Holy Spirit to dwell within them and provides a faith family in the local church and preserves them through all of the trails and temptations of life, and assures them that they will never be plucked out of His hand, and has accomplished and provided everything necessary to live a life of godliness so that even death itself cannot steal any of that away.

So when you hear me refer to the providence of God, I am referring to His guardianship and care of His people.

The righteous can be confident in the providence of God because God is for the righteous.

God is for the righteous, and because God is for us we can be confident in His providence.

And what these verses of this Psalm outline are realities for the righteous that will never change, even when we suffer and even when it appears the wicked are succeeding or even prevailing.

What are the providential realities for the righteous?

Taking pleasure in God’s will yields stability (23)

Verse 23 presents a truth and the circumstances in which the truth can be realized.

Truth: The steps of a man are established by the Lord (ESV)

Necessary Circumstances: when he delights in His way

The steps of a man are established by the Lord

steps = way of life, actions, behavior, motivations, ambition

established = to make strong, stabilize

this is accomplished by the Lord

But there is a condition in which this will be true

when he delights in His way

when he takes pleasure in the way God has called to live. When he takes pleasure in surrendering his way of life, actions, behavior, motivation and ambition to God. When we delight or take pleasure in this, God stabilizes our steps.

Illustration

Youth group retreat: partners, one blind folded and one leading

We may feel as if we are the one who is going through life blind. Not sure what’s coming, why its coming and when it will go. But for the one who delights in God and His design for life, even when we are going at it blind, we are stable, because the hand that is leading us belongs to God.

In what do you take pleasure? A good meal? A good movie or TV show? Friends? Accomplishment? A good night’s sleep? Hobbies? Reading? The pleasure that comes from these do not last. But delighting in the way of the Lord doesn’t wear out or disappoint.

Many of us like what this Psalm says earlier:

Psalm 37:4 ESV

Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

You see how this works. Delight in God and he will honor those delights. So even when life is difficult, there is still stability because God is sovereign and good.

The righteous can be confident in God because God is for the righteous

Another reality providential reality for the righteous to note:

The suffering of God’s people will not overcome them. (24)

no promise that God’s people will not fall. Probably referencing unforeseen and unpreventable calamity.

But, there’s an important about the kinds of falls God’s people can expect to experience: he shall not be cast headlong

The NIV puts it like this: though he may stumble, he will not fall.

Will the righteous stumble? Experience hardship? Yes. Will that stumble ever result in being cast out away from the care, the providence of God? No.

Look what the rest of 24 says: for the Lord upholds him with His right hand. Why will our suffering never overcome us, because God has our backs.

the word uphold means to keep or maintain in an unaltered condition.... cause to remain or last

You know the phrase, you get what you pay for? It means that if you pay a cheap price, the quality of what you bought is probably not very high. And if you pay more, the quality is more. This is often true.

If you are righteous in God’s sight today. In other words, if you possess a righteousness that is not your own, but comes from Jesus, a price has been paid for you to have that righteousness. You didn’t pay it, I didn’t pay it, but it has been paid. And the result is a righteousness that will last. No severity of suffering can take it away. No trials can break it or even put a small dent or crack in it.

Yes, we will stumble. In fact, doesn’t feel like much of life is stumbling.... at least sometimes? God is for the righteous...

The end of v. 24 makes it clear: for the Lord upholds him with His hand. The stability of the Christian, even when they stumble is the Lord’s doing.

The word uphold means to keep in an unaltered condition.... to cause to remain or last. The children of God have a limitless shelf life, and our preservative is the righteousness of God.

The righteous can be confident in God because God is for the righteous.

Another providential reality for the righteous

The people of God will never be abandoned by God (25)

I was young and now I am old: David has seen much in his life, and one thing has become clear to him.... God provides for His people

But this can be confusing and even troubling because it appears that there re some who suffer and lack what is needed at the most basic level. There are Christians around the world who suffer, who are poor, who do not have what we would say is essential. Why should we agree with David that God always provides and His people will never go without what they need.

I want us to think through what we need. What is essential? Food? Clothing? Shelter? Can we have those things and still be in desperate need?

Consider what this Psalm says just a few verses up

Psalm 37:16 ESV

Better is the little that the righteous has than the abundance of many wicked.

The point here is that even in poverty, the righteous have more and better prospects that the wealthy wicked. And why is this true? The next verse:

Psalm 37:17 ESV

For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous.

As Derek Kinder observes:

Psalms 1–72: An Introduction and Commentary The Hidden Help (37:12–26)

real security and wealth lie not ‘in uncertain riches, but in the living God

And so when we get to a verse like verse 25, we understand that while we do not want anyone to suffer from lack of basic needs like bread, we know that the greater need is to be regarded as righteous in God’s eyes, because the wicked, even in their wealth, will loose it all and perish. The righteous will gain everything and live eternally at peace with God.

And when we understand what we have from God in His righteousness, we they are marked by a certain quality

The providence of God leads to lasting generosity (26)

“They” in v. 26 refers to the “righteous” in v. 25. So v. 25 is saying the the righteous are always generous and lend freely

This is the overflow of being recipients of the righteousness of God. Not just generosity of resources but of time, energy, etc.

God is building His kingdom by granting His people His righteousness. This today is happening as Christ builds His church. As people’s eyes are opened to their need for a Savior and as they come to Christ through faith alone, those who come after us as a result of our witness to our own redemption become part of living legacy of God’s plan of redemption.

I suggest that we first see this model in Gen.

Genesis 12:2 ESV

And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.

God makes His people great, when he gives His righteousness to us through Christ. We then can be a blessing to others when we point people to the righteousness that we have received.

This is the essence of the existence of the people of God.

Knowing the blessing we have in our own redemption

Passing on the the blessing of redemption to others.

This is generosity: Because we are recipients of generosity we are generous

Conclusion

The righteous can be confident in the providence of God because God is for the righteous.

stability

endurance

not being abandoned

generosity

Everyone wants these traits. We are encouraged to pursue these traits. Almost no one recommends against these things. The problem is we are often to value these things and pursue them as if they come from ourselves. And while people can be stable and endure and be surrounded by the support of others and be generous, unless all of that is the result of being the recipients of the providence of God, it will not last.

We can never loose sight of the fact that what we see now and experience now is not the end. This world and this life is not the end. So as significant as the pandemic is and the tragedy in Afghanistan is, and as our government is, and as our health is and as our church is.... this is not then end.

Be confident child of God. Be confident, not because of what you see, or what you feel, but because of what you know.

Psalm 37:34 ESV

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.

In the true end, God wins and all who belong to Him will win. Be confident in God. Pray to this end.