Sermon Tone Analysis
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Introduction
In 1688, Benjamin Harris compiled and published a book that was used by thousands of early American colonists.
It was titled "The New England Primer".
The textbook taught reading and biblical thinking through pictures and short, memorable phrases.
But long before that, the book of Psalms contained sections that did the same thing.
Such an example is Psalm 37. It is an acrostic poem.
It takes the letters of the Hebrew alphabet as the starting letter of words that compose a wisdom Psalm.
On the one hand, it can be used to help learn the Hebrew alphabet, but more importantly, it teaches believers about the consequences of following the path of wisdom and obedience to God.
Clues to structure
The book of Psalms was originally written in the Hebrew language.
And because we are reading an English translation, we will miss some of the beautiful details of the original text.
But we can still gather some crucial clues on the structure.
In our sermon series, we have learned that Hebrew poetry is composed of small lines of thought that are connected through repetition, contrast, or completion of the thought.
These short poetic lines typically occur in groups of two or three.
These line groups are further combined into larger groups of ideas.
English translations attempt to show the structure by including extra spaces and indentations to help show the lines and suggested groupings of ideas.
When we read this psalm, we should notice that the writer gives us an idea of the larger sections by repeating a particular set of words.
The phrases are "cut off", and "inherit the land".
With that in mind, let's look at the sections.
Reacting to the prosperity of the wicked v. 11-1
Considering the future of the wicked v. 12-22
Understanding how God sees things v. 23-29
Describing two ways of living v. 30-34, 35-38
Restoring confidence in God v.39-40
Reacting to the prosperity of the Wicked
A wisdom Psalm compares the path of choosing God and obeying him against the path of rejecting God and committing sinful acts.
The two paths are described as the path of the righteous and the path of the wicked.
Before we discuss the paths of the wicked and evil, we should note a few things.:
The wicked and evil described in this chapter display abhorrent actions that the average person should recognize as evil.
We know that there are unbelievers that are some of the nicest people we know.
And there are believers that are some of the worst people we have met.
So as we study this, let's keep in mind that we are not describing believers and unbelievers.
Rather we are comparing and contrasting following God and acting in ways that align with obedience to God.
We ought to recognize that "being a good person", is not the path for a right relationship with God.
We can never be good enough in our own thoughts and actions to please God.
For this purpose, Jesus Christ came and became the sacrifice for our sins that we may be found in him to be righteous.
We can only draw close to God through Christ and not through any good deeds.
We could say it another way; our best obedience is not full obedience until we entrust ourselves in faith to Jesus Christ.
Apart from him, we are lost.
When one looks at the apparent success of those who choose evil, it can be tempting to think that the path of the righteous is foolish.
Therefore, the writer gives us at least 18 commands in this first section.
It lists “do's and don'ts “for those who believe in God.
A person who believes in God may struggle to make sense of why their life is filled with difficulty, and those who are wicked are successful and powerful.
Shouldn't the wicked have all the problems and the righteous have all the good things?
The writer seeks to enlighten the struggling righteous person.
The first commands are a shortlist of “don’ts”: don’t fret and don't be envious.
What does it mean to fret?
The term describes when a person becomes extremely agitated or irritated.
This is a troubled state of mind and emotion prompted by the apparent success of the wicked.
It is a very natural response to look at the success of the wicked and “lose our minds”.
We are called to take hold of our thoughts and emotions so they don’t overcome us and lead us to foolish action.
The second "do not" command targets the other natural temptation, which is to become envious.
The righteous person may be tempted to think that it is better to join the "dark side" rather than remain faithful to God.
Thankfully, the writer gives a larger list of things to do instead:
Trust, do good and stay put.
Delight yourself in God.
Commit your way to God and trust Him.
Be still and wait patiently.
Refrain from anger and wrathful thinking.
While all these commands are essential, let's focus on a couple.
The first is a combination of commands that describe the opposite of becoming fretful.
The righteous person is to trust in God's sovereignty.
The righteous one ought to be focused on doing what is right and “settle down and plant themselves” in their choice to follow God.
This is more than just good advice.
It is how we need to bring our thoughts and actions to the Lordship of God.
When we declare that He is Lord, we put our authority, opinion, and perception in the backseat and let God take the position of the driver of our life.
It is a reminder that when we cannot control circumstances, we do have something that we can control.
We can control ourselves through our submission to God.
Now, let us also look at the second command.
We are called to delight in God.
Delighting in God implies having a high degree of pleasure and mental satisfaction.
Think about it for a moment.
What gives you delight?
What is your favorite hobby?
What is that one thing that you would like to do if you didn't have to work for a living?
These answers may give us some insight into what pursuits excite and energize us.
Does the idea of delighting in God seem foreign to you?
If it does, you may not realize yet the joy of doing good and the great satisfaction that comes from doing the will of God.
There is truly nothing like it.
It is what God intends for us when we become believers in Jesus Christ.
Listen to the words in Ephesians 2:10.
Consider the Future
The next section describes the current difficult reality and calls the righteous to look beyond what they presently see and consider the destination of the two paths.
The wicked may appear to have the upper hand over the righteous, but this will not always be the case.
The righteous may appear to be oppressed and defeated constantly, but that is how the current situation appears.
What will the future hold for these two ways?
God promises a day of reckoning.
He will vindicate the righteous and judge the wicked.
Even though our current situation may be more difficult and painful, the future is a good one.
It is glorious.
For God knows the future, holds the future and will bring it all to pass.
It is truly better with God.
This was true when this psalm was written.
It is also true when Paul wrote these words in Romans 8:18-25.
And it is certainly true for us today.
The upside-down situation of the wicked and righteous can cause the righteous to assume that God is unaware of the situation.
We may be tempted to think that God does not care.
But this is inaccurate, for God knows all and deeply cares.
The psalm writer reminds us that God promises to uphold those who suffer innocently for their obedience to him.
God promises to uphold them, for God delights in the one who delights in Him.
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