Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

We have spent several weeks looking at Psalm 37.

This Psalm is a rather lengthy Psalm written in the form of not only an acrostic poem but also in the form of many proverbs strung together.

The Psalm has a distinct contrasting form between wickedness and righteousness.

The context is that in which it may seem that the wicked has taking triumph over the righteous.

David wrote this Psalm not as a young man filled with dreams and lofty visions, but rather as an older man who has experienced the harsh realities of life in a fallen world.

This means the seeming success of the wicked but through it all he maintains the truth and the fulfillment of God’s eternal promises to the righteous.

As we close Psalm 37 tonight there are three images used to illustrate that salvation is of the LORD.

The Court

The first picture is a court room scene.

David writes that the wicked one lies in wait for the righteous and the intention is not to injure, discredit, but to kill the righteous.

Why? this is for no other reason than being righteous.

The same intent from the first murder continues to be what drives the wicked to murder.

The intention and the desire from the wicked is to kill the righteous for being righteous.

The righteous are hated without cause by the wicked.

The wicked despise the righteous so much for the goodness in them that they themselves have rejected.

In ancient Israel the wicked achieved places of influence and power and especially that of the courts.

The judicial system was far from efficient and easily manipulated by the rich to oppress the poor.

Not much has changed with the courts today - they are easily manipulated to oppress the little guy.

The wicked lies in wait - waiting to spring a trap or to catch the righteous — they watch the righteous and their every move waiting to move in.

This is typical of the wicked and we have seen this before with Daniel.

We see in the courtroom so far one like a prosecuting attorney who is watching every move with the eye of a hawk to bring accusation to pick apart and nail the righteous one with something that will get him put to death.

The righteous one would then be the defendant.

David writes on though that despite the wicked lying in wait — the promise the LORD will not leave him in the power of the wicked one.

The LORD will not leave him in the hand of the wicked one.

On top of that neither will He allow him to be condemned when he is judged.

The LORD will not fail to intervene on behalf of the righteous man.

Now the courtroom picture gets a little clearer.

We have seen the prosecutor and the defendant and now we get to see the defense attorney who also happens to be the judge!

The LORD is both defense and judge.

The LORD is able to defend against the accusations and also to prevent the righteous from being declared guilty.

The righteous are not at the mercy of the wicked but in the powerful protective hand of the LORD God who is the highest judge.

The wicked may accuse and pronounce judgment but the LORD is the ultimate judge.

The outcome of this trial has already been decided in favor of the accused before the trial has ever begun.

The judge has predetermined to find the accused not guilty.

Wait for the LORD and keep His way and He will exalt you to inherit the land.

You will watch when the wicked are destroyed.

There is a promise here for the righteous man, God will exalt you - but there are conditions that must be met.

First we are to wait upon the LORD and also we are to keep His way.

To wait upon the LORD is to wait in trust.

Wait for God to act and be silent before Him in expectancy.

Waiting upon the LORD also requires obeying the LORD - keeping the LORD’s way.

John Calvin commented “It is in vain for any to sit in judgment upon the first aspect of things... hasty judgment is then the cause of our being deceived.

But if a man extend his view, as if it were from a watch-tower, to a great distance, he will find that it has been said with truth, that the end of the reprobate and the end of the righteous respectively are at length very different... Let us learn to suspend our judgment, if God should not immediately accomplish what he has spoken.

If we should become impatient in our desires, let us moderate our minds by the reflection, that the end is not yet come, and that it behooves us to give God time to restore to order the confused state of things.”

Daniel waited upon the LORD

Daniel kept the LORD’s way

A temptation while waiting is to waver but to avoid wavering we instead keep also His way.

The wicked man’s schemes and deceits will be rewarded by destruction and death.

In the day God settles the score, the righteous man will see just how just God is.

In the meantime, it will look as though liars prosper, and wicked men may unjustly condemn the righteous.

But there is a great day of reckoning coming when the truth will be on the side of the godly, and all accounts will be settled according to God’s will, and “Thou shall see it.”

You will not only escape the destruction they had planned for you but will live to see their ruination.

Notice the different areas of focus, the righteous wait upon and are focused on God and the wicked lie in wait watching people.

The Flourishing Tree

David compares the wicked and violent person being well rooted like a flourishing tree.

We started the book of Psalms with a description of the righteous person being a flourishing tree.

But here the ungodly are pictured as a luxurious and flourishing native tree.

Meaning that the roots have gone down real deep and the plant itself is well established.

At first look and first brush the power the wicked seem to hold can be fiercely intimidating.

We might even be tempted to act out of fear of them instead of the fear of the LORD.

Their position and power seemingly established unable to be questioned or checked.

David could have been speaking of any number of instances in his life - Saul, Absalom or someone else he knew.

Their position and power well established and seeming to last forever.

The second look of this picture David writes then I passed by and noticed he was gone; I searched for him but he could not be found.

Not only did the tree die but there was no evidence or trace that there had been a tree at all.

The wicked being compared to a flourishing tree and then soon is gone completely is not what would be naturally expected.

Earlier in the Psalm we see the wicked compared to pretty flowers which do not last long.

Flowers quick ending life is expected but to assume a great flourishing tree to just be gone.

The only way a tree that is flourishing is suddenly gone without trace if it is purposefully cut-down and removed - so God will also do to the wicked.

The higher the wicked man exalts himself the more terrible his fall - his end will be sudden and complete.

Wickedness and evil will seemingly flourish for a time but that time will soon and quickly end.

A Righteous Rescue

Watch the blameless and observe the upright for the person of peace will have a future.

The blameless are those who are free from guilt or free from a guilty conscience.

The upright are the people in accordance with the godly standard.

Those will be a people of peace and they will have a future.

As opposed to the wicked which seek to watch the righteous only to seek to overtake them, the one here is being exhorted to observe and watch to learn from them and to strengthen your trust in God.

The idea of watch and observe is the idea of being mentored by them.

Watch the ways of the blameless and the upright for they have a future.

Transgressors will ALL be eliminated and the future of the wicked will be destroyed.

The key is not what do people look like and what possessions or positions do they have.

The key is to look at and to consider the ultimate end - the key is to have the long view in your mind.

The righteous have a future and the wicked do not have a future.

The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD their refuge in a time of distress.

The greatest thing about the righteous is their connection with God.

He is their help and refuge in a time of distress.

The Hebrew words are in the past tense and the future tense stating timeless truths.

Where do you find your safety?

Where does your strength come from in times of distress?

May it come from God alone for salvation comes from the LORD and He is our refuge.

Conclusion

Your enemy’s attempts to ruin you cannot outdo God’s promises to keep you.

The image of the tree shows that there are times when the wicked do so well that they seem indistinguishable from the righteous.

Their security seems equally assured.

They flourish.

But we are taught not to judge by appearances but by the Word of God.

Augustine: “At present therefore let the righteous bear with the sinner; let the wheat bear with the tares; let the grain bear with the chaff: for the time of separation will come

In our struggle against the unrighteousness of our day, we must not lose sight of the fact that our eternal salvation is a gift from God, and not because of our goodness.

Therefore, when evil seems to triumph over good, we must learn to be as patient with God in His judgment of them as He was in His judgment toward us.