PSALMS 39
We will begin this in Psalms 37:14 "The wicked have drawn out the
sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, [and]
to slay such as be of upright conversation."
The wicked have always hated and wanted to destroy those who love
and follow God. In the verse above, they are ready to attack and kill
with their weapons the righteous, if that is the only way they can get
rid of them. Evil countries, with wicked rulers even today, attack the
helpless and take them over. The conversation of the upright, perhaps,
condemn the wicked. The worst condemnation on the wicked is their own
conscience, when they compare themselves with the upright. They feel
if they can get rid of these good people, they will feel less guilty
themselves.
Psalms 37:15 "Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and
their bows shall be broken."
Most of the time, someone setting a trap for someone else gets
caught in that very trap themselves. Someday they will learn that God
fights for the righteous. The best example of this very thing is when
Haman set a trap for Mordecai. He actually thought that the king would
be so jealous of Mordecai worshipping God that the king would kill
Mordecai and all of the Hebrews. He overlooked Esther. To read the
whole story on this read Esther chapter 2, 3, and 4. To get to the
special part, Haman was hung on the rope he prepared for Mordecai.
Psalms 37:16 "A little that a righteous man hath [is] better than
the riches of many wicked."
Ill-gotten gain does nothing but ruin the person who gets it.
Proverbs 15:17 "Better [is] a dinner of herbs where love is, than a
stalled ox and hatred therewith." A righteous man can lay down his
head and sleep at night, whereas a man who has cheated his fellow man
to get his wealth is continually afraid for his life. Ecclesiastes
5:12 "The sleep of a labouring man [is] sweet, whether he eat little
or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep."
Psalms 37:17 "For the arms of the wicked shall be broken: but the
LORD upholdeth the righteous."
This is just stating, to me, that the LORD is on the side of His
own, the righteous. Perhaps, the arms, mentioned in the verse above,
indicates that they not only came against the righteous, but actually
in so doing, raised their arms against God.
Psalms 37:18 "The LORD knoweth the days of the upright: and their
inheritance shall be for ever."
There is no difficulty in knowing what this means. The upright,
the redeemed, the saved, the righteous, the Christians are all the
same people. We KNOW where we will live forever. We will live with our
LORD.
Psalms 37:19 "They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in
the days of famine they shall be satisfied."
We know that the widow and her son lived through the famine. She
not only fed herself and her son, but fed Elijah, as well. I Kings
17:12 "And she said, [As] the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake,
but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and,
behold, I [am] gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for
me and my son, that we may eat it, and die." I Kings 17:13 "And Elijah
said unto her, Fear not; go [and] do as thou hast said: but make me
thereof a little cake first, and bring [it] unto me, and after make
for thee and for thy son." I Kings 17:15 "And she went and did
according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did
eat [many] days." I Kings 17:16 "[And] the barrel of meal wasted not,
neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD,
which he spake by Elijah."
Psalms 37:20 "But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the
LORD [shall be] as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke
shall they consume away."
The fat of the lambs is totally burned up. This means then, that
the enemies of the LORD will be completely done away with. The enemies
of the Lord will be thrown into the lake of fire.
Psalms 37:21 "The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again: but the
righteous sheweth mercy, and giveth."
The wicked borrows with no intention of ever repaying. The wicked
does not care who he might hurt by doing this. He cares for no one but
himself. Not only will the wicked not pay, but he is not blessed in
his evil ways, so possibly can not pay, even if he would. The
righteous is not so, everything he puts his hand to prospers. The more
he gives, the more blessed of God he is. He is a generous giver to
those in need.
Psalms 37:22 "For [such as be] blessed of him shall inherit the
earth; and [they that be] cursed of him shall be cut off."
This really needs no further explanation. The righteous shall
reign with Jesus on the earth. The cursed are condemned.
Psalms 37:23 "The steps of a [good] man are ordered by the LORD:
and he delighteth in his way."
The good man has decided to walk in the path the Lord has set for
him. The good man makes Jesus not only his Saviour, but his Lord, as
well. Each day the good man says, Lord, what would you have me to do
today. The Lord is pleased with him, because he is obedient.
I Samuel 15:22 "And Samuel said, Hath the LORD [as great] delight in
burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD?
Behold, to obey [is] better than sacrifice, [and] to hearken than the
fat of rams." When we do it God's way, we can not fail.
Psalms 37:24 "Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down:
for the LORD upholdeth [him with] his hand."
A righteous man may fall for a moment, but he has an advocate
with the Father. I John 2:1 "My little children, these things write I
unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate
with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:" This does not mean that
the child of God can go back into a sinful way of life. It does mean
that you may make a mistake, and Jesus will lift you back up. The
secret is what is going on in your heart. Do you have the desire in
your heart to sin, or do you have the desire in your heart to please
God? Troubles come to all of us. We may not always be on the mountain
top. Remember, we discussed that we learn more in the valley than we
do on the mountain top. Troubles come to make us strong. The more
times we face a difficult task and not fail in that trial, the more
near like Jesus we are.
Psalms 37:25 "I have been young, and [now] am old; yet have I not
seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread."
God will see to the needs of His people. He will not necessarily
help us with our greed. He will not let us go hungry, if we are His.
Remember, how He miraculously fed Elijah twice a day by a raven
bringing food to him. He, also, fed the rebellious Israelites 40 years
in the wilderness. I can say with David, I have been young, and now am
old, but I, too, have never seen God's people begging bread.
Psalms 37:26 "[He is] ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed
[is] blessed."
The mercy of God endureth forever. Galatians 3:16 "Now to Abraham
and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of
many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ." Galatians
3:29 "And if ye [be] Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs
according to the promise."
Psalms 37:27 "Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for
evermore."
The righteous must be born again. This means that we turn
completely away from the old sinful life, and live a brand new life in
Jesus. Galatians 2:20 "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I
live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now
live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me,
and gave himself for me." We live forevermore, because we have been
saved by the blood of Jesus.
Psalms 37:28 "For the LORD loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his
saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall
be cut off."
This verse is showing the difference in heaven and hell. Jesus
Christ is the Judge of all the world. He will separate all people into
2 classes: His sheep will be on His right side, and the goats on the
left side. The sheep live eternally in heaven with Jesus, and the
goats are doomed to the lake of fire.
Psalms 37:29 "The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell
therein for ever."
This land is the promised land {Heaven}. Read Revelation chapter
22 to understand more about heaven.
Psalms 37:30 "The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his
tongue talketh of judgment."
Wisdom is a gift from God, The mouth speaks the fountain of the
heart. The heart of a Christian is stayed upon God. Then the wisdom
that God has given the Christian comes out his mouth in speech.
Christians will be helping Jesus judge on this earth during the 1000
year reign. Jesus would be the Supreme court, the last word on every
issue.
Psalms 37:31 "The law of his God [is] in his heart; none of his
steps shall slide."
This following verse of Scripture tells exactly what God does for
those who choose to follow Him. "Hebrews 10:16 This [is] the covenant
that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will
put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;"
With our innermost being stayed upon the things of God, we will be
better able to make the right decisions, and therefore will not
backslide.
Psalms 37:32 "The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to
slay him."
Part of the reason that the wicked would like to destroy the
righteous is because the righteous make them feel guilty of sin. They
would like to get of this daily reminder of how far short they have
fallen in pleasing God. The wicked think, if they could just get rid
of the righteous, they could freely do whatever they want to do
without feeling guilty.
Psalms 37:33 "The LORD will not leave him in his hand, nor
condemn him when he is judged."
I see, in this, Stephen, who was stoned to death by the evil
ones. The wonderful thing about this was that even as they were
stoning Stephen to death, he saw heaven open and the Lord Jesus Christ
standing to welcome Stephen home. They may kill our body, but praise
God! we will be in heaven with Jesus.
Psalms 37:34 "Wait on the LORD, and keep his way, and he shall
exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou
shalt see [it]."
It may appear to the natural eye that the wicked are winning the
battle, but what will they be doing when the righteous of God answer
the trumpet call and go to be with our Lord? They will be left to face
the wrath of God. What a horrible fate for anyone.
Psalms 37:35 "I have seen the wicked in great power, and
spreading himself like a green bay tree." Psalms 37:36 "Yet he passed
away, and, lo, he [was] not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be
found."
When I see this verse, it reminds me of the words of a song that
says: I searched all over heaven for you and you were not there. We go
out of this world, as we came into the world. We can take none of the
things we have accumulated here. We stand before the Lord empty
handed. The wicked will not just be empty handed, but naked and
ashamed. They have not deposited anything in heaven. They have thought
of just self. They may have been big and important here on the earth,
but could not enter the heavenly gate. What a fate. I sought for you,
and you were not in heaven.
Psalms 37:37 "Mark the perfect [man], and behold the upright: for
the end of [that] man [is] peace."
Who is the perfect man? No one can claim that except Jesus. We
Christians are the upright, because Jesus has made us upright with His
blood. The grace of God brings the righteous peace. Jesus is the King
of peace. If we have Him, we are filled with peace.
Psalms 37:38 "But the transgressors shall be destroyed together:
the end of the wicked shall be cut off."
When this says transgressors, it means those who die in their
transgressions, those who have not repented and sought forgiveness for
their sins. There is only one way to heaven and eternal life, it is in
Jesus. Those who reject Jesus shall be cut off. He is the Way. He is
Life.
Psalms 37:39 "But the salvation of the righteous [is] of the
LORD: [he is] their strength in the time of trouble." Psalms 37:40
"And the LORD shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them
from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him."
Everything that we have studied in the book of Psalms has been
giving us the secret to eternal life. That life is hid in Jesus. Those
who trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour and Lord have life
eternal. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.
Questions 39
1. Who have the wicked always hated and wanted to destroy?
2. Who do evil rulers attack today?
3. What is the worst condemnation of the wicked?
4. When someone sets a trap, who usually get caught in the trap?
5. Who is a real good example of that in the book of Esther?
6. A ______ that a righteous man has is better than the _______ of
many wicked.
7. Quote Proverbs chapter 15 verse 17.
8. What one word describes the sleep of a righteous man?
9. The days of the upright are for how long?
10. What is a good example of someone being fed in a famine found in
the book of 1 Kings?
11. Who was the prophet of God that was fed by this widow?
12. What happened to the fat of the lamb?
13. What will happen to the enemies of God?
14. Who borrows and does not repay?
15. When you are free hearted and give to the needy, what happens to
you?
16. The steps of a good man are ordered of the ______.
17. Quote 1 Samuel chapter 15 verse 22.
18. Where do we find the Scripture that says, we have an advocate with
the Father?
19. Where do we grow the most, on the mountain or in the valley?
20. What is the determining factor of whether we will be forgiven or
not?
21. How did God miraculously feed Elijah?
22. Who is the seed in verse 26?
23. What does being born again really mean?
24. Verse 28 shows us the difference in what?
25. What 2 classes does Jesus separate the people into?
26. The mouth of the righteous speaketh ______.
27. Where does the Christian have the law of God?
28. Who does the author relate verse 33 to?
29. What is the wicked compared to in verse 35?
30. Who is the perfect man?
31. Who is the upright?
32. What is transgressors referring to in verse 38?
33. Who is the strength of the righteous?
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