Psalm 39

I said, “I will guard my ways,
Lest I sin with my tongue;
I will restrain my mouth with a muzzle,
While the wicked are before me.”
² I was mute with silence,
I held my peace even from good;
And my sorrow was stirred up.
³ My heart was hot within me;
While I was musing, the fire burned.
Then I spoke with my tongue:

⁴ “Lord, make me to know my end,
And what is the measure of my days,
That I may know how frail I am.
⁵ Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths,
And my age is as nothing before You;
Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor. Selah
⁶ Surely every man walks about like a shadow;
Surely they busy themselves in vain;
He heaps up riches,
And does not know who will gather them.

⁷ “And now, Lord, what do I wait for?
My hope is in You.
⁸ Deliver me from all my transgressions;
Do not make me the reproach of the foolish.
⁹ I was mute, I did not open my mouth,
Because it was You who did it.
¹⁰ Remove Your plague from me;
I am consumed by the blow of Your hand.
¹¹ When with rebukes You correct man for iniquity,
You make his beauty melt away like a moth;
Surely every man is vapor. Selah

¹² “Hear my prayer, O Lord,
And give ear to my cry;
Do not be silent at my tears;
For I am a stranger with You,
A sojourner, as all my fathers were.
¹³ Remove Your gaze from me, that I may regain strength,
Before I go away and am no more.”

I was mute with silence

The psalmist starts out with a good idea. He says that he is not going to speak so that he can’t use his tongue for evil. But, he realizes that the silence keeps him from doing good also. As Christians, we try to separate ourselves from the world. It’s not a bad goal. It can keep us from doing wrong. However, many people take it too far. They won’t interact with non-Christians at all. They refuse to put their kids in public schools, they won’t spend time with their non-Christian coworkers, and they certainly wouldn’t be caught dead in any non-Christian establishment. I understand the desire to be above the things of the world, but we’re not running a cult here. We should be interacting with the world because 1) we’re part of it and we have to live here and participate in society and 2) how in the world are we supposed to spread our good influence and God’s light if we don’t interact with people who don’t believe as we do?

And now, Lord, what do I wait for?
The psalmist is tired of playing the games of the world. He’s tired of trying to gather up riches for himself for some unexpected day. He knows that life is short and that God will supply all his needs. He doesn’t want to keep silent and be the “reproach of the foolish,” but he thought that he should keep silent in situations because “it was You who did it.” But, he realizes that God sometimes wants him to speak up. Just because the mouth has the potential to do bad doesn’t mean that he shouldn’t use it at all. Instead, he turns to God for strength and guidance. He no longer wants to be a stranger to God’s will. He will take the opportunities to speak for good, for God when they arise and not be afraid that his tongue might accidentally lead him into evil.

Psalm 38

O Lord, do not rebuke me in Your wrath,
Nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure!
² For Your arrows pierce me deeply,
And Your hand presses me down.

³ There is no soundness in my flesh
Because of Your anger,
Nor any health in my bones
Because of my sin.
⁴ For my iniquities have gone over my head;
Like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me.
⁵ My wounds are foul and festering
Because of my foolishness.

⁶ I am troubled, I am bowed down greatly;
I go mourning all the day long.
⁷ For my loins are full of inflammation,
And there is no soundness in my flesh.
⁸ I am feeble and severely broken;
I groan because of the turmoil of my heart.

⁹ Lord, all my desire is before You;
And my sighing is not hidden from You.
¹⁰ My heart pants, my strength fails me;
As for the light of my eyes, it also has gone from me.

¹¹ My loved ones and my friends stand aloof from my plague,
And my relatives stand afar off.
¹² Those also who seek my life lay snares for me;
Those who seek my hurt speak of destruction,
And plan deception all the day long.

¹³ But I, like a deaf man, do not hear;
And I am like a mute who does not open his mouth.
¹⁴ Thus I am like a man who does not hear,
And in whose mouth is no response.

¹⁵ For in You, O Lord, I hope;
You will hear, O Lord my God.
¹⁶ For I said, “Hear me, lest they rejoice over me,
Lest, when my foot slips, they exalt themselves against me.”

¹⁷ For I am ready to fall,
And my sorrow is continually before me.
¹⁸ For I will declare my iniquity;
I will be in anguish over my sin.
¹⁹ But my enemies are vigorous, and they are strong;
And those who hate me wrongfully have multiplied.
²⁰ Those also who render evil for good,
They are my adversaries, because I follow what is good.

²¹ Do not forsake me, O Lord;
O my God, be not far from me!
²² Make haste to help me,
O Lord, my salvation!

There is no soundness in my flesh… because of my sin.
Here is a psalm about asking for God’s forgiveness after we have sinned. The consequences of sin are great and can include physical infirmity. The psalmist seems to be in misery. He has turmoil in his heart that manifests itself as illness in his body.

Like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me

The psalmist knows that he cannot handle his burden alone. He looks to God to help him. God isn’t just there for the righteous. He’s there for the sinners, too. He wants to help everyone who is suffering in sin, a burden that is too heavy to bear. “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).

Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation!

The poet has turned to God for help. He knows that there is nowhere else to turn because his enemies are still about and his friends have abandoned him. His steps are slipping from God’s path, and he is about ready to fall from it. But, he is still aware of the evil people who want to bring him down even further. He finally calls out to God for help, the only one who says to the soul, “I am your salvation” (Psalm 35:3).

On another note, my posts will probably be spotty for the rest of the summer. I've got some things planned, and I don't know how often I'll have time and access to the internet. I will try my best to keep up, though!

Psalm 37

Do not fret because of evildoers,
Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.
² For they shall soon be cut down like the grass,
And wither as the green herb.

³ Trust in the Lord, and do good;
Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
⁴ Delight yourself also in the Lord,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

⁵ Commit your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him,
And He shall bring it to pass.
⁶ He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light,
And your justice as the noonday.

⁷ Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him;
Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,
Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.
⁸ Cease from anger, and forsake wrath;
Do not fret—it only causes harm.

⁹ For evildoers shall be cut off;
But those who wait on the Lord,
They shall inherit the earth.
¹⁰ For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more;
Indeed, you will look carefully for his place,
But it shall be no more.
¹¹ But the meek shall inherit the earth,
And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

¹² The wicked plots against the just,
And gnashes at him with his teeth.
¹³ The Lord laughs at him,
For He sees that his day is coming.
¹⁴ The wicked have drawn the sword
And have bent their bow,
To cast down the poor and needy,
To slay those who are of upright conduct.
¹⁵ Their sword shall enter their own heart,
And their bows shall be broken.

¹⁶ A little that a righteous man has
Is better than the riches of many wicked.
¹⁷ For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
But the Lord upholds the righteous.

¹⁸ The Lord knows the days of the upright,
And their inheritance shall be forever.
¹⁹ They shall not be ashamed in the evil time,
And in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.
²⁰ But the wicked shall perish;
And the enemies of the Lord,
Like the splendor of the meadows, shall vanish.
Into smoke they shall vanish away.

²¹ The wicked borrows and does not repay,
But the righteous shows mercy and gives.
²² For those blessed by Him shall inherit the earth,
But those cursed by Him shall be cut off.

²³ The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord,
And He delights in his way.
²⁴ Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down;
For the Lord upholds him with His hand.

²⁵ I have been young, and now am old;
Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken,
Nor his descendants begging bread.
²⁶ He is ever merciful, and lends;
And his descendants are blessed.

²⁷ Depart from evil, and do good;
And dwell forevermore.
²⁸ For the Lord loves justice,
And does not forsake His saints;
They are preserved forever,
But the descendants of the wicked shall be cut off.
²⁹ The righteous shall inherit the land,
And dwell in it forever.

³⁰ The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom,
And his tongue talks of justice.
³¹ The law of his God is in his heart;
None of his steps shall slide.

³² The wicked watches the righteous,
And seeks to slay him.
³³ The Lord will not leave him in his hand,
Nor condemn him when he is judged.

³⁴ Wait on the Lord,
And keep His way,
And He shall exalt you to inherit the land;
When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it.
³⁵ I have seen the wicked in great power,
And spreading himself like a native green tree.
³⁶ Yet he passed away, and behold, he was no more;
Indeed I sought him, but he could not be found.

³⁷ Mark the blameless man, and observe the upright;
For the future of that man is peace.
³⁸ But the transgressors shall be destroyed together;
The future of the wicked shall be cut off.

³⁹ But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
He is their strength in the time of trouble.
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.

Do not fret because of evildoers

The premise of this psalm is a simple one: sometimes it seems that the wicked prosper, but that only lasts for a moment and the righteous will receive the blessings of the Lord. Evil happens all the time, and sometimes we wonder how it is possible that God’s not doing anything about it. We are told, however, in verse 7 to “wait patiently for Him.” It is true that unrighteous actions sometimes prosper, but we do not help the situation when we get angry because “it only causes harm.” It’s a bit presumptuous of us to think that we know better than God, to think that He should be doing something now instead of later, to question His timing. Instead, we’re told to not fret and be patient.

And He shall give you the desires of your heart

As long as we’re trusting in the Lord and doing good, God will give us blessings. Verse 6 even tells us that God will make His traits stand out in us as long as we’re trusting in Him; our righteousness will be seen as light and our justice will shine out. Not only does God take care of us and provide for us, but He makes those who serve Him into beacons of Himself for others.

For evildoers shall be cut off; but those who wait on the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.

So, if we’re patient and we continue to do good, despite the fact that evil seems to prosper, we will eventually see order restored. God will cut off the wicked. Their evil actions will cease, and they will no longer prosper. We’ve seen before in many of the psalms that evildoers are often harmed by the consequences of their own actions. Perhaps it just takes longer in some cases. Not only will the evildoers be put in their rightful place, but those who trusted in the Lord and did good will inherit the earth. Unlike the wicked, they are meek, they do not seek power and therefore cannot be corrupted by it.

The Lord laughs at him, for He sees that his day is coming

The rest of the psalm goes on to reinforce these same ideas. Even though the evildoers think that they are in power, it is only a temporary power. God knows that, and He laughs at their futile attempts at casting down the poor and needy and those with an upright conduct. God protects the upright, even “in the days of famine,” but the wicked will perish: “into smoke they shall vanish away.”

Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholds him with His hand

The psalmist reminds us that even though the wicked seem to be prospering everywhere and the righteous are the target of their evildoing, God will not let us be completely destroyed. He orders our steps. As long as we strive to continue on the path that He has set before us, He will not let us be totally pushed off of it. Our own wills may falter because we are imperfect, but God will not give up on those who trust in Him. The psalmist even says that he has never seen God let anyone down. He “does not forsake His saints; they are preserved forever.” And, because “the law of his God is in his heart, none of his steps shall slide.”

He is their strength in the time of trouble

Sometimes the wicked have great power that seems to spread uncontrollably. Still, it is only temporary. Their future will be cut off. But, God never stops protecting those who are upright. Not only does He deliver them from the hands of evil, but He ensures that the righteous will inherit a peaceful world.

Psalm 36

An oracle within my heart concerning the transgression of the wicked:
There is no fear of God before his eyes.
² For he flatters himself in his own eyes,
When he finds out his iniquity and when he hates.
³ The words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit;
He has ceased to be wise and to do good.
⁴ He devises wickedness on his bed;
He sets himself in a way that is not good;
He does not abhor evil.

⁵ Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens;
Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
⁶ Your righteousness is like the great mountains;
Your judgments are a great deep;
O Lord, You preserve man and beast.

⁷ How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God!
Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.
⁸ They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house,
And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures.
⁹ For with You is the fountain of life;
In Your light we see light.

¹⁰ Oh, continue Your lovingkindness to those who know You,
And Your righteousness to the upright in heart.
¹¹ Let not the foot of pride come against me,
And let not the hand of the wicked drive me away.
¹² There the workers of iniquity have fallen;
They have been cast down and are not able to rise.

There is an interesting structure to this psalm. The first four verses focus on what wicked people do then it immediately switches to God’s goodness in verses 5 and 6, God’s interaction with those who trust in Him, and a prayer that the psalmist might never slip from God’s favor. At first it seemed off to me, but looking back over it, I think I understand. The wicked man is completely consumed by his wickedness. He hates, he is no longer wise, and he only does evil things. When God is absent from us, this is what we have to potential to become. None of our choices are based on what God would have us do, and we get none of the blessings that He would give us if we had been with Him. We flatter ourselves in our own eyes, we think we don’t need God, that there is nothing that we can’t handle. We doesn’t care when he sees himself doing bad, because we thinks it is just part of human nature, and humans don’t need God.

But, the psalm dispels that myth pretty quickly. God preserves man and beast. He’s got the whole world in His hands, if you will. The four traits of God—His mercy, faithfulness, righteousness, and judgments—are set in direct opposition to what these wicked people try to do on their own. God has mercy, but the wicked man “devises wickedness.” God has faithfulness, but the wicked man “flatters himself.” God has righteousness, but the wicked man “does not abhor evil.” God has judgments, but the wicked man “has ceased to be wise.”

Then, we see how God’s goodness is translated onto those who are not wicked but trust in Him. They are completely satisfied with Him. There is no continual cycle of strife and hatred. There is even a river of pleasures because God has “the fountain of life” (John 4:14 “But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”) and “in Your light we see light” (John 8:12 “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life”). Therefore, we should take care not to fall into that cycle of wickedness, but to always remain with God under the shadow of His wings.