Ways of God

The LORD knows the days of the blameless, And their inheritance will be forever. 19 They will not be ashamed in the time of evil, And in the days of famine they will have abundance. 20 But the wicked will perish; And the enemies of the LORD will be like the glory of the pastures, They vanish--like smoke they vanish away. 21 The wicked borrows and does not pay back, But the righteous is gracious and gives. 22 For those blessed by Him will inherit the land, But those cursed by Him will be cut off. 23 The steps of a man are established by the LORD, And He delights in his way. 24 When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, Because the LORD is the One who holds his hand. 25 I have been young and now I am old, Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken Or his descendants begging bread. 26 All day long he is gracious and lends, And his descendants are a blessing. 27 Depart from evil and do good, So you will abide forever. 28 For the LORD loves justice And does not forsake His godly ones; They are preserved forever, But the descendants of the wicked will be cut off. 29 The righteous will inherit the land And dwell in it forever. Psalm 37:18-29 (NASB)

F B Meyer write on this passage:

“God takes pleasure in our lives. In each He is working out a plan. Even our failures do not turn Him away from us, for He keeps fast hold of our hands, Psa_37:24, R.V., margin. Long after His people have passed home, God sees to their children. If they follow in their parents’ ways, they are borne along in the stream of providential care; but obviously they may depart from it. What precious promises in Psa_37:28; Psa_37:31; Psa_37:33; Psa_37:37; Psa_37:39-40! Never forsaken! Always sure of an Advocate in the Divine Presence! Not left to the mercy of our foes! Safely housed in the time of need! Dying in peace! Such are the blessings which accrue to the servant of God. Such has been the observation of one no longer young, Psa_37:25.
When taunted, persecuted, maligned, desperate, go into a silent place and lift your tear-stained face to Him. He understands the unspoken language of sighs and tears. Do not hurry Him; He has ages to work in. Wait patiently and rest.”

What a contrast we see when we compare the ways of the righteous versus the ways of the wicked. Even in times of evil, the righteous will not be ashamed. Today, we see so many judgmental people who try to shame the righteous, but what does the Word say? They will not be ashamed. Even when famine hits the world, the righteous will have abundance. In contrast, the wicked will perish and be like smoke. They'll just dissipate. Those the Lord blesses will inherit while those who set their hearts against God will be cursed and cut off. Verses twenty-three and twenty-four tell us that God will establish our way and even delights in the way we choose. Why? Because God actually enjoys what He sees when people choose to walk with Him and according to His principles. In the next verse, David tells us that he has been young and is now old, but he has never seen the righteous forsaken. Verse twenty-seven says it all, though. Choose good and live. Choose God and find life. Run from evil and to God. The benefits are not only pleasing God in this life. They last for all time.

Yes, it's true that the world will think we are foolish, but who cares. The God Who created us knows a whole lot more than ANY of our critics. I'm not saying that we are right all the time. What I AM saying is that when we choose God, He goes out of His way to hold our hand, to stop us from harming ourselves when we trip and to guide us in the path that is forever. As it is written in Proverbs 24:17, the righteous may fall seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in time of calamity. We are told why right here in this Psalm. Because the Lord is holding the hand of the righteous.

Wednesday, November 25, 2020