Seeking God Through the Psalms
07/18/2004 - No Fear
"It's not fair! It's just not fair!" Ever find yourself saying those words or even screaming those words? Any parent who has ever raised kids has those words memorized. You hear them all the time. One Dad put it this way,
"According to my children, every kid in the world gets to see R rated movies, play with dangerous knives, stay up as late as they want, and have sleepovers every single weekend. Every other child, that is - except mine."
"'It's not fair,' has become the battle cry at my house. My kids have entered that stage where they swear they have the only parents on the planet that have rules. They tell me this all the time. So because of this constant barrage of complaining, my wife and I have been forced to resort to silly, age-old clichés like ..."
"If other children got to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge does that mean you should? Or why don't you go live with Johnny's parents if it's so great at his house?"
"But I've grown tired of these statements. So lately, I've been employing new tactics. It started when my son listed off ten kids he claimed got to stay home anytime they wanted without adult supervision. I grabbed a notebook and a pencil and started writing."
"'What are you doing?' he asked. 'I'm writing down the names of the kids you aren't allowed to visit anymore.' He walked away without another word."
"When my daughter said, 'It's not fair, all of my friends get to date.' I responded, 'Oh, yeah? Well, all my friends chaperone their kid's dates. Do you know what your boyfriend will be wearing? I want to make sure I match.'"
It's not fair. It's just not fair. All of us, children and adults alike, know that feeling well. And if we're looking for life to be fair we're going to be extremely disappointed, because life is not fair.
The Bible addresses the unfairness and injustice of life in the passage that we're going to be looking at this morning. Today we begin our new summer series called Seeking God Through the Psalms. This is actually the continuation of a series that we began over seven years ago when we started working our way through some of these wonderful songs of worship and praise that put words on the way we so often feel.
Psalms is by far the most popular book in the Old Testament, quoted more often by New Testament writers than other book. Jesus and his apostles had large portions of the Psalms memorized and drew on them for strength and comfort all the time. Jesus was thinking of the Psalms when he was being tortured to death on the cross. That's where he went for comfort and hope.
Some of the most popular literature in the world is found in the book of Psalms. Psalm 23, The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside still waters, he restores my soul. Psalm 90, the oldest Psalm written by Moses, Teach us to number our days, so that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Psalm 46, a favorite read at funerals, God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea. Some of the best known literature in the world comes from the Psalms.
The Psalms are actually songs, "songs of praise." That's what the title means. This collection of 150 Psalms served as the songbook for the nation of Israel. When God's people gathered for worship they sang the psalms. Most of them were originally set to music and sung in the temple by kings and priests, choirs and worshipers. Many of them are still sung to contemporary arrangements like we often do at Valley View. We sing them at the YMCA in Audubon. The Israelites sang them at the temple in Jerusalem.
I have a few images to show you this morning to give you a feel for the setting in which these psalms were sung. This is a picture of the temple complex in Jerusalem as it looked during the time of Jesus. Three times a year the Israelites were commanded to leave their homes and travel up to Jerusalem to celebrate festivals of worship. On their way they would prepare themselves by singing the pilgrim songs that are contained in Psalms 120-134. The trip was treacherous and the mountains were rugged. So they would sing Psalm 121, I lift up my eyes to the hills. Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip. He who watches over you will not slumber nor sleep.
Once they arrived in Jerusalem they would visit the moneychangers, probably housed in this colonnaded area, exchange their money for temple currency and then purchase a sacrifice, a sheep, a goat, or a pigeon if they were very poor. They would take their sacrifice and walk through the court of the Gentiles, then through the court of women, and finally up to the steps of the Temple itself.
Here's a close up of the Temple building. As you can see it's very impressive with white marble walls, ornate columns, and a roof made of gold. The Jewish faith was a very sensual faith, by that I mean it depended a lot on the senses. And so as worshipers approached the temple their senses would be bombarded with the sight of this impressive complex, the sounds of trumpets blowing, bells ringing, and the music of the psalms being sung. They would feel the crowds of people, pushing and shoving, leading their animals to the sacrifice. They would see the priests in their bloodstained robes and smell the smoke of the barbecue as fire consumed sacrifice after sacrifice.
In this final picture you can see the doorway that led into the court of priests. It was here that the priest would accept the sacrifice from the worshiper, kill it, and burn it on the brazen altar.
The temple was the stadium for the psalms. It was where they were played and sung and performed by musicians and choirs in that beautiful setting day after day, month after month, year after year. They played an integral part in the worship of God's people.
Psalm 5 speaks of bowing down toward God's holy temple. Psalm 100 speaks of entering his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise. There's a very public setting to the psalms. Yet, they can be just as powerful and soul searching when read quietly and meditated on privately. The psalms are rich in many ways and worthy of our study.
As I've mentioned on the fact sheet there are 150 Psalms and they are arranged in five books. In our first series on the Psalms we looked at a selection of Psalms from Book One, which is Psalm 1-41. Today we're going to look at Psalm 37, but for the rest of the series all of our Psalms will be from Book Two, which is Psalms 42-72. So let me encourage you to read and meditate on those thirty-one Psalms this summer. Immerse yourself in them and let them wash over your soul.
So open your Bible to Psalm 37 Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong; 2 for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. 3 Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. 4Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: 6 He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. 7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. 8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret-it leads only to evil. 9 For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land. 10 A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found. 11 But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace. 12 The wicked plot against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them; 13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he knows their day is coming. 14 The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright. 15 But their swords will pierce their own hearts, and their bows will be broken. 16 Better the little that the righteous have than the wealth of many wicked; 17 for the power of the wicked will be broken, but the LORD upholds the righteous. Better to have little and a righteous life, then all the gain of the wicked. 18 The days of the blameless are known to the LORD, and their inheritance will endure forever. 19 In times of disaster they will not wither; in days of famine they will enjoy plenty. 20 But the wicked will perish: The LORD'S enemies will be like the beauty of the fields, they will vanish-vanish like smoke. 21 The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously; 22 those the LORD blesses will inherit the land, but those he curses will be cut off. 23 If the LORD delights in a man's way, he makes his steps firm; 24 though he stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand. 25 I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. 26 They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be blessed. 27 Turn from evil and do good; then you will dwell in the land forever. 28 For the LORD loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. They will be protected forever, but the offspring of the wicked will be cut off; 29 the righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever. 30 The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks what is just. 31 The law of his God is in his heart; his feet do not slip. 32 The wicked lie in wait for the righteous, seeking their very lives; 33 but the LORD will not leave them in their power or let them be condemned when brought to trial. 34 Wait for the LORD and keep his way. He will exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are cut off, you will see it. 35 I have seen a wicked and ruthless man flourishing like a green tree in its native soil, 36 but he soon passed away and was no more; though I looked for him, he could not be found. 37 Consider the blameless, observe the upright; there is a future for the man of peace. 38 But all sinners will be destroyed; the future of the wicked will be cut off. 39 The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD; he is their stronghold in time of trouble. 40The LORD helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him.
In this Psalm, written by David, we find him struggling with God. He's confused by the unfairness of life. He describes himself in verse 25 as an "old man," but he still has questions about the injustice of life. He can't figure out why the wicked seem to prosper. The "wicked" in this Psalm refers to people who don't have God in their lives and live by their own rules and do their own thing and hurt people.
The wicked, he says in verse 7, succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. In verse 12, They plot against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them. In verse 14, They draw the sword and bend the bow and violently bring down the poor and needy and slay those whose ways are upright. In verse 21, They cheat, borrow and do not repay . In verse 32, They lie in wait for the righteous, seeking their very lives . In verse 35, They flourish like a green tree in its native soil .
"I don't get it," David says. "Why do the wicked prosper? It's not fair and it makes me fret and worry and doubt the ways of God."
And to that honest, gut wrenching question that we all ask God responds by giving us three ways to handle the unfairness of life. Three things God wants us to do when we're tempted to wonder why life seems so unfair. Three responses God wants us to have when we wonder why the wicked get away with murder. Is it really worthwhile to follow the Lord?
Psalm 37 is called a wisdom psalm, because it tells us the right way to look at life. In many ways Psalm 37 reminds us of the wisdom of the book of Proverbs. This is insight direct from God to help us come to grips with what we see happening in our world. "This is the way it is," God says, "and this is how I want you to respond."
David wrote this Psalm as an acrostic poem of the Hebrew alphabet, which means that every two verses start with the next letter of the alphabet. Verses 1-2 begin with aleph or "A," verses 3-4 with beth or "B," verses 4-5 with gimel, the Hebrew equivalent to the letter "C." It's brilliant and written as an acrostic to be memorized.
So how are we to respond to the unfairness and injustice in life? God says, "Don't fret. Don't worry. Don't be jealous. Don't get angry. Don't even try to figure it all out. Instead, I want you to do three things." First, look ahead. Look ahead.
Verses 1-2, Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong, for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.
Look at verses 8-10, Refrain from anger and turn from wrath, do not fret - it leads only to evil. For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land. A little while, and the wicked will be no more, though you look for them, they will not be found.
Verses 12-13, The wicked plot against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them, but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he knows their day is coming.
Verse 17, For the power of the wicked will be broken, but the LORD upholds the righteous.
Verse 20, But the wicked will perish. The LORD'S enemies will be like the beauty of the fields, they will vanish-vanish like smoke.
Verse 22, Those the LORD blesses will inherit the land, but those he curses will be cut off.
Verses 35-38, I have seen a wicked and ruthless man flourishing like a green tree in its native soil, but he soon passed away and was no more. Though I looked for him, he could not be found. Consider the blameless, observe the upright, there is a future for the man of peace. But all sinners will be destroyed. The future of the wicked will be cut off.
Bottom line. There's an end for the wicked and for all those who ignore God and it's not pretty. The next time you're tempted to fret and worry and envy wrong doers remember that. Look ahead to the devastation waiting for those who turn their backs on God.
Jesus knew this Psalm well and believed every word of it. No one suffered more injustice in this life than Jesus. If anyone had the right to say, "Life's not fair," it was the crucified Son of God. He quotes Psalm 37 in his famous Sermon on the Mount when he says, Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth. He closes that sermon by contrasting the way of the wise and the way of the foolish. The wise man builds his house on the rock and it endures, but the foolish man builds his house on the sand and it falls with a great crash.
Every time we hear the latest horrible act of terrorism in our world we hear our president or some other high official saying that these people are going to be brought to justice. And that's a right response. It's the role of government to carry out justice. But the honest truth is that not everyone will be brought to justice in this life, but they certainly will in the life to come.
God puts it this way in Romans 12:19, Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written, "It is mine to avenge. I will repay," says the Lord.
When we think life is unfair and that the wicked are getting away with murder we need to take a longer view of life and let God do his work. God always bats last. First, look ahead. Second, look up. Take your eyes off other people and fix them on the Lord.
Look at verses 4-7, Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, trust in him and he will do this. He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him.
Verse 34, Wait for the LORD and keep his way. He will exalt you to inherit the land.
Verses 39-40, The salvation of the righteous comes form the LORD. He is their stronghold in time of trouble. The LORD helps them and delivers them. He delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him.
So many times when we get hurt by the unfairness and injustice of life we do just the opposite of what the Psalmist says. Don't we? Instead of looking up we look away from the Lord. We take our eyes off God and blame our troubles on him. We stop worshiping and delighting in him and start doubting and sometimes even cursing him. But David says, "Don't go down that road. Instead, delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart."
Now what in the world does that mean? Is Psalm 37:4 a blank check, signed by God, for any amount we want to fill in? Does that mean God promises to give us our dream job and our dream house and our dream spouse and the winning lottery ticket too?
There's a whole segment of Christianity that believes that if we honor God then he's obligated to do whatever we tell him to do. Name it and claim it. Others say, "Trust Christ and become healthy, wealthy, and happy all the time." This verse has been so widely abused by some Christians that others dismiss it altogether. They steer clear of this promise or put it in the "Inactive" file.
But this verse is one of the greatest promises of God to his those who love him. And that's the key. God's promise to give us the desires of our heart is not for everybody. It's not even for every believer. It's for those who delight themselves in the Lord. What does it mean to delight in the Lord? It means to love him with all your heart and soul and mind and strength. It means that he is the most important person in your life. You are nuts over him and not just when life's going well. This is not a promise for sunshine saints.
And when that's the case he has no trouble giving us the desires of our heart, because then our heart desires what his heart desires. We want what he wants.
What is it that causes certain people to delight in the Lord like that? You know what it is? It's an understanding of how desperate they would be without the Lord in their lives. Like the woman who washed the feet of Jesus with her tears and dried them with hair and about whom Jesus said, "Those who have been forgiven much, love much, and those who have been forgiven little, love little."
People who delight themselves in the Lord and can claim this promise have come face to face with their desperate need of a Savior and are so profoundly grateful. And when that happens the raging fires of their selfish desires gradually burn down to smoldering ashes. Things that used to lure them, no longer do. Possessions and positions and pleasures that used to be attractive are not as attractive anymore. Instead, they desire to be more like Christ and to be used by him and to make a difference in the world.
Instead of being famous, they want to be faithful. Instead of more possessions, they want more of the Holy Spirit to possess them. Instead of being more comfortable, they want to conform more to Jesus Christ. Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Are you delighting yourself in the Lord?
When we're tempted to scream, "Life's not fair," first look ahead. Then look up. And third do good.
Look at verse 3, Trust in the LORD and do good. Dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
Verses 26-27, The righteous are always generous and lend freely. They're children will be blessed. Turn from evil and do good. Then you will dwell in the land forever.
Sometimes when we're confronted with the unfairness of life and we see all kinds of people getting away with all kinds of things we're tempted to think, "What's the use? Why should I do good or be good? Why should I be honest when everyone else cheats? Why should I stand strong against sexual pressure? Why should I report all my income when others take money under the table? Why should I put in a full day's work when everybody else just does enough to get by? The world is such an evil place, what difference does it make?"
But God says, "Oh no. Don't go down that road. Instead, trust in the Lord and do good." I've always thought that Psalm 37:3 is the best one sentence description of what it means to be a Christ follower. Trust in the Lord and do good. Faith and practice put together.
The New Testament promises great rewards for those who don't get tired of doing good. Galatians 6:9-10 puts it this way, Let us not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
When we see and experience the unfairness and injustice of life and we're tempted to fret over it or cave in to it or throw in the towel, God says, "Look ahead. Look up. And keep doing good. You will be rewarded!"
The story is told of a farmer who had no time for God and ridiculed people who did. He once wrote a letter to the editor of a local newspaper and said, "I plowed on Sunday. Planted on Sunday. Cultivated on Sunday and hauled in my crops on Sunday. But I never went to church on Sunday. Yet I harvested more bushels per acre than anyone else, even those who are God-fearing and never miss a service." The editor printed the man's letter and then added this remark, "God doesn't always settle his accounts in October."
That's true. Wait for the LORD and keep his way. He will exalt you to inherit the land.