The Meek Shall Inherit The Earth
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Greetings…
Over the last several weeks we have been examining “Lessons From The Psalms.”
Last week we examined Psalm 27 “Light & Salvation In Dark Times.”
Today we are going to turn our attention to Psalm 37, a didactic psalm.
Didactic simply means “a psalm meant to teach a lesson.”
This psalm was written by David, later in his life (Psalm 37:25).
A major lesson or theme in this psalm is “who will inherit the earth,” (Psalm 37:9, 11, 22, 29, 34)?
The answer to this psalmist question is ultimately summed up by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:5.
Matthew 5:5 (ESV)
5 Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
So, in your bible’s in Matthew 5:5 put a note pointing out that Psalm 37 is a commentary on Matthew 5:5.
So, with that in mind, let’s examine our lesson for this evening.
David begins by making…
A Plea For The Righteous
A Plea For The Righteous
Do Not Envy Evildoers.
Do Not Envy Evildoers.
David writes in Psalm 37:1-2…
1 Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! 2 For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb.
It’s hard as a Christian, who struggles in this sinful world to see, often the most sinful of people prosper.
Job wondered this…
7 Why do the wicked live, reach old age, and grow mighty in power?
Jeremiah did as well…
1 Righteous are you, O Lord, when I complain to you; yet I would plead my case before you. Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all who are treacherous thrive? 2 You plant them, and they take root; they grow and produce fruit; you are near in their mouth and far from their heart.
The psalmist Asaph was as well…
3 For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
In other words, God understands our confusion and sometimes disappointment at witnessing the wicked prosper.
This is why David tells us, “don’t worry about what the wicked are doing,” no, you…
Put Your Faith In The Lord.
Put Your Faith In The Lord.
In the next five verses notice how many times David pleads with the righteous to “trust God” and “he will be not let you down.”
3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. 4 Delight 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 act. 6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.
7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! 8 Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.
Here we see clearly that if we trust in the Lord there are a number of promises offered for the righteous that far out way the advantages “it seems” the wicked have.
If we “delight” in our LORD he promises us “the desires of our heart.”
When I think along these lines I’m always draw to what Jesus taught about the Father’s desire to give to us his children.
11 What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; 12 or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
If we commit to the Lord, he promises to “bring forth our righteousness and our justice.”
It’s hard being righteous and faithful with all the sin and struggles in this world but if we commit to God he will exalt us one day.
10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
Lastly, we read that if we “wait patiently for the LORD” and don’t worry about the evil around us it will keep us from evil ourselves.
We will be like those of Isaiah 25:9 where we read…
9 It will be said on that day, “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”
Summary
Summary
David starts this powerful psalm off by saying “if we want to inherit the earth” we must strive for righteousness.
And this is done by not worrying about what the wicked are doing and focusing on putting all our faith in our Almighty King.
David then turns his attention the reality of wickedness and righteousness.
Really…
A Recognition Of Two Sides
A Recognition Of Two Sides
Wickedness Is Futile.
Wickedness Is Futile.
In Psalm 37:9-17 David points to how utterly futile living a wicked life is and how unfulfilling it is in reality.
9 For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land. 10 In just a little while, the wicked will be no more; though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there. 11 But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace.
12 The wicked plots against the righteous and gnashes his teeth at him, 13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he sees that his day is coming. 14 The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose way is upright;
15 their sword shall enter their own heart, and their bows shall be broken. 16 Better is the little that the righteous has than the abundance of many wicked. 17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous.
Again, we see a prominent promise being made here.
Yes, it might seem like they are prospering but their reward is fleeting and only temporary.
Matthew 6:2–5 (ESV)
2 Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.
The wicked will perish and there is no eternity in wickedness however, David continues and points out how…
Righteousness Is Blessed.
Righteousness Is Blessed.
In Psalm 37:18-26 God points out through David…
18 The Lord knows the days of the blameless, and their heritage will remain forever; 19 they are not put to shame in evil times; in the days of famine they have abundance. 20 But the wicked will perish; the enemies of the Lord are like the glory of the pastures; they vanish—like smoke they vanish away.
21 The wicked borrows but does not pay back, but the righteous is generous and gives; 22 for those blessed by the Lord shall inherit the land, but those cursed by him shall be cut off. 23 The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way;
24 though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand. 25 I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread. 26 He is ever lending generously, and his children become a blessing.
Unlike the days of the wicked that are cut short and full of shame in reality, the righteous is not like that.
His days will be eternal and his life is unashamed because God will not forsake his saints.
Summary
Summary
Yes there are two sides we humans can choose.
We can choose to have “some” fleeting and eventually futile comforts in this life or we can choose some discomfort in this life for an eternity of perfection in the next.
Because of the great blessing the righteous receives David concludes this psalm by giving…
Advice For The Righteous
Advice For The Righteous
Depart From Evil & Wait On The Lord.
Depart From Evil & Wait On The Lord.
We see this advice, in Psalm 37:27-36, aptly displayed or written by David.
27 Turn away from evil and do good; so shall you dwell forever. 28 For the Lord loves justice; he will not forsake his saints. They are preserved forever, but the children of the wicked shall be cut off. 29 The righteous shall inherit the land and dwell upon it forever. 30 The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice. 31 The law of his God is in his heart; his steps do not slip.
32 The wicked watches for the righteous and seeks to put him to death. 33 The Lord will not abandon him to his power or let him be condemned when he is brought to trial. 34 Wait for the Lord and keep his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land; you will look on when the wicked are cut off. 35 I have seen a wicked, ruthless man, spreading himself like a green laurel tree. 36 But he passed away, and behold, he was no more; though I sought him, he could not be found.
One of the hardest things for us, as humans to do is “wait on the Lord ?”
Some of the most faithful, during different times struggled with patience.
Paul impatiently wanted his “thorn in the flesh removed” (2 Corinthians 12:7-9).
Sarah impatiently tried to push God’s promise forward with her getting a son (Genesis 16).
John and James became impatient with a Samaritan village and wanted to rain fire down and consume it (Luke 9:51-55).
The point is, it is hard sometimes to be patient and wait for the “Lord’s schedule” however, that is exactly what those that trust in God will do.
We will depart of evil and wait on the Lord with all our trust in him.
David then explains the importance to…
Note The Blameless & Upright.
Note The Blameless & Upright.
We read in Psalm 37:37-40…
37 Mark the blameless and behold the upright, for there is a future for the man of peace. 38 But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed; the future of the wicked shall be cut off. 39 The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; he is their stronghold in the time of trouble. 40 The Lord helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him.
When seeking righteousness and striving to put our full faith i.e., trust in our God we do so by seeking where God will be found.
Where is God, with the faithful.
Where should the faithful be found, with the faithful.
This doesn’t mean we are to only be around the faithful as that would keep us from teaching the lost.
What it does mean is that we are to seek to make everyone around us faithful.
The safest place a Christian can be is around other like-minded brothers and sisters.
Those that want us to get to heaven and be there with us for an eternity.
Summary
Summary
If we seek to depart from wickedness and walk in righteousness, all the while waiting on our God to direct our steps through his word and his providence then we will have listened properly to “a man after God’s own heart” well.
A man who knew the blessings and benefits or living for God verse against God.
Conclusion
Conclusion
So, when you start looking around and seeing the wicked “seemingly” prospering don’t let it get to you.
Put your trust in God and commit yourself to God because he will never let you down and he will reward your faith in him.
Invitation
1 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; 2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.
6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,
32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.
8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,
3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.