Fall 2018, 40 Days of Prayer, Day 12
Psalm 37:9-24
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. 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.
The LORD upholds the Righteous in Comparison to the Wicked:
Psalm 37:9-24 Psalm 37:9-24 stems from David’s response to all the imperatives we find in verses 1-8 of Psalm 37. From verses 9 to 22, David stated the characteristics of the wicked in comparison to the righteous and the pending results of the wicked, which ends in their destruction or being “cut off” as in verse 9 and verse 22. Verse 23 shows a return of David back to the themes of verse 4. Verse 23 reflects the hopeful promises of verse 4 if the reader should delight himself in the LORD. Verse 23 and 24, albeit short compared to the downfall of the wicked from verses 9 through 22, show the simple experience of those who delight in the LORD. They have the LORD to “uphold” them. We are reminded of the fact that both the wicked and the righteous could fall in verses 9 through 24, but it is the LORD who saves and upholds the righteous even “though he fall.” It reminds me of the encouragement by Paul to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:13, “if we are faithless, He remains faithful -- for He cannot deny Himself.” It is by the LORD’s consistency that He upholds those who love Him and not by our own perfection. It is due to His grace and mercy for those who are in Him, a special unique relationship that only those in Him can have. This promise applies only those who are IN THE LORD. I am also reminded of Romans 8:1 which states, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,” and in Romans 8:9-10, “You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.” Thus, according to Psalm 37, it is not by your righteousness that you are righteous. It is only by those who are IN CHRIST, and thus IN THE SPIRIT, and therefore IN THE LORD. This is a great reminder of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and how the LORD has redeemed us who have placed our faith in Him. This is a great reminder of 1 John 2:1-2 when John states, “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” So even though we may “fall,” He will uphold us. I love the fact that we are IN CHRIST, and that we can rest in the fact that even though we struggle and have to fight sin daily, that even if we should fall, the LORD will uphold and save us. Let us Delight in the LORD and rest assured that we are upheld by His mighty hand. Verses 23-24 state that “The steps of a man are established by the LORD, when he delights in His way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong for the LORD upholds his hand.” Notice how the LORD “establishes” or “orders” our steps when we delight in HIS Way. This shows the sovereignty and grace of God when it shows that even though we should fall, He will uphold us. This also reminds me of 1 John 2:1, that even if “anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” Let us rest assured in the RIGHTEOUS, Jesus Christ, even if we shall fall.
Prayer Focus:
LORD, I want to thank you for your sovereignty over me and over all of creation. It is not because of my righteousness, but because of Your righteousness that I’m saved today. It is by Your Grace, and Your Justice, that Your Son has paid for my sins, not because of my righteousness. I thank you that You are just, and that You have dealt mercifully and gracefully with me. Help me serve You today, and to proclaim Your righteousness to everyone around me. Bless those around the world who suffer for Your Name and Your righteousness. Prepare me LORD, to follow You with everything I have every day. I love you LORD, thanks for loving me even when I didn’t deserve it. In Christ, Amen.
From Sermon on Justification by Faith by John Wesley
"To him that does not work, but believes on him that justified the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness." Romans 4:5.
On what terms, then, is he justified who is altogether "ungodly," and till that time "works not?" on one alone; which is faith: he "believes is him that justifies the ungodly." And "he that believes is not condemned;" but, he is "passed from death unto life." "For the righteousness (or mercy) of God is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: Whom God hath set forth for a propitiation, through faith in his blood; that he might be just, and" (consistently with his justice) "the Justifier of him which believes in Jesus:" "Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law;" without previous obedience to the moral law, which, indeed, he could not, till now, perform. That it is the moral law, and that alone, which is here intended, appears evidently from the words that follow: "Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: Instead, we establish the law. What law do we establish by faith? Not the ritual law: Not the ceremonial law of Moses. In nowise; but the great, unchangeable law of love, the holy love of God."