Wednesday, February
5, 2020
Don’t worry about the wicked or envy those who do wrong. For like grass, they soon fade away. Like spring flowers, they soon wither. Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you. He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun. Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes. Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper—it only leads to harm. For the wicked will be destroyed, but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land. Soon the wicked will disappear. Though you look for them, they will be gone. The lowly will possess the land and will live in peace and prosperity. The wicked plot against the godly; they snarl at them in defiance. But the Lord just laughs, for he sees their day of judgment coming. The wicked draw their swords and string their bows to kill the poor and the oppressed, to slaughter those who do right. But their swords will stab their own hearts, and their bows will be broken. It is better to be godly and have little than to be evil and rich. For the strength of the wicked will be shattered, but the Lord takes care of the godly. Psalm 37:1-17
King David knew both sides of what
he wrote. David had been innocent, and
David had been wicked. Both sides are
well known from the Biblical record.
David was a shepherd who, in his complete and innocent trust in God,
killed a lion with his bare hands, and a giant with a slingshot. He’d also played the evil one, taking another
man’s wife and having the man killed to cover it up. David knew what it was to shine in innocence,
as well as to slide into the darkness.
The contrast in this Psalm paints a mural of the human
condition. We are creatures capable of
incredible kindness, generosity, and unselfishness. We are also prone to sociopathic malevolence,
turning from the light to the dark side (or the reverse) in a heartbeat.
Screen actor Tobias Menzies stars in
the BBC’s popular Outlander series, a tale of time-travel
and intrigue in the 18th and 20th centuries. His part is the character of Black Jack
Randall, a British officer who is a sociopathic sadist. Black Jack’s passion and stock-in-trade is to
pretend compassion and care for people to gain their trust and, in a stunning
turn of events, transform into their worst nightmare.
King David is not Black Jack
Randall, but he knows he could be. And
that is the whole point – David takes sin seriously, because the power of sin (and
its consequences) is insidious; it sneaks in the back door and empties the soul
of anything like life. There is a good
reason we are warned over and again in Scripture to flee evil and
temptation.[2]
By comparison living a life
forsaking anger, lust, greed, and all the opposites of true Christian goals is
also a possibility, if one is ready to deny the Black Jack Randall within, and
place our faith in Christ daily. That’s
what Jesus told his followers:
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. Matthew 16:24
For You
Today
Shine Jesus shine Fill this land with the Father's glory
Blaze, Spirit blaze, set our hearts on fire
Flow, river flow Flood the nations with grace and mercy
Send forth Your word Lord and let there be light.
Blaze, Spirit blaze, set our hearts on fire
Flow, river flow Flood the nations with grace and mercy
Send forth Your word Lord and let there be light.
If you want
innocence to glow in you and let you live a life of confidence and joy, this is
the light that is necessary for your soul.
Let there be light is our prayer
.jpg){kind=link}
No comments:
Post a Comment