Many are the sorrows of the wicked. But he who trusts in the Lord, lovingkindness shall surround him.
Be glad and rejoice in the Lord, you righteous ones, and shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart! (vs. 10-11)
The wicked in this psalm are those who do the opposite of those who are upright. The upright are those who live by God's standard - play by His rules. I know this is offensive to some who read the Bible. But really, what are the standards by which we should live our lives? And, why would God ask us to obey His law?
Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not covet. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not have any gods before Me. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all your heart.....the "thou shalt not's" are pretty standard rules for moral living. Most "good" people who don't believe in God would agree to these rules. Even the ones about not having other gods - alcoholism, drug addiction, etc. God's standards are good for us!
The question then becomes why would we not obey Him? Well, because He is Him....Someone telling us what to do. Wanting glory for Himself. Making us bow to His every whim. Having our freedom to choose taken away from us because of His arbitrary whims. Because, as I have heard atheists opine, He is an angry, malevolent, vengeful, hateful God. If He is done away with in terms of how we live our lives, we can choose our own paths. Disregard His hand in the purposes of our lives. That is why.
It is personal with the wicked. They decide to go the other way. To live by a different standard. It is not that they don't understand what God wants. It is that they don't wanna do it! Who is He to tell them how to live, this elusive God whose face we cannot see and whose hand they do not recognize? But even the compassion of the psalmist toward the wicked is a glimpse at the heart of God. Many are the sorrows of the wicked. And where is their comfort? To whom do they turn for help? A life without God will ultimately become empty, and the mistakes those who reject him make will trail after them, leaving a path strewn randomly with grand efforts or misguided gestures. And in the last moment, when the joy of those who trust in God is climactic for the joy of seeing His face, the one who has turned His back on God will have sorrow on sorrow.
Compare that to what the righteous are offered, in this life and the next. We who trust in Christ, who know our God and desire to live up to His standards, are wrapped in love and kindness. Surrounded in our every endeavor - even sleeping - with the great agape of our Father. It is not that we have become perfect! Far from it! But God, our Father, gave us a Gift. Reached down from heaven and handed us a "get out of jail free" pass. Redeemed us by offering Himself in our place, to take our punishment for the fact that we will never be good enough for Him. Never able on our own to accomplish righteousness. So, He became our righteousness. I would be a fool not to take this precious gift from His outstretched palm!
The joy of redemption.....knowing I deserve hell and have been granted heaven...should make me sing! And shout! This angry God of the Bible consistently cries out to His people to repent and come back because He loves them and will forgive them! Never does He want the wicked to perish....never does He even want the wicked to exist! He wants everyone to know Him. From the least to the greatest. He is love. And lest you think the God of the Old Testament was sitting in wrathful judgment, just waiting to annihilate mankind, listen to what He says He will do on the Day of Atonement once a year when the priest offers the sacrifice for the people:
It is on this day that the priests will make you clean so that you will belong to the Lord again. All your sins will be removed. (Leviticus 16:30)
ALL.....every heinous thing. Not one left out. The God of the Old Testament, willing to forgive anything when you come before Him repentant and humble. Covered in sacrificial blood that had been sprinkled on the priest's garments and on the altar where God Himself came near. So that we belong to Him again. So that He can dwell in and among us, which is the very purpose of our existence. What sorrow to not know this God. To refuse His love. To carry the weight of our own wrong actions. To die without understanding that we could have lived with greater purpose. To await an uncertain eternity where He is not present. That while we dance and shout the great praises of our mighty God and Father, wailing and sorrow await those who just could not believe in Him.
I praise you, Lord! You were angry with me, but you are not angry with me now! You have comforted me. God is the one who saves me; I will trust Him and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord gives me strength and makes me sing! He has saved me!
You will receive your salvation with joy as you would draw water from a well!
Isaiah 12
Amen!
Be glad and rejoice in the Lord, you righteous ones, and shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart! (vs. 10-11)
The wicked in this psalm are those who do the opposite of those who are upright. The upright are those who live by God's standard - play by His rules. I know this is offensive to some who read the Bible. But really, what are the standards by which we should live our lives? And, why would God ask us to obey His law?
Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not covet. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not have any gods before Me. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all your heart.....the "thou shalt not's" are pretty standard rules for moral living. Most "good" people who don't believe in God would agree to these rules. Even the ones about not having other gods - alcoholism, drug addiction, etc. God's standards are good for us!
The question then becomes why would we not obey Him? Well, because He is Him....Someone telling us what to do. Wanting glory for Himself. Making us bow to His every whim. Having our freedom to choose taken away from us because of His arbitrary whims. Because, as I have heard atheists opine, He is an angry, malevolent, vengeful, hateful God. If He is done away with in terms of how we live our lives, we can choose our own paths. Disregard His hand in the purposes of our lives. That is why.
It is personal with the wicked. They decide to go the other way. To live by a different standard. It is not that they don't understand what God wants. It is that they don't wanna do it! Who is He to tell them how to live, this elusive God whose face we cannot see and whose hand they do not recognize? But even the compassion of the psalmist toward the wicked is a glimpse at the heart of God. Many are the sorrows of the wicked. And where is their comfort? To whom do they turn for help? A life without God will ultimately become empty, and the mistakes those who reject him make will trail after them, leaving a path strewn randomly with grand efforts or misguided gestures. And in the last moment, when the joy of those who trust in God is climactic for the joy of seeing His face, the one who has turned His back on God will have sorrow on sorrow.
Compare that to what the righteous are offered, in this life and the next. We who trust in Christ, who know our God and desire to live up to His standards, are wrapped in love and kindness. Surrounded in our every endeavor - even sleeping - with the great agape of our Father. It is not that we have become perfect! Far from it! But God, our Father, gave us a Gift. Reached down from heaven and handed us a "get out of jail free" pass. Redeemed us by offering Himself in our place, to take our punishment for the fact that we will never be good enough for Him. Never able on our own to accomplish righteousness. So, He became our righteousness. I would be a fool not to take this precious gift from His outstretched palm!
The joy of redemption.....knowing I deserve hell and have been granted heaven...should make me sing! And shout! This angry God of the Bible consistently cries out to His people to repent and come back because He loves them and will forgive them! Never does He want the wicked to perish....never does He even want the wicked to exist! He wants everyone to know Him. From the least to the greatest. He is love. And lest you think the God of the Old Testament was sitting in wrathful judgment, just waiting to annihilate mankind, listen to what He says He will do on the Day of Atonement once a year when the priest offers the sacrifice for the people:
It is on this day that the priests will make you clean so that you will belong to the Lord again. All your sins will be removed. (Leviticus 16:30)
ALL.....every heinous thing. Not one left out. The God of the Old Testament, willing to forgive anything when you come before Him repentant and humble. Covered in sacrificial blood that had been sprinkled on the priest's garments and on the altar where God Himself came near. So that we belong to Him again. So that He can dwell in and among us, which is the very purpose of our existence. What sorrow to not know this God. To refuse His love. To carry the weight of our own wrong actions. To die without understanding that we could have lived with greater purpose. To await an uncertain eternity where He is not present. That while we dance and shout the great praises of our mighty God and Father, wailing and sorrow await those who just could not believe in Him.
I praise you, Lord! You were angry with me, but you are not angry with me now! You have comforted me. God is the one who saves me; I will trust Him and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord gives me strength and makes me sing! He has saved me!
You will receive your salvation with joy as you would draw water from a well!
Isaiah 12
Amen!
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