Day 433: A future with hope - Psalm 37 vs 27 – 40
27-29 Turn from evil and do good; then you will dwell in the land for ever. For the Lord loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed; the offspring of the wicked will perish. The righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it for ever. 30-31 The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom, and their tongues speak what is just. The law of their God is in their hearts; their feet do not slip.
32-34 The wicked lie in wait for the righteous, intent on putting them to death; but the Lord will not leave them in the power of the wicked or let them be condemned when brought to trial. Hope in the Lord and keep his way. He will exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are destroyed, you will see it.
35-36 I have seen a wicked and ruthless man flourishing like a luxuriant native tree, but he soon passed away and was no more; though I looked for him, he could not be found. 37-38 Consider the blameless, observe the upright; a future awaits those who seek peace. But all sinners will be destroyed; there will be no future for the wicked.
39-40 The salvation of the righteous comes from 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. Psalm 37:27-40 New International Version
It's my conviction that we live in a generation when the future looks bleak for those who love the Lord Jesus Christ and God's righteousness. A country like Scotland that once had many God fearing preachers and missionaries, has become a place where ungodly laws are now regularly passed. This is true of many nations that once embraced a Biblical view of marriage and life. Now it's all abortion and sexual distortion. Christians are vilified for holding on to the truth. Yes, the future looks bleak. But what does the writer say in vs 32-34?
The future does not belong to the wicked. The Psalm writer says what Jesus later affirmed when He said: “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” (Matthew 5:5) That's a truth which the Psalm states clearly in vs 27-29. God won't forsake those who are faithful to Him. It’s actually the wicked who have no future. That's not always how it looks though. For Christians living in the terrible days of the Roman empire or who currently live in Communist and Islamic countries, or even those living in the morally crumbling and decadent West, it looks as if evil is flourishing! But what does the Psalm writer say in vs 35-36 and then assure us of in vs 37-38?
There's a well known promise in Jeremiah which Christians love that says: “For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11) But not everyone remembers the setting of those words. They were written to some Jews who had been taken from Jerusalem to Babylon and were facing 70 years of exile. They had lost homes and possibly loved ones too. They were now living in pagan country whose people cared nothing for Israel's God. Yet Jeremiah says to them: “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile.” (Jeremiah 29:5-7)
In the darkest times when things look hopeless – God's people are called to get on with life and to do whatever is necessary and whatever is good. God's ultimate plans for their good have not changed. And so the Psalm ends with the words we read in vs 39-40. God's salvation is assured to the righteous, He is their stronghold and He will rescue them out of the hand of the wicked. The apostle Paul said: “Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39) The future for the righteous is certain and secure.