We are merely moving shadows,
    and all our busy rushing ends in nothing.
We heap up wealth,
    not knowing who will spend it.
And so, Lord, where do I put my hope?
    My only hope is in you.
Rescue me from my rebellion.
    Do not let fools mock me (Psalm 39:6-8).

"All our busy rushing ends in nothing!" The things that frustrate us are but passing shadows. We argue and we fight and express our great displeasure with each other because we don't get that fleeting thing that we desire. We don't realize that God cares more about our attitude toward Him and toward each other than a thousand times the things we worry about. He puts our attitude in His eternal book, but these things we value will not get one mention. They will be forgotten forever. 

"Rescue me from my rebellion!" The good purpose of our lives is to fear God and obey His commandments according to the wisest man who ever lived (Ecclesiastes 12:13; Proverbs 9:10). This is what makes our life meaningful and significant. Anything short of this is rebellion against God. Everything beyond this is rebellion against God. Fools will mock because such rebellion is their realm and we may fall short of it. It is one thing to be mocked by the wise, but how low one must get to be mocked by fools. 

Friends, let us examine ourselves. What raises our blood pressure? What stirs up anxiety in us? What makes us angry? What makes us worry? More than this, what drives our passion and effort? What lies at the heart of our ambition and aspiration? 

There is only one meaningful answer to these questions. If we don't realize it or come short of it, we can be sure that we too are living in rebellion. 

Psalm 36

Transgression speaks to the wicked deep in his heart; there is no fear of God before his eyes. For he flatters himself in his own eyes that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated.

Consider this; we are in the process of maturing in the Spirit, a sanctification process. Yet to think you do not sin is a deception.

1 John 1:8-10

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰ If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

So if we are dead to sin as Romans 6 implies how can 1 John 1 say we have no sin? I think we are back to a state similar to the garden. Adam and Even had a relationship with God, in that relationship they can choose not to walk with God. But unlike them, our relationship is not broken, covered by grace, we can continue to remain in the garden.

It is in this walking with God that we grow through the spirit: Galatians 5: 16 & 25

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.

Are sinful state is dead, we are free from that condition. But we are free to do wrong and free do right; this freedom is enabled and sustained only by God’s grace. In order to walk with God we must continue to ask for forgiveness, “if we confess our sings is he is faithful to forgive us and cleanse us.”

Psalms 36 points to the evidence of a dead soul, it does evil deeds; 1 John 1 points to evil deeds done by the righteous. The evidence of the good standing before God of the righteous can be found in contract to the wicked of Psalms 36, “he flatters himself in his own eyes that his iniquity cannot be found and hated.”

Confession does not simply remove the bad grade from you report card. When God ‘cleanses us’ it is more, he begins to work in us the enablement to hate the iniquity and truly repent.

He enables you to repent, he enables you to confess, He enables you walk more with spirit. Do not be evil in your ways, justifying yourselves, or flattering yourselves, blinding yourself of your constant need of a savior and his power – Confess it, face the ugliness, see it with eyes wide open so you may hate it.

-------------------------------

Psalms 37

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! Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil!

There is so much application to this Psalm. Jealousy, arrogance, pride… a soul in sin.

All such things stem from a dead soul. When people prosper through evil ways it will incite our flesh. When someone wins a lottery or across a great boon, they will receive warnings to bless the lord and remain humble, but it is also those who are giving the warnings that also should receive warning not get jealous, arrogant or prideful.

Trust in the lord, he has said in the end those who live by righteousness will inherit everything. Trust in the lord, he is the one that gives all things, even the boons of the evil – how will they be punished if they have nothing? How will can you receive your crown, your reward, at the judgment if you never got the opportunity, given by God, to demonstrate you love for him.

Demonstrate, be a witness to the world, that your only desire is for God. You can rejoice in the material blessing you receive and others receive, because it is your wonderful Father who gave it. You can have joy when the material is taken and you can be the shoulder for others, because it is your wonderful Father working and his works are awesome like watching a master artist work and destroy to create a masterpiece.

Do not fret because of evildoers,
Be not envious toward wrongdoers.
For they will wither quickly like the grass
And fade like the green herb (Psalm 37:1-2).

Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,
Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes...
For evildoers will be cut off...
Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more;
And you will look carefully for his place and he will not be there (Psalm 37:7,9,10).

Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing (Psalm 37:7).

Notice how David repeats the instruction, "Do not fret..." He repeats this instruction three times, which, in Hebrew poetry, suggests more than emphasis but focused attention to a central message. On the first two occasions, David writes that believers should not fret because of the wicked. His reasoning is the same for both. They will soon perish. 

David exhorts believers not to fret because the wicked seem to be enjoying their sinful indulgence, whether living in luxury or pleasure or power. He says not to envy them.

David then exhorts believers not to fret because the wicked seem to prosper and do wickedly without suffering any harm or loss to themselves. David emphatically reminds believers that even if these evildoers seem to be getting away with living just as they please, this is not the case, for it is only for this life that they will enjoy it. 

In light of the certain, aweful and swift end of the wicked, David says, "Do not fret" because of them. Don't envy them. Don't try to understand their ingenuity in getting away with things. Don't be upset that they are prospering and you are not. Don't compare your temporal outcome with theirs. Instead, think properly about your ultimate and eternal end and theirs. This is what Asaph, David's Chief Musician, did:

But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;
    I had nearly lost my foothold.
For I envied the arrogant
    when I saw the prosperity of the wicked...

This is what the wicked are like—
    always free of care, they go on amassing wealth...

Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure
    and have washed my hands in innocence...

When I tried to understand all this,
    it troubled me deeply
till I entered the sanctuary of God;
    then I understood their final destiny... (Psalm 73:2-3,12,13,16-17).

Here Asaph says that he fretted because of the prosperity and impunity of the wicked. They were doing great, but he felt he was getting nothing for all the effort he put in being pure and innocent. He writes that such thinking almost made him slip, that is, slip into sin and a sinful lifestyle.

But what kept his foot from slipping? He entered the sanctuary of God and understood their final destiny. He saw their swift, aweful and eternal end. Then he came to his senses and understood the wisdom in pursuing a pure and innocent life.

Consequently, the very last time David exhorts, "Do not fret," he adjoins this command with the words, "It leads only to evildoing." When Asaph fretted, he said that his foot almost slipped into doing the very evil that the wicked men around him were doing.

When you gaze on the lifestyle of the sinful, it looks appealing. But such is the way of all sinful temptation. If it was unappealing, it would never be called temptation.

But, friends, God has called us to resist such sinful desires and to diligently replace them with godly ones that are in keeping with His Word. We are to pursue these godly desires even when we do not experience the benefits immediately or even in this life. This can be hard to do. Certainly both David and Asaph attest to how hard this is. Consider how the Lord Jesus was also tempted in the wilderness by Satan (cf. Matthew 4). Think of Paul, who testified that as often as he wanted to do good, the inclination to do evil was always right there also (cf. Romans 7). So, we have these great cloud of witnesses in the Old Testament and the New Testament to remind us to pursue a life of faith and obedience in the Lord:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart (Hebrews 12:1-3).

“LORD, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered—how fleeting my life is. You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand. My entire lifetime is just a moment to you; at best, each of us is but a breath.” We are merely moving shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing. We heap up wealth, not knowing who will spend it. And so, Lord, where do I put my hope? My only hope is in you. (Psalm 39:4-7 NLT)

Perspective. Particularly in suffering, perspective can supply relief and help. David is experiencing suffering because of his sins (Psalm 39:8-10). He is also frustrated because of his inability to overcome his sinful tendency (Psalm 39:1-3,8). As he wrestles with these things, he prays that God will give him perspective by reminding him of the shortness and futility of his life. 

Notice the metaphors for life in this psalm: a brief and fleeting moment, a hand-width, a breath, a passing shadow. The emphasis is on the shortness of life. David also highlights life's futility because it is limited ("my days are numbered"), has no enduring purpose ("ends in nothing"), and has a totally uncertain outcome ("not knowing who will spend it").

Since life is so terribly brief and vain, David asks, "Where do I put my hope?" David answers his own question: "My hope is in You!" His answer is not much unlike the the conclusion of the Preacher in Ecclesiastes, who after twelve chapters of developing his thesis that life is temporary and vain, writes

Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty. (Ecclesiastes 12:13 NLT)

Reflection on the brevity and futility of life should not make us fatalists, with the attitude, "Let us eat and drink for tomorrow we die." Why? Because there is a God, and because we believe there is a resurrection to eternal life. Instead such reflections should remind us of what is important and cause us to constantly recalibrate our priorities so that we will stop sinning in our vain pursuit of wordly gain and pleasures and instead set our hearts on trusting God and obeying His Word. 

Therefore, in our struggle against sin, let us pray like David, asking God to remind us of just how brief our lives really are and the emptiness of pursuing worldly things. And let us reaffirm our hope, which is only in the LORD our God.

Friends, we read here some beautiful Psalms that contain some wonderful promises of blessing for those who trust and obey the LORD. For example,

They will "dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness" (37:3).
They will receive "the desires of their heart" (37:4).
They will be famous for their righteousness (37:6).
They will "inherit the earth" (37:9, 11).
They will "delight themselves in the abundance of peace" (37:11).
Their "inheritance shall be forever" (37:18).
They "shall not be ashamed in the evil time" (37:19).
They shall be satisfied in the days of famine (37:19).

These are just a representative sampling of the promises of God found in these chapters. They promise such things like health, prosperity, success, victory over the wicked, fame, peace, and deliverance. Many evangelicals spiritualize these promises and say (1) they are to be experienced in heaven or (2) they are to be experienced in the heart. Others both spiritualize the meaning and then literally apply them to people today. Unfortunately, these views cover a large swathe of evangelistic teaching on passages like this. What's the problem? In every case the problem stems from elevating human experience over God's Word. They say, since there are a large number of godly people who suffer, but we want to apply this Scripture since "all Scripture is profitable," David must be talking about heavenly blessings or blessings to be experienced inside in the heart. Others say, God wants to bless you, and the only reason that you don't experience the fullness of these blessings is because you are not trusting and obeying Him. Still others just ignore any exceptions and just focus on claiming the good promises.

Only a few consider the alternative. There is no need for us to spiritualize this Psalm, and there is nothing in the Psalm to encourage such an approach to the promises here. And there is no need for us to pick and choose what we want to apply and ignore the rest. Why not take these passages literally in the context in which they are given. These are the promises of God that extend directly from the covenant of Law that Moses established with the children of Israel on Mount Sinai and then reaffirmed in the Plains of Moab. They were clearly told of both blessings and cursings connected respectively to their obedience and disobedience to this Law. They were promised literal health, wealth, prosperity, abundant harvests, successful childbirth, and triumph over all the enemy nations around them. All these promises were in effect all the way up until the cross of Christ, when the old Law of Moses was replaced by the new Law of Christ, and the old way of the written code was displaced by the new way of the Spirit (Romans 7:6).

Now, in the context of these Psalms, while there were some heavenly and forward looking promises, a great majority of them were earthly and directly connected to the Land of Promise. The failure of the children of Israel to capitalize on these promises for any length of time does not diminish the faithfulness of God but rather reveals the depravity of God's chosen people and demonstrates the need for a New Covenant. Since depravity ("flesh," "sinful nature") prevented the Law of Moses from establishing righteousness in God's chosen people, God sent His Son to fulfill what His people could not do on their own (Romans 8:3-4).

Now, you may be wondering, "So what?!" I like to be able to just read passages like these Psalms and apply them to myself and others just the way I like. I'm sincere about it. The Holy Spirit will correct any misunderstanding or misapplications I may have.

Yet, have you considered this? If you and I sincerely disagree, which of us has the Spirit to correct the other? Do you know that most of the cults came from people that read the Scriptures just as sincerely as you or I? In fact, in the days of Ahab, many "false" prophets rebuked the "true" prophet of God, saying that they spoke by the Spirit rather than he. Do you know how the true prophet answered them? When Ahab is killed and you yourself go into hiding, you will know that I speak the truth and you were wrong. What a way to discover the truth!

The Holy Spirit will not necessarily correct you. We are commanded to "study (the Scriptures) to show yourselves approved unto God, a workman that does not need to be ashamed because he rightly divides the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15). The Spirit gave His prophets and apostles the direct revelation of God so that we can have the Word of God in our hands today, and now we are expected to thoroughly and correctly study this Word, so that we might properly understand and apply it and correctly teach it to others.

Now, if you can accept these things, how then should you read, understand and apply these Psalms? First, let us appreciate these words as they were given to the children of Israel, even during David's day. They were precious, encouraging, immediate and real promises. And these promises were enjoyed from time to time throughout Israel's history; however, they did not endure because the people's faithfulness to the Law did not long endure. During certain periods in David's reign, Solomon's reign, and that of other good kings like Hezekiah and Josiah, there were extended times of blessing. But there were also long periods of cursing, judgment and exile.

The promises in the Psalms reveal the good and kind nature of God and His desire for righteousness in His people. But in Christ, we have even better promises than these. God is ultimately working everything for the good of His chosen (Romans 8:28). We will suffer in this life, but nothing we suffer will becloud the glory that will be revealed in us in heaven (Romans 8:18-25). And one of the greatest words of promise we find in Romans 8:32, "He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?" God gave us what was most precious to Him. The rhetorical question affirms that since we were given the greatest thing, everything lesser will also be included as well.

Rather than trying to claim individual promises in the Psalms - for that matter any old covenant text - for our lives today, which would not be proper for us to do anyway, let us recognize in these Psalms the goodness of God toward Israel and the consistent desire of God in both testaments for His people to pursue obedience to Him. And let us praise God for the even better promises we have in Christ.

³¹ The law of his God is in his heart;
       his feet do not slip.

I am reminded of this verse with every step.  Every decision when I am out of the will of God is like walking on slippery rocks, I feel like I have no footing and that any step could be the one that sends me tumbling out of control.  Staying in the word and will of God really changes my decision making process, starting every decision with an effort to do God's will.  It is one of the greatest benefits of "Eat the Word". 

I have been struggling a lot lately and when we started the Psalms I felt like it was written for me!  I found answers for everything I was struggling with.  I am always surprised by this and by now you would think I would know God works this way.  I keep saying faith, trust, & obedience but my mind still wanders into fear & what I see in the world instead of trust.  I realize how important Bible study is now.  It brings me peace.

In Psalm 37:4,5 David calls us to take delight in the Lord and commit everything we have and do to Him.  Commiting ourselves to the Lord means entrusting EVERYTHING to Him.  We must commit our lives, family, jobs, possessions to His control and guidance.  We must trust Him 100%!  We must believe He can care for us better than ourselves.  If we wait patiently He will work out what is best for us.

To delight in the Lord means to experience great pleasure and joy in In His presence.  This only happens when we know Him well.  We can do this by reading His word.  Satan would love to destroy our Bible Study.  We are all so busy.  Please pray that I quit making excuses.  I know GMH hates excuses.  Many times he has told me, "no more excuses Sherry"!  This is part of our training.  If you really want to do something you will find a way!