Never Forsaken

NEVER FORSAKEN

Psalm 37:25

By Cleavon Matthews

June 2004

INTRODUCTION

This Psalm contrasts the destiny of the wicked with the future of the righteous. The wicked though he prospers today will be cut off in the Day of the Lord. The righteous will inherit the earth and will be vindicated by the Lord. In this Psalm David also contrasts the conduct of the wicked with the righteous. The wicked oppress the poor, the wicked borrow and do not repay, and the wicked plots against the just. On the other hand, the righteous shows mercy and gives, his mouth speaks wisdom and his tongue talks of justice.

The message of this Psalm is to wait patiently in faith on the Lord because the Lord is faithful. Listen to the Psalm:

• Feed on His Faithfulness (v3)

• Trust in the Lord and do good

• Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart (v4)

• Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him

• Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him

• The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord

• Wait on the Lord and keep His way and He shall exalt you to inherit the land

• But the salvation of the righteous is from the lord; He is their strength in time of trouble. And the Lord shall help them and deliver them; He shall deliver them from the wicked and save them because they trust in Him.

In my estimation the most striking and probably the most familiar part of the text is verse 25. “I have been young and now am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread.” The promise of this passage has a resounding similarity to what the Hebrew writer wrote in Hebrews 13:8 “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

For us this is comforting because through every trial, struggle, battle, and problem the righteous have the promise of God being with us. God never forsakes His people. God never leaves us to fight alone and He never abandons us. Whenever we are dealing with any harshness or adversity we should remember God is with us. If God is with us we can make it. Paul said, “If God be for us, who can be against us.” The answer is no one can defeat us and no enemy formed against us shall prevail.

I.DAVID SHARES HIS EXPERIENCE

“I have been young and now am old”

These are not the words of a novice. David is no neophyte. He is an experienced man. “The glory of young men is their strength: the beauty of old men is the grey head” (Proverbs 20:29. David has seen the fullness of life. He has tasted the bitter and the sweet. He has experienced both pleasures and pains. David can provide expert testimony concerning the faithfulness of God. Through everything David faced, whether good or bad, God had never forsaken him. Forsake in the Hebrew sense means to abandon, to leave in the lurch, to leave someone who is depending on you, and to leave someone alone with a problem!

David experienced many hardships.

David experienced cruelty from his family which served to teach him about God’s faithfulness.

His father overlooked him.

1 Samuel 16:10-12 “Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, the Lord has not chosen these. And Samuel said to Jesse are all of the young men here? Then he said, there remains yet the youngest, and there he is, keeping the sheep and Samuel said to Jesse send and bring him. For we will not sit down till he comes here. So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy with bright eyes and good looking. And the Lord said arise anoint him for this is the one!”

His brother despised him.

1 Samuel 17:28-29 “Now Eliab his oldest brother heard when he spoke to the men; and Eliab’s anger was aroused against David and he said why did you come down here? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and the insolence of your heart, for have come down to see the battle. And David said what have I done now? Is there not a cause?”

His wife turned her back on him.

2 Samuel 6:16; 20-21 “Now as the ark of the Lord came into the City of David Michal, Saul’s daughter, looked through a window and saw King David leaping and whirling before the Lord; and she despised him in her heart. Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said How glorious was the king of Israel today uncovering himself today in the eyes of the maids of his servants as one of the base fellows shamelessly uncovers himself. So David said to Michal It was before the Lord who chose me instead of your father and all his house to appoint me ruler over the people of the Lord over Israel. Therefore I will play before the Lord.”