LIVING THE TOUGH LIFE OF FAITH
Text. Ps. 37
Intro:
1. Habakkuk struggled with sin then with God's plan for it
2. We struggle with the same thing, where is God and why doesn't He do
something about this world we live in?
3. Ps. 37 is another wisdom Psalm, teaching us a perspective of faith
2. A theme similar to Ps. 1—contrast of righteous & wicked
3. a key added element is faith.
I. THE ISSUE: THE WAY & PROSPERITY OF THE WICKED
A. V. 1 Evil men, those who do wrong---our struggle
1. why is it allowed?
2. when will they get theirs?
3. It isn’t fair!
4. I want justice!
B. the wicked described:
v. 12---they plot against the righteous
v. 14---they draw the sword, bend the bow (war against)
to bring down the poor and needy
to slay those upright in heart
(premeditated intent to harm, to oppose, to afflict the weak
& unfortunate& underprivileged
v. 16---the wicked have wealth
v. 21—the wicked borrow but do not repay
v. 32---the wicked lie in wait for the righteous, seeking their lives
v. 35---the wicked grow up & flourish
C. Certainly, not a positive picture; conclusions that can easily be
drawn today as we look around us.
II. COUNSEL FOR THE RIGHTEOUS
A. The psalmist issues imperatives:
v. 1. Do not fret---get agitated, heated up, angry
do not be envious—feel displeasure at the advantage &
prosperity of others
v. 3 trust in the Lord---be confident in , feel secure in the Lord
Do good—behave proactively in what you know
v. 4. Delight yourself in the Lord—find your internal pleasure in
God
v. 5. Commit your way to the Lord---“roll your way/activities to
the Lord”
(suggests direction; hand over, pass the baton…)
v. 7. “be still” before the Lord---wait, be silent
(the tough side of faith, waiting on God)
v. 8 refrain from anger---choose not to be angry, heated up,
turn from wrath---the same
(the desire of judgment, response---do something!)
v. 27 turn from evil & do good—do not take matters into our
own hands.
v. 34 wait for the Lord---rely on Him, don’t do anything
v. 37 consider the blameless
observe the upright
(keep I mind the bigger picture)
III. THE BIG PICTURE
A. God will take care of the wicked:
V1, 9a, 10a, 13, 15-17, 20, 28b, 32-36, 38
B. God will take care of the righteous as well
V. 3, 4, 9, 11, 17-19, 23-24, 28, 29, 32-33, 37, 39, 40
Concl
1. Sometimes it is easy to take our eyes off of God and focus on the world we live in.
2. This Psalm reminds us of the true perspective of faith, the God we serve and His faithfulness to His promises of care and our need to trust Him to act for our benefit
