Psalms Chapter 37: Verses 11-20 (Unless otherwise stated all Scriptures in this devotional are from the King James Version of the Bible.) #Wickedness #Righteous #Godly #Inheritance

Who Inherits the Earth?

11But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

David continues his discourse about the inheritance of the meek.

• Psalms 22:26: The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the Lord that seek him: your heart shall live forever.
• Psalms 149:4 “For the Lord taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation.”Now he adds the blessing of peace.
• Psalm 37:37 “Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace.”
• Psalms 119: 165-167 “Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them. Lord, I have hoped for thy salvation, and done thy commandments. My soul hath kept thy testimonies; and I love them exceedingly. I have kept thy precepts and thy testimonies: for all my ways are before thee.”  Christians have a promise from God.
• Philippians 4:7 ^“And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Claim it and receive it. Anxiety is not in our middle name. It is not a gift from God. It is from the put of hell. Send it back to where it belongs.

The Ways of the Wicked Man 

• 12The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth.
• 14The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as be of upright conversation.

Does it appear as if David has had it with the wicked? Yes, I agree with you. He uses strong words to warn them about their future. They may plot, gnash their teeth, draw their swords, bend their bows, and treat the poor and needy abominably, but there will come a time of reckoning for them. Longman declared the truth of God’s word regarding the wicked, “The [wicked] are angry and want to devour the godly (implied by the idiom of gnashing their teeth.” All of these behaviors will come back to the wicked.  The despotic behavior of the wicked is so entrenched in their spiritual DNA that they are bold enough to “slay such as be of upright conversation.” Do not fear saints. God is with you.

God’s Judgement on The Wicked

• 1 3The Lord shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming.
• 15 Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken.
• 17For the arms of the wicked shall be broken: but the LORD upholdeth the righteous.
• 20 But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the LORD shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.

Although the wicked are armed against God’s people to destroy them, God “shall laugh at [them]: for he seeth that [their] day is coming [judgment day is coming].”  

• Psalm 2:4 ^“He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.” They planned was to kill the righteous but, “Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken. Not only will their swords be broken but so will their “arms.” God’s word never returns to Him void. 
• Psalm 7:15  ^“He made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made.” They made a pit for God’s people and fell into it themselves.
• Matthew 25:41 “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:”
• Revelation 20:10 “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet [are], and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever.”

When famine and lack comes “the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the LORD shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.” This is not vengeance is mine says David. No, this is vengeance is mine says the Lord because evildoers determined in their hearts that they were going to destroy God’s people! Cayce puts verses 13-17 into perspective for us by stating, “Ill-gotten gain does nothing but ruin the person who gets it” (Cayce 2018, Psalms 37).  A righteous person rests in peace. They care about the poor and needy

• Proverbs 15:17 declares “[It is] Better [to enjoy] a dinner of herbs where love is, than [to eat at a table that is decked out with] a stalled ox [served with] hatred therewith.”
• Job 38:15 ^“And from the wicked their light is withholden, and the high arm shall be broken.”  In Psalm 10:15, we learn that God will “Break thou the arm of the wicked and the evil man: seek out his wickedness till thou find none.”

God’s Relationship With the Righteous Man

• 16 A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked.
• 17…..but the LORD upholdeth the righteous.
• 18The LORD knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be forever.
• 19They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.

What is the point of serving God if one is ill, and or financially challenged? Ecclesiastes 5:12 highlights a promise of God to His children.”The sleep of a laboring man [is] sweet, whether he eat little or much, [anxiety is not the dish for the day.] but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.” Maybe this scripture is the reason why people say “money cannot buy happiness.”  “But the LORD upholdeth the righteous.” WHY?

• What makes us so unique?
• What is the big deal about “being a God-fearing Christian?” Christians show God’s heart for ALL people regardless of their race and socioeconomic status!
• Proverbs 29:7 The righteous considereth the cause of the poor: but the wicked regardeth not to know it.
• Proverbs 28:27 “He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack: but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse.” God already knows the days of the righteous, “and their inheritance shall be forever.” Psalm 90:12 “ So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.”

• 1 Kings 17:12-13 “And she said, [As] the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but a handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I [am] gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.” “And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go [and] do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring [it] unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son.”

• 1 Kings 17:15-16 “And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat [many] days.” “[And] the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Elijah.”

Stand tall friends we serve a God who protects and takes care of his children. Cayce posits “The upright, the redeemed, the saved, the righteous, the Christians are all the same people. We KNOW where we will live forever. We will live with our LORD.”

https://youtu.be/8l-5Bbtyxu8

References

Cayce, Ken. 2017. “Books of the Bible.”  http://www.bible-studys.org/About%20Me.html. Accessed October 4, 2018

Lawson, Steven. 2004. Holman Old Testament Commentary – Psalms. Nashville: B&H Publishing Group. Accessed October 4, 2018. ProQuest Ebook Central.

Longman, Tremper, III. 2014. Psalms: An Introduction and Commentary. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press. Accessed October 4, 2018. ProQuest Ebook Central.