Rev (Dr) Quek Suan Yew

Psalm 37 – Trust in the LORD (Part 4a of 4)

Introduction – So far we have covered -- The Need to Trust – 37:1-8; The Result of Trust – 37:9-22; and The Reason to Trust – 37:23-33. The fourth and final teaching on trusting in the LORD from Psalm 37 is the patience in trust. Trusting in the LORD requires patience. The reason is that trials are sent into the lives of believers to strengthen their faith. If every trial lasts only a short while and it is over the moment the child of God cries for deliverance, then the main purpose of the trial would be lost. In order for faith to be deepened and strengthened in the believer’s life, the trial has to takes its entire course. The timing or length of this trial is in God's hand alone. The child of God needs to trust and wait. The trial may last a few days or weeks or months or years and even a lifetime! The duty of the child of God is to trust in his heavenly Father to know best and that He will always do what is best in his life to keep him faithful and be found victorious at the end of his life of service on earth!

Trust in the LORD is not easy for all believers. In times of plenty and health, anyone can trust in the LORD. However, when things turn for the worse, as in health, and the body feels pain, or persecution like loss of jobs or incarceration or slanders because of defending the Word of God, then true trusting in the LORD begins. Patience is the key to keep on trusting if the trial drags on for years. The faith of the believer grows deeper and stronger for as long as the trial lasts. He sees more of the LORD’s provision and protection. The sufficiency of God's grace and the daily new mercies are no longer theoretical but experiential. He draws closer to the LORD as he draws farther from the carnal world!

David shares such an experience with us in the closing verses of Psalm 37.

IV.  The Patience in Trust – 37:34-40 – Wait on the LORD for as long as it takes for the trial to end. David’s faith would be strengthened. He would not be impatient. He would keep on waiting until the LORD ends the trial. No matter how difficult the conditions were, David would wait patiently. Waiting patiently means to keep on obeying God's holy and perfect Word. What the Word of God says, the child of God will do. The word “keep” is to put a hedge around something precious and not let it be stolen. Obeying the Word of God was always precious to David. He would not allow the lengthy persecution and the pain to cause him to sin against God by disobeying His Word. Obeying the Word of God is the practical expression of trusting in the LORD. Trusting the LORD is not an act of the mind or the will that is without actions. It is to keep doing what the LORD says regardless of the situations in life. David did exactly that. He kept on praying and trusting and refused to take matters into his own hands knowing that he must not touch King Saul who was the LORD’s anointed. David waited patiently for the LORD to accomplish His will in his life to be the next King of Israel. The LORD did not say when he would be king except that he would be the next king of Israel. He waited patiently for the LORD to promote him. This means that the LORD alone has the right to remove King Saul since He was the one who anointed him. David knew that he could not be king as long as King Saul was alive.

Using synthetic parallelism, David wrote, “when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.” News came to him when he was in Philistine territory that King Saul had died in battle. David was in no doubt that the LORD’s timing had arrived for him to be the next king of Israel. David saw clearly and he patiently waited. He wanted to make sure that when he became the next king of Israel, he would do so on a clean slate. There must not be any sin plaguing him. He was not like other kings who would kill the existing king and all his family members in order to make themselves king. David was a man after God's own heart. He wanted to please God all the time as he waited for God's will to be accomplished in his life. That is why he was able to see the hand of God in his life when he became king.

Verse 35 (emblematic parallelism) – David testified from his experience that he had seen the wicked in great power. There is no human power greater than the power of kings. There is no one above them. They do whatever is right in their own eyes, for they know they answer to no one. They have the armies of their kingdom at their disposal. They can use their might and power to bully and kill and no one can stop them as long as they are in power. King Saul sent three thousand chosen men to hunt down David like an animal. 1 Samuel 24:1-2 “And it came to pass, when Saul was returned from following the Philistines, that it was told him, saying, Behold, David is in the wilderness of En-gedi. 2 Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and went to seek David and his men upon the rocks of the wild goats.” King Saul wanted to stop David from becoming the next king of Israel. The only way was to kill David. There was no lack of trying, for he tried more than ten times to kill David. If not for the mercies of God in protecting David, King Saul would have succeeded. He even threatened the whole nation to “help” him to capture David.

Using emblematic parallelism, David illustrated the power of the king that it was like “spreading himself like a green bay tree.” The spread of the power of the king is like a flourishing native tree spreading its power to cover the entire kingdom. This native tree grows and spreads its branches within the land where it is situated. King Saul’s power stretched as far as the borders of his nation. That was why David had to run and hide outside of Israel behind Philistine lines in order to be safe. The power of the king was great. David tasted it firsthand.

Verse 36 (synthetic parallelism) – But the power of a powerful king does not last for long. His power remains as long as he is alive. The moment he dies, his power dies with him. From the height of might and glory he becomes nothing! Such fleeting power should not be desired by any man. The power of man is transient like the vapour that appears in the morning and by noon it is gone. David said that he looked for the king who possessed such great power to command an army to hunt him. He could not be found! David’s long drawn problems that did not seem to end and his life as a fugitive had all suddenly disappeared with the disappearance of this powerful king! David’s trials ended so suddenly that he had a difficult time accepting that it had ended. That is why he went to check and see if it was indeed true that the wicked king had died and could no longer plague him! David must have been very relieved and thankful to his LORD that he passed the test. He did not take matters into his own hands and waited patiently for the LORD to end the trials in his life.

If David had sinned to get his own way and shorten his life of misery, there would be no turning back. He would have been no different from the kings who killed to get the kingdom and power. That blemish would remain in his life. Thank God he did not kill King Saul. No matter what, he would not disobey the Word of God. He patiently waited and was rewarded with a clear conscience and a clean unblemished record when he became the next king of Israel.

[to be continued]