Rev (Dr) Quek Suan Yew

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

Verse 37 (synthetic parallelism) – The wicked will pass away and disappear from the face of this earth. All their works will be forgotten. The LORD will guarantee this. These wicked men will be cast into hell where they belong because of all the evil deeds that they have done on earth. They will not escape the sure judgement of their Creator no matter how much they deny His existence. It is appointed unto all men that they will all die and after that the judgement! To the righteous, the LORD has great words of encouragement, especially to all those who are suffering for Christ. They must keep on trusting the LORD with much patience. The LORD has a purpose for each and every one of His faithful servants. David understood this well.

So he called all the righteous to mark the perfect man. This means to keep an eye on the perfect man and follow his godly and holy example. Imitate his patience in the face of great persecution. Do not flinch the way he did not. The same LORD who helped and strengthen him will help all His children to do the same. Do not give up and allow the wicked men who persecute to succeed in their attempts to destroy the believers’ holy witness and faithful service for Christ. Look at the perfect man’s uprightness, i.e. righteousness. He continues to follow Christ according to the Holy Word of God regardless of what the wicked men did to him. He stands firm and strong on God's truth even if he has to stand alone! This is what all believers must look toward and be encouraged. Do not look at the now where the wicked seems to have the victory. Look toward the end always. The wicked will die in sin and end in hell, whereas, the righteous will end in peace. It is the peace with God that comes only through Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ died for the sins of David just as He died for the sins of all who believe and accept Christ as Lord and Saviour. They are no longer at odds with God through Christ. They no longer die in sin but in Christ. Just as Christ who died for us went to heaven or paradise after his death, all who die in Christ will also enter paradise to meet Christ. There is perfect peace in heaven where God dwells. Only the righteous are permitted to enter heaven.

Verse 38 (synonymous parallelism) – The contrast is clear. “But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off.” Democracy has been touted as every nation’s way of life that will solve every nation’s problem because what the majority wants must be what is best for the people. If America is a type of what democracy ought to be like, then it is a sad example of deception and enormous failure. Their own people do not believe in democracy simply because they do not accept what the majority determines as seen in their rebellion to their democratically elected president Mr Donald Trump. The “losers” are still upset by their loss as they do not agree with what the majority has decided. Democracy is the death nail of every nation! The reason is crystal clear from a Christian’s perspective. All men are born in sin and are considered totally depraved by God, for their righteousnesses are as filthy rags in His sight! Isaiah 64:6 “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” Obviously man’s hypocrisy will not stop their wicked hearts from doing whatever is right in their own eyes. They insult their own leader because they did not get what their evil heart desires! They will still hold on to the crowd and mob mentality to get what their carnal heart desires. They believe that might is right! This will be their song till they die in sin! This is the sad tragedy of it all! These people are all sincere in what they think is best for themselves and others! God’s revelation here is that all of them will be destroyed by God together!

Their end is that they will be cut-off. All their hopes and aspirations will be destroyed. Their works on earth will be wiped off from the face of the earth as if they have never existed. All their attempts to be remembered by men through their foundations and monuments and records will be erased like the dew that appears in the morning and by noon, it is gone forever. This is a summary judgement of God on the works of these men. These men’s works will be cut-off forever because these wicked men themselves will be cut off forever. Their works will be destroyed and be no more. But these wicked men will be cast into the Lake of Fire as their ultimate end. Revelation 20:13-15 “And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”

The cutting off of the wicked ones is total and complete as well as eternal! This is a stern warning to all who are not in Christ.

Verse 39 (synthetic parallelism) – However, there must be no gloating from the righteous as if they are intrinsically better off than the wicked ones. All mankind are born in sin and therefore are totally depraved. There is nothing good in any one of us. God saved us out of His grace and mercy. He did not see some good in one and saved him and saw nothing good in another and therefore did not save him. This is not the way of salvation. God saved us because of His grace. It is His sovereign choice. No reason is given except that He loved wretched sinners who were totally depraved. Therefore a deep sense of humility and gratitude must be the only acceptable reaction from all the righteous ones. Thus David described his own salvation as “but the salvation of the righteous is of the LORD.” It is the LORD’s doing from beginning to end. God sent His only begotten Son to die for sinners because He loved totally depraved sinners. Christ lived and died for totally depraved sinners like ourselves. God accepted all that Christ did for us by raising Him from the dead for our justification so that all who truly believe in Christ as Lord and Saviour are saved from the bondage of sin and the penalty of sin which is death and hell. Since our salvation is all God’s doing, we cannot lose this salvation, for no one is greater or more powerful than God almighty!

Therefore He is every believer’s strength in times of trouble just as He was to David. The LORD gave David strength to stay the course of righteousness. David was hurt physically and emotionally and mentally. But he was strong spiritually. He turned to the LORD in prayer more than ever before during his time of persecution. The persecution he experienced drove David closer to the LORD in prayer which only persecution could accomplish. It does not mean that the child of God will not suffer loss of material things including his health when he is beaten or imprisoned. He might even lose his life in the process of holding on to his faith in Christ’s service. But he will not give up Christ. The LORD will give him the strength to face all trials in life so that his obedience to God’s Word will shine forth God's love in Christ. This is the strength that David referred to in his life to encourage all believers to experience the same strength in their lives when they face persecution.

Verse 40 (synthetic parallelism) – The LORD will surely help all His children left behind on earth to witness for Christ. This has always been His assuring promise. All believers will never witness and serve God alone. His abiding presence will always be their main stay. God will help and deliver. In some cases when the ministry of the child of God is not completed on earth, the LORD will deliver them physically as well as spiritually. However, when their time on earth is done, the LORD will deliver them spiritually whereby they will remain faithful to the very end even when they lose their life. This understanding of God's help and deliverance must be clear. Otherwise believers might respond wrongly and fall into sin thinking that God does not help and deliver when they lose possessions, family, loved ones, and their freedom including their lives. God’s way is not man’s way. Going home to glory after a life of labouring for Christ is not punishment but God’s continuous love for all His children. Remaining on earth for any reason other than to witness for Christ is usually the reason why many believers are reluctant to let go of earth. However, to the obedient and faithful child of God who has been serving the LORD will all his strength, heart, mind and soul, he is always prepared to go home to be with the LORD ahead of his earthly loved ones, knowing that this parting is temporary and they will reunite and meet again in glory and for eternity! He understands God's help and deliverance with eternity’s perspective in view. So must all who are righteous in Christ!

God will deliver the righteous from the wicked and save them because they keep on trusting in Him. Let us keep on trusting in the LORD. He promised all His children that He will never fail them. There is nothing the wicked can do to touch or hurt God's children. Their salvation in heaven is guaranteed, for it is always safe in the hands of God and Christ. No one can snatch them out of their all powerful hands! This is what Jesus promised all believers in John 10:28-29 “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.” Trusting in the LORD is not a subjective notion whereby a person calls himself a Christian and does whatever he wants in life. Trusting in the LORD means to keep trusting by reading, studying, understanding and obeying the perfect Word of Life. The Bible is the Christian’s daily diet. He reads the Bible knowing that it is his Heavenly Father speaking to him. He delights to spend time hearing his Heavenly Father’s voice. He does this all his life. When he does not hear his Heavenly Father’s voice he feels sad and lonely within his soul.

Conclusion – Psalm 37’s main theme is to keep trusting in the LORD. The psalm has been divided into the following sub-sections -- The Need to Trust – 37:1-8; The Result of Trust – 37:9-22; The Reason to Trust – 37:23-33; and The Patience in Trust – 37:37-40. Living in a world where its god is the Devil himself makes trusting in the LORD a spiritual warfare that only in Christ can God's servants prevail. The Devil’s attacks are incessant. Therefore trusting in the LORD has to be a continuous and lifelong endeavour. The test of one’s trust in the LORD is in times of suffering for Christ. The believer’s response to the suffering will reveal who he really trusts; and if he murmurs and complains in times of suffering, then he has not been trusting. He needs to repent and return to the LORD in trust. If he prays more than ever before and is drawn closer to his LORD during his suffering for Christ, then he has been blessed spiritually. He has turned his theoretical head knowledge into priceless experiential knowledge that will keep him in good stead and he will continue to live for his LORD all the days of his life. What awaits him when he arrives home in heaven is his LORD Jesus Christ welcoming him home and saying to him . . . well done My good and faithful servant!

Keep on trusting in the LORD. He will never fail. He helps and delivers to the very end. Amen.