Psalm – Psalm 36-38

Reading today’s Psalms, I get this constant reminder about what ultimately matters to God.

Bible Passage:  Psalm 36-38

Do you see it?

In Psalm 36 – David painted a stark contrast between the wicked and the Lord.

The wicked are wholly commited to evil (v. 1-4) while the Lord is totally different (v. 5-12).

Psalm 37 comforts us in that while people who cheat, lie and steal seem to get ahead in life, God assures us that the prosperity of the wrong doers are temporary and that ultimately God will reward those who delight in Him.

Psalm 38 is a cry for the Lord’s help and David suggests that there is a connection between physical disease and spiritual wrong doing. This Psalm is quite different from others of a similar vein in that it does not end in joy or assurance.

So what is it that we can see over and over again in t Psalms that reminds us what ultimately matters to God?

Psalm 37:27-29 tells us it is the quality of our character.

Depart from evil, and do good;
And dwell forevermore.
For the LORD loves justice,
And does not forsake His saints;
They are preserved forever,
But the descendants of the wicked shall be cut off.
The righteous shall inherit the land,
And dwell in it forever.

We have read in some of the previous psalms that reminds us to pursue a life of godly behaviour and ethical decision making.

Here are some reminders:

Psalm 1 – The Psalmist tells us that we must choose beyween two paths – the way of wickedness and death, or the way of godliness and life.

Psalm 12 shows us that because of the holy and pure nature of God, dishonesty is not tolerated.

Psalm 15 lists some of the lifestyle qualities that pleases the Lord and it will be good for us to review them.

In Psalm 26, the psalmist reminds us that being a man of integrity will be give us a reasonable basis to seek the Lord’s protection.

And in today’s Psalm 37, once again, people who have no fear of God seems to prosper but we all know that the way of life and joy is to honour God and not to forget Him.

In the future Psalms, we will continue to see that truly, it is our character that matters to God.  So the next time you read Psalms, do think about this and see what other areas in our life we should improve so that we are pleasing to God.