Today, Friday February 17
“The LORD Knows the Days…”
Psalm 37:12-20
“The wicked plots against the just, And gnashes at him with his teeth. The Lord laughs at him, For He sees that his day is coming. The wicked have drawn the sword And have bent their bow, To cast down the poor and needy, To slay those who are of upright conduct. Their sword shall enter their own heart, And their bows shall be broken.
A little that a righteous man has Is better than the riches of many wicked. For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, But the LORD upholds the righteous. The LORD knows the days of the upright, And their inheritance shall be forever. They shall not be ashamed in the evil time, And in the days of famine they shall be satisfied. But the wicked shall perish; And the enemies of the LORD, Like the splendor of the meadows, shall vanish. Into smoke they shall vanish away.”
The first three words of this great chapter tell us: “Do not fret”. In other words don’t worry, don’t get burned up and burn out because of the evildoers and all the bad news that we hear every day. We definitely live in the day of “instant” news with all of modern technology. Goodness, we have as many “news” stations on television and internet as we have entertainment ones. Just these past few days we see and hear of an earthquake in Turkey and Syria that has now taken the lives of over 36,000 precious people. A train derails and a town is devastated with the chemicals that have been released into their environment. Major cities are literally falling apart with senseless policies that are allowing crimes of violence and corruption on every hand. No one seems to trust the government and respect for authority has disappeared. We don’t know who to believe anymore!!!!
If we are not careful, we can be overwhelmed with “fretting” about all the bad news and forget the source of the “Good News”! The Word of God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which means “Good News”. In the first 11 verses of Psalm 37, we are reminded that the LORD can be trusted, and we don’t have to fret and worry! When we trust, delight, commit and rest in the LORD we will find an abundance of peace and security!
Now in verses 12-20, we are encouraged not to fear, because the LORD knows and understands our situation! Since God can be trusted, we should not fret, and since God understands our situation, we should not fear. The devil uses doubt, worry and fear to keep us defeated and discouraged as much as he uses money and pleasure to tempt and destroy us. It is easy to fall into the trap of fear when we see “the wicked plotting against the just” and devising means to “cast down the poor and needy and to destroy them” (vv. 12-14).
They are like wild beasts “gnashing at the upright and just person” seeking to devour them. “Slay" in v. 14 means "to butcher an animal", but the Lord laughs at the wicked! Remember Psalm 2:4: “He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The LORD shall hold them in derision. Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, and distress them in His deep displeasure: for He knows their judgment is coming.” The LORD also knows that their own weapons will turn against them (v. 15; Psalm 7:15-16; 9:15-16). Remember the 15’s!!!!!! What they use to destroy you will eventually destroy them! They will fall into the very pit they dug to bury you!
“A little that a righteous man has is better than the riches of many wicked” (v. 16). God upholds the righteous (vv. 17-18) and sees to it they have what they need (Proverbs 15:16; 16:8). Just as Jesus met a great need with a few loaves and fishes, so the Lord can "make a little go a long way." "Know" in verse 18 refers to much more than intellectual understanding. It means that "God knows what's going on"! But it also indicates that He is involved and caring for us daily (Psalm 1:6; 31:7, 15).
Jesus taught us to pray, "Give us this day our daily bread" (Matt. 6:11). “The LORD knows the days of the upright” and you can be assured that He understands you and your need in your hour of desperation! So we have no need to fret about tomorrow or fear the “bad news” of today! God always has the final say!
Read these last verses of Hebrews 4:14-16 today and be encouraged with this “Good News”! “Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
God bless!
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