February 20 2023

Today, Monday February 20

“The Steps of a Good Man”

Psalm 37:21-31

“The wicked borrows and does not repay, But the righteous shows mercy and gives. For those blessed by Him shall inherit the earth, But those cursed by Him shall be cut off.

The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, And He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the LORD upholds him with His hand. I have been young, and now am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his descendants begging bread. He is ever merciful, and lends; And his descendants are blessed. 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. The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom, And his tongue talks of justice. The law of his God is in his heart; None of his steps shall slide.”

In these verses (vv. 21-27), David continues to draw the contrast between the ways of the wicked and the blessings of the righteous. He notices that the wicked borrow and do not repay. That sure hasn’t changed any. Have you notice that in America today that the further that we get away from God and His Word, our government leaders are borrowing us into a hole with trillions of dollars of debt they have no intention of repaying. This debt will be passed down to our children and grandchildren for years to come if it doesn’t stop. Maybe that’s why the Scripture says, “When the wicked bear rule, the people mourn…” (Proverbs 29:2).

But the righteous continue to show mercy and gives in acts of charity to those in need! And we should thank the Lord that this is still happening today though our churches and non-profit organizations. In verse 22, David again mentions that those blessed by the LORD will “inherit the earth”. I believe this means, among other things, that despite the wicked and evil around us we can still enjoy the good things of God on the earth!

The next two verses have been among my favorite since I memorized them over 50 years ago. “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, And He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the LORD upholds him with His hand.” Making the right choices in life is always a challenge! How do you know you are choosing the right college to go to? Making the right choice about a vocational opportunity? Moving to the right location that determines where your children will go to school and you will go to church? That you are marrying the right spouse for life? And a host of other decisions that so greatly affect your future.

I believe the answer is found in these verses. If you are delighting in the LORD and have committed your way to Him (vv. 4-5), you can believe that He will “secure, He will “establish” your next step. There are so many other verses that come to my mind almost immediately. They begin with, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105). “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

They continue with: “Commit your works to the LORD, And your thoughts will be established” (Proverbs 16:3). When we really are trusting and committed all to the Lord, we can believe: “A man's heart plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps” (Proverbs 16:9). And also: “A man's steps are of the LORD; How then can a man understand his own way?” (Proverbs 20:24)

When you are trusting and committed to the LORD, you won’t be making wrong decisions and even if you do, you have this promise: “Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the LORD upholds him with His hand.” (Psalm 37:24). And all this happens because, “The law of his God is in his heart; None of his steps shall slide.” (37:31).

God bless!