FOR THE LOVE OF GOD

Scripture Reference: Psalm 36

3. The Faithfulness of the Savior

Please read Psalm 36:10-12 for the background to this section.

God is faithful, always faithful. He will always remain true to His Word. I can’t emphasize that fact more. Verses 10-12 highlight two things the Lord will always do. First, He will delight the saints. “Oh, continue your steadfast love to those who know you, and your righteousness to the upright of heart!” Note the prayer for God to “continue.” He will never let us down. We can always count on the Savior to be delivering delight and continuing His mercy and grace in our lives.

We can also bank on Him to denounce the sinner. “Let not the foot of arrogance come upon me, nor the hand of the wicked drive me away.” The psalmist looked at those who had rebelled against God and had made wickedness their god, and he in essence pointed the finger, there they are. Workers of iniquity were already fallen, cast down, and they would not be able to rise. Yet, the psalmist was still in the struggle and was still being opposed. This psalm is couched in the conflict between the wickedness of godless people and the godliness of the psalmist. Although under intense pressure from evil enemies, in God’s eyes they were already thrust down. They were already judged and would not be able to rise. That word “thrust” doesn’t just denote a falling down, but of being forcefully thrown down. What an awesome God we serve!

Through the eyes of faith, the writer of this psalm knew that God was going to be faithful, even though it may have appeared for a time that evil had its ascendancy. But the truth is always the same; the fate of the wicked and the doom of Satan are already signed, sealed, and delivered. Their death notice is already known. The Savior will be and always is, faithful. He would not be a faithful Savior if He allowed evil to triumph, if He allowed wickedness to succeed. The cross would have been no value and His resurrection of no use otherwise. The evil ones have literally “had it.” In the end the saint will have the best of both worlds. He has the righteousness and the resources of God in this life, and then he has life for all of eternity, all because of the faithfulness of the Savior.

The whole essence of this psalm is another reminder that we can trust God; wholeheartedly and implicitly. In fact, we must trust God. I’m speaking to every reader right now. Don’t allow a place for evil in your life. Don’t listen to the whispers of wickedness or rebellion that might spring unexpectedly in your heart. Hallow that place for God in your life. Let Him speak to your spirit. Respond to Him. He will not shortchange or cheat you. You will be satisfied with the prosperity of His house, and He will make you to drink from rivers of pleasure. You will experience the fountain of life. You will have light and satisfaction in abundance.

Those who have a desire for a life that excels will see as the psalmist sees. They will recognize and acknowledge the futility of sin, the fullness of salvation, and the faithfulness of the Savior. We all can rely on Him. Never will any of us go wrong obeying Him. For now and eternity we will bask in the life that excels!

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, ESV © 2016 by Crossway Bibles.
Used by permission. All rights reserved

Scripture Reference: Psalm 36

2. The Fullness of Salvation – Continued

Please read Psalm 36:5-9 for the background to this section.

So many of us have bought Satan’s lie that God is going to cheat us. The devil whispers, “God’s going to mess up your life for sure. He’s going to take all the fun out of your life. He’s the original cosmic killjoy. He’s plotting to make your life miserable. He wants to make you depressed and poor.” Give the enemy some credit. He is a skillful and manipulative liar (see John 8:44).

In the salvation of God there is however full satisfaction. One of the best illustrations is found in the second chapter of John, at the wedding feast in Cana of Galilee where Jesus turned the water into wine. The governor of the feast tasted the miraculous wine and exclaimed, “You have kept the good wine until now” (John 2:10). In other words, “You have saved the best wine until the very last.” That can only apply to God. Satan puts his best foot forward first. When the prodigal son left home with his inheritance and went to the “far country” to live as he chose, Satan gave the boy his best shot, but the kid ended up in the hog pen, starving to death. That’s always how it is when one dances to the devil’s music.

However, it’s not so with God as our Father. I’ll never forget the day He came into my heart and saved me. I’ll never forget the night when he touched my heart and I realized He was calling me to serve others with the Word. It was an exciting time, and, oh, how precious and wonderful God has been over all these years. If I’m being totally honest, God is more precious today than I could have ever imagined before. We used to sing “Every day with Jesus is sweeter than the day before.” What He gives today is better now than it has ever been. His gifts of grace are far superior and excellent right now, and the fact is, they will be even better tomorrow. That’s what experience and abundant satisfaction gives us! God gives abundantly, but the devil cheats us; he lies to each and everyone of us. He promises, “Follow Me, and I will give you this and that.” Satan never gives us anything but misery. He always depletes and takes from us.

Yet, God, in His graciousness, gives, and His giving is filled with satisfaction, abundant satisfaction. God doesn’t just give a hint of satisfaction to tempt us or tease us into serving Him. No, like a loving Father, He gives us His all. He will fill the longings and desires of our hearts with His graceful presence. He provides a fountain of life, giving us spiritual eyes so we can see truth and light; all of that speaks of joy and purity, truth and clarity. Life and light are two essentials of genuine spiritual experience. These are the opposite of darkness and death that envelop a person who follows Satan’s way. What a “so great” salvation we have! The life that excels sees the fullness of salvation.

To Be Continued

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, ESV © 2016 by Crossway Bibles.
Used by permission. All rights reserved

Scripture Reference: Psalm 36

2. The Fullness of Salvation – Continued

Please read Psalm 36:5-9 for the background to this section.

It is a fact that they who attempt to live godly lives will suffer persecution. It is also true that many times saintly, godly people do not receive the recognition they deserve. They often do not have the social status and standing that those in the world have. In spite of this, I emphatically emphasize that God never gives anything inferior. God’s measuring stick is so far removed from the world’s; His measuring stick is perfect and just. Many Americans are so shallow in their thinking that they think life should be judged by bank accounts, securities, cars, real estate, appearance, and personal status in the eyes of the world. But those are foolish fleshly, worldly standards. All those things have this in common; they will not last. Thus they will never supply abundant satisfaction. God has never promised us those things. What He does promise us however is real, excellent, and abundant.

“They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights.” The word “delights” here is edena. Sounds like Eden, doesn’t it? The connotation the writer is trying to relay are the delights and pleasures God gave Adam and Eve in the perfection of the Garden of Eden. He wants to restore to us believers the pleasures of Eden.

Genuine pleasure is God’s invention. Satan has never invented any real pleasure. Satan is a loser and a deceiver from the beginning. He has never had an original thought. He is the original plagiarizer; he always takes God’s ideas and creations and twist it to his malevolent use. What is sin? Sin is not necessarily doing something that in itself is wrong. Sin is taking something God intended to be used in one way and perverting and abusing it, twisting and using it in the wrong way. Now that’s sin. It is the perversion of good. Satan doesn’t even have enough sense to think up something evil in the way of pleasure. He just grabs something good and messes it up. God is the inventor of genuine pleasure. Any of us can become wonderfully satisfied in the Lord. God is not against pleasure, He is against the fleeting, unfulfilling “pleasures” that Satan offers. God is not merely going to give us pleasures, He is going to give us a river of pleasures, an abundance of them. Pleasure was invented and produced in heaven, overwhelming the spirit and soul of the believer.

Deep down inside we sometimes feel that if we follow God, we might somehow be cheated just a bit. We’ve all heard folks comment, “Well, I want to sow my wild oats, even if it’s just for a little while. After all, there’s time when I’m older.” If we truly knew the result of wild oats, we wouldn’t even consider wanting to sow them. If we do, we’re only going to penalize ourself.

To Be Continued

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, ESV © 2016 by Crossway Bibles.
Used by permission. All rights reserved

Scripture Reference: Psalm 36

2. The Fullness of Salvation

Please read Psalm 36:5-9 for the background to this section.

We now discover the second view that the psalmist presents to us concerning a life that excels in recognizing the fullness of salvation found only in our Lord.

The psalmist now launches into the attributes of God, the love (some versions state “mercy”), the faithfulness, the righteousness, and the judgment of God. The psalmist wrote, “Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens.” How immense are the heavens? We can honestly state that we just don’t know. God is still unfolding His universe. The love of God is not only steadfast, they are limitless; His blessings are inexhaustible. “Your faithfulness [extends] to the clouds. Your righteousness is like the mountains.” A mountain portrays stability and strength. We can count on the rock-like righteousness of God.

“Your judgments are like the great deep; man and beast you save, O LORD.” There are parts of the ocean that seem fathomless. The Marianna Trench in the South Pacific is approximately 36,198 feet deep, nearly seven miles, but there could be places that are even deeper. The psalmist’s words present a picture of God’s sufficiency and also His profoundness. In contrast is mankind’s fickleness and shallowness. God’s provisions are inexhaustible. When we seek the life that excels, we begin to understand the sufficiency of God’s salvation. God’s love is matchless. In it’s totality it’s incomprehensible. It’s as high as the heavens, as immovable as the mountains, as deep and inexhaustible as the oceans. So the psalmist describes salvation as sufficient. Then he refers to it as a shelter and a “refuge.”

“How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.” Here we might expect that the psalmist would use the convenient name for God, Jehovah, the name of God used in relation to Israel. However the word in verse 7 used for “God” is Elohim, the name of God as Creator. He was making the point that God is faithful to all people, not merely to Israel. We can absolutely and fully trust the God of creation for He will do what He has pledged to do.

Several times God’s Word employs the metaphor of wings to refer to God. Jesus spoke of being sheltered by wings as He stood on the Mount of Olives and wept over the city of Jerusalem. “How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!” (Matthew 23:37). View in your mind a cold night as a hen gathers her chicks and pulls them underneath her wings. For those chicks, the safest shelter in the world is under their mother’s wings. How infinitely more secure are we when sheltered under the wings of the Almighty God.

Then the psalmist writes of satisfaction. Speaking of the fullness of salvation, he has described it in terms of sufficiency, shelter, as he describes satisfaction through abundance. This flies in the face of all that the world tries to tell us about God. “They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light.” God’s children feast abundantly; they are filled to satisfaction. The Word of God declares that God gives satisfaction. He provides an abundance. What we usually hear, though, is, “Well, it’s tough down here. Things just go from bad to worse. But someday, somehow it’s going to get better. Someday, hopefully we’re going to be with Him and He will make it up to us, He will compensate for all the things we’ve had to experience down here. There will be pie in the sky someday.”

To Be Continued

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, ESV © 2016 by Crossway Bibles.
Used by permission. All rights reserved