Rest in the Lord
Book of Psalms Chapter 37
Last week we studied a Psalm of David he wrote while in his twenties.
This week we study a Psalm of David written while he was in his sixties approaching the end of his life.
He had been through many wars.
He had experienced the results of his sin with Bathsheba who was now his wife and the mother of Solomon.
At this time David was doing a lot of meditating on rest much like all of us that have reached these same years in our own lifetime.
That word "rest" has more than one meaning.
Most people look at "rest" as to stop doing any work at all. Our bodies are at rest when they cease to move.
What did the Lord Jesus say about rest?
Mat 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Mat 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
Mat 11:30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Our Lord Jesus says, "if we will submit to His teaching, we will find true rest".
It takes far less labor to work in the toils of righteousness than it takes to live a sinful unrighteous life.
We could say our nation is at rest because we are not at war with any other nation but I do not feel at rest because of all the things happening in our world.
I think our leaders could do more to protect us from the turmoil that is certainly coming to our nation because of the lack of true leadership in the government that is now in place.
Jehovah told Israel that they could find rest when they reached the promised land.
Deu 12:9 For ye are not as yet come to the rest and to the inheritance, which the LORD your God giveth you.
Deu 12:10 But when ye go over Jordan, and dwell in the land which the LORD your God giveth you to inherit, and when he giveth you rest from all your enemies round about, so that ye dwell in safety;
We know that this rest did not come until the time of King Solomon the son of David and it did not last long and Israel is not at rest even today.
There is another place where it says that Israel had rest for eighty years but even this is not a long time.
It is nothing like the rest that is promised to the Body of Christ when we reach Heaven, the true Promised Land.
This is the place where we can find rest for our souls.
Heb_4:9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.
Rev 7:14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Rev 7:15 Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.
Rev 7:16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.
Rev 7:17 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.
These things sound like rest to me.
Even though the burdens of righteousness are not as heavy as the burdens of being in sin, there is true rest coming to us when we get to Heaven.
Let us begin our lesson today:
*****Psa 37:1 A Psalm of David. Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.
Psa 37:2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.
Many a Christian today suffers while the wicked seem to prosper as they live in sin.
Our lesson today has some answers to this question of; "why do bad things happen to good people while the bad people seem to prosper".
David wrote this Psalm when he was living in his later years after seeing many things throughout his life.
Last week's lesson David was a young man probably in his twenties.
Today David was in his late sixties when he wrote this Psalm.
David had been King of Israel for more than thirty years and had witnessed many things in his lifetime.
Most of us, who have called upon the name of Christ, realize that our lives were in turmoil until we placed our trust in our Savior.
One of the things we have realized is that we cannot overlook the presence of evildoers in our world.
They are bent upon our destruction.
Even in the United States that we love, Christians are now considered to be as bad as terrorists.
We will have to deal with the personal wrongs committed against us by ungodly people!
The Holy Spirit says, "fret not thyself because of evil doers".
We must not wear ourselves out because of these things. Their day of grief is certainly coming.
To fret also means, besides stop worrying, we should not be murmuring or complaining to God or to each other about these things.
To fret is an inward ailment that affects our bodies and our souls.
The Lord tells us to not get upset because of these wicked people.
We must not let our emotions get the best of us.
We will become angry at the injustice of their successes.
The Holy Spirit reminds us that they will not endure and Judgment Day was coming to them.
As far as King David, he had realized that all his old enemies were now gone or dead and it was he who was prosperous as King of Israel they who suffered.
Mighty things happen in our lives when we trust in the Lord.
*****Psa 37:3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
The most crucial decision we can make in our lifetime is to trust in the Lord and do good.
Our faith in the Lord can cure any ailment!
Our faith in the Lord has placed us on the winning side.
When we yield to fear we cannot do good, and when we put our effort into doing good, we will not yield to fear.
Working for God will keep our minds occupied.
The Holy Spirit teaches us:
Php_4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
Again for the Jews they could dwell in the land God had promised to them.
For the Body of Christ it is Heaven that has been promised to us.
We are only strangers and pilgrims on the land called earth.
Everything we invest our time and our money in will fade away but the blessings we receive from the Lord are everlasting.
As we grow in our faith, we will find that there is immense pleasure in serving our Lord and Savior.
*****Psa 37:4 Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
We just cannot allow this world we live in to rob us of the joys of serving the Lord Jesus Christ.
It is a fact that the more faith we have in the Lord the more blessings we can earn here upon this earth but even more of the treasures of Heaven.
Joy is mentioned as part of the fruit of the Holy Spirit.
Gal_5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Gal 5:23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Eph_5:9 (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)
For the Body of Christ it is simple. If we have the Holy Spirit living within us then we are to follow in His ways and not our own ways.
We can see how those that are determined to go their own ways are destroying our nation today.
Gal 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
If we delight ourselves in the Lord, He promises to answer our prayers.
For those who cannot ever seem to get a prayer answered, this is a very important part of this lesson today.
It takes a full commitment to the Lord to get our prayers answered.
*****Psa 37:5 Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
Psa 37:6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.
To commit to the Lord is to place our lives in His hands and get busy serving Him.
This means all our cares, all our necessities, all our business, and all our wants, are we to give to the Lord so He can manage our lives according to the Word of God.
When we are facing severe trials, many of us falsely conclude that God is judging us just as we read in the Book of Job but this is not true.
A child of God has already been judged and determined to be a child of God.
If we commit ourselves to the Lord, He will answer our prayers and when the world attacks us, He will vindicate us.
As things get worse for the Christian, the best thing we can do is to remain close to God and continue to serve Him.
The fight with wickedness belongs to the Lord.
We are to be obedient Christians and stand our ground upon the truth of the Word of God
Our time upon this earth is growing short.
What did the Holy Spirit tell Timothy?
2Ti 3:12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
2Ti_3:13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.
Then Paul told Timothy to just continue serving the Lord.
We must simply understand that everything happening in our world is going on according to the plan of
God but we should remember that God is not the cause of these evil things but He does allow these things happen according to His plan.
No one can stop God's plan and no one can change God's plan!
These things of God will become as visible to mankind as the light of the sun at noonday.
Righteousness will win in the end!
The truth of God will become so clearly seen it will make the Atheists cry, but they still will not come to the Lord, but will hate Him even more.
For God will send to them a loss of memory and they will rebel against each other.
It will be the same for all false religions.
Rom 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
Rom 1:19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
Rom 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
Rom 1:21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
Nothing changes for the Christian as we are to patiently wait upon the Lord and rest in the truth of the Word of God.
*****Psa 37:7 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.
We are never to complain about the way the Lord deals with this ungodly world, even though some of our family members are in that group.
We can teach them the plan of salvation, but they have to make their own minds up about salvation.
The Body of Christ is to quietly submit to the entire will of God and patiently wait upon His help.
To rest in the Lord is to place ourselves into the hands of God and be useful.
Remember that there is no one who can remove us from the hand of God and God will never cast us away.
Isa 30:15 For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not.
Israel would not do this and it cost them dearly, but the Body of Christ must not be like Israel.
Our strength comes by being obedient to this passage as our time grows short.
It does not matter as we see the rich get richer.
It does matter that our confidence remains in the truth of the Word of God!
Ecc 5:8 If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent perverting of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not at the matter: for he that is higher than the highest regardeth; and there be higher than they.
It is hard to see the corruption going on in our own nation and the only tools we have are our prayers and our vote.
Obeying the Word of God must still be our goal remembering that our prayers are the greatest tool we have.
Come voting time we are to vote according to the truth of the Word of God, but it is God who will put our next president in place for His own reasons and our job remains for us to be obedient to all the Word of God.
1) We must trust in the Lord.
2) We must delight in the Lord.
3) We must commit ourselves to the Lord.
4)We must focus on the Lord and His faithfulness rather than upon the ways of this wicked world.
God has already judged them and they will find out that Hell is a real place.
We may get disheartened in what we see of the wicked side of our world while many of us struggle every day, but this is not the attitude God wants from His people and we must be obedient to the Lord.
*****Psa 37:8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.
Psa 37:9 For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.
Discontent is not only foolish but it can be dangerous because it could lead us to deny God's providence.
We see many so-called Christians today who have joined the evildoers because they are not content with the Word of God and the actions of God.
If we dwell upon the prosperity of evildoers, we are apt to envy them and envy leads to strife, division, and hatred.
Jas 3:16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.
It is foolish to rage against the ungodly whom we see prosper, since they will certainly be cut off eventually.
I can tell you that it makes me mad every time I see where a super-rich person gives billions to charity, when that charity supports wickedness, when if it were given to a wise church and maybe souls could be saved.
They would be better off if they gave that money to pay down our national debt rather than just throw it away to support apostasy.
We can see that we are taught to live in inner peace even though we see all this wickedness in our nation and in this world.
The truth is that God will deal with the wicked and God will take care of His children.
Mat 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Mat 6:34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
Jesus says we have more important things to concentrate on than the wickedness of this world.
*****Psa 37:10 For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.
We should ask ourselves why in the world would we be envious of wicked and evil people.
We must never allow the prosperity of the wicked prevent us from living a higher standard established by Jesus Christ Himself.
What is the truth of each Christian?
*****Psa 37:23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.
Psa 37:24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.
God blesses the righteous, He does not bless the wicked!
God has put every good person in a particular course of life and we must travel that course with the wisdom from Heaven.
If we remember those first baby steps when our children began to walk, we should understand the walk of a baby Christian.
One step in the wrong direction can cause them to fall.
It is the same for the baby Christian.
It is not long before a small child can walk with confidence.
That babe in Christ can soon walk in confidence when they walk in the wisdom from Heaven.
God orders and establishes the details of everyone of His children.
Pro 16:9 A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.
We live in a world that is getting more dangerous every day.
We must be aware of these things but we are not to be too concerned about these things.
As Christians we may not always have what we want but we find out that we have enough when we trust in the Lord.
*****Psa 37:25 I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.
Most all of us can relate to this verse because we have seen many things as we have aged.
It is true that we have never seen the righteous deserted by God.
God will never forsake His children!
I see a lot of people standing on the side of the road begging but in many cases today this is a business operated to make money and it has caused harm to some that were really in need.
I not seen where any of these were Christians because a true Church will help the needy in that Church.
Because God is merciful then we are to be merciful if we want to be like Him.
*****Psa 37:26 He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed.
As Christians we are not to hoard anything that the Lord has loaned to us.
Everything we have was given to us by the Lord and we are to share some of these things with others if there is a need.
By helping others we bring God's blessings not only upon ourselves but also our children who follow in our footsteps.
The truth is it is better to be righteous than to have any of the world's possessions.
*****Psa 37:27 Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore.
Psa 37:28 For the LORD loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.
The greatest blessing we can get after our salvation is that we will live forever in a place so wonderful that we do not have the words to describe it.
This is the promise we receive from the almighty living God.
The Lord loves justice and He will see that those who abuse His children will be punished.
In fact this verse says that the children of the wicked will be cut off.
It is far better to be walking with Jesus Christ than to be walking in step with the world.
God will never abandon those who walk with His Son!
Nothing in this world can over power the Almighty God!
All those who reject the Lord Jesus Christ have no protection and will certainly perish in God's judgment.
The children of God will be enjoying the inheritance that God has prepared for them.
*****Psa 37:29 The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever.
We can rest assured in the truth of the Word of God.
When we love the Word of God and hide it in our hearts, we will find the strength to resist the strong pull of our flesh to turn to worldly things.
In fact we will find out that our own flesh is the greatest enemy we have to face throughout our lifetime.
We cannot be perfect as long as we are in this body of flesh but we can live a life of righteousness if we depend upon the Lord to walk with us all our days.
Amen
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