Psalm 36 is an encouraging and uplifting passage of scripture where David reminds Himself of God’s loving-kindness and faithfulness. In this passage, David also distinguishes between the acts of the wicked versus the acts of the righteous.
An oracle within my heart concerning the transgression of the wicked:
There is no fear of God before his eyes.
2 For he flatters himself in his own eyes,
When he finds out his iniquity and when he hates.
3 The words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit;
He has ceased to be wise and to do good.
4 He devises wickedness on his bed;
He sets himself in a way that is not good;
He does not abhor evil.
5 Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens;
Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
6 Your righteousness is like the great mountains;
Your judgments are a great deep;
O Lord, You preserve man and beast.
7 How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God!
Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.
8 They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house,
And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures.
9 For with You is the fountain of life;
In Your light we see light.
10 Oh, continue Your lovingkindness to those who know You,
And Your righteousness to the upright in heart.
11 Let not the foot of pride come against me,
And let not the hand of the wicked drive me away.
12 There the workers of iniquity have fallen;
They have been cast down and are not able to rise.
In verses 5-6, David reminds Himself of the Lord and how awesome He is:
- God’s mercy and faithfulness are vast and expansive.
- The Lord is righteous and His judgments are deep.
- The Lord is the preserver of man and all of creation.
- The Lord’s loving-kindness is precious to us.
According to verses 7-9, the righteous has the following characteristics because of God’s faithfulness and loving-kindness:
- They put their trust fully in the Lord.
- God’s people are satisfied in their relationship to the Lord’s abundance.
- The Lord provides living waters from His fountain of life bringing joy and pleasure to His people.
- Walking in the light of the Lord allows us righteous people to see clearly and to walk in the light.
In verses 1-4, David recounts how a wicked behaves:
- The wicked have no fear of God, and they enjoy self-flattery.
- Their words are deceitful and they go on paths that are not beneficial to them.
- They do not hate evil but instead, entertain those ideas
In verses 1-12, David prays the following:
- The Lord would continue His loving-kindness and righteousness towards His people.
- He also prays that the enemy would not be able to come against the righteous or attempt to drive them away from God’s purpose and plan.
- He finally declares that those who work wickedly will fall and not be able to rise.
What verses from the above passage encouraged you? What was convicting to you?