This sermon is from the Rev. Charles G. Dennison sermon archive, part of the “Psalms” series, and was preached at Grace Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Sewickley, PA, during a worship service on Sunday, December 27, 1987.
Tonight we are in Psalm 37 again, and we are reading from verse 21 through verse 31, and we’ll turn over to Matthew chapter 6 for some verses there. Psalm 37, verse 21. borrows and does not pay back. But the righteous is gracious and gives. For those blessed by him will inherit the land. Those cursed by him will be cut off. The steps of the man are established by the Lord. He delights in his way. When he falls, he shall not be hurled headlong. because the Lord is the one who holds his hand. I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread.
All day long he is gracious and lends, and his descendants are a blessing. Depart from evil and do good, so you will abide forever. for the Lord loves justice and does not forsake his godly ones. They are preserved forever, but the seed of the wicked will be cut off. The righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever. The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice. The law of his God is in his heart.
His steps Do not slip.” And then from Matthew chapter six, beginning with verse nineteen through verse twenty-five. “…Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust destroy. and where thieves break in and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal.
For where your treasure is, there will be your heart also. The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, Your whole body will be full of darkness, and if therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness.
No man can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. For this reason I say unto you, do not be anxious for your life as to what you shall eat, or what you shall drink, nor for your body as to what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body than clothing?”
Your word is proclaimed, and we, your people, bidden by you, offer our prayers on behalf of those that you would raise up, laborers for the harvest. O God, may your Church be committed in her prayers for this end, for this goal. Truly, you have ordained that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of Christ. But how shall they hear without a preacher, and how shall they preach unless they are sent? O God, we rejoice that your word goes forth, and we are trusting you that in keeping with the prayer which you have called for on our part, there will be then those servants raised up faithfully to declare that word.
We pray these things through the one who is the preacher par excellence, Jesus Christ. Amen. We have moved through the first eleven stanzas of this song. There are twenty-two altogether, we have eleven more to go. Tonight, we want to take care of six of those remaining eleven, those six appearing for us in verses twenty-one through thirty-one.
Now thus far, we have noted the problem for the psalm, that problem as it pertains to the sweep of the Old Testament, namely this, that it seems that this psalm is preaching immediate prosperity for the righteous and immediate deprivation for the wicked, as if before you could bat an eye The righteous will, in fact, enter into the full possession of that prosperity promised, and the wicked will get their just deserts.
The psalm, therefore, speaks in somewhat a stylized way, in a stylized fashion, in an idealistic way, an idealistic fashion. Not that the righteous don’t suffer, for surely they do, but in keeping with the psalm, it seems, at least from the perspective of this psalm, that suffering is short-lived and limited. The lot of the righteous is never that, so it seems from the psalm, The lot of the righteous is never abject poverty. This problem in the psalm, we trust, by the conclusion of the psalm, will be resolved in the light of that which has been revealed to us through the gospel of Jesus Christ. Now, we have also noted, as we’ve made our way through this psalm, something of the psychological and the spiritual development within the psalm itself.
Fretting, for instance, mentioned in the first verse, is introduced to us as a fretting caused by envy. Note the parallel in that opening verse. The envy arises because of a desire to have what the wicked have. But the end of that envy, which is spoken out against here, the end of that envy is imitation. The righteous becoming, by way of that envy, like the wicked in order to obtain the prosperity that the wicked enjoy. Now you see the force and the power of the opening part of the psalm. Something of that psychological and spiritual development that is evident in it. Well, from this point, we have then progressed. Contrary to the position of envy, is the life of trust.
It is that trust, or faith, that is expounded for us, explained to us, in verses 3 through 11. in what may well be the matchless Old Testament exposition of faith. If we look at the explanation of faith in these verses, how we are helped in our grasp of that faith, even from this Old Testament psalm. Verse three, faith in the Lord is a trust which is committed to action, that action being the doing of good. Note also that this faith is a faith which is cultivated through a feasting upon the Lord’s faithfulness.
The latter part of that third verse. Contrary to envy, over against envy, over against a life motivated by envy, is a delight in the Lord. Contrasting emotions, to be sure. Verse four, delight yourself in the Lord. Verse five, again, explicating our faith, we have this line, commit your way to the Lord. You will note that the literal translation of that opening line of the fifth verse is, roll your anxieties or cares, or roll your way upon the Lord. Rather than carrying the burden yourself, The life of trust is one wherein you roll your burden up on the Lord, he being the one who welcomes that burden, he being willing to carry it for you. In keeping with the catechism exposition of the meaning of faith, we have here, rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him. Or, if you will, be still, be quiet, and wait patiently for Him.
Verse 8, contrary to the life of envy, is this life which is committed to the cessation of anger, the forsaking of wrath. That’s the way in which the evil live. That is the way in which those consumed by envy live. But not the way in which those who live by faith live. Here, those who have faith are described as the humble, or the meek. The meek who are promised the inheritance. And of course, we hear in this the echo of the Beatitudes of Christ. Well then, the life of trust, expounded for us here magnificently in verses three through eleven. Next, we saw how the ways of life, more particularly, are contrasted.
The way of life for the wicked is devoid of faith, but full of plots, devices, schemes that are directed against the righteous. One may well think of faithful against whom his brother plotted, devising wicked schemes. In the end, the persecution to the point of death and murder. The wicked, one can imagine, came. The wicked grind their teeth at the righteous. Verse 12.
In this as well, we have noted how clearly This verse, these sentiments, anticipate the attitude of those who stood against Christ, for they too plotted against Him and gnashed their teeth at the sight of Him. Here, as we move down through these verses from twelve on, the implication of that envy that belongs to wickedness hits home. To envy the wicked is once more to imitate the wicked and to forsake faith, faithfulness, trust. To imitate the wicked and to forsake faith is to surrender oneself to a life of opposition to the righteous. so that rather than being numbered among the righteous, instead we who might be envious of the wicked, giving our lives over to envy and to wickedness, before long find ourselves described by what we read in verse 14.
The wicked have drawn the sword and bent their bow to cast down the afflicted and the needy to slay those who are upright in conduct. How horrible a thing it is if the righteous, if the saints of the Lord, if the Church of Jesus Christ is described by what we read in verse fourteen.
But there is a sure route to identification with that verse, and it begins with any. But in all of this, this psalm reverberates with assurances. For we are told that the life of faith, and we are told it over and over again in so many The life of faith does not end in ruin, as does the life of envy and the life of wickedness. Rather, the life of faith ends in glory. Though momentarily oppressed, though momentarily suffering, the faithful is promised victory and triumph is promised the inheritance. Though momentarily oppressed, though distressed because of opposition, the faithful in his posture and predicament must maintain his liberty, for a caving into envy only brings about a captivity of spirit and life, a captivity to the depravity of wickedness, and a loss of even that upon which envy has set itself.
Truly, the ungodly may for a time have opportunity to laugh, even make sport of the righteous. But we are assured that the last laugh belongs to the Lord. Verse 13. Woe to him, says Christ, who laughs now, for he shall mourn. Blessed are those who mourn presently. for they shall laugh.
But now we move on beyond these first eleven stanzas, which bring us through verse twenty, to the latter stanzas of the psalm and verse twenty-one. And we are moving ahead in the psalmist’s thought. It is as if now, as we take up verse 21, with this point achieved, we begin to hear the positive and concrete application of the life of faith. That positive, concrete application of the life of faith that contrasts the life of envy, and that’s most remarkable. Note that twenty-first verse. The wicked borrows and does not pay back, but the righteous is gracious and gives. How does this all fit with what has preceded? How does it express a natural step from what has gone before? What does it have to do with the life of faith, for instance, of which the psalmist has been speaking?
So much does the righteous man trust in God that in the doing of good, he actually becomes a fountain of generosity. Now, hold on for that as we move together through the thought expressed here. So much does the righteous man trust God that in the doing of good, he actually becomes a fountain of generosity. You might well ask, how does this specifically evidence his faith? How does this testify to his trust? You see, the heart set upon envy does not wish to part with anything upon which it has. You see what’s going on in verse twenty one. The heart set upon and. Will. Part with anything upon which it has set itself.
For the wicked amassed for themselves well. through stealth, they amass wealth for themselves, and do not wish in any way to part with it.” Now, in looking at that twenty-first verse, you may think that what the psalmist is here speaking of is quite commonplace. In describing the wicked, he speaks of them as those who borrow, who take, without any repayment, maybe not even a thought of repayment. While this transaction may be thought to be quite commonplace, beneath it is a frightful and frightening reality. The idea is that the simple transaction of borrowing unveils a mindset, a mindset indicative of a whole way of life.
The wicked take the spoil of any fool who crosses their path. They have no intention of giving up anything gained. no intention at all. If there are sacrifices made by them, they are made in the interest of greater gain and a still greater advantage. Such a way of life is an end to any true benevolence.
It leads to a life prone to violence. For in gaining the gains, the life is set upon, the heart is set upon, the protecting of the gains, if not extracting those gains by force, further gains amassed to accent The simple commonplace of someone borrowing and then not repaying becomes a pair of glasses through which one is able to observe an entire way of life, a whole disposition of heart.
And how far removed is that disposition from the life of faith advocated by the Son? You see, the Righteous One then, as we further expound this verse, the Righteous One has so trusted the Lord that he can actually surrender what the wicked live together. He can actually surrender. So much does he trust the Lord. Instead of seeking advantage, instead of seeking gain, instead of looking for ways to avoid parting with prosperity, the righteous is one who stands in the world open-hearted and open-handed.
He, too, in the simplicity of this verse, indicative of an entire way of life. Here, then, as we move on in the psalm, is the testimony concerning the perfecting of our faith. And note how the perfecting of that faith expresses itself. For the perfection of that faith exerts itself even when misfortune befalls, even when tragedy comes. And this is the force of verse twenty-four as we move down to it. The force of that twenty-fourth verse has nothing else in view than the perfecting of a faith which asserts itself in the circumstance of misfortune.
Now, I know that this verse has been oftentimes misunderstood. We have been told that this passage teaches us about an instance in which the Righteous One has been overcome by a particular sin. The fall mentioned in verse 24 is a fall into transgression. But that’s not the case at all. That’s not what the psalmist is speaking about whatsoever. What he has in mind is tragedy, misfortune.
Those things are in view here, and this is proved by what we read in verse twenty-three and also in verse thirty-one. For you see, in twenty-three, we hear that the steps of a man, that is, the righteous man, are established by the Lord, and he delights in his way. And then, in verse thirty-one, we read this. The law of his God is in his heart. His steps do not slip. Therefore, the fall spoken of in verse twenty-four is not a fall into transgression. Rather, it is a fall into misfortune, into tragedy.
The point being, of course, that even in tragedy, even in misfortune, the righteous man who lives by faith continues to be just that, a righteous man who lives by faith. The Lord, we are told in that twenty-fourth verse, holds his hand even in the midst of that circumstance. That brings us to the famous twenty-fifth verse, and we have read this ordinarily as an encouragement to the righteous, as an encouragement to the righteous man that he will not be forsaken, that his children will not be left destitute. But you see, The force and power of that twenty-fifth verse is as it pertains to the circumstance of tragedy and misfortune. The righteous man, not forsaken, the one whose children don’t go hungry, is the one who continues to be that living testimony to faith, the one who all the day long, notice verse twenty-six, that one who all the day long continues, despite the misfortune, despite the tragedy to give, to give, to give. And that pushes us right back up into verse twenty one. But the righteous man is gracious and gives.
Know this for certain, that that one who lives by faith, even though misfortune befalls him, will not be forsaken nor will his descendants be forsaken. If, in fact, in the midst of that misfortune, he continues to live as a righteous man, that is, if he continues to live by faith. And how do you live by faith? By giving in such a way that your giving demonstrates that you do, after all, live out of trust.
This provides us the avenue, then, for our exposition of the wisdom of God, which is mentioned in verse thirty, of the justice that is spoken of thereto. It provides us with that exposition of the phrase, the law of God, the law of God that is written upon the heart. There is no other wisdom then, there is no other justice, there is no other law than that which is appropriated by this demonstration of faithfulness, the life of faith. wherein one is willing to forego in order to give.
It is a hard, we may well judge, brutal lesson, for all that we have been taught is calculated to encourage us to hold on to every gain attained. To set our sights upon a prosperity, a wealth in this world. And since everyone else is doing it, it’s alright for us to do it too. Since all about us are living in a fashion that seems to preach the message that there is but one life, a life here, and what this life can promise. So we ought to give ourselves over to that life. In fact, in light of that kind of life, we should justify our envy we should justify our greed, we should justify our possessiveness and our selfishness.
Well, do you consider the life of Jesus in light of what this psalm says? Was it not Jesus who perfectly exhibited the life of faith? Wasn’t it he who lived by refusing to set his heart upon gain by deceit, for the satisfaction of greed in the pursuit of envy? Was it not he who, when the horror of his His fall into misfortune and tragedy overtook him, continues even in that circumstance to manifest a heart for God. A heart which persists in giving, not taking.
Giving. is the Lord Jesus, the one who lives perfectly the life of faith. You see, he also becomes the object of that faith. For in him there is found the wisdom, the wisdom which is spoken of in verse 30, the justice which is spoken of there. the law of God written upon the heart, it finds its exposition in him, its only proper explanation, as he gives himself to the full, to the uttermost, completely and absolutely, over unto us, even we who have proved faithless. that we might be saved, redeemed through his sacrifice for us. By root of him, then, we who have placed our faith in him are called to a life in which we are positioned beyond the possibility of envy of anything or anyone in this world. For in having Him, we have, are we not told, all things.
No, not earthly treasures. grasped and grabbed after. Not earthly treasures amassed for us, which we must guarantee through our selfishness and protect, if not extract by deceit and violence. rather heavenly treasures, the wealth stored up through a life of faith by that gracious, generous, magnanimous heart that approximates the very heart of God. the wicked borrows he doesn’t pay back and there’s a reason why he doesn’t but the righteous man is gracious and gives because in the final analysis he knows about a better treasure he knows that in extending himself and giving he is amassing for himself the transcendent glory and riches of the kingdom through Jesus Christ through Jesus Christ well we have a couple of more stanzas to go and my hope is as we conclude the song the problem development that we have noted along the way will become will be resolved and we will understand even better than before the power and impact of this testimony out of the Old Testament.
Let’s pray together. Lord, now we pray that we might have hearts that are informed, instructed by your word and by Jesus Christ. Surely in giving ourselves we lose nothing in this world that is not compensated for over and over and over again in glory. Therefore, Lord, may our lines be insulated against envy, against selfishness, deceit, and violence. Instead, may we be found to be the servants of our God. His law that observed in the cross of Christ written upon our hearts.
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