"In the Light of the Lord, We Shall See the Light"

[Psalm 36]

Is our church truly shining in this dark world? In an article titled "While the Church Sleeps", written by Jeong Min-Young, it says: "We either wake up and shine, or continue to sleep and perish. The choice is ours" (Internet). However, it seems that the church, which should be illuminating the dark world and awakening the sleeping world, has fallen into a deep sleep in the middle of the night. Therefore, just as the pagan sailors, about to die due to Jonah’s slumber, woke Jonah up, it seems that today the world is, in fact, waking up the church. This is exactly what non-believers and the media are doing now—they are openly criticizing the church.

Today, in Psalm 36, we see David, the psalmist, who, while lamenting the rebellion of the wicked, looks to God's steadfast love and righteousness and finds comfort (Park Yoon-Seon). In light of today's passage, as we reflect on the "darkness of the wicked" and the "light of the righteous," I pray that we too, as we listen to and see the rebellion of the wicked, will not become discouraged, but rather look to God's love and righteousness and find comfort.

First, let us reflect on the darkness of the wicked.

Pastor D. L. Moody noted that in Psalm 36:1-4, the Bible reveals seven steps that the wicked take as they fall deeper into sin. In these verses, the Bible exposes seven aspects of the darkness of the wicked:

1. They have no fear of God.

   Look at Psalm 36:1: “The transgression of the wicked speaks to my heart; there is no fear of God before his eyes.” David, upon seeing the wickedness of the wicked, had a realization in his heart. In other words, the wicked run toward sin without the fear of God, but David, upon seeing this, resolved in his heart to fear God even more. John Calvin said: “The wicked are careless and run toward sin, but the saints are governed by the fear of God.” This is because sin speaks to the heart of the wicked, but God speaks to the heart of the righteous (Hosea 2:14).

2. They do not hate their sin, but instead flatter themselves and justify it.

   Look at Psalm 36:2: “For he flatters himself in his own eyes, until his iniquity is found to be hateful.” The term "flatter" here means "to make oneself slippery"—in other words, to flatter oneself. This means that the wicked, while committing sin, think to themselves, "It's okay, it's okay," and this is self-deception, leading them down the path of destruction (Park Yoon-Seon). How foolish this is! Even though they sin, they treat their sin lightly. When their sin is exposed and they are despised, they flatter themselves, telling themselves, "It's okay." John Calvin said: “The wicked flatter themselves, but the saints reflect on themselves strictly and keep themselves in check.” The godly hate evil thoroughly, but because the wicked have no fear of God, they treat sin lightly and run toward it.

3. Their mouth is full of lies.

   Look at Psalm 36:3 (the first half): “The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit…” The wicked treat sin lightly and speak lies carelessly, sinning with their mouths. Our lips are meant to speak grace and truth to others, but the wicked, in contrast, use their tongues to harm others and speak lies (Park Yoon-Seon). The Apostle Paul said: “Their throat is an open tomb; they use their tongues to deceive; the poison of asps is under their lips; their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness” (Romans 3:13-14). The mouth of the wicked spews lies.

4. They forsake wisdom and goodness.

   Look at Psalm 36:3 (the second half): “… he has ceased to be wise and to do good.” The wicked, who live in darkness, have become completely corrupt—they lack wisdom, and thus have lost the ability to do good. Wisdom has become unnecessary to them. Since wisdom is required to do good, the wicked abandon wisdom and goodness and pursue evil instead. The wicked cannot follow good deeds because they lack wisdom (Matthew 11:19).

5. They plan evil on their bed.

   Look at Psalm 36:4 (the first half): “He plans iniquity on his bed…” For the righteous, the "bed" is a place for self-reflection and repentance (Psalm 4:4), but the wicked use it to plan evil (Park Yoon-Seon). This shows that the wicked have evil deeply embedded in their hearts. They are not led into evil suddenly but plan their wickedness intentionally.

6. They set themselves in a path of wickedness.

   Look at Psalm 36:4 (the middle): “… he sets himself in a way that is not good…” This means that the wicked do not fall into sin because of external pressure or temptation; instead, they deliberately, and without shame, enjoy and choose evil. I believe there is a process to this enjoyment of evil. This process can be seen in Psalm 1:1: first, they follow the counsel of the wicked; second, they stand in the way of sinners; and third, they sit in the seat of the scornful.

7. They do not hate evil.

   Look at Psalm 36:4 (the second half): “… he does not abhor evil.” Those who fear God hate evil, but the wicked, having no fear of God, not only fail to hate evil, but they even enjoy it.

Even in the darkness of the wicked, the righteous say: "For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light" (verse 9).

Second, let us meditate on the light of the righteous.

The Lord, who is the fountain of life, in His light, we see light. In other words, in the darkness of the wicked, David looked to the light of the Lord. What is that light? It refers to the divine nature of God. I would like to reflect on two aspects of God's divinity mentioned in the passage:

1. God’s mercy and faithfulness.

   Look at Psalm 36:5: "Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds." The fact that His mercy and faithfulness are said to be "in the heavens" and "reach to the clouds" means that His mercy and faithfulness shine brightly from above. Therefore, David, receiving the Lord's protection, confessed: "How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings" (Psalm 36:7). Moreover, through God's abundant grace, David's soul experienced satisfaction. See verse 8: "They will be abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house, and You will make them drink from the river of Your pleasures." Here, "the river of Your pleasures" refers to "the river of Your joy" (Park Yoon-Seon). This refers to the abundance of grace that spiritually satisfies life (Park Yoon-Seon). In the Gospel of John 1:14, it says that Jesus was "full of grace and truth." When we think of God's mercy and faithfulness, we are reminded of the abundant grace of Jesus. Even when we are in the darkness of the wicked, we must move forward by looking to the light of the Lord, that is, the light of His mercy and faithfulness.

2. God’s righteousness and judgment.

   Look at Psalm 36:6: "Your righteousness is like the great mountains; Your judgments are like the great deep; O Lord, You preserve man and beast." This means that God, like a mountain that does not change, observes the injustices of His chosen people and reveals His righteousness. His judgments, within His righteousness, are likened to the "great deep," or "great abyss." This refers to the mysterious and profound actions or judgments of God that are a mystery to mankind (Park Yoon-Seon).

As I meditate on Psalm 36, I cannot help but think that David in this passage points to Jesus. Surrounded by the darkness of the wicked, when we think of Jesus and His cross, we can glimpse God's mercy, faithfulness, righteousness, and judgment. Ultimately, through His death on the cross, Jesus satisfied God's righteousness and judgment, and as a result, He allows us to drink from the river of His blessings. Furthermore, the Lord continues to let us taste His mercy (verse 10), allowing us to drink from the river of His joy. The God who abundantly satisfies our souls will continue to reveal His mercy and faithfulness through our lives and will prevent the wicked from reaching us (verse 11). Ultimately, the Lord, in His wise judgment, will make it so that the wicked will never rise again (verse 12).

By gazing upon the Lord’s light, we overcome the darkness.

Pastor James Kim
(Confessing that the Lord’s mercy is better than life itself)