“In Your light we see light”
[Psalms 36]
Is the church shining in a dark world? If we look at the article written by a person named Min-Young Jung, he said that ‘While the church is asleep, the choice is ours, whether we wake up shine, or fall asleep and perish’ (Internet). However, it seems that the church that needs to light up the dark world and wake the sleeping world is falling asleep in the middle of the night. So, as the Gentile sailors who woke up sleeping Jonah, the world seems to awakening the church today. That is why non-religious and mass media are blaming the church now.
In Psalms 36, we see the psalmist David who laments the rebellion of the wicked and then is comforted by looking at God’s lovingkindness and justice (Park). As I meditate on the “darkness of the wicked” and “the light of the righteous” based on Psalms 36, under the heading “In Your light we see light (v. 9), I hope and pray that we will also be comforted by looking at God’s lovingkindness and justice, rather than listening and seeing the rebellion of the wicked and be discouraged.
First, let's meditate on the darkness of the wicked.
Pastor D. L. Moody said that Psalms 36:1-4 refers to the seven steps that go deep into sin. That is, in verses 1-4, the Bible reveals the seven darkness of the wicked:
(1) There is no fear of God.
Look at Psalms 36:1 – “Transgression speaks to the ungodly within his heart; There is no fear of God before his eyes.” David had understanding in his mind as he saw the transgression of of the wicked. In other words, even though the wicked runs toward sin without fear of God, David pledged to fear God even more (in his heart) when he looked at the wicked. John Calvin said: ‘Although the wicked man is vigilant and runs toward iniquity, the saint is ruled by the fear of God.' This is because sin speaks to the heart of the wicked and God speaks to the heart of the righteous (Hos. 2:14).
(2) The wicked doesn't hate the sins he committed, but instead he flatters his hearts and thinks it’s okay.
Look at Psalms 36:2 – “For in his own eyes he flatters himself too much to detect or hate his sin.” This is to think himself ‘it’s okay, it’s okay’ as the wicked did evil and this was flattering to himself, at the same time deceiving himself, and going straight to the path of destruction (Park). How foolish is this? See how lightly he feels when he commits sins. He flatters himself and says, "It's okay" regarding the thing that are hated for his sins. John Calvin said, ‘The wicked man flatters himself in his heart, but the saint strictly reflects on himself and keeps in check.’ The saint who fears God hates evil thoroughly, but the wicked man in darkness doesn’t have fear of God, so he regards sins lightly and runs toward sins.
(3) His mouth is good at lying.
Look at Psalms 36:3a – “The words of his mouth are wicked and deceitful ….” The wicked man commits sins by using his mouth recklessly because he considers sinning lightly. Our mouths are for showing grace to others and telling them the truth. On the contrary, the wicked men use the tongue to harm others and to tell non-truth (Park). This is what Apostle Paul said: “Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit. The poison of vipers is on their lips. Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.” The mouth of the wicked is to pour out lies.
(4) The wicked man has ceased to be wise and do good.
Look at Psalms 36:3b – “… he has ceased to be wise and to do good.” The wicked man in the darkness has become totally deteriorated, so there is no wisdom and therefore the ability to do good. Wisdom became unnecessary for the wicked man. Since the wisdom became unnecessary to do good, in the end, the wicked has no choice but to leave wisdom and good and to do evil. The wicked man has no wisdom, and there is no good deed to be right (Mt. 11:19).
(5) Even on his bed, he plots evil.
Look at Psalms 36:4a – “Even on his bed he plots evil ….” For the saints, the “bed” is a good place for self-reflection and repentance (4:4), but the wicked man rather devises evil plans there (Park). If we look at it, he is full of evil even in the deep part of the soul, and he uses good opportunities for evil. And he isn’t a person who is suddenly attracted to evil and does evil, but he deliberately does evil.
(6) He commits himself to a sinful course.
Look at Psalms 36:4b – “… he commits himself to a sinful course ….” In other words, the wicked man doesn’t reluctantly fall into sin because he is attracted to foreign coercion or temptation, but rather deliberately doing it with pleasure (Park). I think there is a process leading to the joy of sin. The process is found in Psalm 1:1 – “How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!”
(7) He doesn’t hate evil.
Look at Psalms 36:4 c – “… and does not reject what is wrong.” Those who fear God hate evil, but those without fear don’t hate evil and love 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” (v.9).
Second, let us meditate on the light of the righteous.
In Lord, the source of life, in His light, we see the light. In other words, in the darkness of the wicked, David looked at the light of the Lord. What is that light? It refers to the God’s divinity. I would like to think about God’s divinity in two ways:
(1) God’s divinity is God’s love and faithfulness.
Look at Psalms 36:5 – “Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.” When God's light, His love and faithfulness, reaches to the heavens and is in the skies, it means that His love and faithfulness shine brightly. So David confessed because he was protected by the Lord: “How priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings” (v. 7). Furthermore, David was satisfied in his soul by the abundant grace of God. Look at verse 8: “They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights.” Here, “your river of delights” refers to the abundance of grace that satisfies life spiritually (Park). The Bible John 1:14 says that Jesus is “full of grace and truth.” When we think of the light of God's love and faithfulness, we will think of Jesus’ full grace. Even when we are in the darkness of the wicked, we go forward while looking at the Lord's light, that is, His love and faithfulness.
(2) God’s divinity is God’s righteousness and justice.
Look at Psalms 36:6 – “Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the great deep. O LORD, you preserve both man and beast.” This means that God, like a high mountain, doesn’t change, and sees all the oppressive circumstances of the people He has chosen, and reveals His justice. His judgment in the midst of His justice is like “the great deep.” This refers to the God's mysterious actions and judgments to people (Park).
When I meditate on Psalms 36, I think the psalmist David points to Jesus. When we think of Jesus, who was surrounded by the darkness of the wicked, and His cross, we can see the glimpse God's love, faithfulness and His righteousness and justice. In the end, Jesus satisfied God's righteousness and justice through His death of the cross, and as a result, He made us to drink from His river of delights. And the Lord makes us to keep on tasting His love (v. 10), causing us to drink from His river of delights. The God who satisfies our soul will continue to show His love and faithfulness throughout our lives and will not let the foot of the wicked to come against us (v. 11). Eventually, the Lord will not allow the wicked to rise again in His wise judgment (v. 12).
Overcoming darkness by looking at the light of the Lord,
James Kim
(Confessing that the Lord’s love is better than my life)