The wicked Vs. The righteous
[Psalms 37:12-22]
According to a psychologist, a person has six prisons: (1) the first prison is a prison for self-abduction. We can not stop ‘princess disease’ and ‘prince disease.’ (2) The second prison is a prison of criticism. We always like to see and criticize others' shortcomings. (3) The third prison is a prison of despair. We always look at the world negatively, complain and despair. (4) The fourth prison is a past-oriented prison. We say that the old days were good and waste the present. (5) The fifth prison is a prison of envy. We don't know the importance of our own rice cake and only see other people's rice cake as big. (6) The sixth prison is a prison of jealousy. When we see others doing well, our stomach hurts and we want to slander them. Our of these six prisons, I personally think that many of our saints often live in the sixth prison, ‘the prison of jealousy.’ In particular, as the psalmist Asaph said in Psalms 73, it seems that many of us often are jealous of the wicked when we see the wicked’s prosperity (v. 3).
So David, the author of Psalm 37, says in verse 1: “Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong.” But Satan tries to put us, the believers, in this prison of jealousy no matter what. Further, Satan, like a crying lion, uses his servants, the wicked, to devour us, to torment us, persecute us, to fall into sin, to try to keep us out of our faith in Jesus Christ. We see Satan trying to harm the righteous David through his servants, the wicked, even in Psalms 37:12-22. Based on Psalms 37:12-22, I want to think about the wicked and the righteous, under the heading “The wicked Vs. The righteous”, and receive the grace that God gives u.
The wicked are cursed by the Lord.
Look at Psalms 37:22b – “… but those he curses will be cut off.” The wicked who are cursed by the Lord try to harm the righteous. How do the wicked try to harm the righteous? We can think in two ways.
(1) The wicked plot against the righteous.
Look at Psalms 37:12 – “The wicked plot against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them.” The psalmist David said these wicked people were the ones who carried out their wicked schemes (v. 7). One of the wicked's schemes was to borrow and didn’t repay (v. 21). The wicked could be abundant in their greed and not returning to others even after they borrowed from them, so that they could be wealthy (v. 16). They were wicked people who tried to accumulate their wealth even by harming the righteous. We can see the wicked, who carried out their wicked schemes (v. 7), gnashing their teeth (v. 12) also in Acts 7 in which the Jews gnashed their teeth toward Stephen: “Now when they heard this, they were cut to the quick, and they began gnashing their teeth at him” (Acts 7:54). When the wicked hears the preaching of the righteous and are cut to the quick, they become angry toward the righteous. However, this anger eventually leads to evil (Psalm 37:8).
(2) The wicked are trying to kill the righteous.
Look at Psalms 37:14 – “The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright.” What we can see here is that the wicked man had the wicked schemes to kill the righteous by killing the righteous with his weapons, such as "the sword" or "the bow." The Bible says that the righteous are “poor and needy” as opposed to the wicked who lived like this, “still breathing threats and murder” (Acts 9:1) against the righteous (Ps. 37:14). This appearance of righteousness refers to the saints who cannot receive help even among human beings (Park). What a contrast to the appearance of the wicked? Thinking about the appearance of a righteous men who look weak and have no power and no help, they are good food for wicked people who are still breathing threats and murder. This contrast between the wicked and the righteous can also be seen in Acts 9. Saul, who was still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked for letters from him to the synagogues at Damascus, so that he might bring those who belonged to the Way bound to Jerusalem (vv. 1-2). d
What should we do when we encounter the wicked people who do evil to us? We shouldn’t be sad but look at the Lord’s laugh in faith. Look at Psalms 37:13 – “but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he knows their day is coming.” The Lord’s laugh is also found in Psalms 2:4. When the kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers take counsel together against the Messiah Lord (v. 2), the Lord laughs (v. 4). So, even if the wicked plot against us, we shouldn’t be sad, but should participate in the joy of God. This is because the time of the Lord's judgment (destruction) toward the wicked is near. We don't have to cry when God laughs. The reason why the saints often cry in front of the fact that God laughs is because the saints themselves have become dark (Park). Therefore, we must pray. When we pray our spiritual eyes will be opened and we will be able to see God's laugh. Also, we can participate in God's joy even in sorrow (Calvin). Why shouldn’t we be afraid of the wicked, but rather to participate in God's joy? This is what David said about its reason: “But their swords will pierce their own hearts, and their bows will be broken” (37:15). It is the time for the wicked’s destruction when the wicked are still breathing threats and murder and make the last blow (Park). This is what David said in Psalms 37:20 – “But the wicked will perish: The LORD's enemies will be like the beauty of the fields, they will vanish--vanish like smoke.” Imagine the burning of oil and smoke. Likewise, the destruction of the wicked will be a sure annihilation and will be sudden. Eventually, the wicked who are cursed by the Lord will be cut off (v. 22, cf. vv 9-10).
The righteous are blessed by the Lord.
Look at Psalms 37:22a – “those the LORD blesses will inherit the land ….” What is the Lord's blessing for the righteous? The Bible says two things:
(1) The blessing of the Lord, which the righteous receives, is that the Lord upholds them.
Look at Psalms 37:17 – “for the power of the wicked will be broken, but the LORD upholds the righteous.” This verse explains the reason for the verse 16 - “Better the little that the righteous have than the wealth of many wicked.” In other words, “the power of the wicked”, the power that the wicked believed, that is, God will break the abundance of matter. However, even though the property of the righteous is little, it is a blessing to the righteous because God upholds the righteous (v. 17). How is the little property of the righteous blessing to them? There are two reasons (Park): (a) First, even the little possession of the righteous, since it is from the Almighty God, it is a blessing to the righteous because He will give it again when it becomes insufficient. (b) Second, it is a blessing to the righteous because the little possession of the righteous is not obtained unrighteously, and leads to a pleasant and happy life. Another blessing is that we may not boast because of our small possessions. The great blessing of material can be a small spiritual blessing to us, but the small possession of material can be a great spiritual blessing to us. We must listen to Dr. Yoonsun Park's words: ‘True life is not in abundance of possessions (Lk. 12:15), but in possession of righteousness.’ Didn’t we, the saints, justified by the merits of Jesus' cross? Therefore, God justified us. What a great blessing? Owning this righteousness cannot be compared to the abundance of matter.
(2) The blessing of the Lord, which the righteous receives, is that God promises that our inheritance will endure forever.
Look at Psalms 37:18 – “The days of the blameless are known to the LORD, and their inheritance will endure forever.“ Here, “the blameless” doesn’t refer to the innocent men at all, but pure men who walk in faith conscience before God. God knows “The days” of those who are pure, striving to do God's will, their lives (Park). Therefore, the inheritance of the ones who are known by God, the possession that they will enjoy as they live is forever indefinite. Since God is their savior and protector, there is no way that their inheritance will disappear (Park). That is, the inheritance of the righteous doesn’t fail even in times of trouble, and God gives them sufficient grace (v. 19). Therefore, even in the famine, the righteous men give generously with God’s sufficient grace (v. 21b). There are some remain because the righteous men live simple life with their small possession. So they can help others. Although they are poor, they are generous. Eventually, the wicked go to destruction even if they are rich, and the righteous occupy the land even though they are scattered and their descendants will be prosperous (Park).
The wicked, cursed by the Lord, are plotting against us, and even trying to kill us with the last blow. Nevertheless, we the righteous ones must look to God who is laughing in faith. The wicked will surely perish. They will definitely be cut off. So, even in sorrow, we can participate in God’s joy. Let’s remember. Let's proclaim to our soul that ‘I am the one who is blessed by the Lord.’ It is a true blessing that God upholds us. Let's not be discouraged that our possessions are small compared to the riches of the wicked. God is the God who breaks the abundance of matter, the power that the wicked believe. And even if the property of the righteous is small, it is a blessing to us because God upholds them. The God who sustains us is our eternal inheritance. Our Lord, the source of blessing, is our blessing. Therefore, we can give generously to others through God’s sufficient grace to us, whether in times of trouble or famine. I hope and pray that we can live such blessed life in the Lord.
A blessed man,
James Kim
(Praying to see God’s laugh in faith)