Title: God’s people will not be ashamed
Scripture Reading: Psalms 37:18-20
The Lord knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be forever.
19 They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.
20 But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the Lord shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.
‘A promise that God’s people will not be ashamed in time of calamity.’
News from all over the World: BBC, CNN, Bloomberg, etc. reported that the entire world had come under a great cloud of fear.
All the problems that have taken place in the past few years, are global in scope; it is not just concentrated in one region.
Never has in the history of America, has a President executed such a policy that caused such global chaos. Warren Buffet, one of the richest men in the world said, ‘A Tariff is ‘an act of war’ to some degree.
I prayed that we will show no such fear. Instead, we will have great soberness about these times, but also, we have a deep abiding joy.
Psalms 37 is a prophecy pointing to the end times.
- The Lord knoweth the days of the upright.
Psalms 37:18-19 says, ‘The Lord knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever. They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine, they shall be satisfied.
Some bible commentators gave a title for Psalms 37: ‘the security of those who trust in God.’
The covenantal love of God for this church as well as our own personal lives is guaranteed, detailed and promised.
The phrase, ‘the days of the upright’ is translated as ‘the days of the blameless.’ The Pulpit commentary writes literally it talks of the days of the perfect – those who yielded in obedience to YHWH. God takes loving note of their days, knows their numbers and the events which each day will bring.
We are the blameless, who has a covenant relationship with God.
Our lifestyle characteristic is in line with the bible. What happens when you are blameless?
- YHWH knows their day
- Their inheritance will be forever
- They will not be ashamed in the times of evil
- In the days of famine, they will have abundance
When we say, ‘the LORD knows the days of the upright,’ it means He is acquainted with all his circumstances, his severing (all his breaking apart, all his liability), and even his ability to bear them; and if he is unable to bear them, YHWH will either shorten his trials or increase his power.
Their inheritance shall be forever points to a future life.
We have an ‘inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and fadeth not away, which is reserved for us in heaven.’
In some translation, ‘they shall not be ashamed in the time of evil’ is written as, ‘in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.’ God can even find a way to provide for his own when others have nothing.
The word ‘evil time’ is some translation is ‘calamitous time.
In the days of famine, we will have abundance. If we fall into adversity, it will not cause us to feel shame.
God can even find a way to afford for His own when others have nought.
- Not so with the wicked
Psalms 37 is a prophecy. And the prophecy tells us that the wicked will perish. They will vanish away like spring flowers.
Charles Spurgeon says, ‘Sinners are not as a general rule, punished here. Their sentence is reserved until the day of judgment. This is not the time of judgment. Judgment is yet to come.’
Psalms 37:20 says, ‘But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the Lord shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke.’ Another translation says, ‘into the smoke they shall vanish away.’
The success, fame, and prosperity of the wicked is as temporary as smoke.
Adam Clarke says, they shall consume as the fats of lambs.’ They shall consume away in the fire of God’s wrath.
Hebrew 12:26-27 says, ‘Yet once more I shake not only the earth but also heaven.’
The Psalmist, who most likely is King David, prophesied, ‘The arms (power) of the wicked shall be broken.’ (verse 17)
What is happening to the world today?
Firstly, there comes a time when God can no longer endure the greed, covetousness, and wicked fraud that evil men perpetrate on the poor and needy. David’s prophecy speaks of a sudden loss of financial power.
2 Timothy 3:1, 13, “In the last days perilous times shall come…. Evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.”
Zephaniah 1:9, “(They) leap on the threshold [of the poor], which fill their masters’ houses.”
The Lord has the final word on the matter, and he says, “In the same day also will I punish (them)” (1:9). In short: “I will put them to shame.” “Their sword shall enter their own heart, and their bows [wealth] shall be broken” (Psalm 37:15).
- A Promise for future blessing
A longer headline for this third point should be a promise for future blessing in times of calamity.
So how do we go on from here.
‘Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him. And he shall bring it to pass. First, there must be a decision: ‘Commit.’ Then there is faith: ‘Trust also in Him,’ Finally there is the Lord’s work. ‘He shall bring it to pass.’ This is a promise for future blessing in this shakable world.
The Covenantal love of God is guaranteed, detailed and promised.
No matter what happens in the world — no matter how fearful the news becomes, how severely the world shakes, how economies may teeter toward collapse — God’s people will not be left ashamed. Indeed, the Lord will act on our faith to fulfill his Word to us. We may suffer, but he will come through for all who fully trust in him. The world will never be able to say, “Your God didn’t keep his Word.”
And throughout the Bible he had a people whose flint-like faith proved his faithfulness in the most difficult times. These servants unashamedly committed the Lord to act, putting his honor at stake while trusting him to deliver. And God always came through for them.
Consider Moses’ example at the Red Sea.
Daniel and the three Hebrew children refused to bow in worship before Nebuchadnezzar’s 90-foot gold idol.
Jeremiah 24:1-8. Jeremiah saw two baskets of figs were set before the temple of the LORD, one basket had very good figs, even like the figs that are first ripe: and the other basket had very naughty figs, which could not be eat; they were so bad
Psalms 37 tells us there are two ways of life. There is the way of the godly and the way of the ungodly.
In conclusion, against the background of the world we are in, I noticed even godly Christian, demonstrate, fear, compromise, and faithlessness. They do not believe:
- YHWH knows their day
- Their inheritance will be forever
- They will not be ashamed in the times of evil
- In the days of famine, they will have abundance
As the world shakes, as it is now happening, their iniquities abound, and their love for God wax colder and colder. They join the forces of wicked that says in 2 Timothy 3:1, 13, “In the last days perilous times shall come…. Evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. “God in order to save us by His own hand, he sent his son Jesus Christ here on earth. Jesus knew His heavenly Father was always there for Him. Jesus knew his inheritance is forever when he says, ‘In my father’s house are many mansions. If it is not so, I would have told you.’ Jesus was never put to shame in times of evil. And Jesus never had lack when he was on earth. But in the end his heavenly father led him down, not knowing his day. His very inheritance was seemingly cut off when they put him to the cross. He was made a shame in the times of evil at the Golgotha. He lost everything, his disciples, his family, his people, and he thirsted. In the end he died, so that when we come to him, we can be forgiven. Not only that he restores our relationship with God and our fortune in heaven one day. He promises that we will not be ashamed in times of evil but rather He will be with us even unto the end of the world. He promised that he will prepare a table for us in the presence of our enemies in this present age.
