Psalm 36

I've spent time this morning meditating on this great Psalm. The take away for me today: use this Psalm to cultivate humility that leads to wisdom and righteousness!

In the first four verses David speaks about the trajectory of the heart in the wicked. This man's underlying belief is that God will not find him out, that he will not have to give account for his sin. What pride! What foolishness!

The next section of the Psalm (vv. 5-9) is a recounting of God's glorious character and the reality that mankind can only find satisfaction and safety in God! This is antithetical to the one who is trying to find satisfaction in his iniquities and safety in his presumption that God doesn't see or know of his deeds.

Finally, in verses 10-12 the Psalmist prays for God to keep him from arrogance saying, "Let not the foot of arrogance come upon me, nor the hand of the wicked drive me away." What he's saying is, Lord don't let humility and dependence upon you escape from me. He knows that his favor with God is of grace (vv. 5, 9) and he knows how easily each of our hearts can be fooled in a moment outside of God's saving activity (v. 6).

I needed to read this today. It is all too easy to look upon the example of the wicked and say, "I'm glad I'm not that man!" How arrogant! The reality of my daily situation is that any time I make a conscious decision to sin, or to allow myself near the ledge of transgression, I "have no fear of God before my eyes," (v. 1) and I'm acting outside of the wisdom of God! I tremble to confess that and pray myself that today Jesus would not let the foot of arrogance come upon me, nor the hand of the wicked drive me away. For with Him is the fountain of life, in his light do we see light (v.8)!