Sunday Scripture

 
 

Time for another Sunday Scripture!  Again today we're continuing my simple study of Psalms.  You can see a copy of the journal I'm using here: The Book of Psalms 1-50 or you can find all the resources simply by scrolling down on the same page.  I'm attempting to SOAP each Psalm too, though some of them are longer so I will likely only do a selected passage from many of them. [Quick reminder that S stands for Scripture; O stands for for observation; A stands for application, and P stands for prayer.]  Each psalm's study also includes a reflection question, which I've been attempting to journal an answer to.  Today we're looking at Psalm 37.  We were to zero in on verse 4, but I chose to SOAP verses 3-4.  I have SOAPed these verses in the past, but some of this material will be new.

S=  "Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
"Delight thyself also in the LORD; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart."  (Psalm 37:3-4)

O= Psalm 37 is a Psalm of David.  C.I. Scofield titles it "Trust in the LORD".  My ESV Bible titles it "He Will Not Forget His Saints".  

Observing the entire psalm this reading, I see many commands for things to do and not do, especially in verses 1-8.

Fret not; don't be envious (v. 1)
Trust in the Lord; do good (v.3)
Delight in the Lord (v. 4)
Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him (v. 5)

Rest in the Lord; wait patiently for Him ; don't fret (v. 7)

Cease from anger; forsake wrath; don't fret (v. 8)

Depart from evil; do good (v. 27)

Wait on the Lord; keep His way (v. 34)

For many of these, there seem to be conditions here which, if they are met, certain things will result.

IF (or maybe SINCE) we trust in the LORD, and do good, THEN we will dwell in the land, and we will be fed. (verse 3)

IF (or SINCE) we delight ourselves in the LORD, He will give us the desires of our hearts.  (verse 4)

Concerning verse 3, Charles Spurgeon writes: "In 'the land which floweth with milk and honey'; the Canaan of the covenant.  Thou shalt not wander in the wilderness of murmuring, but abide in the promised land of content and rest.  'And verily thou shalt be fed', or shepherded ... The good shepherd will exercise His pastoral care over all believers.  In truth they shall be fed, and fed on truth."

Concerning verse 4, Spurgeon says, "A pleasant duty is here rewarded with another pleasure.  Men who delight in God ask for nothing but what will please God; hence it is safe to give them carte blanche.  Their will is subdued to God's will, and now they may have what they will.  Our innermost desires are here meant, not our casual wishes; .... these deep, prayerful, asking desires are those to which the promise is made."

A cross-reference for "trust in the LORD" (i.e. faith) is Psalm 84:12 -- "O LORD of hosts, blessed is the man who trusteth in Thee."

A cross-reference for "Delight thyself also in the LORD" is Isaiah 58:14 -- "Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob, thy father; for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it."

Cross-references for "desires of thine heart" include 

Psalm 145:18-19 -- "The LORD is near unto all those who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth.  He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He also will hear their cry, and will save them."

and

Matthew 7:7-8 -- "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you; For everyone that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened."

A= Very simply, these are things I need to do as a believer: trust in the Lord; do good; delight myself in the Lord.  These activities, among others, are part of how the Lord wants me to live life where He has placed me.  He will provide for me there.  I suppose "thou shalt be fed" may also refer ro being satisfied in Him and being fed from His Word.  As I delight in Him, He will take my old desires and align them with His desires for me -- and thus will give me the desires of my heart.

P= "Lord, how I praise You for the truths of Your Word.  I praise You that You are very clear in how You want Your children to live.  I feel that my desires align with Your will for me, but it's possible there are desires that don't please You.  I pray that You will search my heart, and, if there is something not from You, that You'll replace it with Your desires for me.  I thank You for how You will work, in the powerful name of Jesus, Amen."

Reflection Question: When we are delighting in worldly things, our flesh longs for things that are not pleasing to the Lord.  When we are delighting in God, He takes our old desires and makes them new.

Is there something you are longing for today, that perhaps is not from the Lord?  Pray and ask God to exchange your desires for His desires and Your will for His.

My response: I don't know if there is anything I'm longing for that is not from the Lord.  I don't think so, really.  My deepest desires involve my loved ones coming to salvation or, if saved, coming to a closer walk with Him.

This has been a very surface look at Psalm 37.  There is much, much more to this psalm, so as always I urge you to dig deeper for yourself.  You are sure to be blessed in doing so!