Trust, Delight, Commit & Rest: Study of Psalm 37

October 25, 2004

Psa 37:23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.

Psa 37:24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.

Psa 37:25 I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.

Shalom Aleichem, Chaverim!! Here is today's offering!

I thought that we would discuss the following:

1. Our Steps Are Ordered By God

2. God's Faithfulness To Us

1. Our Steps Are Ordered By God

The first part of verse 23 reads literally from the Hebrew, The goings of a man are established of the Lord. You know I was telling someone just the other day, that the Bible is the greatest success story in the universe. God has allowed us to see what happpened from Genesis, to what will happen in the book of Revelation. He has allowed us to see that He is in complete control of all that happens, and that He is the one who is ordering and establishing the end times. It is all going to work out the way He has ordained.

We who belong to the Lord are part of that success story!! Just as He ordains and establishes the ages according to His plan, He is also able to order and establish our lives according to His plan as well. The word for "man" in verse 23 is gheh-ber in Hebrew and means a "valiant or mighy man." This is a person who is strong in the Lord. Within the context of this entire chapter, The person who has stood in the midst of the storm, who has, inspite of what the circumstances looked like, trusted in God their refuge, who have made Him their chief joy, and have committed their all unto Him is assured that their steps will be ordered of the Lord. It is those who have trusted him, and delighted in Him, and have committed thier all unto Him, that are in a position to be directed by Him and are spiritually sensitive to His guidance in their lives.

and He rejoiceth in his way When you make God your delight, He rejoices in you. You become the object of Divine favor!! I love what it says in Zephaniah 3:17 says that God is in our midst rejoicing over us with singing! While that prophecy was speaking to Israel proper, I believe that God wants to rejoice over all of His children! We are His delight! We are His chief rejoicing of His heart!!

Just as we can see in verse 24, God does not promise us that we will not have setbacks. He does not promise us that there will not be disappointments. I have had my share, but the Lord has delivered me from them all! We all have obstacles and things that come into our lives, that try to steal our joy, and wreck our peace, just like the rest of the world does. We have what they do not have, though. We have a refuge. We have someone to run to. I cannot tell you how many times I have spent sleepless nights in agony, and all I can do is cling to Yeshua. He has been the one constant in my life. The devil is a joy stealer, a life-taker and a heart-breaker.

Joh 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

But praise God, Yeshua not only gives back what the devil stole, He makes it better than what you had before the devil got his hands on it!! He doesn't just give you joy, He gives you joy unspeakable. He doesnt just give you peace; He gives you peace that passes all understanding!! He restores in abudance!!

I will add this as well. I have never been married, nor do I have any children. I therefore cannot possibly fathom losing a spouse or a child, though I can imagine on some level that either one has to be the most painful thing a person can go through. I dare not trivialize in any way, the pain that some who are reading this are going through. I want everyone to know this: I don't know why some things happen as they do. God does not necessarily give us the answer to suffering. Rather He gives us Himself, and suffers with us. No matter what you are facing, you are not forsaken, you are not forgotten you are not alone. When everyone else has decided that you are not worth it, when they leave you holding the bag, when it seems that the whole world couldn't care less, Yeshua hears and He knows, and He wants to be your confidant, your strong tower, your refuge.

When you fail, dont run from Yeshua; run to Him!! Don't stack one sin on top of another, I dont' care what you have done, there is no sin you have committed that is bigger than the blood of Yeshua!! Whatever guilt you might be carrying, I am here to tell you that you do not have to live under the thumb of that thing any longer. You can be free! You can give it over to Yeshua and be rid of your burden once and for all!! Hear it world!! It's good news!

2. God's Faithfulness To Us

We see this blessed observation by David in verse 25. He is speaking in somewhat general terms, obviously. God has never forsaken the righteous. David does not mean to be understood that the righteous have never undergone hardships. What He is saying is that in the end, when all is said and done, God has shown Himself faithful to His own.

yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. Here we have another representation of covenant speech. God honors not only us but our posterity as well. That is the nature of a blood covenant. Every generation is expected to honor the covenant cut generations earlier. God puts His honor upon all them that fear them, and is therefore watchful over them and their children. This is why it is so important for us to leave a legacy of faith for our children. The reason that the children of the righteous are not left begging for bread, is because the righteous leave that legacy. They do their best to raise their children up in the fear of God. If a child rebels, then the fruit of that rebellion is upon his/her own head. Generally speaking though, the children of the righteous who honor the legacy of their parents, will find God's favor.

God is faithful to us because He loves us, but He is also faithful to us, because His great name is at stake. When we have publicly put our trust in Him, God will not bring reproach upon Himself by failing us. It is by showing Himself faithful to us and to His Word that He is glorified.

A good example of God's faitfulness is seen in the regathering of the Children of Israel back into their ancient homeland. We can read in Ezekiel 36, that God says He is doing this for His Name's sake. He is doing this great thing so that His Name is not profaned among the heathen. He is demonstrating for us, that He is a God who keeps His promises, and can be relied upon. There is no statute of limitations on what has gone forth from His mouth.

As I pointed out in a previous post, God will honor His Word above His own Name. He will keep His promises to you. He will do for you exactly as He has promised. He will keep His Word out of His love for you, and for the sake of His good Name.

Until next time, Shalom Aleichem Chaverim!!

October 26, 2004

It comes down to "trust" or one might say faith. You can always trust Yeshua. He is the one person who will never leave you even if everyone else gives up on you. He loves you with all your hang-ups and shortcomings. Nothing you have done in your past, will ever make Him ashamed of you. His love is unconditional. He will not remember your past sins, or bring them to your remembrance. He is the one person who will not betray or embarass you. Yeshua will never break your heart. Even when we break His heart and fail him, He will always remain faithful to us. He loves us with an everlasting love.

Awesome study Shiloh!

It really is encouraging to remember that we must trust in the Lord. Its one of my big things. I love Psalms too! This is a really good chapter and I can hardly wait to read the rest of this study!

InHisLove,

Telly

October 26, 2004

Oh wow. I didnt finish it.

I am so glad that my steps are ordered of the Lord. Thanx goodness for that! And I am blessed by the faithfulness of God, my Heavenly Father.

Thanx again, Shiloh!

StillAmazed,

~Telly

AfterHisHeart · October 26, 2004

This is a great study, and I am enjoying it very much! Psalm 37 is one that is near and dear to my heart. Years ago, the Lord gave this Psalm to a dear friend of mine, to share with me for encouragement as I was going through a very tough trial, and was very new in the Lord.

Be Blessed,

Shar

October 27, 2004

Thank you for this Bible study. Especially todays. I need to have teachings from the Word. I sometimes feel like God isn't listening, or doesn't care. I am reminded of a very sweet song it says, in part, "When God turns his face, he's leaning close to hear our prayers." This study shows me that God is indeed, leaning close to hear my prayers. Thanks again for the wonderful Bible study, I'm looking forward to learning more. Also, thanks for the meat of the Word!

Amen, and Amen,

Jenn

November 4, 2004

Just a quick note: I have not given up on this study, but I have been putting in more hours at both of my jobs and it is taking a toll on my free time. I intend to get back to work on this study by this weekend.

I work about 70 hours a week now, and it is tiresome! I am also working on my A+ certification as well as my Network+, and Server+ certifications as well, so I have a lot on my plate as of late. Things will go a little slower for me on these studies than I anticipated, but things will smooth out eventually!!

Shalom Aleichem, Chaverim!!

traveller · November 6, 2004

wow Shiloh - that' s hard schedule. I look forward to the studies as you have time. Don't overdo brother. And get plenty of rest. Oh - and eat healthy.