by John Fischer, King David and Cynthia
Don’t worry about the wicked
or envy those who do wrong.
For like grass, they soon fade away.
Like spring flowers, they soon wither.
Trust in the Lord and do good.
Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.
A Psalm of David 37:1-3
It is incredible how scripture always seems to speak with pinpoint clarity to the issues of each generation thousands of years after it was written. In this case, a Psalm written by David roughly 3,000 years ago nails our current crisis so well, we are going to spend the week letting it speak to us. We are also going to hear from some of our MemberPartners as to how these truths relate to their own life experience.
Right off the bat, David begins by calling out what our culture is currently obsessed with: “Don’t worry about the wicked.” It’s safe to say we are a culture gripped with fear and saddled with worry, and everybody seems to know what’s wrong — it’s the other guy. The news and social media is rampant with opinions, finger-pointing and justification. The sad thing is that Christian’s have been sucked into this turbulent vortex and many are losing their distinctiveness and their message in the process.
It can happen to the best of us, as MemberPartner, Cynthia writes, “I spend way too much time in fear and worry. Actually, some days it seems like a full time job. I can list so many reasons why I am certainly justified, but mostly it’s the media and all the news that makes me irritable and upset.”
As if being caught up with worry and fear when we should be patiently trusting the Lord was not enough, we have gone even further astray by trying to do something about who we believe the wicked are. False teachers have gotten many Christians signed up fighting a culture war that is none of our business. Our job is not to save America, but to introduce the gospel of welcome — grace turned outward — to everyone everywhere. It is to announce that the kingdom of God has come.
This Psalm may tell us what is wrong with the world, but nowhere does it tell us to do anything about it. No, we are simply to focus on something else. Focus on the kingdom of God.
It’s such a simple message: Trust in the Lord and don’t worry. And don’t try and do anything about those who do wrong, because they will fade away like grass.
“Trust in the Lord and do good.”
As Cynthia concludes, “Trusting in the LORD and doing good is only possible in His strength and resurrection power. The Bible teaches us Christ lives in us — the hope of glory. The Father loves us and the Holy Spirit guides us into all truth. Dwell in this land and enjoy safe pasture. This makes me rejoice! In this world, which is not our home, we can look forward to the future one with certainty.
“So even when I drift into unsafe territory due to wrong thinking, I am glad I am protected by a Savior who, as a shepherd, brings us enjoyment as well.”
So, one more time: “Trust in the Lord and do good.” And notice that when we do that, “Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.” How ironic that the driving factor in getting Christians involved in the culture war has been the fear of not being safe in the world. And here, that safety is guaranteed not by fear or by fighting, but by trusting in the Lord and doing good. Our safety is secured when we stay focused on the kingdom of God.
John Fischer The Catch 
Romans 12:21 (MSG): Don’t let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good.
Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up.
~ James 4:10
James 4 (NLT) – A reminder for these days…
What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.
You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God. Do you think the Scriptures have no meaning? They say that God is passionate that the spirit He has placed within us should be faithful to Him. And He gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say,
“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy.
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up in honor.
Don’t speak evil against each other, dear brothers and sisters. If you criticize and judge each other, then you are criticizing and judging God’s law. But your job is to obey the law, not to judge whether it applies to you. God alone, who gave the law, is the Judge. He alone has the power to save or to destroy. So what right do you have to judge your neighbor?
Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.” How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.” Otherwise you are boasting about your own pretentious plans, and all such boasting is evil.
Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.
I admit so much news that is bad and their is some good. We watch the news because we need to know what is happening and then especially the bad lay it down and each day I read the Bible, pray, and think about what lies ahead. I keep remembering that old saying of ye not judge and ye not be judged. I must admit in the past have judged when I should not do this. As far as evil my main focus has got to be the main source of evil Satan. I have serious mental health problems and in therapy and feel suicidal at times which Satan would like very much so when I feel this way pray, talk to my husband and therapist. Mainly realize that God has the most wonderful plan for us and don’t let Satan take it away.
I love the book of James because it is so direct, you might also say it shoots straight from the hip. If I require some introspection this book helps expose my sin to the Lord and myself. There is no wiggle room in James….Remember it is a sin to know what to do and then not do it. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. (proverbs 1:7)
So who or what do we Fear? The turmoil, terror, war, physical, sexual and verbal abuse, the tyrant political person, the culture and its anti normative ways or do you fear God.
The Fear of the Lord means much more than the above fear of the world’s wickedness. In fact this Fear of the Lord implies SUBMISSION, AWE, WORSHIP AND REVERENCE.
The Hebrew Word for fear is found fourteen times in proverbs.
1. Fourteen represents spiritual perfection.
2. Fourteen is mentioned three times in the genealogy of Jesus. (Matthew 1-17)
3. It is also the number for the Passover. You will pass from darkness to wisdom’s light by the Fear of the Lord.
Fools or stubborn know-it-alls will never stop to do this for they scorn true wisdom and knowledge.
Jesus gave us the gift of peace to experience while the wicked world goes into chaos. His peace rests on the fact that he has overcome the world. Have faith, don’t let doubt win!
I’m not sure I agree with the statement “don’t try and do anything about those who do wrong”. I agree that we are not to be driven by fear but by trusting in the Lord, but it is good to remember that this Psalm was written by a warrior-king who was sometimes called by God to take action. That being said, I abhor the way mainstream American Christianity has been politicized and sucked into an us-versus-them culture war. I guess there’s a great deal of wisdom and discernment involved regarding when to act, when not to act, and what to do when we feel called to act.