PSALM 36
The Song of Happy Service
David, in the title to this psalm, like in the title to Psalm 18, calls himself "the servant of the Lord," showing as John Trapp says, that he took more delight in the names of duty than of dignity.
Psalm 36:1
BIBLE TEXT: "The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart, that there is no fear of God before his eyes." (Psalm 36:1 KJV)
BIBLE TWEET: Godly eyes clearly see the sins of the wicked as the wicked’s complete want of any faith in God or any fear of God.
BIBLE TAKEAWAY: The practicing sinner is a practical atheist.
Psalm 36:2
BIBLE TEXT: "For he flattereth himself in his own eyes, until his iniquity be found to be hateful." (Psalm 36:2 KJV)
BIBLE TWEET: The self-exalting sinner, who flatters himself as his own god, can never see his own ungodliness, in spite of the fact that it will eventually and inevitably be found out.
BIBLE TAKEAWAY: To smooth over one’s conscience with one’s conceit is to make certain one’s condemnation.
Psalm 36:3
BIBLE TEXT: "The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit: he hath left off to be wise, and to do good." (Psalm 36:3 KJV)
BIBLE TWEET: If one’s lips speak what is wrong and guileful, then one’s life is void of what is wise and good.
BIBLE TAKEAWAY: Not only does one’s actions speak louder than one’s words, but one’s words also speak loudly about one’s heart. (Matthew 12:34; Luke 6:45)
Psalm 36:4
BIBLE TEXT: "He deviseth mischief upon his bed; he setteth himself in a way that is not good; he abhorreth not evil." (Psalm 36:4 KJV)
BIBLE TWEET: When our nights are used for plotting evil our days will be used for practicing evil.
BIBLE TAKEAWAY: To have the devil for your bed-fellow in the night is to have him as your bosom buddy during the day.
Psalm 36:5a
BIBLE TEXT: "Thy mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens…" (Psalm 36:5a KJV)
BIBLE TWEET: God’s mercy, like the heavens, encompasses the earth, so that all of earth’s creatures are under its canopy.
BIBLE TAKEAWAY: The expanse of the mercy of God is as great as the firmament of the earth.
Psalm 36:5b
BIBLE TEXT: "…and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds." (Psalm 36:5b KJV)
BIBLE TWEET: The faithfulness of God is as high above the faithfulness of all others as the clouds are above the earth.
BIBLE TAKEAWAY: Whereas men may deceive or disappoint you, God never will, since He can neither fail you nor lie to you.(Deuteronomy 31:8; Hebrews 6:18; Titus 1:2)
Psalm 36:6a
BIBLE TEXT: "Thy righteousness is like the great mountains…" (Psalm 36:6a KJV)
BIBLE TWEET: As Mount Everest towers above all other mountain peaks, the righteousness of God towers above the righteousness of men, so much so that it cannot be shaken by anything nor scaled by anyone.
BIBLE TAKEAWAY: The highest peak of the righteousness of God is found on Mount Calvary, where the Son of God was sacrificed to satisfy the justice of God, so that God could justly justify unjust sinners, like you and me.
Psalm 36:6b
BIBLE TEXT: "…thy judgments are a great deep…" (Psalm 36:6b KJV)
BIBLE TWEET: The judgments of God are as fathomless as the deepest depths of the sea, being just as unexplorable and unsearchable by mortal man.
BIBLE TAKEAWAY: While God’s infinite ways in our lives may be hidden beneath tranquil or tempest tossed seas, they are often unfathomable to our finite minds.
Psalm 36:6c
BIBLE TEXT: "…O Lord, thou preservest man and beast." (Psalm 36:6c KJV)
BIBLE TWEET: All creatures great and small owe their preservation to the Providence of their Creator.
BIBLE TAKEAWAY: How debase is a man who denies the Lord upon whom the duration of his life depends?
Psalm 36:7
BIBLE TEXT: "How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings." (Psalm 36:7 KJV)
BIBLE TWEET: The most precious pearl possessed by the people of God is their Lord’s lovingkindness, for it promises them His perpetual provision and protection.
BIBLE TAKEAWAY: We know we can count on Christ to take care of us, since we know from the cross how much He cares for us.
Psalm 36:8
BIBLE TEXT: "They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures." (Psalm 36:8 KJV)
BIBLE TWEET: All who put their faith in the Lord will not just be adequately, but also abundantly, provided for and pleased.
BIBLE TAKEAWAY: The pleasures of Heavenly paradise are presently implausible to the earthbound people of God. (1 Corinthians 2:9)
Psalm 36:9a
BIBLE TEXT: "For with thee is the fountain of life…" (Psalm 36:9a KJV)
BIBLE TWEET: God is the fountain of life, He alone is its source and its sustainer, without Him no life commences nor continues.
BIBLE TAKEAWAY: Christ is not just a philosopher explaining life, but He is life (John 14:6). He is not just the One for whom we are to live our life, but He is our life (Colossians 3:4).
Psalm 36:9b
BIBLE TEXT: "…in thy light shall we see light." (Psalm 36:9b KJV)
BIBLE TWEET: Just as we do not see the sun with a light of our own, but with the sun’s own light, so it is with the Son of God. It’s only in His own light that He can ever been seen!
BIBLE TAKEAWAY: No one ever comes to know Christ or believe in the Gospel through religious tutelage or human reasoning, but only by divine revelation (Matthew 16:16-17; Galatians 1:11-12). Neither can we ever see Christ for ourselves, unless He shows Himself to us.
Psalm 36:10a
BIBLE TEXT: "O continue thy lovingkindness unto them that know thee…" (Psalm 36:10a KJV)
BIBLE TWEET: The more you know God experientially the more you will experience God’s lovingkindness.
BIBLE TAKEAWAY: The more you learn of God, the more you will love God, and the more you love God, the more you will live for God.
Psalm 36:10b
BIBLE TEXT: "O continue thy…righteousness to the upright in heart." (Psalm 36:10b KJV)
BIBLE TWEET: When we’re made right with God, we’re given an upright heart, and our upright heart should lead to upright living.
BIBLE TAKEAWAY: The New Covenant does not promise us a heart torn between two natures, as is preached in today’s church, but a heart transplant, performed for us by the Great Physician, as is taught in Scripture.
TO LEAR MORE, READ CHAPTER ONE: THE HEART OF MAN FROM OUR BOOK THE KING OF HEARTS: THE SIMPLICITY OF LIVING IN THE SPIRIT.
Psalm 36:11-12
BIBLE TEXT: "Let not the foot of pride come against me, and let not the hand of the wicked remove me. There are the workers of iniquity fallen: they are cast down, and shall not be able to rise" (Psalm 36:11-12 KJV)
BIBLE TWEET: We should pray to neither be trampled under the feet of the proud nor taken over by the hands of the wicked, lest we become a stumbling block rather than a springboard to others coming to Christ.
BIBLE TAKEAWAY: We should not pray primarily for our deliverance and our enemies’ demise for our own sake, but for Christ’s sake, not primarily for our good, but for God’s glory.