Psalm 36

Transgression speaks to the ungodly within his heart; There is no fear of God before his eyes. For it flatters him in his own eyes concerning the discovery of his iniquity and the hatred of it. The words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit; he has ceased to be wise and to do good. He plans wickedness upon his bed; he sets himself on a path that is not good; he does not despise evil. Your lovingkindness, O Lord, extends to the heavens, Your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; Your judgments are like a great deep. O Lord, You preserve man and beast. How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! And the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings. They drink their fill of the abundance of Your house; and You give them to drink of the river of Your delights. For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light. O continue Your lovingkindness to those who know You, and Your righteousness to the upright in heart. Let not the foot of pride come upon me, and let not the hand of the wicked drive me away. There the doers of iniquity have fallen; they have been thrust down and cannot rise.^[1]

The psalmist sets up polar opposites in this song of praise. There is, on the one hand, the ungodly; and, on the other those who know the Lord. The description of the two could not be any more different. The ungodly “sets himself/herself on a path that is not good.” They do not even despise evil, but are so filled with wickedness and deceit that they have “ceased to do good and be wise.” Sadly, their lot is to fall, to be thrust down and not rise. It is not a pretty picture and yet it accurately describes the majority of people, especially believers, in our time and generation.

Those who know the Lord are continual recipients of the loving kindness, faithfulness and righteousness of the Lord. Now the distinction here between the two is not one of perfection versus imperfection, but rather one of intentionality. The one who does not despise evil harbors transgression in his heart, and his mouth is filled with “wickedness and deceit.” He gets up from his sleep intending to do wrong.

Those who know the Lord, on the other hand, are not perfect. Far from it, they know they are frail, sinful and in need of God’s forgiveness and mercy. As a result, they understand, that left to their own devices, they would be in the same place as the ungodly. But they/we are not left to our own devices because God’s loving kindness, His faithfulness, and righteousness are available in abundance. In fact, were it not for His mercies we would all be consumed (Lam 3:22). Thank God for His loving kindness!

Dear Heavenly Father, we marvel at your loving kindness. We are amazed at Your mercy and compassion. Thank You for loving us when we refused to love You. Thank You for continually giving us opportunities to return to You even when we have wandered the wrong paths. Thank You for letting us drink our fill of the abundance of Your house. Thank You for allowing us to see light in Your light. Thank You for preserving us so that we can “drink of the river of Your delights.” Help us to take refuge in the shadow of Your wings, and let not the foot of pride come upon us or the hand of the wicked drive us away. But please, “continue Your loving kindness to those who love You.” Amen.

^[1] New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), Ps 36:1–12.