PSALM 36
4 Outlines
Psalm 36
TELLING IT LIKE IT IS
I call
Psalm 36 God “tells it like it is”.
Indeed God always does tell it like it is, but especially in Psalm 36 I
see David under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit being blunt. David’s
bluntness was not just in a negative but also in a positive sense. In this Psalm I find:
THE
CONDITION OF THE WICKED, Vss. 1-4
We
know nothing about when this Psalm was written. There is an interesting line in the title
however. David is called the servant of
the Lord. The servant of the Lord should be the one who “tells it like it
is”. He should speak as God directs him
to speak and not be bound by the opinions of others.
Vs. 1
– There was an “oracle” or a “word” within the heart concerning the
wicked. God was showing David the
condition of the wicked. He “tells it
like it is” and shares it with us.
First,
note that there is no fear of God before
his eyes. Here the word would mean dread or terror. It is not the same word usually used for
“fear” which carries the thought of reverence.
I
personally feel that the point is that if the wicked had any true dread of God,
they would not do what they do. Many
times people have changed their behavior simply out of fear of an individual,
such as a parent. The wicked, however,
do not even dread God.
Vs. 2 – he flattereth himself with his
own eyes…
A wicked person is
self-deceived and doesn’t think that he has done anything wrong. He flatters himself to think that he’s okay.
Vs. 3 - The words of his mouth are
iniquity and deceit:
Do you know why a wicked
man’s words are iniquity and deceit? It is because of the condition of his heart.
Proverbs 12:5, Jeremiah 17:9, Luke 6:45, Psalm 36:3,
Vs. 3 - The words of his mouth are
iniquity and deceit: he hath left off to be wise, and to do good.
Ephesians 5:15-16 - See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as
fools, but as wise, [16] Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
The Spirit-filled Christian
will walk circumspectly.
The wicked will not. He will
not regard wisdom and doing what is good important.
Vs. 4 – A wicked person will lay in bed and make evil plans. When he gets up he will be set or locked in
to a way which is not good.
Another problem with the
wicked is he abhorreth not evil.
A righteous person will hate
evil, but not necessarily evil people.
We are to “love sin and hate the sinner.” 1 Peter 3:10-11
We need to be concerned for
the wicked. Without a change caused by
trusting the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior, they are doomed!
THE COMPASSION OF GOD
Here we see how God is
different from the wicked.
Verses 5-6 show us four
great qualities of God.
1. Mercy, love, or lovingkindness
Vs. 5 - In spite of our
sinfulness, God loves us.
In spite of our failures,
God loves us.
In spite of our humanity,
God loves us.
God never stops loving you.
It reaches into the heavens,
and the heavens continue on and on and on. Romans 8:35-39
2. Faithfulness
Vs. 5 - The faithfulness
being referred to is the faithfulness of God’s spoken word. If God promises to do it. He will. Numbers
23:19, Isaiah 46:11
3. Righteousness
Vs. 6 - Thy righteousness is like the
great mountains…
Great mountains are only
moveable by God.
Our God is a righteous God.
He will only do what is
right.
He will only stand for what
is right. Psalm 119:142, 145:17
4. Judgments or Justice
Psalm 36:6 - …thy judgments are a great
deep:
Our righteous God carries
out His justice.
When the Lord Jesus returns
to earth to reign He will carry out His justice. Isaiah 11:4-5
The Lord Jesus will also
judge the unsaved dead. Revelation 20:12
And the Lord will judge the
saved dead. 2 Corinthians 5:10
Psalm 36:6 - Thy righteousness is like the great mountains;
thy judgments are a great deep: O Lord, thou preservest man and beast.
God in His keeping power
takes care of men and animals.
We can rest in the fact that
God is caring for us.
Vs. 7 – God doesn’t literally have wings. He is a Spirit.
But this, nonetheless is the
picture of God protecting us in the security of being under His wings. It is like a mother bird protecting her young
from danger.
Vs. 8 – I believe that we can think of God’s Spiritual blessings as being
abundantly satisfied “with the fatness” of His house.
Notice it says “abundantly”
satisfied.
God will give you
satisfaction from His house!
Here are some verses that
tell us this: Psalm 65:4, Psalm 16:11, Galatians 5:22-23, 1 John 5:11,
John 16:33
Vs. 8 – The word pleasures here as the same root as the word
God gives us His pleasures
in Christ!
Vs. 9 - For with thee is the fountain
of life: in thy light shall we see light.
Spiritual life, and eternal
life are found in the Lord Jesus Christ.
If we have the Lord Jesus,
we have these three kinds of life!
THE
CRY OF THE RIGHTEOUS, Vss. 10-12
David, in his integrity,
tells it like it is.
He tells God, and us, that
he and us need God’s help.
Vs. 10 – David teaches us a lesson here.
We are not to take God’s lovingkindness or righteousness for granted. We
are to ask God for help.
Notice who the recipients of
lovingkindness are – they are the ones who know God. The ones who know God are
the ones who know the Lord Jesus as their Savior.
We have every right to seek
God’s lovingkindness because we know Him.
Also, it is the upright in
heart who will experience God’s righteousness.
Vs. 11 – David is asking for protection from the proud.
And you will notice that
very often it is another’s person pride that causes us trouble.
When a person is proud, they
want things their way and they want to laud it over you. Psalm 86:14
I believe it wise to not
only seek God to protect us from the proud, but from our own pride.
It is our pride that will
not admit a wrong.
It is our own pride that
will not forgive.
It is our pride that makes
us rude and arrogant.
Vs. 11 – David also saw that the wicked wanted to remove Him and he asked for
protection.
When you see someone wanting
to remove you, ask God for protection.
Vs. 12 – By faith, David saw
the answer to His prayer. His confidence reminds me of Mark 11:22-24.
David tells it like it is.
THE
CONDITION OF THE WICKED, Vss. 1-4
THE
COMPASSION OF GOD, Vss. 5-9
THE
CRY OF THE RIGHTEOUS, Vss. 10-12
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Psalm 36
ENCOURAGED BY GOD
It is easy to become
discouraged by wicked people.
However, God has good,
encouraging words for us.
We do well to heed them!
THE DEPRAVITY OF THE
WICKED - Vss. 1-4
THE DEPENDABILITY OF GOD
- Vss. 5-9
He is merciful. Vs. 5
He is faithful. Vs. 5
He is righteous. Vs. 6
He is judge. Vs. 6
He loves. Vs. 7
He protects. Vs. 7
He satisfies. Vs. 8
He is life. Vs. 9
He is light. Vs. 9
THE DESIRE OF THE GODLY
- Vss. 10-11
Continuation of God's
blessing. Vs. 10
Preservation from evil
Vs.11
THE DESTRUCTION OF THE
WICKED - Vs. 12
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Psalm 36
CONTRASTS
THE WICKEDNESS OF MAN -
Vss. 1-4
THE WONDERS OF GOD -
Vss. 5-9
THE WISH OF BELIEVERS -
Vss. 10-12
1.
For God's continued
loving kindness - Vs. 10
2.
For God's protection
from the wicked - Vs. 11
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Psalm 36:7-10
GOD IS!
GOD IS MY SAFETY - Vs. 7
GOD IS MY SATISFACTION
- Vs.8
GOD IS MY SOURCE - Vss. 9-10
1. Of Life Vs. 9
2. Of Light Vs. 9
3. Of Lovingkindness Vs. 10
4. Of Righteousness (If you think of a fourth
"L" let me know.) Vs. 10