In this inspired prayer David comforts himself with the goodness and mercy of God as he endeavoured to live a godly life in a wicked world. The obvious application should not be avoided as we ourselves find refuge in the faithfulness of God while observing the futility of man’s efforts in denying and rebelling against the Most High.

MAN’S FUTILITY (Psalm 36:1-4)

The rather strange words “The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart”, appear to indicate that David is reflecting upon the evil words and actions of men and women around him.  We can certainly empathise; the corrupt state of society is a frequent and sorrowful meditation and topic of conversation among God’s people.

David proceeds to articulate the futile corruption of a wicked society.

A lack of godly fear is the ultimate ambition of the natural man.

…that there is no fear of God before his eyes. (V1)

Here is the root of bitterness, from which all the wickedness of the wicked comes.

Matthew Henry

Pride is the origin and the outcome of this fear of God.

For he flattereth himself in his own eyes, until his iniquity be found to be hateful. (V2)

Man flatters himself in his own sight because he thinks himself to be better than he actually is.  This is secular humanism at work, the spirit of pride which produces all manner of hateful and wretched vice.

David proceeds from the thoughts and the heart to the words.  There is progression here as he examines the anatomy of the sinner:

The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit: he hath left off to be wise, and to do good. (V3)

The all consuming nature of the ungodly spirit is set forth as David depicts a people who even lie in bed figuring out how best they can defy God and in so doing they establish a way that is evil and not good:

He deviseth mischief upon his bed; he setteth himself in a way that is not good; he abhorreth not evil. (V4)

The indulging of the wicked spirit is futile in that it will never be successful.  That which is not good and godly is bad; bad for the soul, for health, for family life, for society and for the world.  

As we reflect upon the spirit of the world in which we live; we must be reminded that this is not only wrong but damaging, completely futile.

But will the cheat last always? No; the day is coming when the sinner will be undeceived, when his iniquity shall be found to be hateful. Iniquity is a hateful thing; it is that abominable thing which the Lord hates, and which his pure and jealous eye cannot endure to look upon. It is hurtful to the sinner himself, and therefore ought to be hateful to him; but it is not so; he rolls it under his tongue as a sweet morsel, because of the secular profit and sensual pleasure which may attend it; yet the meat in his bowels will be turned, it will be the gall of asps, When their consciences are convinced, and sin appears in its true colours and makes them a terror to themselves—when the cup of trembling is put into their hands and they are made to drink the dregs of it—then their iniquity will be found hateful, and their self-flattery their unspeakable folly, and an aggravation of their condemnation.

Matthew Henry

GOD’S FAITHFULNESS (Psalm 36:5-12)

The world may have pleasure, prosperity and popularity but their best efforts are doomed to absolute failure. The Christian may be rejected and reviled but ultimately our cause is God’s cause and He will ensure that His name will be glorified. The world has nothing faithful to cling onto but the Church has a faithful God. His Word is true, we are not cast adrift on an ocean of changing philosophies and moralities. We have an anchor that keeps the soul!

He is faithful in His mercies, they are beyond all human definitions:

Thy mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds. (V5)

He is a God of inexhaustible goodness

Matthew Hentry

He is faithful in His righteousness; as solid as the mountains. Man owes His creation and preservation of life to the righteous God, whom he despises so:

Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; thy judgments are a great deep: O LORD, thou preservest man and beast. (V6)

Our God is also faithful in the comfort and refuge that He supplies for His people, who live for Him in this wicked world; the comfort of His love:

How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. (V7)

His faithfulness also grants the Christian amazing satisfaction, a people and a purpose and a fullness that is elusive in this world…like the Queen of Sheba, the half has not yet been told us!

They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures. (V8)

Note carefully that there is sufficient pleasure in Christ for all of His people. The river of God’s pleasures flows and keeps flowing; it overflows its banks, it never runs dry and by God’s grace he makes us drink by the Sprit of His grace from this pure stream.

The Lord is faithful in the enlightenment that he grants, the understanding of His word, of the times in which we live and of His holy will.  As we learn of God, the more light we receive and this light guides us through the gloom and the fog of this world:

For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light. (V9)

That divine light which shines in the scripture, and especially in the face of Christ, the light of the world, has all truth in it. When we come to see God face to face, within the veil, we shall see light in perfection, we shall know enough then.

Matthew Henry

This faithful God is one with whom we can plead and beseech in prayer:

O continue thy lovingkindness unto them that know thee; and thy righteousness to the upright in heart. 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. (V10-12)

David closes off his Psalm with an earnest prayer that God would continue to be faithful in both preserving Him and dealing with the wicked of this world. He makes HIs appeal on the grounds of God’s love and and faithfulness; He is absolutely sure that God will intervene.

In like fashion, we pray today for the Church in this corrupt age, that God will honour HIs Word by continuing to preserve His name and His remnant. Such prayers established upon the ground of God’s righteous character will never be lost.