Today’s reading is Psalm 36.
David is explaining why we want to listen to God instead of Transgression. Transgression only leads to evil. Its way is simply not good.
God, however, is the fountain of life. Transgression doesn’t bring life. It only brings death. God is the light. Not only that, by His light we see all other light. It is like that principle from C.S. Lewis when he said something along the lines of, “I believe in God for the same reason I believe in the sun. Not because I can see it, but because by it I can see everything else.” Without God, we would be blind. And that is exactly what sin does. It blinds us.
How do we gain access to this life and light? The apostle John tells us in John 1:4. Talking about the Word of God whom he later reveals as Jesus, John writes, “In him was life, and the life was the light of men.”
Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). No one can get close to the Father except through Jesus. He is the life. He is the light. He is the refuge. His is the house of abundant feasting. His is the river of delights. He will increase God’s steadfast love to those who make knowing Him their life. He will deliver from the arrogant foot and the wicked hand that threaten to mislead and derail us.
Jesus is our Guide! We might even say, our Shepherd. Praise the Lord!
Next week’s reading is Psalm 37.
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A Word for Our Kids
Hey kids, David ends this psalm with the final description of what happens to those who heed the counsel of Transgression and Sin.
There the evildoers lie fallen;
They are thrust down, unable to rise.
That isn’t so much a description of God’s judgment as it is just the logical conclusion of listening to and following sin’s deceptions. It promises life, it produces death.
However, make sure to notice David’s actual prayer just before the end of this psalm.
Let not the foot of arrogance come upon me,
nor the hand of the wicked drive me away.
David understands his real protection against the deceptions of Sin and the wicked is not his own wisdom, his own strength, his own commitment. His real protection is God. David understands the siren call of Sin. He understands its appeal. He understands his own weakness. After all, he well remembers every one of his own failures. He knows, he must rely on God, he must call on God, he must turn to God at all times, otherwise he will be too weak and too foolish to ignore the calls and counsel of Sin.
So, yes, make your commitment to avoid sin. Make your commitment and give all your effort to ignoring the temptations thrown in your path. But always remember your efforts will only work if you’ve got God on your side protecting you. Pray, like David, for His help and strength. Only then will you win.
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