• Home
  • About
  • DavidKitz.ca
  • Youtube Videos
  • Books by David
  • Books on Amazon.com

I love the Psalms

~ Connecting daily with God through the Psalms

I love the Psalms

Daily Archives: July 6, 2020

But the LORD Upholds the Righteous

06 Monday Jul 2020

Posted by davidkitz in Psalm 37, Psalms

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

power, righteous, wealth

Psalm 37-16-17

Today’s verse from the Psalms.

The LORD Upholds the Righteous

06 Monday Jul 2020

Posted by davidkitz in Devotions, Psalm 37, Psalms

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

evil, fanatics, righteous, sin, wicked

Reading: Psalm 37
(Verses 12-17)
The wicked plot against the righteous
and gnash their teeth at them;
but the L
ORD laughs at the wicked,
for he knows their day is coming.
The wicked draw the sword
and bend the bow
to bring down the poor and needy,
to slay those whose ways are upright.
But their swords will pierce their own hearts,
and their bows will be broken.
Better the little that the righteous have
than the wealth of many wicked;
for the power of the wicked will be broken,
but the L
ORD upholds the righteous (NIV).*

img_20200628_0723161

Misty morning swim — photo by David Kitz

Reflection
As stated in my first post on Psalm 37, this psalm is a stark night and day comparison of the life of the evil person with the life of the individual who does right in God’s eyes. The contrast is profound.

I cannot read the passage above without thinking of the evil that is loose in the world today. Here in Canada in recent years, we had the trial of Luka Magnotta for his slaying of Jun Lin, a Chinese born university student. Magnotta posted his killing of Lin with an icepick on YouTube. After dismembering his body Magnotta mailed various body parts to schools and political party headquarters.

In Iraq and Syria, ISIS militants defiantly beheaded journalists and international aid workers in a cowardly display of their depravity. Any who hold different religious views have been executed, their women raped, their children enslaved. It appears we live in a wicked world where hatred and evil are trumpeted as worthy pursuits—pursuits that attract adoring young fanatics.

The opening line of this psalm posting is as true today as when it was written three thousand years ago. The wicked plot against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them… The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright.

The sin process is still at work in the hearts of men.  When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death (James 1:13-15).

But thanks be to God! We have this promise: for the power of the wicked will be broken, but the LORD upholds the righteous. God will uphold us as we put our trust in Him.

Response: LORD God, you are my upholder—my help in evil times, in times of trouble. I put my trust in you. Hold me in the palm of your hand. I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Your Turn: How do you fight evil? Where does it start? We must examine our hearts.

* New International Version, Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica

This post by award-winning author David Kitz will be published in book format later in 2020 by Elk Lake Publishing under the title 365 Days through the Psalms.

Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer

Psalms 365 Volume II

Psalms 365 vol 3
— Psalms 365 Volume III

Psalms

Recent posts

  • Your Anointed One May 26, 2022
  • Strongholds in Ruins May 25, 2022
  • His Throne Endures Forever May 24, 2022
  • My Firstborn May 23, 2022
  • So Great Is His Love May 22, 2022
  • Crowns with Love and Compassion May 21, 2022
  • The Foundation of God’s Throne May 20, 2022

Calendar

July 2020
M T W T F S S
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728293031  
« Jun   Aug »

Blog Posts

Blogroll

  • David Kitz Website
  • Discuss
  • Get Inspired
  • Get Polling
  • Get Support
  • Learn WordPress.com
  • Theme Showcase
  • WordPress Planet
  • WordPress.com News

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Comments

  • wally12662013 on Your Anointed One
  • wally12662013 on Strongholds in Ruins
  • wally12662013 on His Throne Endures Forever

Blog at WordPress.com.

  • Follow Following
    • I love the Psalms
    • Join 1,577 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • I love the Psalms
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...