Transcript

Today’s Bible Translation

Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 36-37 HCSB, Ch. 38 GWT

Associate Producer

Howie

Podcast Introduction

This is Psalms Wednesday. Our reading will be Psalms 36-38. I’m calling this episode, “Schemes and Lies.” And since it is Wednesday, we will have a time of prayer.

Comments on Psalm 36

The title of this psalm is “For the choir director. A psalm of David, the Lord’s servant.” There are only two psalms that use the phrase “the Lord’s servant.”: Psalm 18 and Psalm 36. In Psalm 18, David is an old man. Here in Psalm 36, David is a young man. All his life, David saw himself a God’s servant.

Psalm 36 reaffirms something for me that I have often thought of. In verses 1-5, David talks about the evil man, and how he acts…what he does. And in verse 4, David says, “He plans ways to sin while he lies in bed; he is committed to a sinful lifestyle; he does not reject what is evil.”

Now, I am far from perfect. In fact, there are times that I feel, like the Apostle Paul, that I am the chief of sinners. But I am constantly amazed by how thieves and liars devise schemes. When I hear how they do things to accomplish their evil deeds, I can hardly believe it. How do they come up with such twisted plans? I could never think that way. It’s incredible!

When, for example, I hear about some scheme that someone used to embezzle money or con some old person out of their life savings, I am shocked at how they did it. My mind just doesn’t work that way. I mean, they had to really think in great detail to come up with their plans. My mind just doesn’t work that way.

Please don’t misunderstand. I’m not saying that I’m without sin. It’s just that my brain just doesn’t think like that. Maybe I’m not smart enough. 

I like to think, though, that because the Holy Spirit lives in me, He protects me from such thoughts. 

As a matter of fact, in chapter 37 verse 4, David says, “Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you your heart’s desires.”

The way I understand that verse, David is not saying that God will give you whatever you want, but that if you delight in Him, He will cause your heart to desire what pleases Him. He will give you your heart’s desires.

I most certainly do have my share of failures. But in my half-century of following Him, I have discovered, like David, that real joy is found in staying as close as I can to God. And I am so very thankful that I am his.

Beloved, if you don’t have that kind of relationship with Him, I encourage you with everything that is in me to reach out to Him now and ask Him to give you a thirst to know Him, to follow Him, to delight in Him. 

Comments on Psalm 37

The title is a simple one: A Psalm of David. We learn in verse 25 that David wrote this when he was old. Like the book of Proverbs, this purpose of this psalm is to teach wisdom. But unlike Proverbs, this is a song, and it was written as an acrostic with each line beginning with successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. This arrangement made it easier to memorize.

Comments on Psalm 38

The title is “A Psalm of David. To remember, or to think about.”

David is asking God to remember him, to think about him, to be mindful of him because he is wracked with guilt for some sin that he has committed. We do not know when this psalm was written, so we don’t what sin has him in this state.

This is one of the seven penitential psalms, the others being Psalms 6, 32, 51, 102, 130 and 143.

In Psalm 38, we see a man that is desperately crying out to God, and he seems to be at the end of his rope. He still has faith, but he says, “…do not be so distant from me.”

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been there. I know how David feels. I know what it is to have sinned, and to feel God’s correction. I know what it is to wonder when, or if, I would ever feel God’s blessing on me again. Like David, I cried out, “Come quickly to help me, O Lord, my savior.”

This is a good place to be, beloved, if you have willingly remained in sin. This is a loving Father chastising a misbehaving child. It is a confirmation that you are His. He does it to correct the behavior, to bring you to repentance. Hebrews 12:7-11 tells us, “As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Whoever heard of a child who was never disciplined? If God doesn’t discipline you as He does all of His children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really His child after all. Since we respect our earthly fathers who disciplined us, should we not all the more cheerfully submit to the discipline of our heavenly Father and live forever? For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always right and good for us because it means we will share in his holiness. No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it is painful! But afterward there will be a quiet harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.”

God’s discipline is meant to bring us to genuine repentance. It is a good thing, beloved. When we confess our sin, He forgives us because of what Jesus did for us on the cross. And that is when we can again enjoy the close fellowship and the blessings of God.

Support

This a value for value podcast. There are no advertisers because advertising=censorship. If you enjoy the Lifespring Family Audio Bible, decide how much value it brings to you. Only you can make that determination. Then put a number on the value and send it to me here: SUPPORT.

Transcript

Download .txt file.

Psalms 36-38: Schemes and Lies (LSFAB S13E088)

[TEASER – 0:00]
How do they come up with such twisted plans?

[INTRO S13E088 – 0:10]
Back again, it’s the Lifespring Family Audio Bible, and coming to you from Riverside, California, podcasting since 2004, I’m Steve Webb, your OG Godcaster. This is a daily podcast where we’ll read through the entire Bible in a year. And I’m glad you invited me to be with you today. The website is lifespringmedia.com.

This is Psalms Wednesday, and our reading will be Psalms 36 through 38. And I’m calling the episode “Schemes and Lies.” Since it’s Wednesday we’ll have a time of prayer as well.

And now before we read, let’s pray.

[OPENING PRAYER – 0:42]
Our heavenly Father, Lord, we thank you so much for the Psalms. They teach us how to praise you in the midst of good times and bad. They teach us how to be open and honest with you. After all, you know everything about us anyway, we might as well be honest. But we learn that when things are difficult, it’s okay to come to you and say, “Please help me.” And through the many praises that we read in the Psalms, we learn how to praise you. So we thank you for that and ask that as we read today, your Holy Spirit would teach us. We pray this in Jesus’ name, amen.

Okay, let’s get going.

[INTRO TO PSALM 36 – 1:20]
The title of Psalm 36 is “For the choir director, a Psalm of David, the Lord’s servant.” Interestingly, there’s only two psalms that use the phrase “the Lord’s servant” in the title. There was Psalm 18, and now Psalm 36. In Psalm 18, David is an old man. Here in Psalm 36, David is a young man. All of his life, David saw himself as God’s servant.

[PSALM 36 (HCSB) – 1:45]
Psalms, chapter 36.

(1) An oracle within my heart
concerning the transgression of the wicked person:
There is no dread of God before his eyes,
(2) for in his own eyes he flatters himself too much
to discover and hate his sin.
(3) The words of his mouth are malicious and deceptive;
he has stopped acting wisely and doing good.
(4) Even on his bed he makes malicious plans.
He sets himself on a path that is not good
and does not reject evil.
(5) Lord, Your faithful love reaches to heaven,
Your faithfulness to the clouds.
(6) Your righteousness is like the highest mountains;
Your judgments, like the deepest sea.
Lord, You preserve man and beast.
(7) God, Your faithful love is so valuable
that people take refuge in the shadow of Your wings.
(8) They are filled from the abundance of Your house;
You let them drink from Your refreshing stream,
(9) for with You is life’s fountain.
In Your light we will see light.
(10) Spread Your faithful love over those who know You,
and Your righteousness over the upright in heart.
(11) Do not let the foot of the arrogant man come near me
or the hand of the wicked one drive me away.
(12) There the evildoers fall;
they have been thrown down and cannot rise.

[INTRO TO PSALM 37 – 3:03]
The title of Psalm 37 is a simple one, “A Psalm of David.” We learn in verse 25 that David wrote this when he was old. Like the book of Proverbs, the purpose of this psalm is to teach wisdom. But unlike Proverbs, this is a psalm and it was written as an acrostic, with each line beginning with successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. This arrangement made it easier to memorize.

[PSALM 37 (HCSB) – 3:28]
Psalms, chapter 37.

(1) Do not be agitated by evildoers;
do not envy those who do wrong.
(2) For they wither quickly like grass
and wilt like tender green plants.
(3) Trust in the Lord and do what is good;
dwell in the land and live securely.
(4) Take delight in the Lord,
and He will give you your heart’s desires.
(5) Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in Him, and He will act,
(6) making your righteousness shine like the dawn,
your justice like the noonday.
(7) Be silent before the Lord and wait expectantly for Him;
do not be agitated by one who prospers in his way,
by the man who carries out evil plans.
(8) Refrain from anger and give up your rage;
do not be agitated — it can only bring harm.
(9) For evildoers will be destroyed,
but those who put their hope in the Lord
will inherit the land.
(10) A little while, and the wicked person will be no more;
though you look for him, he will not be there.
(11) But the humble will inherit the land
and will enjoy abundant prosperity.
(12) The wicked person schemes against the righteous
and gnashes his teeth at him.
(13) The Lord laughs at him
because He sees that his day is coming.
(14) The wicked have drawn the sword and strung the bow
to bring down the afflicted and needy
and to slaughter those whose way is upright.
(15) Their swords will enter their own hearts,
and their bows will be broken.
(16) The little that the righteous man has is better
than the abundance of many wicked people.
(17) For the arms of the wicked will be broken,
but the Lord supports the righteous.
(18) The Lord watches over the blameless all their days,
and their inheritance will last forever.
(19) They will not be disgraced in times of adversity;
they will be satisfied in days of hunger.
(20) But the wicked will perish;
the Lord’s enemies, like the glory of the pastures,
will fade away —
they will fade away like smoke.
(21) The wicked man borrows and does not repay,
but the righteous one is gracious and giving.
(22) Those who are blessed by Him will inherit the land,
but those cursed by Him will be destroyed.
(23) A man’s steps are established by the Lord,
and He takes pleasure in his way.
(24) Though he falls, he will not be overwhelmed,
because the Lord holds his hand.
(25) I have been young and now I am old,
yet I have not seen the righteous abandoned
or his children begging for bread.
(26) He is always generous, always lending,
and his children are a blessing.
(27) Turn away from evil and do what is good,
and dwell there forever.
(28) For the Lord loves justice
and will not abandon His faithful ones.
They are kept safe forever,
but the children of the wicked will be destroyed.
(29) The righteous will inherit the land
and dwell in it permanently.
(30) The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom;
his tongue speaks what is just.
(31) The instruction of his God is in his heart;
his steps do not falter.
(32) The wicked one lies in wait for the righteous
and seeks to kill him;
(33) the Lord will not leave him
in the power of the wicked one
or allow him to be condemned when he is judged.
(34) Wait for the Lord and keep His way,
and He will exalt you to inherit the land.
You will watch when the wicked are destroyed.
(35) I have seen a wicked, violent man
well-rooted like a flourishing native tree.
(36) Then I passed by and noticed he was gone;
I searched for him, but he could not be found.
(37) Watch the blameless and observe the upright,
for the man of peace will have a future.
(38) But transgressors will all be eliminated;
the future of the wicked will be destroyed.
(39) The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord,
their refuge in a time of distress.
(40) The Lord helps and delivers them;
He will deliver them from the wicked and will save them
because they take refuge in Him.

[INTRO TO PSALM 38 – 7:20]
Psalm 38’s title is “A Psalm of David, to remember or to think about.” David is asking God here to remember him, to think about him, to be mindful of him because he’s wracked with guilt for some sin that he’s committed. We don’t know when this psalm was written, so we don’t know what sin has him in this state. This is one of the seven penitential Psalms, the others being Psalms 6, 32, 51, 102, 130, and 143.

[PSALM 38 (GWT) – 7:51]
Psalms, chapter 38.

(1) O Lord, do not angrily punish me
or discipline me in your wrath.
(2) Your arrows have struck me.
Your hand has struck me hard.
(3) No healthy spot is left on my body
because of your rage.
There is no peace in my bones
because of my sin.

(4) My guilt has overwhelmed me.
Like a heavy load, it is more than I can bear.
(5) My wounds smell rotten.
They fester because of my stupidity.
(6) I am bent over and bowed down very low.
All day I walk around in mourning.
(7) My insides are filled with burning pain,
and no healthy spot is left on my body.
(8) I am numb and completely devastated.
I roar because my heart’s in turmoil.
(9) You know all my desires, O Lord,
and my groaning has not been hidden from you.
(10) My heart is pounding.
I have lost my strength.
Even the light of my eyes has left me.

(11) My loved ones and my friends keep their distance
and my relatives stand far away because of my sickness.
(12) Those who seek my life lay traps for me.
Those who are out to harm me talk about ruining me.
All day long they think of ways to deceive me.
(13) But I am like a person who cannot hear
and like a person who cannot speak.
(14) I am like one who cannot hear
and who can offer no arguments.

(15) But I wait with hope for you, O Lord.
You will answer, O Lord, my God.
(16) I said, “Do not let them gloat over me.
When my foot slips,
do not let them promote themselves at my expense.”
(17) I am ready to fall.
I am continually aware of my pain.
(18) I confess my guilt.
My sin troubles me.

(19) My mortal enemies are growing stronger.
Many hate me for no reason.
(20) They pay me back with evil instead of good,
and they accuse me because I try to do what is good.

(21) Do not abandon me, O Lord.
O my God, do not be so distant from me.
(22) Come quickly to help me, O Lord, my savior.

[COMMENTARY – 9:54]
Psalm 36 reaffirms something for me that I’ve often thought of. In verses 1 through 5, David talks about the evil man and how he acts, what he does. And in verse 4, David says “He plans ways to sin while he lies in bed; he is committed to a sinful lifestyle; he does not reject what is evil.”

Okay, so I’m far from perfect. In fact, there are times that I feel like the apostle Paul, that I’m the chief of sinners. But I’m constantly amazed by how thieves and liars devise schemes. When I hear how they do things to accomplish their evil deeds, I can hardly believe it sometimes. How do they come up with such twisted plans? I could never think that way. It’s incredible.

When, for example, I hear about some scheme that someone used to embezzle money or con some old person out of their life savings. I’m shocked at how they did it. My mind just doesn’t work that way. I mean, they had to really think in great detail to come up with their plans. I just don’t think that way.

Please don’t misunderstand. I’m not saying that I am without sin. It’s just that I’m not a schemer like that. My brain doesn’t work like that. Maybe I’m not smart enough.

I like to think though, that because the Holy Spirit lives in me, he protects me from such thoughts.

As a matter of fact, in chapter 37, verse 4, David says, “Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you your heart’s desires.”

While the way I understand that verse, David is not saying that God will give you whatever you want. But that if you delight in him, he will cause your heart to desire what pleases him. He will give you your heart’s desires.

But I most certainly do have my share of failures. In my more than half century of following him, I’ve discovered like David, that real joy is found in staying as close to God as I can. And I’m so very thankful that I am his.

Beloved, if you don’t have that kind of relationship with him, I encourage you with everything that is in me to reach out to him now and ask him to give you a thirst to know him, to follow him, to delight in him.

Now, in Psalm 38, we see a man that is desperately crying out to God, and he seems to be at the end of his rope. He still has faith, but he says, “…do not be so distant from me.”

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been there. I know how David feels. I know what it is to have sinned and to feel God’s correction. I know what it is to wonder when or if I will ever feel his blessing on me again. Like David, I’ve cried out, “Come quickly to help me, O Lord, my savior.”

Now listen, this is a good place to be, Beloved, if you have willingly remained in sin. This is a loving father chastising a misbehaving child. It’s a confirmation that you are his. He does it to correct the behavior to bring you to repentance.

Hebrews 12:7-11, says,

“As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Whoever heard of a child who was never disciplined? If God doesn’t discipline you as He does all of His children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really His child after all. Since we respect our earthly fathers who disciplined us, should we not all the more cheerfully submit to the discipline of our heavenly Father and live forever? For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always right and good for us because it means we will share in his holiness. No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it is painful! But afterward, there will be a quiet harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.”

Beloved, God’s discipline is meant to bring us to genuine repentance. It’s a good thing. When we confess our sin, he forgives us because of what Jesus did for us on the cross. And that is when we can again enjoy the close fellowship and the blessings of God.

[LIFESPRING FAMILY HOTLINE – 13:57]
Tell me your thoughts. Call the Lifespring Family Hotline at +1-951-732-8511, or go to comment.lifespringmedia.com and tell me about it there, or you can email me at st***@*************ia.com.

Tomorrow is Poetry Thursday and our reading will be Job 25 through 26.

[SUPPORT THE SHOW = 14:24]
I have someone to thank today, and I’m so thankful for Howie who sent in a $100 donation making him today’s Associate Producer. Thank you very much Howie, and say “Hi” to Ann for me, would you? God bless both of you.

Value-for-value. If you receive something of value from the Lifespring Family Audio Bible, please prayerfully consider how you’d be willing to return some of that value to support it, and then go to

[SUPPORT THE SHOW JINGLE – 14:49]
lifespringmedia.com/support.

[SUPPORT THE SHOW (CONT’D) – 14:53]
I will thank you and I believe God will bless you.

[PRAYER REQUESTS AND PRAISE REPORTS – 14:59]
We have no new prayer requests or praises today. So let’s praise God for who he is.

Our heavenly Father, we do worship you because of who you are. You are the creator of all that is and you hold everything together. You have such an imagination, Lord. The variety of life on this little rock we call Earth is just staggering. From the tiniest, microscopic, single-celled organisms to the largest whales in the oceans, to the enormous dinosaurs that are no longer living, from homely, plain little worms to the most finely bedecked birds, from seemingly barren deserts to the teeming Amazon rainforests, from the deepest oceans to the highest mountain peaks, there is evidence of your hand everywhere. You set everything in motion, and in perfect order. Your attention to detail is infinite. Nothing escapes your notice. And in all the trillions of details, you know every aspect of each of our lives, the number of the hairs on our head, our victories, our failures, our dreams, and our heartbreaks. And in spite of the fact that we fall far short of your perfection, you love us and want us to love you and have a relationship with you.

But instead of requiring us to earn it, which we could never do, you sent Jesus to pay the price for our failure. Oh, God, that you would have that kind of mercy is inconceivable for us. Only you could have the capacity for that. And so we’re driven to our knees in gratitude, humility, and love. We cannot begin to repay the debt we owe. But we offer ourselves in worship, and we pray that our praise is a sweet aroma to you.

And, Father, as LeeAnn and I are approaching our 33rd year of marriage, we thank you. Both of us thank you so very much for putting us together. Father, you truly have given me a Proverbs 31 woman and I am just so completely thankful to you for the gift of her. I thank you for the years we’ve had together, all the blessings you’ve given us, and even the difficult times, Lord. All of those things have molded us into, I think, a cohesive unit. We are one, and I just thank you for LeeAnn. I pray, God, that you’d give us many more years together to serve you and to love one another and to love you. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Beloved, our next time of prayer requests and praise is this coming Sunday, which will be the first day of 2023. What better way to start the year than to offer praise? Send me an email and tell me what God is doing in your life or has done this year or what you’re praying for in the coming year. Go to prayer.lifespringmedia.com…

…I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Our next time of prayer will be Sunday which will be the first day of 2023. And now would be a great time to give thanks to God for what he’s done in your life in 2022 and to pray for the new year. Go to prayer.lifespringmedia.com and send me your praises for 2022 and prayers for 2023. Our prayer time this Sunday can be a great time of rejoicing in prayer, but you’ll need to go to prayer.lifespringmedia.com and let me know what’s on your heart. Or even better would be to call the Lifespring Family Hotline at +1-951-732-8511. Let’s make the New Year’s Day Sunday prayer time the best we’ve ever had on the show.

[OUTRO S13E088 – 19:18]
I’m so very thankful for the team: Kirsty, Denise, Michael Haner, and Scott Snider. Thank you guys for giving your time, your talent, and your treasure. You are a true blessing.

And now, until tomorrow, may God bless you richly. Thank you for making me a part of your day. My name is Steve Webb. Bye.

[LIFESPRING MEDIA PROMO – 19:38]
The Lifespring Media family of programs are made possible by the generous support of listeners like you. Thank you.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai

Transcript corrected by Denise