This world is dark and full of death, sin, and evil. Only Jesus is the fountain of life, the light in the darkness, our hope everlasting. This psalm is short but loaded! Let’s dig in…
Psalm 36
For the choir director: A psalm of David, the servant of the Lord.
1 Sin whispers to the wicked, deep within their hearts.
They have no fear of God at all.
2 In their blind conceit,
they cannot see how wicked they really are.
3 Everything they say is crooked and deceitful.
They refuse to act wisely or do good.
4 They lie awake at night, hatching sinful plots.
Their actions are never good.
They make no attempt to turn from evil.5 Your unfailing love, O Lord, is as vast as the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds.
6 Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,
your justice like the ocean depths.
You care for people and animals alike, O Lord.
7 How precious is your unfailing love, O God!
All humanity finds shelter
in the shadow of your wings.
8 You feed them from the abundance of your own house,
letting them drink from your river of delights.
9 For you are the fountain of life,
the light by which we see.10 Pour out your unfailing love on those who love you;
Psalm 36 NLT
give justice to those with honest hearts.
11 Don’t let the proud trample me
or the wicked push me around.
12 Look! Those who do evil have fallen!
They are thrown down, never to rise again.
What About YOU?
Do verses 1-4 describe you?
Do you fear God?
Fearing God doesn’t mean that you’re afraid of Him. On the contrary, when you have a healthy fear of the Lord, it means that you respect Him. Additionally, you are in awe of Him — that you hold Him in high regard. Moreover, it means that you OBEY Him.
Sin = Satan
When you live in sin, you are blinded to how bad things really are. Obviously, the lusts of the flesh, lusts of the eyes, pride, and power blind you to the truth. It’s “blind conceit.” Consequently, you step on people on the way up the ladder to get what you want. Yet, you don’t realize the wickedness.
You spend sleepless nights worrying about how you’re going to get more, go higher, make your life better, be happier. Your actions are never good. Furthermore, you make no attempt to turn from evil.
Peter wrote…
8 Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. 9 Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith.
1 Peter 5:8-9 NLT (bold emphasis mine)
How do You Become Strong in Your Faith?
Clearly, Jesus has an unfailing love for YOU that is as vast as the heavens! Moreover, His faithfulness reaches beyond anything that you can imagine. Above all, He is the source of righteousness and justice. Plus, He cares for YOU and animals alike!
Jesus told us…
26 Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? 27 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?
28 “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, 29 yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. 30 And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?
33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
Matthew 6:26-30, 33 NLT (bold emphasis mine)
Jesus is your provider and protector!
Most of all, He is the Fountain of LIFE!
The folks at Spoken Gospel sum up the Gospel message very nicely….
Whether in our politicians or our neighbors, it’s easy to see people who are both prosperous and wicked. People who fear God are often rightly concerned when lying, conceited, and wicked people are seated in halls of powers—especially when those same people refuse to sleep until their agenda is legislated (Psalm 36:4).
But for those who fear the Lord, our confidence is in God’s priceless love demonstrated in Jesus. God is love (1 John 4:8). It was from love that Jesus was sent to save us (John 3:16). Jesus’ whole ministry to lead and heal his harassed and helpless people was driven by love (Matthew 9:36). Like a lavish and loving host, Jesus fed 5,000 people (Matthew 14:20-21) and offered a Samaritan woman living water and springs of eternal life (John 4:14). Jesus died because he loves us (Ephesians 5:25). Jesus’ love reached down from heaven, love animated his life on earth, and love motivated his death for us.
When Jesus returns to throw down evil and make all things new, it will be because of his love (Revelation 21:5). That day will be like a wedding (Revelation 21:2) where Jesus will tenderly wipe away our tears (Revelations 21:4). And like a lavish and loving groom, Jesus will pour out rivers of living water so that we can delight in his love forever (Revelation 21:6).
If this loving God is for us, who can be against us (Romans 8:31)? The Roman empire and death could not hold our loving Savior. So like David, we can always be confident that God’s love will triumph over evil. Like David, when we trust Jesus he will satisfy us with his thirst-quenching water no matter the desert we find ourselves in.
See for Yourself
May the Holy Spirit open your eyes to see the God who loves his people. And may you see Jesus as the one who demonstrates God’s love in his death—and will consummate God’s love when he returns as our Groom.
Spoken Gospel
Wedding Feast of the Lamb?
How to Pray Psalm 36
The last 3 verses are the perfect prayer. Praying the psalms is as easy as putting God’s Words into your own words. Like this…
Pour out your unfailing love on me because I love You! Give justice to those with honest hearts.
Paraphrase on Psalm 36:10-12 by Giselle Aguiar
Don’t let the proud trample me or the wicked push me around. Look! Those who do evil have fallen!
They are thrown down, never to rise again. I praise You, Jesus, the Fountain of Life! You are my Savior, Redeemer, King of kings and Lord of lords. I know You win over everything evil in the end and help me stand in Your Truth forever. In Jesus mighty name, Amen.
Jesus is the Fountain of Life!
As He told the Samaritan Woman at the Well…
“Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. 14 But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”
John 4: 13-14 NLT