A word fitly spoken is like APPLES OF GOLD in a setting of silver – Proverbs 25v11
For the next few weeks let us spend time in Psalm 37 which begins “Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture”. If we are honest, we all get irritated when the “baddies” seem to prosper and get away with dishonesty and corruption.
The Psalmist gives five good pieces of advice to us on how to not fret about their seeming success and we will start today with “Trust in the Lord and do good”. Despite outward appearances the enjoyment of the evil’s ill-gotten prosperity is short and not so sweet because those who do wrong are also subject to mental, emotional and physical challenges. They also have inner turmoil, relationships that are difficult and the inevitable aging process which brings decay and death.
I remember many years ago I was staying on a sheep farm in the Karoo and the farm was green from all the recent rains and I remarked to the farmer that the sheep must be enjoying the vegetation after the good rains. His reply surprised me “Yes the sheep can’t get enough of this tasty greenery, but it is terrible because the green plants you see are a toxic weed that spring up after rain and when the sheep eat the weeds it upsets their stomach and flies lay eggs on their dirty bottoms which then bring disease and often they die”. Friends, if you are a Christian, instead of fretting about the outward prosperity of the wicked, give thanks that the Lord has kept you poor and righteous – just like the sheep and be content with the dry succulent pasture and reject the green toxic weed that looks so enticing. As the Psalmist says it is “SAFE pasture” that the Good Shepherd (Jesus Christ) provides for you – the land is where God’s People meet and the safe pasture is God’s Word which will keep you spiritually safe and healthy. If you have an eternal perspective on life it goes without saying we trust the Lord and do good allowing God’s Holy Spirit to work in our lives.
Finally, don’t fret because the wrong doers are also suffering as Solomon so aptly put it “So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me”. (Ecclesiastes 2v17).
God Bless
Graeme Greenwood