Saint Louis, Missouri, United States - 2014 Daily Lenten Devotion "PROPHETIC WORDS" Saturday, 22 March 2014 - Read Psalm 37

Saint Louis, Missouri, United States - 2014 Daily Lenten Devotion "PROPHETIC WORDS" Saturday, 22 March 2014 - Read Psalm 37: By David.
1 Don’t fret because of evildoers,
    neither be envious against those who work unrighteousness.
2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass,
    and wither like the green herb.
3 Trust in Yahweh, and do good.
    Dwell in the land, and enjoy safe pasture.
4 Also delight yourself in Yahweh,
    and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to Yahweh.
    Trust also in him, and he will do this:
6 he will make your righteousness go out as the light,
    and your justice as the noon day sun.
7 Rest in Yahweh, and wait patiently for him.
    Don’t fret because of him who prospers in his way,
    because of the man who makes wicked plots happen.
8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath.
    Don’t fret, it leads only to evildoing.
9 For evildoers shall be cut off,
    but those who wait for Yahweh shall inherit the land.
10 For yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more.
    Yes, though you look for his place, he isn’t there.
11 But the humble shall inherit the land,
    and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
12 The wicked plots against the just,
    and gnashes at him with his teeth.
13 The Lord will laugh at him,
    for he sees that his day is coming.
14 The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow,
    to cast down the poor and needy,
    to kill those who are upright on the path.
15 Their sword shall enter into their own heart.
    Their bows shall be broken.
16 Better is a little that the righteous has,
    than the abundance of many wicked.
17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
    but Yahweh upholds the righteous.
18 Yahweh knows the days of the perfect.
    Their inheritance shall be forever.
19 They shall not be disappointed in the time of evil.
    In the days of famine they shall be satisfied.
20 But the wicked shall perish.
    The enemies of Yahweh shall be like the beauty of the fields.
    They will vanish—
    vanish like smoke.
21 The wicked borrow, and don’t pay back,
    but the righteous give generously.
22 For such as are blessed by him shall inherit the land.
    Those who are cursed by him shall be cut off.
23 A man’s goings are established by Yahweh.
    He delights in his way.
24 Though he stumble, he shall not fall,
    for Yahweh holds him up with his hand.
25 I have been young, and now am old,
    yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken,
    nor his children begging for bread.
26 All day long he deals graciously, and lends.
    His offspring[a] is blessed.
27 Depart from evil, and do good.
    Live securely forever.
28 For Yahweh loves justice,
    and doesn’t forsake his saints.
    They are preserved forever,
    but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.
29 The righteous shall inherit the land,
    and live in it forever.
30 The mouth of the righteous talks of wisdom.
    His tongue speaks justice.
31 The law of his God is in his heart.
    None of his steps shall slide.
32 The wicked watches the righteous,
    and seeks to kill him.
33 Yahweh will not leave him in his hand,
    nor condemn him when he is judged.
34 Wait for Yahweh, and keep his way,
    and he will exalt you to inherit the land.
    When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it.
35 I have seen the wicked in great power,
    spreading himself like a green tree in its native soil.
36 But he passed away, and behold, he was not.
    Yes, I sought him, but he could not be found.
37 Mark the perfect man, and see the upright,
    for there is a future for the man of peace.
38 As for transgressors, they shall be destroyed together.
    The future of the wicked shall be cut off.
39 But the salvation of the righteous is from Yahweh.
    He is their stronghold in the time of trouble.
40 Yahweh helps them, and rescues them.
    He rescues them from the wicked, and saves them,
    Because they have taken refuge in him.
Footnotes:
a. Psalm 37:26 or, seed
TEXT: He trusts in the Lord; let Him deliver him; let Him rescue him, for He delights in him! (Psalm 22:8).
We saw the childish mockery of the Jewish crowds yesterday. But surely we can expect a more dignified response from the Jewish leaders. As it turns out, their mockery may be more sophisticated, but it is no less childish. They urge Jesus to throw His concerns on His Father, to plead with Him to deliver Him from His suffering, "Let Him deliver Him; let Him rescue Him."
They laugh to each other, knowing God had said, "If a man has committed a crime punishable by death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is cursed by God" (see Deuteronomy 21:22-23). To their minds God would never permit an innocent man to be crucified, so Jesus could hardly be God's Son. God could not possibly delight in a man He has cursed and forsaken!
Now step back and compare their words with those written by the prophet David: "He trusts in the Lord; let Him deliver him; let Him rescue him, for He delights in him!"
"He trusts in God; let God deliver Him now, if He desires Him. For he said, 'I am the Son of God'" (Matthew 27:43).
It is striking that the very words they say match this prophecy of the Messiah so closely. Their own thoughtless mockery testifies that Jesus is indeed the Messiah they have rejected-just as He was predicted through David. Yet He has become a curse by being crucified to free them from God's curse.
THE PRAYER: Lord Jesus Christ, thank You for becoming a curse for me that I may live under Your eternal blessings. Amen.
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