Psalms 37:19

“God is Generous, Man is Greedy”

Psalms 37:19 says, “They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisifed.”

In Psalms 37 we are given a great detail about those who only live for the things of this life and also about those who trust in Jesus and the Bible.

A key word to notice is the word “upholdeth” used in verse 17. The word “upholdeth” means, “to lay one’s hands upon.” In other words it is the saying, “the hand of the lord is upon him.” Is the hand of the Lord upon you and what you are doing in life? It is if you are trusting in Jesus by faith in promises of God.

The difference between a person who knows Jesus as their Savior and has come into a personal relationship with Christ and a person who does not should be obvious. God is the almighty God. With God all things are possible. God is also love. God has a great love for his children. To have the all powerful God involved in every detail of your life means protection, provision, and deliverance.

Psalms 37:19 says, “They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisifed.”

In life there are mountains and there are valleys. There is day and there is night. There are times of rain and times of sunshine. There are times of war and times of peace. There are times of suffering and times of joy. This is the nature of the life that we must live. When the evil times come, the times of war and famine, and suffering the ones who will not be ashamed are those who trust in Jesus Christ and rely upon the Bible.

The word ashamed is a word that can mean “to be confused, to delay.” One of the worst things that can happen to a human being during an ‘evil time’ in life is to become confused and uncertain about how to handle that situation. Confusion and uncertainty will lead to shame because if you are confused about what you should be doing most likely you will not make the right decisions.

Those that know Jesus as their Savior will not become “ashamed” during evil times and times of famine. They have God to rely upon for wisdom, for guidance, for protection, for supply of their needs. For the child of God, when the evil times come, it is really no different than the times of good in the sense that the child of God simply continues to trust in Jesus in his circumstances and to reply upon the words of God.

Perhaps this is why in verse 19 when it says “the evil time” that the only characteristic mentioned is, “famine.” One of the most basics needs of life is food. Without food a human being will slowly waste away into nothing and die.

Think of the spiritual application to this. Jesus said in Luke chapter 4:4, “It is written, that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.” Romans 10:17 says, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

We live in the age called the age of grace. John 1:17 says, “For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” In other words you could say God is being much more lenient to men in this life when it comes to the consequences of sin than God was during the age of the law.

One of the great characteristics of the world in which we live is the abundance of food. Yes there are some war-torn countries that suffer famine as result of constant war. But for the most part the characteristics of the last 2000 thousand years on this earth has been the abundance of food.

Another characteristic is the abundance of spiritual food that is available. Yes there have been persecutions and governments that have opposed the truth. But still because it is the age of grace it is the age of the abundant spreading of God’s Word.

What happens to a person who does not eat? They slowly waste away day by day. Psalms 37:19-20 says, “They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied. But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the LORD shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.”

It is not irony rather it is spiritual blindness that despite the abundance of God’s Word and how easily it is made available to most in this world today that most in this world are starving spiritually day by day because they do not rely upon the word of God or believe his promises.

God will provide for your physical needs and he will provide for your spiritual needs if you trust in Him. Perhaps this is one reason during the great tribulation one of the great characteristics of those 7 years of God’s judgment will be famine. So many years of the abundance of God’s Word and yet billions of humans have chosen not to feed upon the word of God. Isaiah 55:6 says, “Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near.” Psalms 119:11 says, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”

This is also a warning to the Christian. Don’t take for granted God’s Word or the freedom to have to have God’s Word. By memorizing the Bible you will always have God’s Word even in times of famine when the governments of the world stirred up by the devil rise up against the truth and pass laws outlawing the truth, burning bibles, and casting into prison those who are called Christians by faith in the name of Jesus Christ. When the evil times come and the times of famine those who rely upon Christ and upon the Bible will not be ashamed.

Psalms 37:20 says, “But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the LORD shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.”

The end result of those who do not trust in Jesus will be the opposite of those that do trust in Jesus. Those who perish without Christ have nothing to look forward too except the eternal judgments of hell. Deuteronomy 4:24 says, “For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.” God is holy. God is a consuming fire. Fire symbolizes the holiness of God. In hell those who are separated from God and all good things for ever will spend eternity consuming away while they suffer for their sins and think about the holiness of God because they refused to accept Christ’s free gift of forgiveness.

Psalms 37:21 says, “The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again: but the righteous sheweth mercy, and giveth.” In this verse more detail about the contrast between those that are materialistic and those that trust in Jesus is given. One of the reasons for much of the suffering that goes on in this world is not because there is not plenty to go around but because of human greed.

God created a bountiful world. One of the greatest illustrations of human greed is explained here in Psalms 37:21 when it says “The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again.” To borrow from someone especially with the intent of not repaying them is stealing. This is greed and selfishness. This is also one of the reasons the economies of the world today are in so much trouble. It is not just the fault of those who lend using the principles of usury but it is also the fault of those who borrow knowing they will not be able to pay back their debts.

The principle is the same as that given in Hebrews 13:4 which says, “Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.” When it comes to the problem of prostitution, sex trafficking, slavery, pornography, adultery and all the other crimes that come as a result of these activities the problem is not just the prostitutes and the pimps and those that promote porn but the problem is also those who are eager and willing consumers of these things.

The same is true when it comes to the concept of borrowing with interest. The problem is not just those who are so greedy of gain who lend out only on the condition of receiving more in return but the problem is also those who are so greedy of gain they borrow knowing they will not be able to repay. A great example of these things is those who buy houses they cannot afford. The fault is not just those that give out the loans but the fault is the fault of those who take the loans because of their greed. Such greed has had a horrible impact on the economies of the world in which we live.

Notice the last half of Psalms 37:21 which says, “but the righteous sheweth mercy, and giveth.” The righteous are those who repent of their sins and trust in Jesus because righteousness can only be obtained by grace through faith in Christ. The last half of verse 21 describes what God is like. God shows mercy and He gives hoping for nothing in return other than that we learn to love him.

The greatest gift that God has given is His righteousness. In his mercy He sent his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Human greed is so opposite of the character of God. God shows mercy and gives. And to all who turn from their sins to Jesus God will give his righteousness and eternal life. This is why the righteous also are givers. They have learned it primarily through the forgiveness of their sins in the blood of Jesus. To give freely is mercy. If you have never received the free gift of God, eternal life, then turn from your sins today and turn to Jesus Christ.

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