Psalm 36

1 An oracle is within my heart
concerning the sinfulness of the wicked:
There is no fear of God
before his eyes.

2 For in his own eyes he flatters himself
too much to detect or hate his sin.

3 The words of his mouth are wicked and deceitful;
he has ceased to be wise and to do good.

4 Even on his bed he plots evil;
he commits himself to a sinful course
and does not reject what is wrong.

5 Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the skies.

6 Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,
your justice like the great deep.
O LORD, you preserve both man and beast.

7 How priceless is your unfailing love!
Both high and low among men
find [b] refuge in the shadow of your wings.

8 They feast on the abundance of your house;
you give them drink from your river of delights.

9 For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light we see light.

10 Continue your love to those who know you,
your righteousness to the upright in heart.

11 May the foot of the proud not come against me,
nor the hand of the wicked drive me away.

12 See how the evildoers lie fallen—
thrown down, not able to rise!

Remember we talked about FotL (Fear of the Lord) in Psalm 34 two days ago?

This time, Psalm 36 starts by describing the kind of people who doesn't have FotL - wicked people. Just look at verses 1 to 4. Basically, without FotL, a man will sound like this:

1. He is full of himself, always thinking that he is right. He is so proud that he is unable to recognise and acknowledge his weaknesses and sins, no matter what others tell him. - verse 2

2. His words are wicked and deceitful. He uses them to tear people down. He has the gift of discouragement. - verse 3a

3. He refuses to commit to doing good things that bless others. Self-centeredness is the guiding principle behind his life. - verse 3b

4. He is always plotting and thinking about how to benefit himself, at the expense of others. - verse 4a

5. He accepts, and even participates in things that he actually knows are wrong. Moral values become relative, and not absolutes. - verse 4b


Personally, I struggle with (5). Sometimes, I engage in coarse jokes (not dirty jokes!) and conversations with my friends. I know that these things are wrong, yet I still participated in them. I pray for God to forgive me, and help me not fall in this aspect again.


Things to ponder
1. Out of the 5 things mentioned, which is the one you struggled with the most? Elaborate.
2. How much do you desire to change the thing you have highlighted? Rate 0% to 100%.
3. Pray and commit to the Lord that you want to change.

Click here for Pastor YC's reflection on Psalm 36