Verse of the Day (October 19, 2020)

Verse of the Day (October 19, 2020) #BMSeminary – The psalm is written in the form of an acrostic, although our numbering is out of step with the Hebrew. There is no logical outline to the psalm, so it is best studied according to its topics. The major point of the psalm seems to be that the wicked’s prosperity is short-lived. Though David was troubled by the prosperity of the unrighteous, he knew by faith that their undeserved bounty would be cut off. His underlying belief is that God will intervene in His time. Then the present, temporary reversal of fortunes will be set right and the righteous “shall inherit the earth” (vv. 9, 11, 22, 29, 34). The mention of inheriting the earth would be encouraging and uplifting to the pious Israelite since all of God’s blessing was connected with the Promised Land. In contrast to this blessed destiny the wicked “shall be cut off,” an expression used often in the Old Testament of a violent death. The psalm also contains a simple formula for achieving peace of mind in the face of the wicked’s prosperity: fret not . . . neither be thou envious (v. 1), trust . . . do good (v. 3), delight thyself also in the LORD (v. 4), commit thy way . . . trust (v. 5), rest . . . wait patiently . . . fret not (v. 7), cease from anger . . . forsake wrath . . . fret not (v. 8). All of these exhortations urge the believer to confidently trust the Lord with all of life’s problems. The psalm concludes appropriately with an undying affirmation of faith and trust in the unchanging character of God. [KJV Study Bible, HarperCollins]