A Righteous Attitude!

1. A Righteous Attitude! Peter Fitch, St. Croix Vineyard Sunday, August 2, 2015

2. Psalm 37 • Wisdom piece: contrast between wicked and righteous (qualified) • Ist Week: Cultivate Faithfulness • 2nd Week: Resting—The Humble Dance • Today: the rest of the psalm: verses 12-40

3. The Wicked . . . • Plots against the righteous • Draws the bow with evil intent • Borrows and does not pay back • Spies upon the righteous and seeks to kill • Spread themselves like a luxurious tree in its native soil (appears to flourish) • But will be cut off, along with their posterity (their swords will enter their own heart)

4. The Righteous • Better is their little . . . • The Lord sustains them, knows them, their inheritance will be forever • Will not be ashamed in time of evil, will have abundance in time of famine • Are gracious and give • Will inherit the land • Have the law of God in hearts, will not slip

5. The Righteous • Will have a posterity • Will be rescued by God • The Lord will be their strength in time of trouble • The Lord will help and deliver from the wicked because they take refuge in Him

6. And, especially, verses 23-26 23 The steps of a man are established by the LORD, And He delights in his way. 24 When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong,Because the LORD is the One who holds his hand. 25 I have been young and now I am old,Yet I have not seen the righteous forsakenOr his descendants begging bread. 26 All day long he is gracious and lends,And his descendants are a blessing.

7. Good guys, bad guys? • Seems deeper • More like streams of energy • So I decided to ransack the non-legal parts of Talmud and Midrash (Sefer Ha-Aggadah—The Book of Legends)

8. References in Jewish literature v. 4 Delight yourself in the LORD;And He will give you the desires of your heart. connected by Rabbis to Isaiah 58—it’s about the Sabbath!

9. Rabbi Akiva When his disciples saw him weeping on the Sabbath, they said, “Our Master, you taught us, call the Sabbath a delight!” He answered, “This is my delight.”

10. v. 7 Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way it’s about persecution! A Jewish scholar who is being persecuted has the chance to get his enemies in trouble with the government; a wiser scholar reminds him of v. 7, and then God cares for the situation

11. What characteristic should be cultivated as a way of life? 5 distinguished disciples set out to find • A generous eye • Being a good friend • Being a good neighbour • The capacity to consider the consequences of one’s action • A joyous heart

12. The Master’s answer “I prefer what Eleazar ben Arakh has said to what you have said, because his definition (joyous heart) contains all of yours.” Then the reverse: what characteristic should be shunned? A grudging eye, being a bad friend, being a bad neighbour, borrowing and not repaying (Ps. 37), a despondent heart

13. 4 Kinds of Wicked • One who raises his hand to strike (even if he doesn’t do it) • One who borrows and doesn’t repay (Ps. 37) • One who is so brazen he feels no shame in the presence of one who is superior (?) • One who causes strife

14. Behind it all • Wickedness grows in strength from day to day and seeks to slay people (“the wicked watch the righteous and seek to slay him” Ps. 37:32) • But for the Holy One who is his help we could not withstand it (“the Lord will not leave him in his hand” Ps. 37:33)

15. We are both . . . • Andrew’s song about Johnny Cash • Suddenly, this psalm is so much more: it’s a way forward for all of us to overcome the wickedness in our own souls by opening to the very real power of God