“The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, And He (the Lord) delights in his way.  Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the Lord upholds him with His hand,” Psalm 37:23.

“Do not fret because  of evildoers, nor be envious of the workers of iniquity,” Psalm 37:1.

Psalm 37 is a powerful scripture and I consider it is a follow-up to one of my favorite scriptures – Psalm 1.     So when I read Psalm 1,  Psalm 37 is a great follow-up.  The two scriptures are validating scriptures or supporting chapters of each other.

I am comforted by the Word in these two chapters concerning the world: there is righteousness and evil as it relates to mankind.  The scripture explains that the world is NOT evil; rather,  that evil exists in the world because of mankind.  Evil is unrighteousness and unrighteousness is sin.  The physical world does not sin for God created the world out of nothing.  Because of evildoers, systems of the world have been demoralized. 

Psalm 37, like Psalm 1, gives me a comforting Word concerning the wickedness and righteousness of mankind.  Most of all, it gives me hope.  For the righteous, in both scriptures, have a look at some of the promises from God.

Verse 4 of Psalm 37 says “Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Not on man’s faithfulness but rely on God’s faithfulness.  “Delight yourself also in the Lord. And He shall give you the desires of your heart.”  Is that not a promise!  We articulate from dwelling to delight and from delight to desires of the heart.

Psalm 37 has so many action words (verbs): commit, rest, cease, wait, inherit, trust, laugh, etc.  Each one of those words are to be appreciated when it comes to the life of the righteous.

Verse 13 says that the Lord laughs at the wicked for He sees that his day is coming.

This is a comforting message in this Word. As Christians, we are not to fret because of evildoers.  We are told do not be envious of the work that they do.  “Hold on; they will be cut off,” says the Lord.

The righteous person must keep your eye on the eternal prize for doing good – eternal life.  The righteous person has hope.  He has faith (faith is the substance of things not seem but is the evidence of things of hoped for).

Several times the words “do good” stands out in this chapter – verses 3 and 27.  Trust in the Lord and do good (verse 3); depart from evil and do good (v 27).  What does that mean as a servant leader?

The righteous man can not be satisfied when his belly is filled and his neighbor is starving.  The righteous man can not be  at peace with a system of injustice when the Lord says He loves justice.   He sees the days of the upright.  He knows that the inheritance of the righteous is forever.

The riches of this world are not carried to the grave with a righteous man for the righteous lay up his treasures in heaven where thieves can not rob and destroy.  This is not so for the wicked evildoers.  Verses 9, 28, and 31 says the evildoers shall be cut off.

The Lord says He sees the wicked who plots and seeks to slay the righteous.  Why does the wick plot?  Because the righteous speaks of wisdom and his tongue talks of justice.  The law of his God is in his heart; none of the steps of the righteous man shall slide.

Though the wicked has drawn his weapon to cast down the poor and needy, to slay those who are of upright conduct; the Lord has promised that the sword of the wicked will enter into their own hearts.

Servant leaders of God, do not fret.  Do good!  The Word says, “Mark the blameless man, and observe the upright; for the future of that man is peace.  The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; He is their strength in the time of trouble.” 

About eight years ago, I changed my license plate tag at part of my validation of speaking Psalm 1 over my life.  Yes, “I want to ride this scripture out.  For I have a promise that if I delight myself in the Word of God day and night; and meditate in His Word then I will be planted like a tree by the rivers of water that brings forth fruit in its season;  not out of season, but in its season.  My leaves will not wither; whatever I do will prosper.

The psalmist said in Psalm 37:25 of himself as a witness to the Word, “I  have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread.” Do not fret.  Do good.  Why? In the last verse of this scripture, the psalmist restated the rewards of, “And the Lord shall help them and deliver them; He shall deliver them from the wicked and save them – Why? because they trust in Him.”

Credits

Music – Solitude from Movavi

Samuel warned them that under a king they would suffer, but they would not heed to his warnings. “Give us a king to judge us,” they implored (1 Samuel 8:6).   

In verses, 10-18, Samuel explained what it would like under the king:

He will take your sons and daughters; your sons will serve him; their chariots will be taken from them; the king will appoint men, as captains, over them that will answer to the king and do the bidding of the king with no consideration to the people.  You will plow the land for the king; he will reap the harvest and not you, the people; you make weapons of war for the king.  Your daughters will be taken and assigned to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers for the king.  The best fields will belong to the king; your vineyards; your olive groves will be given to servants of the king.  A tenth of your sheep will be taken by the king.  You will be his servants.  You will cry out but the king will not hear you.

Yet, the people called for a king.  Samuel, “Give us a king to judge us.”  “We desire to be like other nations.  We desire a king to go in and out before us;  we desire a king to fight our battles.

And so God allowed.        

The story of King Saul is one that can be contrasted with that of the history of Israel.  It was one of obedience and disobedience, of victories and losses.

Even when the people forgot and returned to a place of Ichabod, God continued to speak through His prophets.

Jeremiah, another prophet,  in Israel’s history, also warned the people of going their own way.  In Jeremiah (7:16) , he spoke to Judah how God will allow terrible things to occur when the people do not heed His decisions.  He even told Jeremiah, “Therefore, pray not thou for this people neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me: for I will not hear thee.”  Just as God had allowed the people of Ephraim to come to their demise, so He will do for the disobedient people of Judah – because they chose not to heed the commands of God but that of man.  This is a nation (Judah) that obeys not the voice of the Lord their God, nor receives correction, truth is perished and is cut off from their mouth (verse 28). 

At the end of age for the prophet Samuel, Samuel recounted the goodness of the Lord to the people at King Saul’s coronation (1 Samuel 12). He advised the people to stop trusting in lying words (they are a cancer to you). Stop committing atrocities, i.e., murdering, adultery, swearing falsely, following after other gods.  Did the people heed the warning?

This people chose a king who looked physically able to do their bidding.  He was extremely tall, strong, and handsome.  Saul was their chosen king; so Samuel anointed Saul as king (1 Samuel 9:15-17), according to the prophesy of God to Samuel.

What did Samuel see?  What did God view?

I see a people who desire their own way.  I see a people who desire to be like other nations.  I see a people who have rejected me and desire other gods.

Society, in the political and social arenas, are certainly examples of this type of desirous leadership.  What Anna was experiencing was a desire of some who not to be led by God but by man.

Today, in comparison,  there are those who desire their own judges; there are those who desire positions based on ethnic loyalty.  Where is the call to desire God’s anointed?

Where is the prayer to God, “Dear God, give us the desire of Your heart.”  This is what David prayed.  This is what the Lord said of David.  He is a man after My own heart.

For those who do not believe, this is of no significance.  Their trust is within themselves and man.  On the other hand, believers are accountable to God.  Why?  The glory of God is in His people as individuals and collectively as the church.  We must be reminded that God Jehovah is able.

AT MIZPAH – Samuel judged the children of Israel at Mizpah I Samuel 7:6; 10:1

Samuel reminded the people at the place of Mizpah; he reminded them of what God Jehovah had done.  (God said) “I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and other oppressors, but you have rejected me.  I, the Lord, saved you from adversities and tribulations.” 

The Lord looks at the heart.  His glory lives in the heart of His people.  It is not a physical heart; it is a spiritual heart.  What is the intent of the heart?  The church is a physical sanctuary but what is the heart of the church?  When God views your heart, Servant Leader, what does He see?  God does not see us as Democrats, Republicans, Independents, etc.  What have you purposed in your heart?  For those who use God for their own selfish intents, He sees you.  God has promised what will become of evil doers.  God is long-suffering and is the Judge.

Saul desired the people to be loyal to him over everything else; but there were those who stood up and the nation was later divided (as Judah and Israel). The people who honored Saul over God would become disappointed in his leadership.

People of the world look to kings to profit man; they seek kings of dishonor; they lavish in riches and treasures of this world. Unbelieving people lament over the price, cause, and pain of their goal-seeking purposes.  They understand only the affliction of themselves not the afflictions of others.

“It is a fearful thing to fall in the hands of the living God,” Hebrew 10:31.

So, Daisy retreated to her room to pray for her friend Anna.  Anna must speak from the heart as a servant leader.  She must be led by God and hear His voice.  Seek Him and His righteousness.  God,  will speak on her behalf.

He is just and He is a unifier.  “We have Your glory inside working through us,” prayed Daisy. “Dear Lord,  Let Anna stand firm in You.”

In the name of Jesus

“Because you would not wait for my decision, my chosen one, I heeded to your voice.” –

This is the theme of I Samuel chapter 7 and the premise of my storytelling.  Permit me to tell you of a conversation between two fictional best friends, Daisy and Anna.  Daisy answers a question proposed by Anna.  Here them out.

My best friend’s name is Anna.  Anna and I are not childhood friends; rather, we met at work.  As administrative leaders, situations brought us together.  Our moral values were remarkably similar; however, culturally, we had different experiences.  This made us appreciative of each other.

Anna called today, distraught about a personal, professional issue.  There were times that I did not take certain matters as problematic as Anna.  This was NOT one of those instances.  It was serious enough to Anna that I had to give it much thought.  Anna wanted a quick solution to a complex problem.   However, not all things can be made with “bisquic.” As I hung up the phone, I promised her that I would get back to her soon.

Anna served part-time on the City Council Legislative Board.  The Council had moved to change the position to a full-time one, which was not what Anna had signed up for.  At the end of the year, she would be replaced by the winning candidate.  Anna was approached by two of the officials to back their decision to promote an opinion that the position should be held by a qualifying  person of Irish descent. Anna was quite taken back at their request but assured them that she would get back with them after careful consideration.

This, of course, was the reason for this upsetting call.  How could these officials who seemed to be fair-minded people request that type of support from her!

Although it was upsetting, Anna wanted to address the issue in a public format  to ensure transparency.  “What should she do?” she asked me.  I was appalled as well but understood her dilemma.  “Let me think it over, Anna, and get back with you.”

The officials made it quite clear that  this sub-population had often voted as a majority – as a unified block.  Rewarding them with a person of Irish descent was a way of showing gratitude and securing this unified block.

My thoughts were that of a similar situation.  I thought about the story in the bible of a people who asked for a king and God allowed them to have what they asked for.

“Because you would not wait for my decision, my chosen one, I heeded to your voice.”

God is quite familiar with people who do not wait and listen to Him.  1 Samuel 8 tells the story of the people of Israel who demanded a king to rule over them.  They desired to be like other nations around them.  The nation of Israel was chosen by God and God wanted them to see Him as the only true God.  He would rule over them. God had given them Samuel, the prophet, to speak the word of God to them.  God saw the heart of the people had turned away from Him:

Point 1 – They forgot the Lord what He had done.

Point 2 – They desired to be like other nations; they wanted a king for themselves.

Point 3 – Can you not trust that the Lord will call His anointed?  They would not trust that the Lord will call His anointed.

From ancient times until the very present, God’s people have been swayed by personal wants over what God desires.  It is a costly thing to do.  It creates pathways of destruction when you fail to listen and wait for God’s anointed.  It causes people to adhere to demands of rulers who are not of God.  The people will have a Shiloh experience. It was at Shiloh that God abandoned and allowed the enemy to be victorious over His people (I Samuel 2:14-17) and Jeremiah 7.

When the glory of God has departed, it becomes a place of Ichabod (I Samuel 4:21).  People of God, should not desire such a thing.  

When the people repented, God allowed them to have an Ebenezer experience.  He is our stone of help.  “Then Samuel took a stone and set up between Mizpah and Shen, and called its name Ebenezer, saying “Thus far the Lord has helped us,” 1 Samuel 7:12.”

It was result of their repentance brought about the return of cities that had been taken from Israel by the Philistines; there was restoration; there was peace between Israel and the Amorites. But no, the people returned to their old, perverted ways; they turned away from God. When the priest Eli and his sons did not honor God (1 Samuel 8:1-4), God had prepared Samuel for the people.  Samuel, mentored by Eli, walked in the way of the Lord; he did not pervert justice as the previous priests; Samuel sought the Lord on their behalf; yet he was not enough to them.  Instead of listening to God, the elders went to Samuel and asked to be like other nations; instead of God as their judge, they desired a king.  Samuel prayed to the Lord for an answer to the dilemma.   The Lord told Samuel to heed to the wishes of the people for they are not rejecting Samuel, but are rejecting the Lord’s rule over them.  I brought them out from Egypt; I have done great works for them, yet they reject me and go after other gods.  Warn them, Samuel, of what the behavior of the king will be who reign over them. And so Samuel did.