c) Here
is a great study that will help us see the necessity for faith in every facet
of life. What we are looking for are “synonyms”
for faith.
i) Psa.
37:3-11: Here’s a great passage for this study. Let’s
sit here for a while.
(1)
1:1-2: Note the context for this call to faith. It is contrasted with “fret not.” To “fret” in Hebrew is to be hot, furious, to
burn, be kindled, be incensed. The first
use of the word is in Gen. 4:5-6 when God asked Cain why he was so angry. Cain would not do what God called for in
bringing a sacrifice of thanksgiving.
God rejected Cain’s offering and Cain got angry. He fretted.
In Ps. 37:1 the righteous are getting all hot and bothered because of
what the wicked are doing. The “workers
of iniquity” are those who take the lead in sin, who create or promote or
organize iniquity. Ps. 37:7 describes them
as “the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.”
Perhaps you have had this kind of response to the political leaders of
your country, gotten angry and all fired up against them. The fact is these “workers” will be
short-lived according to v2. This might
lead you to wonder, what am I supposed to do in the face of evil like
this? The answer is in v3.
(2)
1:3: The first thing is to “trust in the LORD.” The Hebrew Interlinear Bible translates v3
this way: “Trust in Yahweh and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate
faithfulness” (with this additional note: of “feed securely, feed on His
faithfulness.”)
(3)
Notice the other commands: do good; dwell
in the land; feed on His faithfulness.
In other words, don’t allow the workers of iniquity to influence you to
take their path. Just keep dwell in the land
which the LORD gave you; count on His faithfulness beyond what the workers claim
to be able to do for you; keep on doing good things in spite of what the
society around you is doing. “Dwelling”
and “feeding” are not results of trusting; they are part of trusting.
(4)
The key is to “trust in the LORD.” In other words, don’t let the evil leaders to
convince you to trust them. What does
this mean? The Hebrew term refers to “confidence.” As in 1 Kings 18:19, when the Assyrians had surrounded Jerusalem in the days
of Hezekiah, the Assyrian commander challenged the people: “what confidence is
this in which you trust?” No plan,
including trusting in the Egyptians, would be able to stand up against the
Assyrian army. But Hezekiah trusted in
the LORD … his confidence was in the LORD.
Faith is putting your confidence in the LORD.
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