Psalm 37:4 (part 2)

Last time, I began talking about Psalm 37:4, and how this is a verse that has been misunderstood by many over the years. Let me jump right back in. Another reason that Psalm 37:4 is not a formula that teaches us how we can get any selfish desire we want from God is because of the surrounding context of Psalm 37.

A fundamental key in Biblical interpretation is viewing a passage in its context. Psalm 37 begins with these words: “Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong; for like grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away” (verses 1-2). The main theme of Psalm 37 is an admonition not to envy how easy the wicked seem to have it. God sees and knows. Trust Him. One day, the Lord will vindicate the righteous and judge the wicked.  The author makes that point over and over again.

In verse 3 of Psalm 37, we read, “Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.” It is only at this point that we read to delight in God, and He will give us the desires of our hearts. In verses 5 and 6, we are told, “Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.”

You can’t just yank verse 4 out of its context; it’s found where it is for a reason. In fact, the New English Translation (NET) renders Psalm 37:3-4 this way: “Trust in the Lord and do what is right. Settle in the land and maintain your integrity. Then you will take delight in the Lord and he will answer your prayers” (italics mine for emphasis).  Keep the verse in context.

Kevin

Perhaps the most misunderstood verse in the Bible

Psalm 37:4 is, quite possibly, the most misunderstood verse in the entire Bible. It reads as follows, “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.”

Too many people treat this verse as if it’s God’s drive-through speaker box to humanity.  Just place your order.  So they say, “God, I’ll take the winning lottery numbers, a new Mercedes, and a luxurious new home.” You might also see a well-meaning person quote this verse to prove that God will grant someone a miraculous healing from a debilitating sickness. Or that God will give you that new job promotion, or that God will give a barren couple the child that they yearn to have.

This whole way of thinking is an unfortunate misunderstanding of Psalm 37:4. To see the verse in this way turns God into nothing more than a cosmic genie or vending machine; a deity that exists solely to give mankind every craving of their heart. In short, this is not the God of the Bible. Let me repeat that: in short, this is not the God of the Bible. Furthermore, this misinterpretation can easily result in anger towards God as well when the person doesn’t get the items on their wish list! It’s much better to look at Psalm 37:4 in a different way altogether. Look at this Psalm again:

“Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.”

To begin, notice that the first part of the verse has been completely glossed over or ignored. The verse says you have to delight yourself in the Lord first. What does that mean? What does it mean to delight in the Lord? I submit that it means to derive great joy and personal satisfaction in the Lord. For example, if you were to say that you “delight” in your spouse, you are simply saying that your spouse gives you great joy and fulfillment. The same idea goes for delighting in God. You simply enjoy spending time with God. This is so much more than having a brief time of prayer in the morning before work; this is conversing with the Lord in prayer as you go about your daily activities.

“Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.”

Moving on to the second half of Psalm 37:4: if a person is living with delight in the Lord, it stands to reason that he or she will have begun to have desires that are more God-centered than self-centered. In other words, Psalm 37:4 is not a magic formula teaching us that we can somehow coerce God to get anything we want from Him; it’s about how God will mold the heart of the person delighting in Him to desire what He desires. To give a few examples, if someone delights in the Lord, they will desire to live in a way that pleases God. They will desire that God’s name be magnified, honored, and glorified. They will desire to submit their will to God because they believe in the superiority of His plan.

We’ve covered a lot of territory. There’s more I want to express about this subject matter, but let me wrap it for today and say more in the next installment.

To be continued!

Kevin

The merits of chivalry

Recently I read an interesting article in a periodical debating the subject of chivalry.  They were discussing whether chivalry was a virtue that is a relic from a bygone era, or whether chivalry is still a good custom that should be practiced.  There’s no suspense as to where I fall on this debate because I’ve already spoken about the topic in this blog.  Even so, I wanted to revisit it again.

I say that chivalry should be practiced, even in today’s world.  First of all, when I say ‘chivalry’ I’m referring to men doing things like opening a door for a woman, or giving up a seat for a woman so she doesn’t have to stand anymore, or letting a woman wear your coat so she won’t be cold.  These acts are demonstrations of courtesy, kindness, and politeness.  Ultimately, chivalry is an expression of unselfishness.  I submit that this isn’t something that should be apologized for, but encouraged.

Sadly, however, some men are hesitant to perform acts of chivalry because they don’t know how it will be interpreted by the women around them.  It’s true that some women might be offended when a man opens a door for them, but I don't think that will be the majority.  I think most women will be appreciative of such a gesture.

For example, not too long ago, I heard a teenage girl call in to a radio talk show and essentially state that chivalry is dead.  Technically, chivalry isn’t dead, but from her perspective it is.  She said she is in college and she can’t find a man who will open the door for her at her campus.  Notice she wants to experience male chivalry and apparently she doesn’t.  As a man who enjoys opens the door for a woman, I found this girl’s observations very distressing.

Personally, I perform the basic courtesy of opening a door for several reasons: to be kind, to keep my focus on serving others, and to show a woman that I value her and the female gender as a whole.  Let me put it another way: when I perform an act of chivalry, I’m not implying that women are inferior and weak; to the contrary, I’m communicating a message of how highly I regard women.  I’m attempting to non-verbally convey that every woman deserves to be honored, appreciated, and cherished by men.  Not just on Valentine’s Day or her birthday, but every day.  By the way, for whatever it’s worth, the feedback that I receive for performing chivalrous deeds is overwhelmingly positive.

To sum it all up, I don’t want to hear a teenage girl comment on a radio call-in show that no man will open a door for her.  I think chivalry should be practiced, even today.  I want to be a man who is known for being gallant and thoughtful, so the noticeable absence of chivalry is appalling to me.  So, gentlemen, what do you say we show the women in our lives how much we value and appreciate them by performing a fundamental act of simple politeness?  Don’t let fear stop you.  Let’s practice chivalry.  In so doing, we will show that it is still alive and well.

Kevin

A new movie coming out soon

I recently saw a trailer for a new movie coming out on February 28th called “Son of God.” This film is produced by Mark Burnett and Roma Downey, the same duo who produced the hit television miniseries “The Bible” so it is likely that the movie will be Bibically accurate. This film will evidently cover everything from Jesus’ birth, to His miracles, to His death and resurrection. I’m excited to see this movie.

Some critics may balk at the idea of another Jesus movie, but I was reminded by an article I read about this film that we haven’t had a movie featuring Jesus since “The Passion of the Christ” and, unbelievably, that was back in 2004. In case you are wondering, “Son of God” is rated PG-13.

Kevin

An absurd theory

I think I’ve heard everything now. Some are saying that Super Bowl 48 was rigged. There are some fans (angry Bronco fans who love conspiracy theories, no doubt) who are suggesting that the game was so lopsided that it can only mean that it was designed from the beginning to be a Seattle victory. They say the Broncos were the best team in the NFL who should have won, but because of the game being rigged they essentially had no chance from the beginning.

This is absolute nonsense! It’s so ludicrous that I don’t want to spend a whole lot of time on it. But, in my mind, the unexpectedness of being completely destroyed by the Seahawks is actually evidence of how the Super Bowl was not rigged at all. Think about it: nearly everyone was expecting a close game that could have gone either way. But that wasn’t the case.

These theorists proposing this alleged conspiracy need to give credit where credit is due: to the Seattle Seahawks. Personally, I don’t believe that the Broncos were the best team in the NFL; I believe the Seahawks were (and are) the best team. In Super Bowl 48, the Broncos were simply met by a bigger, stronger team that hit them in the mouth so hard and so often that by the third quarter they were waving the white flag of surrender. The day belonged to the Seahawks because they won the game in all three phases: offense, defense, and special teams. Chock the Seahawks win up to the Seahawks greatness, not an outlandish conspiracy.

Kevin

God's way is the best way

I want to encourage you to check out Francesca Battistelli’s new song called “Write Your Story.” I found it on you tube, so that's a viable option for you. This is a powerful song and a catchy one that sticks in your head. I strongly relate with this song because, many years ago, I made the decision to let God be the author of the chapters of my life story. Let me tell you, God has written my life story differently than I would have chosen to write it.

For example, never in my wildest imagination would I have envisioned that I was still going to be single at age 32. I've had my eye on certain girls over the years, but God made it clear to me that none of them was "the one." But through it all, I continue to say "Thy will be done" to the Lord, because I know He can lead me to the right girl, in His perfect timing.

Or for another example, when I started working at a job in June of 2004, I never would have thought that I was going to be working at that same job today in February of 2014. Please understand that this example is not nearly as visceral as the first example. In fact, I consider my job one of the great blessings in life. I love the company and the people I work with. I'm simply highlighting another facet of how God has chosen to write my life story.

There are more examples that I could give (such as how God opened the doors for me to be able to share my thoughts with you in this blog) but the bottom line is this: God is a better writer than I am! In other words, God’s will for me is vastly superior to anything that I could ever attempt to orchestrate on my own. God's way is the best way. I yield to Him and His plan. That’s why I love Francesca’s new song “Write Your Story” and why I’m suggesting that you hear it for yourself.

Kevin

Super Bowl thoughts

Well, I’ve been wrong before, but was I ever wrong about my Super Bowl prediction this year! Congratulations to the Seattle Seahawks; they whipped Denver in every way imaginable. Clearly they are the best team in the NFL this year, as fans were given a Super Bowl blowout that no one could have forecasted. While I’m disappointed for Denver, I’m quite happy for the Seattle Seahawks. This was the franchise’s first Super Bowl victory, and they obviously deserved to win it this year.

The game really took me back to those years when the NFC destroyed the AFC every year in the Super Bowl. For a time in the Super Bowl era (thirteen years in a row), it was the NFC teams who had the bigger, stronger, and faster teams, while the AFC teams had to play a perfect game, without a single mistake, to even hope to stand a chance.

At some point, my mind also went to the 2000 Baltimore Ravens, a team known for its overpowering defense. In fact, that defense is regarded as one of the greatest defenses in NFL history. In my opinion, the Seahawks defense played as well as that 2000 Ravens defense did in Super Bowl 35. In that Super Bowl, the Ravens beat the Giants 34-7 in a game where the Ravens defensive players locked on and fired at any Giant player like a homing missile. The Seahawks defense played eerily like that 2000 Ravens defense yesterday (and they played like that all year); I think they belong in the discussion of best defenses ever.

For the Broncos, they will be disappointed, but they should hold their heads up high. It was a phenomenal season. Denver gave their fans such excitement this year. It was, statistically speaking, the greatest offensive production in NFL history. But more importantly than that, the excitement came from the postseason success, this is something that hasn’t happened too much since John Elway retired. I know for me personally it was wonderful to contemplate the Broncos returning to the Super Bowl. Is it disappointing that they didn’t win? Of course it is. But I really believe the Seahawks would have defeated any of the AFC teams that qualified for the playoffs. So kudos to the Broncos on a remarkable season; and, once again, congratulations to the Seattle Seahawks on their dominant performance.

Kevin