Eight Great Precepts

Q: What does the Bible say about the prosperity of the wicked?

Psalm 37 addresses the issue of the wicked prospering while the righteous suffer, encouraging believers not to fret. Psalm 37, written by David, explores the apparent prosperity of the wicked and the afflictions faced by God’s people. David acknowledges that the wicked may flourish, live in luxury, and appear successful, but he assures the believer that this state is temporary. They will be cut off, while those who trust in the Lord will ultimately be secure. David reminds us not to be envious of the wicked, for their success is fleeting and does not equate to true prosperity in God’s sight.

Q: How do we know God cares for us?

Psalm 37 encourages believers to trust in the Lord for their needs, affirming His care and provision. David in Psalm 37 emphasizes the importance of trusting in the Lord, declaring that He cares for us and provides for our needs. The psalm encourages us to cast our burdens on Him, as He is attentive to our struggles and well-being. The assurance that God provides daily bread, grace, and protection serves as a reminder of His unchanging character and faithfulness. By placing our trust in the Lord rather than worldly riches or the arm of flesh, believers affirm their confidence in God's loving providence.

Q: Why is resting in the Lord important for Christians?

Resting in the Lord brings peace and assurance, as He is in control of all aspects of life. Resting in the Lord, as highlighted in Psalm 37, is fundamental for Christians, as it signifies a deep trust in God’s sovereignty. When believers cease from their own efforts and anxieties, they cultivate an environment of peace and tranquility instilled by God's presence. David encourages resting as a means of recognizing that our struggles and battles are ultimately the Lord's. This resting assures us that God will work in His perfect timing, providing strength and direction for our lives. The promise of rest from Christ affirms that true peace comes not from our endeavors but from reliance on Him.

Q: What are the eight great precepts in Psalm 37?

Psalm 37 outlines eight precepts for believers to guide their conduct amidst trials. In Psalm 37, David provides eight great precepts to encourage believers: 1) Fret not over evildoers; 2) Trust in the Lord; 3) Delight in the Lord; 4) Commit your way to the Lord; 5) Rest in the Lord; 6) Cease from anger; 7) Depart from evil and do good; 8) Wait on the Lord. Each precept serves as practical guidance for believers facing adversity, assuring them of God’s justice and sovereignty. Together, these principles frame a life of faith grounded in trust and intentional actions towards righteousness, reflecting God’s character in their conduct.

Q: Why should Christians not be angry with God’s providence?

Being angry with God’s providence undermines trust in His sovereignty and leads away from peace. David instructs in Psalm 37 to 'cease from anger,' signaling the importance of accepting God’s providential workings in our lives. Anger often arises from misunderstanding or frustration with circumstances, but it disrupts the peace that comes from accepting that God is in control. As believers, understanding that God is the first cause of all things enables us to trust Him more fully. Instead of seeking revenge or harboring bitterness, the faithful are encouraged to repose in God's justice and mercy, knowing that He will ultimately handle all injustices.

I'd like for you to open your
Bibles to the book of Psalms. I'm going to be speaking today
from Psalm 37, on the subject, Eight Great Precepts. Now, I'd really like very much
if you would turn to Psalm 37. I believe that if you'll turn
to the Scripture and even get a pen, And plan to mark these
eight great precepts. I believe it will be a great
blessing to you, especially will it be a blessing to those who
know Christ, who love the gospel, who rest in the Redeemer. Now
the author of this psalm, Psalm 37, the author of this psalm
is David. It's the psalm of David. And
he wrote it under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. All scripture
is given by inspiration of God. God breathed, is what scripture
says. And then the time of the writing
of this psalm, the time of the writing is revealed in verse
25. David said in verse 25, I have
been young and now am old. David wrote this psalm in his
old age, in his mature years. And then the subject of this
psalm, now this will be interesting to you, it's very similar to
Psalm 73. Psalm 37, just turn it around,
Psalm 73, they deal with really the same subject. And the psalm
has to do with the prosperity of the wicked. and the afflictions
and poverty and persecution of God's people. Now that, David
wrote it, he wrote it in his old age and the subject of the
psalm is the prosperity of the wicked. Have you ever thought
about that? How the wicked prosper and are famous, live in luxury
and ease and some of God's children are afflicted and they suffer,
and they live in poverty, and they do without, yet they love
God, and love His Word, are faithful to His Gospel, and men who are
wicked, and blasphemous, and despise God, and have no interest
in the Gospel, yet everything they touch turns to gold. Well,
David wrote about this here in Psalm 37. Here are some of the
complaints and the questions raised and answered in this Psalm.
Here are some of the complaints. The wicked, number one, the wicked
seem to prosper and succeed, and they do, there's no denying
that. The more wealthy a man is usually, the more vile and
blasphemous and wicked he is. That's true in many cases, you
know it and I know it. And these wicked men prosper
and succeed while they despise and deny and hate God. And then
another issue is raised, the true believer, the true child
of God is unknown and unrecognized. Generally, the people of God
are a very small influence. They don't amount to anything.
No one regards them at all as being important. They're unknown,
unrecognized and uninfluential. And then the wicked ridicule
God's people. They ridicule God's Word. They
ridicule the sacrifice of Christ. They plot in their scheme against
the truth. They mistreat the people of God.
They want all mention of God taken out off of money and out
of the Pledge of Allegiance and out of the schools and everywhere.
They just want God They want freedom, not of religion, but
freedom from religion and from God. And then the wicked take
advantage of poor people. They take advantage of poor people.
Some wicked religious people take advantage of poor people
too. And yet they continue to get richer. And continue to get
more prosperous and fatter, the word says. And then thus the
wicked, the wicked, unbelievers, are a great majority. Most people
do not know God, do not believe God, while those who do believe
God and those who do love God are like a small flock in a great
wilderness of trouble and trial and sin. Now in the light of
all this, in the light of all this, David, writing under the
inspiration of the Holy Ghost, David as a man mature in years,
rich in experience, rich in the faith of God, David gives us
eight great precepts, or directions for believers. Now you follow
in your Bible while I point these out to you, these great, eight
great precepts. Now here's the first one found
in verse one, verse one. David says, fret not thyself,
fret not thyself because of these evildoers. Neither be thou envious
against the workers of iniquity." Don't burn with jealousy. When
you see these wicked men, blasphemers who deny God and hate the gospel,
when you see them prosper, when you see them in good health,
when you see them driving expensive cars and living in palatial homes
and scarcely working, don't envy them, don't get angry with them.
Don't be jealous of them for two reasons. Number one, David
says they shall soon be cut off. That's right. They shall be cut
down as grass. They shall wither as the green
herb. Their foot shall slide in God's
own time. Their foot shall slide. So don't
envy them. Don't envy them. They're going
to be cut down. They're going to be cut down.
Cut down like mown grass. wither like a green herb. And
then secondly, don't be envious of these wicked people. They
have all that they'll ever have. It's true that many of them spend
their days on earth in ease and luxury, but they soon shall be
cut off. They soon shall be cut off not
only from this life, but from eternal life. Cut off not only
from men, but cut off from God. Were it not for God's grace,
we'd be just like them. Did you know that? That ought
to help us not to be angry with them. The fact that they shall
soon be cut off, the fact that they have all that they'll ever
have, this life is it, that ought to keep us from being jealous
or envious of any evil, wicked man who doesn't know God. And
then the very fact that it's only by God's grace that we're
not like them. I have a preacher friend down in Knoxville, Tennessee,
a very fine black preacher. He pastors a black Baptist church
near Knoxville, Tennessee. I preached for him recently.
But he told me about the days when he was growing up in the
South, down in Murray, Kentucky. And he told about this man, I
could tell you his name, but I won't, this white man for whom
he worked. And this man was so cruel to
him and cruel to his family, paid him practically nothing,
worked him for nothing. This was back in the fifties.
Worked him for nothing, mistreated him. One day they were out on
the street and this man spit in his grandfather's face, but
he couldn't lift his hand because you know what would happen. One
day he was arrested for walking in the bank beside a white woman. All this oppression and persecution
brought about mainly by this evil rich man, white man for
whom he worked. But when this preacher friend
of mine reached 40 years of age, he was then a successful preacher
of the gospel. He went back to Murray, Kentucky
to speak. This was 20 years later, 22 years
later. And in the congregation was a
white-haired, gray-haired white woman. And after the service
was over, she came down and she put her arms around him and kissed
him on the cheek. And she said, Dennis, do you remember me? He
said, no, ma'am. She said, I'm the wife of the
man for whom you worked 22 years ago, who treated you so terribly. I'm his wife. He's dead now. And he died a horrible death.
He didn't weigh but 76 pounds when he died. He died in misery. And I'm telling you this, our
God says don't you fret because of evildoers, don't you fret
because of those who are wicked. Don't you fret against these
workers of iniquity. They'll be cut off in God's own
time and they'll wither like the green grass and be cut down
like the green herb, so don't envy them. God will deal with
them. And don't be angry against them.
Don't waste your time. And then he says, secondly, in
verse 3, here's another precept, trust in the Lord. Trust in the
Lord. Trust not in riches. Riches,
that's not a foundation. Trust not in the arm of the flesh.
The arm of the flesh is no foundation. Trust in the Lord. Every good
gift and every perfect gift comes from the Lord. You see, my friend,
these material and physical things shall soon Fade away, they'll
soon pass away, they're not worth the time it would take you to
even achieve them or to accomplish them. They're nothing but soap
bubbles. But the grace of God is forever. The fashion of this world fadeth
away. These clothes that I have on
will rot and decay. But the word of God about it
forever. The grace of God endureth forever. The mercy of God is
forever. Trust in the Lord. Don't trust
in these riches. Don't trust in the armor of the
flesh. Don't trust in the power or strength of men. They'll fail. God never fails. Trust Him for
pardon. David wrote in Psalm 103, Bless
the Lord, O my soul, and all that's within me. Bless His holy
name, who forgiveth all thine iniquities, who healeth all thy
diseases, who satisfies thy mouth with good things, He does all
this for me. Men don't do this for me. God
does. Trust the Lord for daily provisions. Give us this day our daily bread. Trust the Lord for divine protection. He'll give his angels charge
over thee to keep thee in all thy ways. Trust the Lord for
his good providence. Abraham did, and he's our pattern
of faith. It says, Abraham believed God. He didn't know where he was going.
The Lord told him to get out of his father's house and go
to a land he'll show him. And he believed God, not knowing
where he was going. And God told him when he was
a hundred years old, he was going to have a son. And he believed
God again. He didn't know how. And then God told him to take
that boy and sacrifice him on a mountain as a sin offering.
And he went, not knowing why. But Abraham didn't question the
Lord. He trusted the Lord. I wish I could learn that, don't
you? Don't question the Lord. Trust the Lord. Don't find fault
with God's good providence. Trust Him. Trust Him. Did you ever say that to your
children when they were growing up? You'd be going down the street
or somewhere, and they'd say, Daddy, you know where we're going?
Now, just trust me. Just trust me. Just trust me. Don't question me. Just trust
me. Well, I'll tell you, we can infinitely
more trust our Heavenly Father than my children can trust me.
I fail. I make mistakes. I don't know
much, but he never fails. You can trust him. And then the
third precept, verse four, listen, delight thyself in the Lord.
Delight thyself in the Lord, and he'll give thee the desires
of thine heart. Delight thyself in the Lord. The believer who is exhorted
not to fret, who is exhorted to trust the Lord, is hereto
not only not to fret and to trust the Lord, but actually rejoice. Rejoice in the Lord. In whatever
state I am, being content, I rejoice. That's what Paul was saying.
He said, I know how to abound, and I know how to be abased,
but I delight in the Lord. He was in prison, right into
the church at Philippi, and in those three or four chapters,
he used the word rejoice ten times. Psalm 1-2 says, His delight
is in the law of the Lord. That's that man that's planted
by the river, the water of life. That man who bringeth forth his
fruit in his season. His delight is in the law of
the Lord. And Psalm 40 says, I delight
to do thy will, O God. That's our Lord Jesus speaking.
Psalm 94-19 says, Thy mercies and thy comfort delight my soul. Psalm 119.24 says, The Word of
God is my delight. Song of Solomon 2.3 says, I sat
down under his shadow with great delight. Isaiah 58.2 says, I
take great delight in approaching the Lord God. You know my friend,
someone said this one time, the presence of the Lord and the
promises of His Word Make a mighty soft pillar when a man is dying. But the way of the transgressor
is hard. It's hard. Blessed is the man
who can delight himself in the Lord. And not find delight in
jewelry and fine clothes and big homes. influence and prestige
and position in this world. It'll all pass away. You won't
be dead five years." And they said, George who? Let me ask you, who was the running
mate of George McGovern when he ran against the president
who was elected some years ago? on the ticket as the Vice President
of the United States. And most people don't even know who he
is. Most people don't even know who the Vice President of the
United States is now, let alone the one who ran some time ago.
You won't be gone five days and they'll be asking who you were.
But they won't ask who you are in glory if your name's written
in the Book of Life. So these things don't amount
to much. I don't know why we think they do. Verse 5 gives
you the fourth precept, commit thy way unto the Lord. Commit
your way unto the Lord. He'll bring it to pass. Cast
all your cares on Him. He cares for you. Cast away anxiety and worry and
fear and resign your will and your life and your family to
His care. He cares for you. You know, the
farmer teaches us a lesson along this line, this committing our
way to the Lord. And he'll bring it to pass. The
farmer goes out and plows the field. Plows the field and discs
it. Tears it up. Rows it off and
then he plants the seed. Covers it up. Now what does he
do? Now what does he do? He doesn't
do anything. He waits on the Lord. That seed's
committed to that ground. Looking to the Lord of the harvest
to give it life and make it bud. and bring it forth. So this is
what David is saying, commit your way and your salvation and
your present and your future and your family to the Lord God.
Just take it to the Lord as the old hymn writer said and leave
it there. If the world from you withhold
of its silver and its gold and you have to get along with meager
fare just remember in his word how he feeds the little bird
and take your burden to the Lord and leave it there that's committing
thy way unto the Lord if your body suffers pain and your health
you can't regain and your soul is almost sinking in despair
Jesus the Lord knows the pain you feel He can save and He can
heal. And He's the only one who can.
So take your burden to the Lord and leave it there. Leave it
there. Commit thy way unto the Lord.
When your youthful days are gone and old age is stealing on and
your body bends beneath the weight of care, He'll never leave you
then. He'll go with you to the end. So take your burden to the
Lord. You said, I did. Did you leave
it there? Did you leave it there? Commit
thy way unto the Lord. He'll bring it to pass. And then
number five in verse seven, mark this. Rest in the Lord. We're told to trust in the Lord. We're told to commit our way
unto the Lord. Now, rest. That's what I'm talking
about, about leave it there. Trust the Lord. I trust the Lord.
And yet you act like that you don't. You're fretting and worrying
and fearful. And you're just beside yourself.
You're bundling nerves. He said rest. Trust the Lord. Commit your ways to Him. And rest. That's what it says
here. Rest. wait patiently on him. There's so many promises in this
book concerning rest. He giveth his beloved rest or
sleep. Our Lord said, come unto me and
I'll give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn
of me, you'll find rest unto your souls. Paul talks about
ceasing from our labors and entering into his rest. Our whole gospel
is a gospel of rest. It's a gospel not of do, it's
a gospel of tis done, the great transaction's done. God says,
be still, be still, and know that I'm God. Did you ever have,
when you were raising your children, when they were young, they'd
sit around fidgeting in your lap, you'd fidget and you'd say,
be still, honey, be still. That's what God's saying to you,
be still and know that I'm God. The soul of the unbeliever is
like the troubled sea, the waves are tossing and dashing the ship
about, but He leadeth us beside still waters. Even, you see, when God killed
Nadab and Abihu, do you know who Nadab and Abihu were? Well,
you see, they were the fellows that offered strange fire on
the altar of God. That's right. Moses and Aaron
were witnesses of this. And God killed Nadab and Abihu. But you see, these were sons
of Aaron. They were subjects led by Moses,
but they were sons of Aaron. And when Moses said, The Lord
killed these boys because of their blasphemy and their rebellion,
and they violated the altar of God, the type of Christ, and
God killed them. And you know what it says about
Aaron? Aaron says, he held his peace. Yes, hold it right there,
just hold your peace. That's what Eli did, he held
his peace. He said, it's the Lord, let him
do what he will. That's what Job did, he held his peace. Job
said, the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be
the name of the Lord. Oh, to learn to hold my peace. Well, you can if you rest in
the Lord and wait patiently for Him. And He'll bring it to pass. And the sixth precept is found
in verse 8. It says, cease from anger. Cease
from anger. Forsake wrath. fret not thyself
in any way to do evil. Cease from anger. Isn't this
difficult? And yet this is a precept of
Almighty God to His church, His people. Cease from anger. Cease from anger either against
God's providence or against men. Cease from anger against God's
providence, God who's the first cause of all things, and you
might as well cease to be angry with men because they're the
second causes. Instruments of God's providence.
James 1.19.20 says this, The wrath of man does not work the
righteousness of God. The wrath of man does not work
the righteousness of God. Our anger does not change the
situation, it just makes it worse. Fret not thyself to get even,
fret not thyself to get revenge, for he says vengeance is mine. I'll repay, saith the Lord. He
always does. God always pays his notes, his
bills. He will. It'd do well for us
to learn. Here's something that I want
to work on and something that is helpful to me when I remember
it. It would do well for us to learn that the battle against
evil in any form, the battle against evil in any form is not
our battle, it's God's battle. It's not my battle, it's God's
battle. Evil men are God's enemies. David said, they're your enemies,
God, and I guarantee you he'll deal with his enemies. He's told
our Lord Jesus, come and sit at my right hand until I make
your enemies, whose enemies? Your enemies, your footstool. And this battle's not my battle,
it's God's battle. I'll be willing to be used wherever
He wants to use me and for whatever purpose He wishes to use me,
but it's His battle. His battle. They're His enemies. And He'll destroy them. And the
last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. You see, we wrestle
not against flesh and blood. This is not a flesh and blood
battle. We wrestle against principalities, and powers, and spiritual wickedness,
and high places, and rulers of the darkness, and you don't even
know who they are. If there's a blow to be struck,
God will have to strike it. Because you don't know where
to hit. You hit some poor flesh. It won't do a bit of good because
he's not the cause, he's the second cause. Alright, verse
27, here's a double precept. Number 7, verse 27, depart from
evil and do good. And Paul deals with that in Romans
12, 17. He says, recompense to no man evil for evil. Don't get
evil. Provide things honest in the
sight of all men. If it be possible as much as
lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Live peaceably
with your neighbors. Live peaceably with your in-laws.
Live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves. Give place to wrath. It is written,
Vengeance is mine, I'll repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if
your enemy hunger, feed him. If your enemy thirst, give him
a drink. For in so doing thou shalt heap
coals of fire on his head. Don't be overcome with evil.
Don't let evil overcome you. Don't use their tactics. Don't
use their ways. Overcome evil with good. Now
here's the last precept. Verse 34. Wait on the Lord. Wait on the Lord. Keep His way
and He'll exalt you to inherit the land. Stand in the way of
Christ, and having done all to stand, stay on the rock, Christ
Jesus, keep to the gospel of saving grace, and wait on God.
Don't bind God with a time or an hour, just wait on Him. In
due time, He'll bring it to pass. In heaven and earth and sky and
seas, He executes His wise decrees, and all His saints can in Him
rest, for He does, I know, what is always best. Wait then, my
soul, patiently wait. Prostrate before His mercy seat. And through this dark and cloudy
day, wait on the Lord and keep His way. His way is Christ. All right, I have two messages
here. One is, when is a man ready to die? And the other is, eight
great precepts from Psalm 37. If you want them, write to us,
send a $2 donation, and we'll mail them to you. Your address
will be given to you right here. Until next week, may the Lord
bless you, everyone.

Eight Great Precepts

What does the Bible say about the prosperity of the wicked?

How do we know God cares for us?

Why is resting in the Lord important for Christians?

What are the eight great precepts in Psalm 37?

Why should Christians not be angry with God’s providence?

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Eight Great Precepts

What does the Bible say about the prosperity of the wicked?

How do we know God cares for us?

Why is resting in the Lord important for Christians?

What are the eight great precepts in Psalm 37?

Why should Christians not be angry with God’s providence?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

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