IN THE DAYS OF HIS POWER SERIES.

TOPIC: FRET NOT THYSELF BECAUSE OF THE MAN WHO BRINGETH WICKED DEVICES TO PASS.

COMPILED/EDITED BY:-
Rev. Innocent Peace-Udochukwu
President Living Fountain Ministries Int’l LIFOM

“Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way; because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil. For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth. For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be. But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
Psalm 37:7-11

It’s easy to get discouraged especially when it seems as though the wicked prosper over the righteous.

In Nigeria today the wicked seems to have taken over everything, power, wealth and our commonwealth.
The army is their kitty, likewise the police, customs, civil defense, immigrations, the presidency, the judiciary and every other instruments of power is in their hand. But the good news is that we still have the God who rules in the Affairs of men! Hallelujah!

Don’t worry about the ungodly.
Do not fret because of evildoers,
Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.
For they shall soon be cut down like the grass,
And wither as the green herb.

Do not fret because of evildoers: It is a common thing for the righteous to fret or be envious of the wicked.

“The words ‘do not fret’ literally mean ‘do not get heated,’ which is also how we might express it. Or we might say, ‘Don’t get all worked up.’ Or even, ‘Be cool.’”

“To fret is to worry, to have the heart-burn, to fume, to become vexed. Nature is very apt to kindle a fire of jealousy when it sees law-breakers riding on horses, and obedient subjects walking in the mire.” (Spurgeon)

Morgan wrote of this worry, this fret: “It is wrong; it is harmful; it is needless. Let the trusting wait. Events will justify the action.”

Why should we continue on in our faith if wickedness seems to pay off?
Apparently David was asked a similar question and we find his answer here in the 37rd Psalm.

We begin with:
ENCOURAGEMENT FOR THE RIGHTEOUS:

1- Do not envy the wicked because they will be cut down and withered

Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. 2For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.
Don’t worry yourself over them, and don’t be envious of them. They may seem to be prosperous, but they’re more like grass that’s easily mowed down. They’re not like oak trees—they’re more like plants (green herbs).
Instead,

2- Trust completely in the Lord for sustenance and prosperity

3Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.

For they shall soon be cut down like the grass. The scythe of death is sharpening. Green grows the grass, but quick comes the scythe. The destruction of the ungodly will be speedy, sudden, sure, overwhelming, irretrievable. The grass cannot resist or escape the mower. And wither as the green herb. The beauty of the herb dries up at once in the heat of the sun, and so all the glory of the wicked shall disappear at the hour of death. Death kills the ungodly man like grass, and wrath withers him like hay; he dies, and his name rots. How complete an end is made of the man whose boasts had no end! Is it worth while to waste ourselves in fretting about the insect of an hour, an ephemeral which in the same day is born and dies? Within believers there is a living and incorruptible seed which liveth and abideth for ever; why should they envy mere flesh, and the glory of it, which are but as grass, and the flower thereof?

“Like Haman they shall be hanged upon the gallows built by themselves for Mordecai. Hundreds of times has this been the case. Saul, who sought to slay David, fell on his own sword.” (Spurgeon)

How transient are their joys! Their wealth which they accumulate, the beauty which they think is upon their estate, all this is but as the painted colors of the bubble, which is scarcely seen before it vanishes. Wilt thou envy this? Wilt thou envy a little child his play-toys, which will be broken in an hour? Wilt thou envy a madman the straw crown which he plaits and puts upon his head when he thinks himself a king? Oh! be not so foolish. Thine inheritance is eternal, and thou art immortal. Why shouldest thou envy the creature of an hour? “For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be.”

No one envies the grass, let it be never so green; no one envies flowers, let them be never so fragrant, for we know that grass must be cut, and that flowers must wither. Let us look upon the wicked in the same light; their time of perishing shall soon come, their end hasteth on apace; therefore, let all envying be out of the question, since they are such short-lived beings.

Trust in the LORD, and do good;
There you have the secret of the active life of the Christian. The root of his activity lies in his faith: “Trust in the Lord.” The outward manifestation of his inner life is in the good that he does; and where there is this faith, proved to be living faith by good works, there follows the promise, —
Psalms 37:3. So shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.

Psalms 37:4. Delight thyself also in the LORD and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
Delight is a Christian’s duty. To sorrow, to mourn, to despair, — these belong not to the believer: “Delight thyself in the Lord.” Here is a river to swim in, Christians, plunge into it. Here is a bottomless abyss of delights, the person, the grace, the works, the attributes of our covenant God; and here is a promise given to each one of those who carry on this excellent duty, “He shall give thee the desires of thine heart.”

The prosperity of the wicked contradicts the expectation of the righteous
Anyone who is a regular Bible reader knows that nothing good is spoken about the wicked. Examples: The Lord hates the wicked, the years of the wicked shall be shortened, the wicked shall be turned into hell, etc. The Bible has lots of such frightening messages against the wicked, yet these same accursed wicked fellows are normally well to do. From the perspective of these Scriptures, it really appears odd that the wicked should ever prosper.

Today, there are two categories of human beings in the world viewed from the Christian perspective.
We have Christians and non-Christians or unbelievers. Today, righteousness is a status bestowed only by Jesus Christ and Jesus bestows it only upon those who have faith in him.
As we grow in our trust of God, in our confidence in God, we will leave doubt behind and we will see the joy and the peace and the love that is the life of a Christian.

We should orient our lives to God; instead of compulsively reacting to each new apparent victory of evil in the world, we should anchor our hope to the Lord who has promised that he will act and will vindicate our cause.

SHALOM!

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