The Inheritance of the Humble (Psalm 37:9-11)

Kootenai Church

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We turn now in your Bibles to Psalm 37 when you found your place there Let's bow our heads and pray before we jump into our text

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My father we are so grateful to you for the blessing that it is to gather together as your people before your word to have a copy of your word in our own language in our hands to be able to See your words of life and to read them to know them

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And we thank you that we can trust in the work of your spirit and then the power of your sanctifying grace

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To apply your work to our hearts so that we may be conformed to the image of Christ So I pray that as we talk about the destiny for the righteous and the wicked

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Today from this psalm as we see that in your word I pray that you would work in our hearts to give us a compassion for the wicked to understand what you have

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What you have promised to give to them that will not repent and I pray that you would help us to be encouraged and enlivened and excited about the inheritance that you have promised to those who are yours in Your son in whose name we pray.

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Amen We come now to verses 9 through 11 of Psalm 37 verses 1 to 8 is the peace

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That God gives to his righteous ones verses 9 through 11 is a promise that God gives to his righteous ones

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So let's read those verses together verse 9 for evildoers will be cut off But those who wait for the

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Lord they will inherit the land Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more and you will look carefully for his place and he will not be there

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But the humble will inherit the land and will delight themselves in abundant prosperity

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Last week we took a bit of a break to consider the land promise which is mentioned six times in this psalm in verse 3 you have the command to trust in the

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Lord and to do good to dwell in the land and to cultivate faithfulness and Then the other five references to the land are all promises regarding a coming inheritance in that land

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So last week we just reminded ourselves of what scripture teaches Concerning what we can expect in as part of that land promise that land blessing

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You see a mention five times in this psalm look at verse 9 Those who wait for the

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Lord they will inherit the land verse 11 But the humble will inherit the land verse 22 blessed by those blessed by him will inherit the land verse 29 the righteous will inherit the land and verse 34

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Wait for the Lord and keep his way and he will exalt you to inherit the land when the wicked are cut off You will see it we considered different interpretations or different ways that the land promise has been interpreted

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One that this refers to just entering the land under Joshua We saw that can't possibly be second as a promise of security and provision

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Third as a promise that they will live in the land all of their lives Fourth as a promise that the righteous will enjoy success in the land

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But we observed that none of those interpretations can match the context because whatever is

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Intended by this promise cannot be something that is also enjoyed and experienced by the wicked because the distinction is made all the way through the psalm that the wicked are cut off when the righteous inherit the land and they do not enjoy whatever it is that this land promise means and It's not merely a picture of heaven

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It is the land that is the land that they were called to dwell on verse 3 But it is the land at a time and in a condition

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When the wicked are cut off and the righteous possess the land alone with abundant prosperity and enjoy abundant prosperity

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We saw that this promise will be fulfilled when the wicked are excluded that's verse 9 22 and 34

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It will involve an abundant prosperity. That's verse 11 It is an eternal blessing the last forever

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That's verse 29 all of these in our psalm here. It's on 37 and it will mean the exaltation of the righteous

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That's in verse 34 So while the righteous lived in the land alongside the wicked there was yet a future state of the land of Israel That the righteous would enjoy that involved an eternal dwelling abundant prosperity

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Exaltation and the removal of the wicked from the land. So the land is not a spiritual reality

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It is not a symbol of something else In fact, it is a promise of the very land that they lived on and were called called to dwell in and cultivate faithfulness in But they would experience the righteous will experience that land in the kingdom of the

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Lord Jesus Christ in Resurrected form that is what the promise is Now that is something that is yet future for us just as it was to them

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We are waiting for the fulfillment of that promise. The righteous will receive an eternal prosperity in a renewed land

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Blessed by God and purged of the wicked hear that again the righteous will receive an eternal prosperity in a renewed land that is blessed by God and Purged of the wicked.

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This is what God has promised So verses 9 to 11, we see that God has promised something to the wicked and something to the righteous

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There's a promise to the wicked in verses 9 and 10 and a promise to the righteous in verses 9 and 11

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It's odd that you would have 9 and 10 and 9 and 11 But that's because of the structure of these three verses verse 9 tells us something about the righteous and something about the wicked verse 10 and elaborates entirely on the wicked and verse 11 elaborates entirely on the righteous

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So verse 9 and 10 described the impoverishment of the wicked Sorry, I've been battling a cold all week long.

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So I might have to do that a couple of times verses 9 and 10 Describe or promise the impoverishment of the wicked and then verses 9 and 11

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Describe and promise the inheritance of the righteous the impoverishment of the wicked and the inheritance of the righteous

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Let's look at verses 9 and 10 notice how the evil doers are described or how the wicked are described verse 9

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They are called evildoers in verse 10 the wicked man The term evildoers simply describes one who does bad

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One who does something that is bad It was kind of a generic term that was used to describe people who do harm or bring disaster

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One who acts wickedly or spoils things? Somebody who is good for nothing that word could be used to describe somebody good for nothing or something that is good for nothing

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In verse 10, it's not so much a generic term for evildoer or somebody who spoils something

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But verse 10 describes the guilt that is associated with the wickedness the term that is translated wicked man describes a

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Somebody who is condemned or guilty a criminal so there is a judicial component to it

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In other words, that's the phrase wicked man in verse 10 describes the guilt associated with the doing of the evil

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It is the opposite of righteous and this would be a good opportunity to highlight again the difference or distinction between the righteous and the wicked when we're speaking of the righteous in terms of this psalm and in fact in terms of all of scripture unless we're talking about the righteousness of God or the

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Righteousness of Jesus Christ the term righteous does not mean somebody who has never sinned Nor does it mean somebody who has earned

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God's favor? That's not what the term righteous means it describes in this context somebody who has sinned

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But somebody who unlike the man in verse 10 his guilt is not imputed to him.

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He's not a guilty criminal. I Am a sinner, but I'm not guilty before God I'm not guilty before God not because I have done enough righteousness to overcome my guilt

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But because I have trusted in the righteous one and therefore all of my guilt is taken out of the way

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So I can be a sinner and I am and I still sin and I confess that to the

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Lord But I am NOT guilty before God's bar of justice. My guilt has been removed. The condemnation has been removed

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I'm no longer viewed in the courtroom of God as a guilty criminal deserving of punishment and justice

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But instead I am viewed as a son who has the righteousness of Christ So a righteous one is one who is not credited or not counted as wicked before God But instead credited or counted as righteous in the place in the sight of God by virtue of their faith so this verse 10 wicked man describes his guilt or his

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Condemnation and it reminds us that the justice that is described in verses 9 and 10. This is a just justice

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I know that's redundant But sometimes we have ideas of justice in our mind that are perverted or polluted

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This is not that kind of justice what the wicked get in this psalm In fact what the wicked get at the end of time is everything that they deserve

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Nothing less and nothing more It's not an unjust punishment.

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It's not unwarranted. It's not over -the -top. It's not excessive Neither does it leave anything out?

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This is the justice of God the justice of God is perfect So that nobody will be able to claim the wicked got away with something and they weren't punished for it and nobody will ever be

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Able to claim certainly not the wicked that their their justice or their punishment was excessive or beyond the pale Because God's justice doesn't work like that So their justice is deserved and the justice of God expressed in this psalm is an expression of his righteousness

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The reference to evildoer in verse 9 connects it back to verse 8 Remember verse 8 cease from anger and forsake wrath do not fret

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It leads only to evildoing and remember the warning there with how the righteous are to respond to the wicked in this life is not to fret over it because in the fretting of it and in the anxiousness over the prosperity of the wicked then we become tempted to do the thing that the wicked do to get the things that the

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Wicked have gotten and in doing so then we become the very evil that we loathe so here's the warning or the reason why you should not fret evildoers will be cut off and if you fret over the wicked and their prosperity and then you end up doing the very thing that they are doing you become evil yourself and then you run the risk of Being cut off as the as the psalm promises the wicked will be cut off evildoers will be cut off But those who wait for the

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Lord will inherit the land So why should you not fret you should not fret because it leads to evildoing and evildoers will be cut off That's the justice that comes

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Notice the end of the wicked is described here And by the way, if you and I could see the end result of all wickedness, we would not envy them in the least

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If we could if we could just get that perspective on the wicked That's what Asaph says in Psalm 73

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When he says in verse 17 that he was perplexed over these things until he says I came into the sanctuary of God Then I perceived

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I saw I understood their end and once Asaph Perceived their end all of his envy of the wicked went away

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Asaph says in Psalm 73 surely God sets them in slippery places You cast them down to destruction how they are destroyed in a moment

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They are utterly swept away by sudden terrors like a dream when one awakes Oh Lord when aroused you will despise their form that is total and utter and complete judgment

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Asaph says I was envious of the wicked until I perceived their end once I perceived their end no more envy if you and I Could understand if we could see

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Everything that goes on in this world from the perspective of life a thousand ten thousand years from now

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We would not envy the wicked at all in this world His language of judgment and destruction is used in verse 9 when he says evildoers will be cut off That word was used metaphorically to speak of rooting something out eliminating it removing it

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Excommunication or destroying something it meant to cut down to cut off to exterminate to destroy or to consume and in this context

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It must refer to the wicked being cut off from the land promise in other words again, whatever the land promise is and I'm postulating to you that it is the enjoyment of the

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Blessed land of Israel in the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ Which is to come that that land promise cannot then be enjoyed by the wicked because they are cut off or judged out of it the promised blessing of what

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Abraham was given to what was given to Abraham seed by promise from God is That they would reside in the land and it would be given to his descendants forever

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That is what is promised the wicked will be cut off from that They will the wicked will never see the land of Israel in the state that the

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Old Testament Promises that the land of Israel would be returned to Psalm 37 verse 10 look at verse 10 of our passage says yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more and You will look carefully for his place and he will not be there

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This is utter removal verse 2 of our psalm says they will gather They will wither quickly like the grass and fade like the green herb.

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So these are all future realities These are not things that necessarily happen to the wicked in this life Sometimes the wicked are cut off immediately from the land of the living in this life that happens.

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They're executed. They're judged They suddenly die God removes them. He kills them. He takes them out of this world.

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Sometimes that happens, but sometimes sometimes the Hitlers of this world die in the arms of their mistress

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Sometimes in this world the wicked die in ease and comfort and luxury in their sleep peacefully having never suffered any kind of torment or or Evil in this world whatsoever.

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Sometimes that happens which reminds us that this world neither promises nor provides final judgment a final execution of judgment this world cannot do that and So these are future realities

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Micah 4 verse 1 describes this he says behold the day is coming burning like a furnace and All the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff and the day that is coming will set them ablaze says the

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Lord of hosts so that it will leave them neither root nor branch a total consuming cutting off from the land and all blessing and promises

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Matthew Henry says this quote good people have no reason to envy worldly prosperity of wicked people nor to grieve or Be uneasy at it because the prosperity of the wicked will soon be at an end evildoers shall be cut off by some

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Sudden stroke of divine justice in the midst of their prosperity and what they have got by sin will not only flow away from them

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But shall be carried away with them Spurgeon said this gone like a passing cloud forgotten as a dream

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What are his boastings and Hector rings and where the pomp which made the poor mortals think the sinner blessed close quote, that's good

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Where's the pomp? Where's all of his stuff for soon? The wicked will be cut off and everything will go away with them and nothing will remain and notice that verse 10 says this is going to happen in a little while in a little while now

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That was written probably what 3 ,000 years ago. That doesn't feel like a little while does it? But if we knew that it was gonna happen 3 ,000 years from now, would we still call that a little while?

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I would because a Million years from now at 3 ,000 years is gonna feel like just a little while In other words, the judgment in the mirror is closer than it appears right

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It is just a little while It will happen quickly. It will happen suddenly And when we get on the other side of it what we thought took a long period of time

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We're gonna realize those Events just folded in one upon another and it all came crashing down so quickly.

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Why was I anxious over it? Why was I vexed by it? verse 10 promises that the wicked man will be no more and you will look carefully for His place and he will not be there.

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This is a total removal. Nothing remains It's not just the man in verse 10 that is removed or cut off But you'll notice that his place is gone.

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His place is not there his stead his position his abode his place Remember Psalm 1 verse 6 the

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Lord knows the way of the righteous But the way of the wicked will perish and we observed there that when God judges the wicked it will not just be that the wicked

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Are taken away but ultimately and eventually the very way in which they walked the conduct with which they conducted themselves the choices that they made the

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Path of life and everything about them also will perish so that those things are no more as well

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Well, it's not just the wicked in Psalm 37 that are taken out of the way and cut off But the very way in which they walk their stead their place their abode where they were that vanishes as well

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All of it is taken away the wicked man a wicked man may be taken out of his estate and yet his estate remain right a wicked man may die and pass on his business empire and his land and his real estate holdings and all of his wealth and all of His possessions and everything that he owns and hand it off to somebody else and somebody else could take that over and it will remember

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The business that was called after this man's name or what this man contributed to it that that tower that Building still has his name on the front of it that product still bears his name and his mark upon it

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So the wicked man may be removed but not his place his place might stay there But in the final judgment is not just the wicked who are cut off, but his very place is taken away

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Let me give you an illustration Back in Psalm 1 I mentioned to you that plum tree that I had that produced no fruit

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I am pleased to report to you that it has been cut off from the land. I Cut it off I took it to the landfill where it will be burned just as Jesus said that fruitless branches should be

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Burned just he said that you'd be burned. I burned it make sure it's gonna get burned It's cut off from the land, but the place that it was is still there

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The little stump even though it's just this high can mow over it's still there The roots are still in the ground all the little dirt around the thing that I kept cultivated for the last decade of my life

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That's all still there all of the fertilizer that I poured onto that thing and the tree spikes They're still all in the ground there.

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It's probably the richest piece of Soil wise it's the richest piece of property that I own that little three feet by three feet that I had that tree there

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Its place is still there. The tree is gone, but the place is still there Now if you think you sound bitter about that tree

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Listen I am bitter and I have every reason to be bitter I spent ten years of my life cultivating that thing for nothing whatsoever have to start over I nursed it from the time.

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It was this big till the time it became far big enough to produce Fruit and it never did it has been cut off from the land

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But its place remains I'd love to build a building right on top of it So that it's forgotten by me my kids my grandkids everybody nobody remembers its place will be no more for now

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Its place remains, but when the wicked are judged It will not just be the wicked who are removed

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But the streets that bear their names will be gone The buildings that bear their names will be gone the industries that mark their names will be gone the nation's the cities the rivers

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The bridges the monuments to their wickedness their bank accounts everything they have held their real estate.

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It will all be washed away So that in that kingdom when the righteous inherit the land Nobody will ever say

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I remember that place that was the abode of the wicked man Nobody will ever think that the wicked and their memory will be forgotten forever and their place will be wiped out and it will be no

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More and the righteous will inherit the land This is a complete impoverishment of the wicked that is described in the psalm.

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It is not just God Slightly tilting the scales a little bit more towards his people

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It is God entirely flipping the table so that everything is different the wicked are no more their place is no more

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Everything that they held and had is no more and their memory is forgotten from the face of the earth and the righteous are given everything abundance abundant prosperity verse 11 says

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Now let's look at the inheritance of the righteous in verse 9 and 11 notice how the righteous are described They're described as those who wait for the

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Lord Verse 9 in verse 11. They're described as the humble Those who wait for the

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Lord reminds us of the command in verse 7 just a couple verses earlier Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him

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Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way because of the man who carries out wicked schemes

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So there's the there's the consolation of the command We should say to the righteous the righteous are to wait patiently for him

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And here is the promise in verse 9 those who wait for the Lord will inherit the land

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This is why we wait. So just as we do not fret because we do not want to be removed with the evildoers

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So it is true that we wait for the Lord so that we may inherit the land that is promised to us in verse 9 we are waiting and Believing the promises of God trusting that he is and that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him we are waiting for the promise of God to be fulfilled when he will settle all accounts and Bring justice and righteousness to bear on this earth and on all of the activities that have been done on this earth

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And so we are those who wait for the Lord verse 11 We are those who are referred to as the humble the humble will inherit the land

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Now I would prefer a different translation since to say that we are the humble Kind of defeats that purpose just a little bit doesn't it?

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At least it feels like it does the definition of that word in verse 11 this translated humble means the afflicted or The humble and it in described those who are humble because they are afflicted or those who appear in a humble state because of affliction

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Because of the state that they dwell in they are kind of poor Other translations translate that word as meek describes one who is afflicted and so is humbled by that affliction one who is meek or or Powerless or without anything in this world or at least without much in this world

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The NIV and the ESV translated as meek So the EIV says but the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant prosperity or abundant peace

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Which the very translation of that as the meek shall inherit the land that probably reminds you of something that Jesus said in Matthew Chapter 5 but the meek shall inherit the earth.

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I do think that it is I do think that the Lord Jesus is is alluding to or referencing

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Psalm 37 in his description there in Matthew chapter 5 He talks about blessed are those who persecute you for righteousness, right?

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So he's describing the righteous in Matthew chapter 5 He's describing the blessings that come to the righteous and in almost as if in the language of Psalm 37

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Jesus is saying the the meek or the righteous ones who are persecuted for righteousness sake who hunger and thirst for righteousness, etc

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They will inherit the land Jesus is alluding back to if not quoting directly

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Psalm 37 and I would just remind you or point out something obvious there Jesus did not feel the need to spiritualize that promise in Matthew 5

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He just reiterated it the meek will inherit the land. He didn't say the meek are going to inherit It's actually heaven now.

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Jesus didn't say that Talks about the land Their inheritance what we inherit has mentioned twice verse 9 and verse 11 abundant prosperity

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The land that is promised to Abraham. This is where the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ will be seated

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Christ will rule over the world over Israel the nations will be as inheritance just as Psalm 2 describes the kings of the earth will do homage to the

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Sun and he will receive an everlasting kingdom of safety and security Jerusalem will be called the

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Lord our righteousness as the Old Testament promised the salvation of Israel in the film that fulfillment of all the

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New Covenant promises will be part of that kingdom and part of that establishment of that kingdom The exaltation of the righteous will happen when the wicked are removed from the earth in judgment and Psalm 2 warns about this saying to homage

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To the do homage to the Sun O kings of the earth lest his anger be kindled against you and you perish in the way

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Blessed are all who take refuge in him This is what is described in Psalm 2 Christ will return and will give to his people this land promise

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Israel will be gathered into the land They will be saved and the Son of David will rule over Israel on David's throne in a kingdom that is marked by peace safety justice righteousness and Prosperity the humble will inherit the earth just as Jesus promised

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Now notice verse 4 or sorry notice in verse 11 at the end of the verse

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It says they will delight themselves in abundant prosperity That word delight is the same word used in verse 4 delight yourself in the

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Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart and we saw back in verse 4 that the delighting is a word that meant dainty or To refresh oneself or to pamper oneself and the idea was that you that God in verse 4 the

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Lord Yahweh is the delicacy or the dainty that we delight or refresh ourselves in and that when we do that He gives us the desires of our heart

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God himself being the finest of delicacies and the most extravagant of Extravagances so in verse 4

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Yahweh is our choice Delicacy our soul feasts on him and we pamper ourselves in him and in the kingdom that is to come we will delight pamper ourself refresh ourself

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With all kinds of dainties, which we would describe as abundant prosperity now

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Does all of this talk about prosperity make you a little bit uncomfortable? No Are some of you wondering to yourself?

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Has it been a while since Jim talked to Justin he's up there talking a lot about prosperity Has he checked some of this against the prosperity gospel because all this talk about prosperity

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It kind of makes us a little uncomfortable, doesn't it? We have a song that we sing which is

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Psalm is a 118 Josh He should know he doesn't know yeah, there's a song that we sing which comes out

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There's This song that we sing that that is a reworking of one of the songs I think it's Psalm 118 the set that says send prosperity to your servant so The prosperity gospel movement and all the hacks associated with that have entirely captured and I will say

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Bastardized this idea that God blesses his people with prosperity.

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I Am NOT a prosperity gospel preacher, you know that He said well

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Jim What is the difference the prosperity gospel of the modern day? says that all of the wealth and health and happiness and prosperity is something that we enjoy now in this age and that we have a right to it and that is what is secured to us in The gospel and if you don't have those things that's because of a lack of faith.

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That's the prosperity gospel The Bible teaches that the prosperity for God's servant does not come in this age it comes in the age that is to come

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It's a future reality Yes, it is purchased for us through the death of Christ, but it is not guaranteed to us or necessarily provided to us in this age

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It sounds I understand from what I just said verse 4 we delight ourselves in Yahweh verse 11

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We're going to delight ourselves in abundant prosperity It sounds as if we enjoy God in this life and gold in the life that is to come

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But that's not what I'm suggesting at all I am suggesting and saying that in the kingdom that is to come we will enjoy both the giver and the gift

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Enjoy the giver and the gift and in fact in the enjoyment of the gift Will reflect upon the giver and allow us to enjoy the giver in Ways that we are never able to enjoy the giver of those gifts even in this life

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The kingdom life is not a delight that is apart from God But it is a delight in God and his gifts in a completely appropriate fashion

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So in Isaiah 24 verse 23 says the moon will be abashed in the Sun ashamed for the

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Lord of hosts will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem and his glory will be before his elders and then a few verses later in the next chapter

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It says the Lord of hosts will prevail a lavish banquet for all peoples on this mountain a banquet of aged wine

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Choice pieces with marrow and refined aged wine and on this mountain He will swallow up the covering which is over all peoples even the veil which is stretched out over all the nations

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He will swallow up death for all time and the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces And he will remove the reproach of his people from all the earth for the

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Lord has spoken and it will be said in that day Behold, this is our God for whom we have waited that he might save us

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This is the Lord for whom we have waited. Let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation Wait for the

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Lord those who wait for the Lord will inherit the land and in Isaiah says on the mountain Jerusalem in Jerusalem, the

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Lord will prepare a lavish feast Now you have some idea of what a lavish feast looks like in this world when the sons of this world prepare lavish feasts

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I Can only imagine what it's going to look like when the God of all creation prepares a lavish feast for his people

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That is abundance. That is what we get forward to to look forward to enjoying in the end a

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Lavish feast prepared for us by God on Mount Zion That is what we will enjoy and this will not distract us from the

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Lord In fact, it is an expression of God's goodness and his gifts to us The good gifts that we enjoy in this life can and should be enjoyed in such a way that it lifts our hearts and affections

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Toward worship it toward toward the worship of God that he becomes because we enjoy the gift he becomes the in our minds

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I and in our hearts the central giver of that gift so that we can enjoy every good thing as an expression of worship and as An expression of our affection toward him in thankfulness to him but in this world because sin dwells in us the gifts that he give us gives us always runs the

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Risk of becoming in themselves idols that distract us away from delighting in God So the gifts in this life that we receive the good things the abundance any prosperity that we enjoy

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Luxuries ease conveniences those good things that we delight in they always run

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They always bring with them the danger that it would draw our hearts away from the Lord on to those things

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But in the kingdom age that will never be possible because in resurrected bodies We will have no sin within us so every good thing that he lavishes upon his people will be enjoyed in a completely wholesome and holy and God glorifying way so that the giver of that gift gets all of the glory for it

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So when we talk about abundance in the age to come and even abundant prosperity, that is what we have in mind

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We are plagued in this life, but we will be pampered in the next We are grieved in this life, but we will bask in the glory of the next and we're cast down in this life

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But this psalm promises that we will be exalted in the next those who wait for the Lord They will inherit the land the wicked possess this world.

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We possess the world that is to come Now there's a common objection that is raised to this idea of the kingdom and let me just quickly deal with it it is the view that that my perspective or what

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I'm saying about the coming kingdom is Entirely a physical and a carnal view of the kingdom that is to come and we all know that spiritual things are better than physical

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Things right and that anything physical is obviously a little icky. It's a little Bad, it's kind of tainted by sin and so if I have a physical view of a physical kingdom with a physical king and over the physical earth and a physical rule of Christ from a physical throne in Jerusalem that this must be a bad thing and Would be better to view the fulfillment of the kingdom as being something spiritual

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That is to come because we all know that spiritual things are better than physical things Well, if that's your perspective, then let me offer you

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Let me offer you a few thoughts Number one that's going to come as a surprise to God Because he has promised us for all of eternity that we are going to dwell in physical bodies on a physical planet in a glorified state and We will enjoy

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Physical things like trees and fruit and banquets and food and drink Cities streets lands houses thrones buildings and people all of which are physical realities

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The heaven that is to come is not us floating around in a disembodied state

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Trying to shake hands with one another not able to do so the heaven that is to come is a

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Regeneration a Recreation and new heavens and a new earth and we will dwell in that in glorified bodies forever without disease without death

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And without end that is what is to come So we don't have to choose between physical realities and spiritual realities and to think that the spiritual is better than the physical

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That's actually Gnosticism. That's what the Gnostics believe That material is evil and Only the spirit is good and we're not talking about just a physical kingdom

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But we are talking about a physical kingdom with spiritual dimensions to it that we can't even comprehend today

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We're talking about a spiritual kingdom that involves the salvation of Israel the spirit living within his people

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Christ ruling in our midst body and soul serving God and glorifying him

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Every good material thing used for him and for the good of men a kingdom of truth justice righteousness holiness worship and obedience

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So we don't have to bifurcate between physical realities and spiritual realities and say well it must all be spiritual because spiritual is better No, it is a physical kingdom with spiritual dimensions to it

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Physical manifestations where everything that is done in the physical realm in that physical kingdom will be for the glory of God That's what we all long for if we have any sort of holy affections whatsoever

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That is what our hearts and souls long for the ability to live in a world where we never die and are able to do

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All the things that we enjoy doing here but to do it ultimately and fully and only for the glory of God without any sin present or without any danger of death and Disease and destruction or it coming to an end

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What I really want is a life that is somewhat like this But way way better than this in a physical realm that goes on forever

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Where I cannot die I do all the things that I enjoy doing here But I never get

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I never have to die and I never have to worry about time running out either time is that cursed thing that I just think man,

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I would love to do this, but Look the reason

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I'm bitter about that plum tree is because of the time that it wasted ten years of my life That was spent.

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I don't have forever to grow trees So time is the constraint here that that spoils everything

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But to live in a in a kingdom like that Where time is not an issue? Not that we don't experience it and not that it doesn't pass it does

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But it is never the issue. It is never a limiting factor They give you some idea of the kind of prosperity that is in view here consider this the word that is translated

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Prosperity is the word Shalom Shalom Now that's most often translated as what do you know peace well, that's

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That doesn't seem right to translate it as prosperity It should be translated peace right because I can have nothing and be at peace with that So peace and prosperity are not necessarily the same thing

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In fact, the word Shalom has a wide semantic range a large number of meanings of the 250 times that it's used in the

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Old Testament It is translated peace 172 times but it is also translated nearly 30 other ways.

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It has a large range of meaning The word Shalom occurs later on in this psalm

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Look at verse 37 mark the blameless man and behold the upright for the man of Shalom will have a posterity

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The man of peace so there it's translated as peace in verse 37 And it means peace most often in the sense of an absence of conflict or strife

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It can also mean soundness completeness safeness Satisfaction it can refer to friendship or blessing welfare well -being favor security health prosperity and even a friend

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The theological word book of the Old Testament offers this description of this word Shalom It is completeness wholeness harmony fulfillment.

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Those are closer to the meaning Implicit in Shalom is the idea of unimpaired relationships with others and Fulfillment in one's undertakings in other words success and prosperity in what you do

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That's the idea of Shalom The classic statement of this concept is the Aaronic benediction in number 6 24 to 26

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Which identifies the man to whom God has given Shalom as the one who is blessed

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Guarded and treated graciously by Yahweh. This is fulfillment through a divine gift.

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There's also a strong Eschatological element present in the meaning of Shalom Messiah David's greater son is specifically identified as the prince of peace

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Sar Shalom the one who brings fulfillment and righteousness to the earth So it can be used to encompass a large number of those ideas and it can be used to encompass a very small

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Fraction of those ideas or definitions. I would suggest to you that what it has in mind here is not just the cessation of hostility

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But Shalom in its fullest sense that is well -being health safety security friendship success the fullness of everything peace

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Satisfaction joy rest delight anything you can cram into that idea of Shalom that is expressed

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How else would you describe that peace doesn't quite capture it because that's not everything but the idea of Prospering or having all of those things supplied in the most abundant and unending manner possible

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That's prosperity in every area of life in Everything that we experience the complete fullness of all of that is

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Shalom We will delight ourselves in abundant prosperity Three times in the

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Old Testament. It is translated as prosperity It's used interestingly in the other psalm that deals with the prosperity of the wicked

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Psalm 73 verse 3 for I was envious of the arrogant as I saw the Shalom of the wicked so there the idea of fullness or fatness or success and Prosperity is is captured in that idea of what the wicked enjoy

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Psalm 35 verse 27 says let them shout for joy and rejoice who favor my vindication Let them say continually the

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Lord be magnified who delights in the prosperity or the Shalom of his servant So why is it translated prosperity here?

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Because this psalm is dealing with the prosperity of the wicked the success of their plans and their schemes

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They the peace that they enjoy while they plot against the righteous So the promise of the psalm is that while it appears in this life

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That the wicked are deprived of nothing and enjoy an abundance of every good thing It will all be taken away in judgment and they will suffer eternal privation

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Eternal privation and While it feels in this life as if the righteous are deprived and suffer want they will enter into a kingdom where they lack nothing forever and that provision that perfect Shalom is connected to the promise of the land a kingdom in renewed

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Israel to be enjoyed by all the righteous Jew and Gentile under the gracious and sovereign rule of our

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King the Lord Jesus Christ This gives you some idea of what is meant by prosperity in the passage. It's not simply money

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It's not merely gold. It's not just material provision But it doesn't exclude that either

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What if you could engage in? Productive work and commerce in a kingdom where the government didn't take half of everything you own would you enjoy a little more prosperity in that environment and If corruption and death and decay did not suck

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The profit out of everything that you do If you could get the fullness of return out of every last activity that you do for the glory of God Wouldn't that be prosperity?

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It certainly would be and that is what is promised and that is what is meant peace rest joy delight

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Satisfaction completeness well -being health favor blessing abundant and lavish provision will belong to the faithful and to none other

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You see the psalm not only gives us a different perspective on the prosperity of the wicked It gives us a whole other idea of what prosperity is.

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It is not riches for a time It is Shalom for eternity. That is prosperity

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That is what the righteous will enjoy a lavish banquet on that mountain the unending and abundant and complete provision of every kind and we are called to live in the expectation of the fulfillment of that promise and To keep an eye towards the future

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Where God will fulfill his every word and brethren if God will fulfill his word to Abraham to raise

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Abraham from the dead and give Him that land in the kingdom and if God will fulfill his word to David to see one of his descendants on that throne and to Rule over Israel just as he has promised and to possess the nations as his inheritance

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Then God will fulfill his word to you and his word to you is this Those who wait patiently for the

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Lord they will inherit the land But the humble will inherit the land and will delight themselves in abundant prosperity that is what

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God has promised as bow our heads Our father we thank you that you have loved us and granted us favor in Christ Jesus from all eternity

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And we know that as those who have been are who are dear to you Loved by you chosen by you

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That you will lavish us with every good thing in due time and so we look forward to To what you have planned for us and we pray that you would fix our hearts and our affections

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Upon you the giver of every good gift Help us to hold out and to trust in that promise

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To not waver in unbelief to not fret over the wicked the evildoers to not become like them to wait patiently for you trusting and believing and reckoning that your promises are true and We look forward to that time that day when we shall stand in your presence and Give you the praise that you are due for every gift that you give to us the promise of the psalm psalm 16 is that we will enjoy at your right hand pleasures forevermore and We anticipate that we look forward to that comfort our hearts with these truths