Psalm 36:1–12
Transgression speaks to the wicked
deep in his heart;
there is no fear of God
before his eyes.
2 For he flatters himself in his own eyes
that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated.
3 The words of his mouth are trouble and deceit;
he has ceased to act wisely and do good.
4 He plots trouble while on his bed;
he sets himself in a way that is not good;
he does not reject evil.
5 Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the clouds.
6 Your righteousness is like the mountains of God;
your judgments are like the great deep;
man and beast you save, O Lord.
7 How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
8 They feast on the abundance of your house,
and you give them drink from the river of your delights.
9 For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light do we see light.
10 Oh, continue your steadfast love to those who know you,
and your righteousness to the upright of heart!
11 Let not the foot of arrogance come upon me,
nor the hand of the wicked drive me away.
12 There the evildoers lie fallen;
they are thrust down, unable to rise.
Worship Notes:
God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. —1 John 1:5
I taught music for several years at a small Christian college here in town (where I first met some incredible students named James Crampton and Brittain Brewer). The students there had a short prayer service each morning before class, consisting primarily of responsive psalm texts either spoken or sung. One of my favorite readings used in these services focused on the second half of Psalm 36:9: “In Your light do we see light.” This beautiful image always struck me, but metrical settings of this psalm in most psalters and hymnals tend to elide that line or place it in a less prominent place. One Sunday morning in the fall of 2018, I mentioned to our then music intern, Elizabeth Dowdell, that she should try to write a poetic paraphrase that used verse 9 as a chorus. In the span of about 15 minutes, in between Sunday School and the start of the second service, she produced the text which eventually became The Wicked Man Fears Not The Lord—Psalm 36, which closes our service this morning. Paired as it is with joyful declarations that the Father is the “great Father of light” clothed with “light for covering as a tent,” comforting reminders that Jesus is the “light of the anxious heart” who “bids the gloom of guilt depart,” and heartfelt prayers that the Spirit’s light would “shine ever on [our] sight” to illumine our paths, I hope this psalm will draw our focus to the true source of all light.
—Henry C. Haffner
Key Words: Transgression, Wicked, Iniquity, Steadfast Love, Faithfulness, Righteousness, Judgments, Delights
Keystone Verses: How precious is Your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of Your wings. They feast on the abundance of Your house, and You give them drink from the river of Your delights. — Psalm 36:7–8
