Godly Inheritance and Judgment

Psalms 37:21-40

21 The wicked borrows and does not repay,
But the righteous shows mercy and gives.
22 For those blessed by Him shall inherit the earth,
But those cursed by Him shall be cut off.

23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD,
And He delights in his way.
24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down;
For the LORD upholds him with His hand.

25 I have been young, and now am old;
Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken,
Nor his descendants begging bread.
26 He is ever merciful, and lends;
And his descendants are blessed.

27 Depart from evil, and do good;
And dwell forevermore.
28 For the LORD loves justice,
And does not forsake His saints;
They are preserved forever,
But the descendants of the wicked shall be cut off.

29 The righteous shall inherit the land,
And dwell in it forever.

30 The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom,
And his tongue talks of justice.
31 The law of his God is in his heart;
None of his steps shall slide.

32 The wicked watches the righteous,
And seeks to slay him.
33 The LORD will not leave him in his hand,
Nor condemn him when he is judged.

34 Wait on the LORD,
And keep His way,
And He shall exalt you to inherit the land;
When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it.

35 I have seen the wicked in great power,
And spreading himself like a native green tree.
36 Yet he passed away, and behold, he was no more;
Indeed I sought him, but he could not be found.

37 Mark the blameless man, and observe the upright;
For the future of that man is peace.
38 But the transgressors shall be destroyed together;
The future of the wicked shall be cut off.

39 But the salvation of the righteous is from the LORD;
He is their strength in the time of trouble.
40 And the LORD shall help them and deliver them;
He shall deliver them from the wicked,
And save them,
Because they trust in Him.

The righteous are saved by grace through faith, by trusting in the Lord of righteousness.  There is an inheritance for the godly found in this grace, but a certain and horrible judgment for those persistent in the rebellion of wickedness.  Who,are the wicked and righteous?  The wicked borrow and never pay back what they take; they are cursed and cut off from the inheritance.  The righteous give out of a heart of mercy and grace as God has given to them, and they shall inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5).  God draws and leads the feet of those He calls good, being predetermined to do those good things for Him (Ephesians 2:10).  Even when the righteous stumble and fall, the LORD holds them up and keeps them from being cast away forever (Proverbs 24:16, 2 Corinthians 4:9, 1 Corinthians 3:14).  Even the psalmist recalled how God did not cast away those who were His, the righteous, in all his life.  God is the good provider for His own.  Yet the charge is given to do good and run away from doing evil, contrary to His word and will.  That is the call of the righteous, and He preserves them forever, giving eternal security with absolute hope.  While those rejecting His word and work (John 6:29) are cut out of God’s will, the righteous will inherit the kingdom to live in forever, a shadow of the New Jerusalem to come.  Because God has put His law in our hearts (Jeremiah 31:33, Romans 2:15), we are assured of His keeping and leading us through all things until that day (Philippians 1:6, 2 Timothy 1:12).  Our steps stumble but do not slide away.  Even though the wicked hate us because we are of God, He delivers us from their condemnation in the end.  What are we to do?  Patiently wait on the Lord as we keep His way spelled out in His word through godly counsel and study of the scriptures to apply in our lives.  Humble ourselves under His hand of all strength for exaltation (1 Peter 5:6-7).  Remember our inheritance in the Messiah for eternal residence in the kingdom of God, in His very presence.  The wicked will not rule over us forever, and when they die, inherit nothing but torment as retribution by God’s vengeance (Revelation 6:10).  The only peace with God is found in Him and in the righteousness which He accounts to us in Christ.  Our salvation is from the Lord alone.  Our strength in trouble is not in ourselves or methods, but in our Lord Jesus Christ alone.  Because we believe and trust in Him, He chooses to deliver and keep us forevermore.  What grace and hope we have in our inheritance to stand in the final judgment (Psalm 1:5, Romans 14:10-11, 2 Corinthians 5:10-11)!