Daily Lesson for April 19, 2018

Today’s Daily Lesson comes from Psalm 37 verses 36 through 39:

36 Wait upon the Lord and keep his way; 

he will raise you up to possess the land,

and when the wicked are cut off, you will see it.

37 I have seen the wicked in their arrogance, 

flourishing like a tree in full leaf.

38 I went by, and behold, they were not there; 

I searched for them, but they could not be found.

39 Mark those who are honest;

observe the upright; 

for there is a future for the peaceable.

The future belongs to the peaceable.

The psalmist’s words are a promise of hope and deliverance amidst a time of great exploitation and machination. The psalmist has seen God’s vindication.  It is coming. 

This is not just pie in the sky in the sweet by and by. As Desmond Tutu used to say, “A post-mortem pie isn’t very appetizing.” No, the LORD will raise the righteous up to possess the land. The meek shall inherit the earth. 

In the meantime they are to bless and not curse. They are to love and not hate. They are not to give themselves over to anger or rage or hatred or despair. They are to wait on and trust in the LORD. They are to maintain their integrity and their dignity and guard their humanity. Their hearts are to be at peace and not at war.  

There is a future for the peaceable. It is coming. The LORD’s righteousness is coming upon the earth. With it will come vindication for the upright and honest. Truth and justice will win out. The future belongs to such as these.

The faithful are those who trust in the future. They trust and they do not despair. They trust and they hope and they teach others to do the same.