NOTES for Psa 36:1-12

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¹The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart, that there is no fear of God before his eyes.

²For he flattereth himself in his own eyes, until his iniquity be found to be hateful.

³The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit: he hath left off to be wise, and to do good.

⁴He deviseth mischief upon his bed; he setteth himself in a way that is not good; he abhorreth not evil.

⁵Thy mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds.

⁶Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; thy judgments are a great deep: O LORD, thou preservest man and beast.

⁷How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.

⁸They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures.

⁹For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.

¹⁰O continue thy lovingkindness unto them that know thee; and thy righteousness to the upright in heart.

¹¹Let not the foot of pride come against me, and let not the hand of the wicked remove me.

¹²There are the workers of iniquity fallen: they are cast down, and shall not be able to rise.

Why does the wickedness of the lawless speak in the heart of a righteous person who turns to God? Is it only because the one who cries out reacts keenly to every evil they encounter? Or is it because evil, whoever commits it, acts as a temptation, provoking the sinful potential that lies dormant in each of us? In any case, denouncing sin is usually ineffective when it is combined with proud boasting about one’s own righteousness.

The psalmist knows that repentance can also be false. The form of false repentance discussed here is astonishingly modern despite its antiquity. With today’s widespread psychological literacy, there is a strong temptation to call pseudo-analytical reflection repentance instead of turning away from sin. The result is self-justification layered with self-admiration rather than hatred and rejection of our own evil.

But no deceit can undo the fact that evil remains evil, whatever extenuating excuses we may devise, and only the Lord in His mercy can deliver us from the power of sin.

Other notes

For

¹The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart, that there is no fear of God before his eyes.

²For he flattereth himself in his own eyes, until his iniquity be found to be hateful.

³The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit: he hath left off to be wise, and to do good.

⁴He deviseth mischief upon his bed; he setteth himself in a way that is not good; he abhorreth not evil.

⁵Thy mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds.

⁶Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; thy judgments are a great deep: O LORD, thou preservest man and beast.

⁷How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.

⁸They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures.

⁹For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.

¹⁰O continue thy lovingkindness unto them that know thee; and thy righteousness to the upright in heart.

¹¹Let not the foot of pride come against me, and let not the hand of the wicked remove me.

¹²There are the workers of iniquity fallen: they are cast down, and shall not be able to rise.

For many people, the worldly prosperity of a considerable number of sinners, purchased by the crimes... Read more

For many people, the worldly prosperity of a considerable number of sinners, purchased by the crimes and lawless deeds they have committed, seems to be an argument refuting what is written in the biblical texts. Such attitudes, as we can see, are not new and are mentioned in the Bible itself.

There is a fine line between bewilderment at evil going unpunished and the conclusion that, since earthly prosperity is achieved by sinful means, we should obtain it in the same way. It is no accident that the psalm begins precisely with the counsel not to envy those who practice lawlessness. Apparently, many people envied the success of sinners even in those times, just as they do today. That is why the psalmist never tires of repeating that all successes purchased by sin are temporary: sooner or later the wicked will perish, and their prosperity, attained with the help of evil, will turn to dust and bring no lasting benefit to its owners.

But those who trust in the Lord will not be left without His support. Whatever difficulties they may experience, their future is in the hands of the Lord, who is always near them, in sorrow and in joy. However much the lawless may rule on earth, the earth itself with all its gifts is not intended for them—the Lord has appointed it as the inheritance of the righteous.

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