Psalm 36 Commentary

Psalm 36 Commentary

The psalmist simulates the human heart. The first simulation involves the heart of the wicked man. Zero fear of God. Flattery. Deception.

Deception eats both at others and at the self. The bad heart deceives itself by claiming that God won’t do anything. Of course, it’s a lack of wisdom.

God is compassionate, loving, just, faithful, and righteous. He is the source of life. He sustains it.

On the other side is a good heart. That’s the second simulation. They know their God, and they take shelter under His wings. They see light in God’s light.

Both the wicked and the righteous live in the same neighborhood. The evil activities of the wicked play negatively on the righteous. The psalmist prays for God’s intervention.

Look at the psalm again. There is a clear separation between the two camps. Love, justice, compassion, righteousness, and faithfulness reside with God’s people, an overflow from the Creator God.

Deception, flattery, foolishness (lack of wisdom – verse 3), and evil reside with the wicked. It isn’t a product they sell in their shop, it’s what they are. An overflow from the wicked is what plays havoc in the neighborhood.

Mortals mistakenly think of joy as a product on the market. You buy it with either righteousness or wickedness.

But life isn’t like that. You could obtain a loaf of bread by stealing, but you haven’t obtained joy. Deception stays with the wicked. A piece of wood isn’t fire, but at the end of the day, fire leaves the wood shapeless and non-existent. Deception destroys its carrier; it cannot be contained!

So, the workers of iniquity fall.

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