Birds and Weeds

 As I was sitting on the porch this morning studying Psalm 37, I was blankly staring out on my attempted flower bed contemplating the meaning of the scripture. I noticed a bird pecking at the mulch. Then I remembered something I read recently in the gardening group. Someone asked why she had a poke sallet plant in her flower bed. Someone answered. “Birds. You can’t have just grass and flowers.” 

Genesis 3:17-19 HCSB 7 And He said to Adam, “Because you listened to your wife’s voice and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘Do not eat from it’:

The ground is cursed because of you.

You will eat from it by means of painful labor

all the days of your life.

18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you,

and you will eat the plants of the field.

19 You will eat bread by the sweat of your brow

until you return to the ground,

since you were taken from it.

For you are dust,

and you will return to dust.”

Birds are beautiful, graceful creatures. God created them. Most of us love them. Me,  not so much since that Mama Blue Jay bopped me in the head. Long story. Not my fault, but I saw stars. Back on topic-God uses them to sow weed seed in our gardens. He also uses them to plant “volunteer” vegetables and flowers. 

Psalm 37 is a long passage so let’s look at a few questions from this chapter. Let’s summarize the answers to these questions, then look at specific verses that speak truth to us.

• What are the actions of the wicked? Psalm 37 certainly does not give an exhaustive list of all the sin and wickedness in the world. All disobedience to God is sin. It is impossible to list all the ways that we as humans disobey God. We know that David faced many enemies: enemies in battle, enemies who were friends and family, enemies from within because of his own human weakness in temptation. I realize that some who read this may have experienced enemies on the battlefield. My own son has. You may have. But most of us have not. However, I dare say that all of us have experienced enemies in our friends and family from time to time, and most certainly with our own human frailty. These verses seem to primarily address wickedness that results in bodily harm, but the principles apply to other evil as well.

• Verse 12 The wicked person schemes against the righteous and gnashes his teeth at him.

• Verse 14 The wicked have drawn the sword and strung the bow to bring down the afflicted and needy and to slaughter those whose way is upright.

• Verse 21a The wicked man borrows and does not repay,

• What are the consequences of their wickedness? We know from Romans 6:23 that the wages, the consequences, of sin is death-eternal separation from God. We know that all who do not repent of our sin and accept God’s gift of forgiveness will spend an eternity in hell. In his lifetime, David saw the defeat of his enemies and God’s promises to him fulfilled. We may not see our enemies receive what we believe they should during our lifetime, but God’s plan is perfect. The ones who schemed against us may seem to succeed, but we don’t know how God is working in their lives. But, look specifically at verse 28b. Our children see how we live our lives, whether in obedience to God or in our own carnal desires. How eye-opening it is to see that when we don’t set a godly example for them, they follow in our footsteps and are destroyed. 

• Verse 2 For they wither quickly like grass and wilt like tender green plants.

• Verse 9a For evildoers will be destroyed,

• Verse 10 A little while, and the wicked person will be no more; though you look for him, he will not be there.

• Verse 13 The Lord laughs at him because He sees that his day is coming.

• Verse 15 Their swords will enter their own hearts, and their bows will be broken.

• Verse 17a For the arms of the wicked will be broken,

• Verse 20 But the wicked will perish; the Lord’s enemies, like the glory of the pastures, will fade away—they will fade away like smoke.

• Verse 22b but those cursed by Him will be destroyed.

• Verse 28b but the children of the wicked will be destroyed.

• Verse 38 But transgressors will all be eliminated; the future of the wicked will be destroyed.

• What are the attitudes and actions of the righteous? To sum up the way of the righteous, we love our neighbor as ourselves. We show grace. We are generous. We watch the words that we say. We study and apply God’s Word, His instruction to us. And from His Instruction, we know that we have no righteousness of our own. The only righteousness that we can claim is from Jesus’ gift to us, His perfect life, substitutionary death bearing our in upon Himself, His burial, His Resurrection, His intercession for us. The righteousness we have is not based on our actions, but rather on our faith in the Only Righteous One and His Love for us. Now, when He lives in us, His Spirit works in us to help us love, show grace, have generosity, speak words of wisdom, hear and understand His instruction more fully. In our obedience to Him, He makes us more like Himself.

• Verse 21b but the righteous one is gracious and giving.

• Verses 30-31 The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom; his tongue speaks what is just. The instruction of his God is in his heart; his steps do not falter.

• How does God respond to the righteous? Jesus, God Incarnate, acted on the cross, in the tomb and in Heaven to bring about our righteousness and to execute His justice and grace. In His grace, He makes our righteousness shine because He, God Himself, bore the justice that belonged to us because of our sin. He is our perfect example of humility, Our inheritance is in Heaven with Him. He is fully aware of everything that happens in our lives, and He is our Protector.  He is with us in all the trials we experience here on earth. He supplies all our needs. He has a plan and purpose for us and guides us and empowers us to accomplish His purposes. He has defeated death and evil. We are victors because of Him. He gives us His Peace in the midst of turmoil. He is our refuge, our contentment, our strength. 

• Verse 5b-6 and He will act, making your righteousness shine like the dawn, your justice like the noonday.

• Verse 11 But the humble will inherit the land and will enjoy abundant prosperity.

• Verses 17b-19 but the Lord supports the righteous. The Lord watches over the blameless all their days, and their inheritance will last forever. They will not be disgraced in times of adversity; they will be satisfied in days of hunger.

• Verse 22a Those who are blessed by Him will inherit the land

• Verses 23-24 A man’s steps are established by the Lord, and He takes pleasure in his way. Though he falls, he will not be overwhelmed,because the Lord holds his hand

• Verse 28a For the Lord loves justice and will not abandon His faithful ones. They are kept safe forever,

• Verse 29 The righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it permanently.

• Verse 33 the Lord will not leave him in the power of the wicked one or allow him to be condemned when he is judged.

• Verse 37b for the man of peace will have a future.

• Verses 39-40 The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord, their refuge in a time of distress. The Lord helps and delivers them; He will deliver them from the wicked and will save them because they take refuge in Him.

• What wise advice does David give? David gave some really good advice that we would do well to follow. Don’t be distracted by the evil around us and do not desire the temporal and temporary pleasures of this world. Keep our focus on God. Trust Him completely. Obey Him. Take delight in Him. Be totally committed to Him. Take time to listen to what He wants us to hear. Expect him to speak to us through His Word. Don’t let anger control us. Be content with what we have, because we have all that we need in Him. Avoid evil by being obedient to the Word of God. Understand that sometimes we just wait. God is working even if we don’t see what He is doing. Follow godly examples. 

• Verse 1 Do not be agitated by evildoers; do not envy those who do wrong.

• Verse 3a Trust in the Lord and do what is good;

• Verse 4a Take delight in the Lord,

• Verse 5a Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him, 

• Verses 7-8 Be silent before the Lord and wait expectantly for Him; do not be agitated by one who prospers in his way, by the man who carries out evil plans. Refrain from anger and give up your rage; do not be agitated—it can only bring harm.

• Verse 16 The little that the righteous man has is better than the abundance of many wicked people.

• Verse 27 Turn away from evil and do what is good, and dwell there forever.

• Verse 34a Wait for the Lord and keep His way,

• Verse 37a Watch the blameless and observe the upright,

So, how does Psalm 37 apply to the birds spreading weeds? Or how do birds spreading weeds apply to Psalm 37? When God administered justice to Adam and Eve, He also showed grace. He added the weeds but He didn’t take away the food. (We won’t expound on Eve, but the same principle applies to her just punishment.) Sin is ever present in our world, but God’s love and grace is also present, present in even greater amounts. When our focus is on Him, when we diligently seek Him, repent, confess our sin and accept His forgiveness, our sin weeds don’t take over. Pull a weed-confess sin. Fertilize and mulch-study and pray. Now, this statement may offend some of the gardening group, but sometimes we need to fall on our faces, admitting our defeat, and use a little herbicide in heartbroken repentance. Don’t lose focus on the beauty, grace, and provision of God. Yes, my flower bed has a few weeds, but there are also more flowers than weeds. God is greater than all the evil. Our gardens can reflect that. Our lives can reflect that.