Psalms 36

Psalms 36THEME: A picture of the wickedThis psalm has the inscription of David as the “servant of Jehovah.” The psalm gives us a view of the human heart, which is wicked. You may not believe this, but every human being has a wicked heart. Jer_17:9 tells us, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Fortunately God has a remedy for heart trouble.

Psalms 36:1

The Septuagint translation, which is the Greek translation made by the seventy in Egypt, of this verse reads, “The wicked hath an oracle of transgression in his heart.” What is that oracle of transgression in the heart? It is the old nature that everyone has, the Adamic nature. In Mat_15:19 the Lord Jesus Christ says, “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.” It’s an ugly brood that comes out of the human heart. “There is no fear of God before their eyes” is quoted by Paul in Rom_3:18. This is a revelation of the wicked. “The wicked hath an oracle of transgression in his heart.” That old evil nature has a hold on mankind. To those who say, “Let your conscience be your guide,” I want to say, “Your conscience is not your guide.” The Holy Spirit is your guide. Your conscience is like a barometer that will let you know if what you have done is right or wrong. Let the Holy Spirit be your guide. Your conscience is that which will prick you after you have done something wrong.

Psalms 36:2

Matthew Henry, in his commentary, makes a very interesting statement in this connection. He says that sinners are self-destroyed. “They are self-destroyers by being self-flatterers; Satan could not deceive them, if they did not deceive themselves. But will the cheat last always? No, the day is coming when the sinner will be undeceived, when his iniquity shall be found hateful.” I think that one of the things the lost will have to live with throughout eternity is an old nature that he is going to learn to hate. That is the thing that will make his own little hell on the inside of his skin!

Psalms 36:3

On the golf course I met a man, a fine-looking man who had retired from an excellent position. All that came out of his mouth was iniquity. In every breath he uttered he took God’s name in vain. “The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit.”

Psalms 36:4

In his bed he plans the evil he is going to do the next day. This is a frightful picture! Now we have a picture of what God is:

Psalms 36:5

What blessed, wonderful words these are. This is the God that man rejects. This is the God whom men do not fear. The wicked do not know this God, and they have no idea what it is like to be under His wings. That is the place where the righteous take refuge. I like to talk about the wings of Jehovah.

In Exo_19:4 God told Israel, “Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself.” Under His wings there is protection, security, rest, and the warmth of God’s love. Jesus said, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!” (Mat_23:37). This is the God that many people are rejecting today!

Psalms 36:11

David prays that God will continue giving His mercy and grace to him so that he will not fall under the hand of the wicked. This is something that every believer should pray. We live in a wicked, mean world. My prayer has always been, “Oh, God, don’t let me fall into the hands of the wicked.”