January 06, 2022 – Thursday
Psalm 37:12-13 NKJV
12 The wicked plots against the just, and gnashes at him with his teeth.
13 The Lord laughs at him, for He sees that his day is coming.
Comment.
We know from verses one and two the fate or the end of the wicked is not anything good. He contrasted this with the fate of the righteous in verses three and four. Here David shows the conflict between the righteous and the wicked. Notice all the activity is from the wicked directed towards the righteous.
It is interesting to ask why the wicked plot against the just (or righteous). Why are they so full of anger and hate that they gnash their teeth at the just? Gnashing of the teeth (audible grinding of the teeth) is a Hebrew expression used to indicated hatred and scorn towards it is directed at. The expression is found in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. Jesus even describes a remorseful gnashing of the teeth by those condemned to hell.
Back to the question of why? I like the answer given in the Believer’s Bible Commentary: The cheats, the extortioners and the oppressors lay their plans against God’s children. They express the bitterest hostility toward those who love the Lord. But Jehovah is not agitated by the sound of their grinding teeth. He knows that the day of reckoning is not far away. It is good for us when we can look upon our foes with that same detached nonchalance, when, as someone has suggested, we can leave behind us the world of little men. This is why you have seen and will continue to see certain groups go after Christian photographers, bakers, florists, etc. with great anger and resentment.
What is the Lord’s reaction to all of this plotting? He laughs. He does so in derision at the foolish attempts the wicked make so much of among themselves when they seek to rid to rid their lives of the just and the righteous. When The Lord laughs at him, for He sees that his day is coming and his day here is a day of reckoning for the wicked. It is a day of judgment that they know in their bones is coming no matter how much they attempt to deny it and it enrages them all the more. For them, what makes it even worse is that said day of reckoning will be a wonderful day for God’s people
What are we to do in the meantime? We do not have to wait impassively until the days of the wicked come to an end. Instead, we are to live morally responsible lives, work in a manner that is fitting against evil forces in our society, while praying all the time that God’s victory would come sooner rather than later. We have much to do to share the Good News of His Son while enjoying the blessings of this life while looking forward to much greater blessings in the next.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, Thank You for using David to share such good news for us and how we can take the long view, knowing the final results. – In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
RileyD, nwJ
Riley D. Driver – Pastor
Calvary Chapel of Dayton
in Beavercreek