"I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed."
Psalm 37:25-26
Part 1
“I have been young, and now am old;”
David is sharing his observations from a lifetime of experience. Toward the end of his life, he could look back and tell of God’s faithfulness to His children. He is long past the idealism of his youth. His middle years with his mature views of life are long gone. He is writing in his old age looking back on the whole of his life and recounting God’s faithfulness to himself and others that he knew.
“Yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken,”
Great news! God will never forsake His own children!
“For the LORD loveth judgment, and forsaketh, not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off” (Psalm 37:28).
“And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee” (Psalm 9:10).
Even though God’s child may be oppressed by the wicked, the LORD will not forget him/her.
“The LORD will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged” (Psalm 37:33).
The LORD promised to Jacob that He will be with him and no matter where he went, He will bring him again into the land of Israel. Similarly, we believers also have the promise of our Father that He will be with us always.
“And, behold, I am with thee [Jacob], and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of” (Genesis 28:15).
“…and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen” (Matthew 28:20b).
“Nor his seed begging bread.”
“His seed” is the “righteous man’s” children. David’s testimony is that he had never seen God forsake the righteous, nor had he seen the righteous man’s children begging for food. This is not an absolute statement that these children would never see lean times in their lives. All believers occasionally have times of financial leanness due to being between jobs, illnesses, or even financial reversals. But even in these difficult times, God provides for the needs of His own. Spurgeon has this to say of the righteous man’s child and poverty.
“Never are the righteous forsaken; that is a rule without exception. Seldom indeed do their seed beg bread; and although it does occasionally occur, through dissipation, idleness, or some such causes on the part of their sons, yet doubtless it is so rare a thing that there are many alive who never saw it”1 (Spurgeon).
Come back tomorrow as we continue discussing when God’s children have needs.
1. C.H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, the electronic version in eSword.