"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 2
Yesterday:
“I have been young, and now am old;”
David saw God’s faithfulness all through his lifetime.
“Yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken,”
God never forsakes His own!
“Nor his seed begging bread.” (1)
We do occasionally have needs.
Today:
“Nor his seed begging bread.” (2)
In the mid-1970s, I had the privilege to go on a short-term mission trip to the country of Haiti. The Lord used that mission trip to expand my worldview and challenge my thinking in many ways. At that time, the nation was one of the poorest countries in the world. Poverty was present everywhere we traveled. There were starving people in each town. A Haitian doctor going with us could look at a child in the street and have an idea of how much longer that child would live, based on his/her physical appearances and the enlargement of their hungry belly. It was appalling and heart-wrenching to see the hopelessness among so many. The needs were enormous! It was impossible to help so many needy people! And then, to see how joyous the believers were in their churches. These were not wealthy people, but the Lord was clearly supplying their needs. The differences between the believers and the unbelievers were noteworthy. God was truly caring for His own. These visible lessons of God’s grace and mercy toward His people taught me as a college student, if I love and serve my Lord, He will meet my needs also.
“He is ever merciful, and lendeth;”
The righteous man is “ever” merciful. The Hebrew word for “ever” means “all the day,” or “all day long.”1 Isn’t it interesting that God’s redeemed people have the characteristic of being “givers.” Where there is a need, the righteous man will do what he can to help with that need. He may not have much, but he’s willing to give to others who are wanting.
The righteous man is “merciful.” This word means, “to be gracious, show favor, pity”2 (BDB).
When God saved us, He did so much for us, that we in our eternal thanksgiving to Him are gracious to our brothers and sisters in Christ. We are privileged to serve the Lord by meeting other’s needs.
Our mission team in Haiti was surprised over and over by the generosity of the Haitian believers. Their love offerings of sugarcane, grapefruit, bananas, and other gifts put us to shame. As Paul said, “How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality” (2 Corinthians 8:2). These dear brothers and sisters taught us how to be joyful and gracious even in times of hardship.
“And his seed is blessed.”
And what about the righteous man’s children? They are blessed!
Spurgeon again.
“God pays back with interest in the next generation. Where the children of the righteous are not godly, there must be some reason for it in parental neglect, or some other guilty cause. The friend of the father is the friend of the family. The God of Abraham is the God of Isaac and of Jacob”3 (Spurgeon).
Amen!
1. E.W. Bullinger, The Companion Bible, the electronic version in eSword.
2. Brown, Driver, Briggs. Brown-Driver-Briggs’ Hebrew Definitions, the electronic version in eSword.
3. C.H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, the electronic version in eSword.