Psalms 36:1-2 and 5-6
An oracle within my heart concerning the transgression of the wicked: There is no fear of God before his eyes. For he flatters himself in his own eyes when he finds out his iniquity and when he hates. Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Your righteousness is like the great mountains; Your judgments are a great deep; O Lord, You preserve man and beast.
The oracle proclaims that the wicked are blind!
They are not in awe of God’s mercy, faithfulness, or judgments.
What blinds them to God?
Flattery.
When a wicked person is confronted with their wrong doing, they feel no remorse.
Rather, they justify their misbehavior so convincingly that they are proud of themselves.
This may alleviate low self-esteem, but it creates a greater problem.
Dampening the feeling of fear makes the life-giving experience of awe impossible.
The skies, mountains, and depths inspire a terror of sorts.
A terror of smallness, irrelevance, and cold indifference.
That terror is the beginning of awe.
The grandeur of the heavens, the mountains, and the depths only inspires awe if you allow it to highlight your smallness and vulnerability compared to their hugeness and endurance.
Just as the sky’s splendor is hidden if you hold a mirror directly before your face, the magnificence of the Lord is hidden when you choose to look to you instead of God for mercy, faithfulness, and judgment.
What is the oracle within your heart proclaiming about your transgression?
What will you do today to focus on the greatness of God?
Pastor Joshua
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