Facts and Inferences

Facts and Inferences

(No. 3232)

A SERMON PUBLISHED ON THURSDAY, JANUARY 12, 1911.

DELIVERED BY C. H. SPURGEON,

AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON, ON LORD'S-DAY EVENING,
SEPTEMBER 13, 1863.

"I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a
green bay tree, Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not: yes, I sought
him, but he could not be found. Mark the perfect man, and behold the
upright for the end of that man is peace." Psalm 37:35-37.

WE must never judge by appearances, for many things that we see with
our eyes and hear with our ears are not really what they appear to us
to be. Our senses, like everything else within us, are imperfect, so
that it is safer to walk by faith than by sight. Especially is this the
case with regard to God's Providential dealings with men. If we were to
conclude, for instance, that all those who prosper in this world are
peculiarly favored of God, we would make a very great mistake. And if,
on the other hand, like Job's friends, we should imagine that all
persons who are grievously afflicted and tried are suffering because
they have grossly sinned, we would equally err. It is true that there
sometime are manifest judgments upon individuals, communities and
nation, but every trial or affliction is not a judgment–nor would it
be right for us to regard it so. Yet the man who walks through the
world with his eyes opened and his understanding enlightened, must
notice certain facts about which there can be no question–facts which
are so important and so instructive that he will want other people to
also notice them and to learn the lessons they are intended to teach.

There are two facts mentioned in our text. And I am going to talk to
you concerning them, coupling with them certain inferences and
Revelations which must not be separated from them. The first fact is
concerning the wicked–we have seen them in great power, spreading
themselves like a green bay tree–yet they have passed away and soon
been forgotten. The second fact is concerning the righteous–we have
not merely once, but many times, seen a godly man die and from our own
experience we can confirm the testimony of the Psalmist, "the end of
that man is peace."

I. So let us for a while meditate upon THE FIRST FACT AND THE INFERENCE
AND REVELATION CONCERNING IT.

It is a fact that we have seen the wicked in great power and that we
have seen them suddenly cut off. Those of you who are much older than I
am can remember the terror that was associated with the name of one who
was, for a while, in great power and who spread himself like a green
bay tree–the branches whereof cast a baleful shade over most of the
nations of Europe. Napoleon Bonaparte aimed at absolute sovereignty in
France and won it. And then he aimed at universal sovereignty over all
his fellow monarchs and, for a time, it seemed as though there would be
no human limit to his great power. You know how he waded through
slaughter and snatched crown after crown from other men to put upon his
own head. But you also know how he led his vast army into Russia–and
left the bulk of his followers to sleep in death beneath the snow, or
to be devoured by wolves. And you remember how, afterwards, he met with
men who could play the devil's game of war more skillfully than he ever
could and, in the end, the imperial eagle that had torn so many others
in pieces with its cruel talons, was chained for the rest of its life
to the lonely rock of St. Helena! Who that saw Napoleon's empire in the
height of its glory could have imagined that it would melt away like a
snowman in blazing sunshine? I grant you that its grandeur [Mr.
Spurgeon was, of course, referring to the state of affairs in France in
1863. But he lived to see the Second Empire also pass away, and the
French republic firmly established in its place.] has been somewhat
revived in our day, but the failure of the "great" Napoleon should
teach the whole race of mankind that although a wicked man may be in
great power and may spread himself like a green bay tree, yet no
greatness will permanently endure unless it is founded upon goodness
and upon God!

There are some who have had great power because they have had great
wealth. Many of us can recollect persons who seemed to have unlimited
riches which enabled them to exercise enormous power over their fellow
men. Solomon said that "money answers all things," and they certainly
made it answer their ends. Everybody was obsequious to them– whole
nations yielded up their treasures at the bidding of these
multi-millionaires. They said to the North, "Give up," and to the
South, "Keep not back"–and gold and jewels and works of art came
pouring into their palaces and mansions–yet those very men were
reduced to beggary before they died and, at the same door where they
had repelled poor Lazarus with scorn, they, themselves, were suppliants
craving alms! I need not mention names. Many of you can remember such
men who were in great power and spread themselves like a green bay
tree–yet they have passed away and if you seek them they cannot be
found.

I find that the Hebrew has in it the idea of a tree indigenous to the
soil, a tree that has never been transplanted. So David means that he
had seen the wicked flourish like a tree whose roots had never been
disturbed. You may have heard a rich man boastfully say, "My father
lived in this house and his father lived here before him. And through a
long line of ancestors, these estates have belonged to our family." He
had no trouble in his youth and no labor in his manhood–he is the man
who, in his prosperity, said, "I shall never be moved." But he has been
moved–the ancestral hall of which he was so proud, has a new
owner–those estates which he surveyed with such manifest delight have
been sold to another family! And if you go to the district today and
ask anyone whom you meet, "Where is that rich man who used to own all
these broad acres?" you will receive the reply, "Nobody knows." And you
may say with the Psalmist, "I sought him, but he could not be found."

This has been the case with some who have gained honor among men. The
bay tree was highly esteemed among the Greeks and Romans–they crowned
their heroes with wreaths made from its leaves–yet neither the wreath
nor the honor lasted very long. So, if a man receives honor from his
fellows, yet is all the while a wicked man, his honor is like the
dissolving-view which appears upon the sheet and quickly fades away–or
like the mirage of the desert which makes the burning sand look like a
lake, but which only mocks all who run to drink from it! Or like the
will-o'-the-wisp that frightens timid folk at night, but itself is
without any enduring substance. So passes away the glory of this world
and so passes away the man who has honor among men, but who is without
that Divine Grace which alone brings true honor, glory and immortality!
I can say of more than one such man, "he passed away and lo, he was
not: yes, I sought him, but he could not be found." Have you not
noticed, dear Friends, how complete has been the disappearance of
certain "great men" whose greatness has been founded upon wealth or
upon sin? Every trace of them seems to have been destroyed–in the
places where they used to live, nobody remembers them–their
escutcheons have been broken up by the battle-axe of Time–and all
their glory of heraldry has been burned in the fire. Why, as I am
speaking of them, you can scarcely recall their names though they used
to be as familiar as household words! Their names were written in the
sand and Time's ever-rolling waves have utterly effaced them! If you
seek them, you cannot find them.

Some men have appeared to be "great" because their true character had
not been discovered. They were playing a very crafty part in the drama
of life. Before the curtain, they appeared to be truthful, upright,
even religious. But behind it, they were rogues, thieves, liars and
everything that was bad. Then, all of a sudden, the curtain was torn in
two and they were revealed to all men as they had been all the while,
to the all-seeing eyes of God! And the whole world looked on and were
amazed. There was a man who always wore a mask when he walked abroad
and everyone said, "What a beautiful sight it is to see such a man!"
But one day the mask was broken and all could plainly see the signs of
leprosy on his brow–the deadly disease was there all the time–it was
only hidden from the public gaze by the mask! Discovery has often trod
on the heels of sin–the guilty one has been caught red-handed–and
swift justice has been meted out to the criminal. But suppose, Sinner,
that for years you conceal from your fellows your real character as so
many others have done? God knows all about you and His Word still
contains the warning that Moses gave to the Reubenites and Gadites, "Be
sure your sin will find you out." Judas stood revealed, at last, as the
Son of Perdition–his fellow Apostles did not suspect him even up to
the night of the betrayal–but Jesus had known from the first that he
had the heart of a traitor, and only awaited a convenient opportunity
to sell his Master for 30 pieces of silver! Simon the sorcerer, who had
"bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that he was some great
one," professed to believe in Jesus and was even baptized! Yet Peter
afterwards had to say to him, "Your heart is not right in the sight of
God. For I perceive that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the
bond of iniquity." And, alas, both Judas and Simon Magus have many
representatives even to this day!

Other "great" men have been laid low by some striking disaster. A man
seems to climb up one of the tallest cedars of Lebanon to build his
nest there and you say to yourself, "How can that man ever be pulled
down from such a height as that?" But the Omnipotent hand lays hold of
him, scatters his nest upon the ground and before long he and his nest
are alike forgotten! Perhaps the man has built himself what he calls an
impregnable castle and in his marble halls he fondly hopes that no
power can successfully attack him. But God has only to make a slight
fissure in the earth's surface and the man and his castle and all that
he has shall disappear even as the earth once before opened her mouth
and swallowed up Korah and all that appertained to him! God has many
ways of putting down the mighty from their seats and exalting them that
are of low degree! An Eastern potentate could not sleep on a certain
memorable night and hence it came to pass that proud Haman was hanged
on the gallows he had built for Mordecai, the Jew–while the despised
Mordecai was publicly proclaimed as the man whom the king delighted to
honor! Mysterious have been the workings of God's Providence by which
the mightiest monarchs and the most powerful princes have passed away
so completely that they have been like the wicked man of whom David
says, "I sought him, but he could not be found."

If in no other way the wicked man is removed from his pinnacle of
greatness, he passes away at the call of death. We need not say much
about his death, but when he is gone to his final account, he has few,
if any, to mourn his loss. He lived for himself and he died for
himself–no sorrowing widows, whose poverty he has relieved will keep
his grave green with their grateful tears–no mourning children, whose
ignorance he has dispelled by his instruction, will remember and revere
his name. No sympathetic souls, turned from darkness to light through
his instrumentality, will gratefully look up to him as their spiritual
father.

I have thus called your attention to the fact that the wicked who have
been in great power have passed away and been forgotten. Now, what is
the inference from this fact? I think a very safe inference is that as
these men failed to attain that which was the great end and objective
of their lives, they cannot have succeeded in that about which they
were not at all concerned, namely, the everlasting interests of their
never-dying souls! It is certainly fair to infer that as they made such
a lamentable shipwreck in this life, they made an even worse shipwreck
in the world to come. And as they passed away from everything in which
they took pleasure, here, it is reasonable to infer that whatever
expectation and hope they may have cherished with regard to the next
life, they are certain to have been totally and finally disappointed.

This, however, is not a mere matter of inference, for the teaching of
Divine Revelation agrees with it and confirms it. The wicked man who
was in great power here, in due course, dies–and he wakes up in the
next world to find himself only a feeble worm exposed to all the fury
of Divine Wrath! He had servants and slaves on earth to do his bidding,
but there are none to crouch at his feet now! He was held in honor in
this world but there are no praises or flatteries for him now. His
wealth could at one time buy for him anything that his heart might
wish, but he had to leave it all behind him–and even if he still
possessed it, he could not purchase even a drop of water to cool his
parched tongue. Nothing remains for him, now, but shame and everlasting
contempt in that terrible prison where the worm dies not and the fire
is not quenched. Throughout all Heaven and Hell there is nothing that
can afford him even a moment's solace–he has made an awful and an
eternal failure of his whole life–and his dolorous cry is, "Lost!
Lost! LOST!"

But, just in passing, though my text speaks especially of the wicked
who are in great power, I must remind you that their doom will be the
doom of all who believe not in the Lord Jesus Christ–whether they are
in the higher or lower walks of life! So, dear Friends, whoever and
whatever you are, if you live only for this life, you, too, will pass
away and be forgotten here–but you will not be forgotten in the next
world! Remember that "it is appointed unto men once to die, but after
this the judgment." Make the only fitting preparation for that judgment
by repenting of sin and trusting in Him who died, "the Just for the
unjust, that He might bring us unto God." O Man, play not with shadows!
Let not that which is the only real and substantial thing pass by you
unheeded! If you must have something to play with, let it not be your
immortal soul, for though you can play your soul into Hell, you can
never play it out! Nor pray it out! Nor weep it out, nor workit out!
Once there, it is there forever! Do you ask, "What is there that is
real and substantial? What is there that will abide when all earthly
glory has passed away?" Listen. "All flesh is as grass and all the
glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withers and the flower
thereof falls away: but the Word of the Lord endures forever. And this
is the Word which by the Gospel is preached unto you." So, my dear
Hearer, believe that Gospel, lay hold on the hope set before you, trust
in that blessed Savior who died in the place of sinners, put your
eternal interests into the hands of the one Mediator between God and
men and then, with the Apostle Paul, you will not be afraid to look
forward even to the great Day of Judgment, but you will be able to
confidently say, "I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He

is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day."
Man, Woman, Sinner–whoever or whatever you are–give no sleep to your
eyes nor slumber to your eyelids until you can truthfully say, "Jesus
is my Savior. My Beloved is mine and I am His."

II. Now, with great brevity, I pass on to THE SECOND FACT AND THE
INFERENCE AND REVELATION

CONCERNING IT. "Mark the perfect man and behold the upright, for the
end of that man is peace."

It is a fact that we have seen the righteous die and that we know that
their end is peace. I t is a fact that those who are accounted perfect
in the sight of God through the blood and righteousness of their Lord
and Savior, Jesus Christ, and whose lives have been made upright
through the effectual working of the ever-blessed Spirit, do end their
earthly careers in peace and then enter into that eternal peace which
has no end! I am not speaking of dreams and fancies, but of facts that
have happened in my own experience. Never shall I forget the deathbed
of one who had often walked with me many a weary mile to preach the
Gospel in country villages. I have told you before how I found him,
when he was near his end. His sight had so completely failed that not a
ray of light entered his eyes, but when he heard my voice, he sat up in
the bed, and said to me, oh, so joyously!–

"And when you hear my eye-strings break,

How sweet my minutes roll!

A mortal paleness on my cheek,

But Glory in my soul!'

Verily, the end of that man was peace! There is a beloved Brother
behind me on the platform, who went with me to see one of the members
of this Church who was dying of consumption. While we talked with her,
she told us that her only fear was lest she might live, for she dreaded
the temptations of living far more then the pangs of dying! A few hours
after we saw her, she passed away from this world of sorrow and
sin–and entered the land of everlasting peace–but the rapture with
which she anticipated death almost made us exclaim, after the manner of
Thomas, "Lord, let us die with her." As we came away, we felt that hers
was the happy lot and that she was the one to be envied because she had
gone to be "with Christ, which is far better."

Look at the dying Christian–what blessed peace he has! He is at peace
even with those who have been his enemies! He says to those around him
that if there are any who have done him harm, or said what was false
concerning him, he not only freely forgives them, but his most earnest
wish for them is that he may meet them all in Heaven! He is at perfect
peace concerning the past, for he knows that all his sins have been
forgiven him, for Christ's sake, and that they will be remembered
against him no more forever. He is full of peace in the present, even
though he is near the end of his earthly life. His wife weeps and well
may she grieve at the thought of parting with such a godly husband, but
he reminds her of that ancient promise, "Leave your fatherless
children. I will preserve them alive, and let your widows trust in Me."
And of that Inspired declaration, "A father of the fatherless, and a
judge (or advocate) of the widows is God in His holy habitation." He
looks at his dear children gathered around his bed and although he
would gladly have lived longer for their sake, he knows that it is his
Lord's will that he should depart out of this life, so he does not
repine! He commits into the hands of God, his household, his business
and all that concerns him. He says, "I have nothing more to do with
them, I am dead to them all. And now I am only waiting until the
messenger arrives to summon me into the Presence of the King." As for
the future, he is at peace concerning that, also. He knows that it is a
solemn matter to pass through Death's iron gate, but he is confident
that Christ will come and meet him there, so he looks forward to the
great transition without a tremor and without a murmur! He is fully
aware that existence in a disembodied state is something very
mysterious and awe-inspiring, but that mystery has no terrors for him,
for he has the same assurance that Paul had when he wrote, "we know
that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a
building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens."
He is not in the least troubled because the poor old worn-out tent is
being taken down, for he knows that he is going to exchange it for one
of the abiding mansions in his Father's house! Indeed, he is so happy
in the anticipation of going Home that he begins to sing the very hymn
that we afterwards sing at his funeral–

"My Father's house on high,

Home of my soul! How near,

At times, to faith's foreseeing eyes,

Your golden gates appear!

Ah, then my spirit faints

To reach the land I love,

The bright inheritance of saints,

Jerusalem above!

'Forever with the Lord!'

Father, if'tis Your will

The promise of that faithful word

Even here to me fulfill.

So when my latest breath

Shall rend the veil in twain,

By death I shall escape from death,

And life eternal gain!'

The good man believes in the resurrection of the body, so he says with
Job, "I know that my Redeemer lives, and that He shall stand at the
latter day upon the earth: and though after my skin, worms destroy this
body, yet in my flesh shall I see God." It is a blessed thing for such
a man to die! And the many deaths of that happy kind that I have
witnessed have made me also–

"Long for evening to undress, That I might rest with God."

What is the inference from all this? think it is but fair to infer
that if in the pain, agony and weakness of death, the Christian has
such perfect peace, surely his peace will be even more profound when he
enters that blest world where "there shall be no more death, neither
sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain." If in this
stormy world he has such peace of mind even amid the swellings of
Jordan, surely there must be for him, in the life that is to come,
stormless seas and cloudless skies–days that have no night and years
which winter's cold can never reach! And truly, Revelation confirms
this inference. For a Christian to be absent from the body is to be
present with the Lord! What it must be to be present with the Lord, no
mortal tongue can fully tell, but we know that "His servants shall
serve Him: and they shall see His face; and His name shall be on their
foreheads. And there shall be no night, there, and they need no candle,
neither light of the sun; for the Lord God gives them light: and they
shall reign forever and ever… And He that sits on the Throne shall
dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore;
neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which
is in the midst of the Throne, shall feed them, and shall lead them
unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from
their eyes." What a change, Beloved, it will be from all the strife and
turmoil of this world to the perfect peace of the world to come! Here,
you and I have to work, work, work– either with the sweat of the brow
or the sweat of the brain–and the latter is not the lighter of the
two! But there, brain and brow shall both be perfectly at rest! Here we
are sometimes perplexed by the prosperity of the wicked–but therewe
shall see that we have no cause to envy them! Here we are often made to
grieve over losses and crosses, adversities and afflictions–but
therewe shall always be on the bright side of the hill–our dark night
of sorrow and trial shall be forever over and our everlasting morning
shall have come! Here we are constantly losing some of our best
friends, they pass away as sweet flowers wither and die. But there–

"Oh, it will be joyful

When we meet to part no more!' Here we are plagued and tormented by
sin–but there, "they are without fault before the Throne of God." Here
the fiery darts of the Wicked One are continually flying all around
us–but there, they are out of range of the devil's most deadly
artillery! Yet let not one of us sigh and cry for the wings of a dove,
that we may fly away and be at rest. In God's good time, He will beckon
us across the narrow stream of death! And till then let us patiently
wait and earnestly work for Him who is all our salvation and all our
desire.

Now, my Hearers, I have set before you two men representing two very
different classes–those who have their portion in this life, and those
whose inheritance is in the heavenly Canaan, the land of perfect peace
and perfect bliss. What is the great objective upon which your soul is
set? To get on in this world, to make money, to win fame, honor, glory,
power? Oh, that is a poor ambition! And if you could attain it all,
your wreath of bay leaves would soon wither–and then what would you
have left? "What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole
world and lose his own soul?" Profit him? It would be an eternal and
irretrievable loss! Oh, seek not such "gain" as that, but "seek you
first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things
shall be added unto you"–insofar as God sees that it shall be for His

Glory and your own and others' good for you to have them. May the Lord
give you the Grace to make the wise choice this very hour, for Jesus
Christ's sake! Amen.

EXPOSITION BY C. H. SPURGEON: PSALM37.

May the Spirit of God graciously apply this Psalm to our hearts,
comforting us as no one else can! Is He not the Comforter? And what
better cordial has He for our spirits than His own Word?

Verses 1, 2. Fret not yourself because of evildoers, neither be you
envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut
down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. Evil cannot last! It
is a feeble plant, like the grass and weeds which the mower's scythe
soon cuts down and leaves to wither in the blazing sunshine.

3, 4. Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shall you dwell in the land,
and verily you shall be fed. Delight yourself

also in the LORD; and He shall give you the desires of your heart [See
Sermon #454, Volume 8–SUNSHINE IN THE HEART.] This is a most precious
verse–its sweetness who can tell? Do not think first of the desires of
your heart, but think first of delighting yourself in your God! If you
have accepted Him as your Lord, He is yours, so delight in Him and then
He will give you the desires of your heart.

5. Commit your way unto the LORD; trust also in Him and He shall bring
it to pass. Give it over into God's hands and then confide in Him as
completely as a little child confides in its mother. "He shall bring it
to pass." It is quite certain that you cannot "bring it to pass," so
you will be wise if you leave it with Him who can do what you cannot!

6. And He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your
judgment as the noonday. You cannot make the light and the
noonday–that is a work that is far beyond your power–but your God can
give you both light and noonday. He can clear your character from any
slander that may have fouled it and He can crown you with honor and
glory in place of the contempt that is now cast upon you.

7. Rest in the LORD–[See Sermon #2393, Volume 40–A COMFORTING MESSAGE
FOR THE CLOSING YEAR.] That is the sweetest word of all–"Rest." Go no
further! Fret no more. Bear your burdens no longer. Make this day a
Sabbath to your soul–"Rest in the Lord"–

7. And wait patiently for Him! Do not be in a hurry. The Lord has
Infinite leisure, so partake of it as far as you can–"Rest in the
Lord, and wait patiently for Him."

7, 8. Fret not yourself because of him who prospers in his way, because
of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. Cease from anger You
cannot do that unless you "rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for
Him."Angry passions boil upon the fire of fretfulness! Therefore,
"cease from anger"–

8, 9. And forsake wrath: fret not yourself in any wise to do evil For
evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they
shall inherit the earth. Their turn will come in due time. It comes
last, but then it comes to last, for there is nothing to come after the
last!

10. For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yes, you shall
diligently consider hisplace, and it shall not be. The house in which
he lived, or the place that was called by his name is often destroyed.

11, 12. But the meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight
themselves in the abundance of peace. The wicked plots against the just
That has been the style of things from the beginning. And the old
serpent's seed will be like the old serpent and he, "was more subtle
than any beast of the field." "The wicked plots against the just"–he
plots against the Lord's people, but "the Lord shall laugh at him"–

13-18. For he sees that his day is coming. The wicked have drawn out
the sword, and have bent their bow to cast down the poor and needy, and
to slay such as are of upright conversation. Their sword shall enter
into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken. A little that a
righteous man has is better than the riches of many wicked. For the
arms of the wicked shall be broken: but the LORD upholds the righteous.
The LORD knows the day of the upright: and their inheritance shall be
forever He gives them an eternal portion by an Everlasting Covenant.

19. They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of
famine they shall be satisfied. There is nothing that they can get, but
God will give them what they cannot get themselves. He will ransack
Heaven and earth to find food for His people! "In the days of famine
they shall be satisfied."

20-23. But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the LORD shall
be as the fat of lamb: they shall vanish; into smoke shall they vanish
away. The wicked borrows, and pays not again: but the righteous shows
mercy, and gives. For

such as are blessed of Him shall inherit the earth, and they that are
cursed of Him shall be cut off The steps of a good man are ordered by
the LORD–Even his "steps"–the little movements of his life–not only
his great plans and his ambitious projects, but "the steps of a good
man are ordered by Jehovah"–

23. And He delights in his way. He loves to see him walk, even as
parents delight to watch the first tottering steps of their little
children, so that He who "takes not pleasure in the legs of a man,"
takes pleasure in the ways of His people!

24. Though he falls, he shall not be utterly cast down. For a while it
may seem as if he had been finally defeated– things may seem to go
altogether wrong with him–but, "though he falls, he shall not be
utterly cast down"–

24, 25. For the LORD upholds him with His hand. Ihave been young andnow
am old; yet have Inot seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging
bread. And we can also still speak of the faithfulness of Jehovah. He
who took care of His people in David's day has not changed since then!
We have not seen the righteous forsaken.

26. He is ever merciful, and lends; and his seed is blessed. God has a
special regard for the children of Believers. Grace does not run in the
blood, but it often runs side by side with it. The God of Abraham is
the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, and the God of Joseph, and the
God of Manasseh and Ephraim!

27-29. Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell forevermore. For the
LORD loves judgment, and forsakes not His saints. They are preserved
forever but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off. The righteous
shall inherit the land and dwell therein forever I have frequently
remarked to you that although the wolf is very strong and fierce–and
the sheep is very weak and timid–yet there are more sheep in the world
than there are wolves. And the day will come when the last wolf will be
dead–and then the sheep shall cover the plains and feed upon the
hills. Weak as the righteous often are, they "shall inherit the land"
when the wicked shall have been cut off from the earth!

30. The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom, and his tongue talks of
judgment That which is down in the heart will come up into the
mouth–and you may rest assured that men are fairly judged by the
common current of their conversation.

31-33. The Law of his God is in his heart, none of his steps shall
slide. The wicked watches the righteous and seeks to slay him. The LORD
will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged. How
dreadful it would be for the godly man if the Lord were to leave him in
the hand of the wicked! You remember how David sought to avoid that
calamity when he had to choose famine, pestilence, or the sword of his
enemies? "Let me fall," he said, "into the hands of the Lord, for very
great are His mercies; but let me not fall into the hands of man." Let
us thank God that even if we should get into the hands of the ungodly,
the Lord will not leave us there, nor condemn us when we are judged!

34-37. Wait on the LORD, and keep His way, and He shall exalt you to
inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, you shall see it. I have
seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay
tree. Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not: yes, I sought him, but
he could not be found. Mark the perfect man and behold the upright for
the end of that man is peace.There is no end to that man, for he is to
endure, world without end! In any sense in which there is an end to
him, his end is everlasting peace!

38, 39. But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of
the wicked shall be cut off But the salvation of the righteous is of
the LORD: He is their strength in the time of trouble. Have you not
proved it so, dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ? I know that you have
had times of trouble, but has not God been your strength in a very
peculiar way in all such times?

40. And the LORD shall help them–He is and He shall always be their
Helper. "The Lord shall help them"– 40. And deliver them: He shall
deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in Him.
That is the point–not because of any merit of theirs, nor because of
any skill of theirs– but, "He shall deliver them from the wicked, and
save them, because they trust in Him." So, Lord, help us to trust in
You! Amen.