The Psalms... and your posts?
After seeing a rather bizarre post on here claiming such children, for singing praises, will always be successful in their lives, I think I should address an elephant in the room.
I give updates on the persecuted church from time to time- you may have thought about Psalm 37:19 and Psalm 37:25 when I give updates- I was reading those verses today during my daily devotion and I did think- what about the worst suffering of the persecuted church? How do these sufferings fit in?
I looked it up from a reformed perspective on got the following points:
1. Wisdom literature- these are not guaranteed certainties, just general principles.
2. This is OT and will ultimately be fulfilled in Christ and in light of eternity.
3. Hyperbole
4. Christ himself suffered and we will, to different extents, share in his sufferings. Spurgeon reminds us that God sends suffering to those he trusts the most.
John Calvin on these verses:
" But here there arises a question of some difficulty with respect to the fact stated; for it is certain that many righteous men have been reduced to beggary.
And what David here declares as the result of HIS OWN experience pertains to all ages."
"How then does the consistency of this appear, that none of the righteous ever begged his bread, since Christ placed Lazarus among the most abject of them? (Luke 16:20.) I answer, that we must bear in mind what I have before said upon this subject, that with respect to the temporal blessings which God confers upon his people, no certain or uniform rule can be established."
"As the faithful are mingled among the wicked in this world, so hunger and adversity are common to both."
Matthew Henry:
"Even in the days of famine, when others are dying for hunger round about them, they shall be satisfied, as Elijah was; in some way or other God will provide food convenient for them, OR give them hearts to be satisfied and content without it, so that, if they should be hardly bestead and hungry, they shall not (as the wicked do) fret themselves and curse their king and their God (Isa. 7:21), but rejoice in God as the God of their salvation even when the fig-tree does not blossom."
I give updates on the persecuted church from time to time- you may have thought about Psalm 37:19 and Psalm 37:25 when I give updates- I was reading those verses today during my daily devotion and I did think- what about the worst suffering of the persecuted church? How do these sufferings fit in?
I looked it up from a reformed perspective on got the following points:
1. Wisdom literature- these are not guaranteed certainties, just general principles.
2. This is OT and will ultimately be fulfilled in Christ and in light of eternity.
3. Hyperbole
4. Christ himself suffered and we will, to different extents, share in his sufferings. Spurgeon reminds us that God sends suffering to those he trusts the most.
John Calvin on these verses:
" But here there arises a question of some difficulty with respect to the fact stated; for it is certain that many righteous men have been reduced to beggary.
And what David here declares as the result of HIS OWN experience pertains to all ages."
"How then does the consistency of this appear, that none of the righteous ever begged his bread, since Christ placed Lazarus among the most abject of them? (Luke 16:20.) I answer, that we must bear in mind what I have before said upon this subject, that with respect to the temporal blessings which God confers upon his people, no certain or uniform rule can be established."
"As the faithful are mingled among the wicked in this world, so hunger and adversity are common to both."
Matthew Henry:
"Even in the days of famine, when others are dying for hunger round about them, they shall be satisfied, as Elijah was; in some way or other God will provide food convenient for them, OR give them hearts to be satisfied and content without it, so that, if they should be hardly bestead and hungry, they shall not (as the wicked do) fret themselves and curse their king and their God (Isa. 7:21), but rejoice in God as the God of their salvation even when the fig-tree does not blossom."
