Psalm 37:25-26 - Hold on to Hope
I struggle with these verses.
Perhaps it is because I define "righteous" from a New Testament perspective - as Christ makes all believers righteous. Perhaps it is because I define "forsaken" too loosely and include in that definition "treated unjustly." Perhaps it is because I wonder if the opposite is true, that if we see one who is forsaken or their children are not called "blessed" this verse indicates that indeed the parent isn't as righteous as s/he seems. More likely I struggle with these verses because I wonder how they apply to a relative of mine who has been through a lot, yet has always been a person who is generous and lends freely... a person who acknowledges God's will and gives God honor even in Job-like moments.
I suppose Job's children never begged bread and God never completely forsake Job. And prior to all the catastrophes and later when new children were born to Job and his wife, his children were considered "blessed." So perhaps, my struggle with this perspective is a time perspective. I'm looking at it all from a time period of 10 - 15 years, rather than from the perspective of 70 + or multiple generations. Perhaps I am hearing these words too much from a place of momentary injustice, without seeing the entire picture of how God's righteousness and faithfulness will prevail. And I suppose I do trust that it will.
Perhaps that is part of the message of these verses, "I was young and now I am old" - I have seen the passage of time and I know the end result - hold on, because God will not forsake the righteous and their children will be blessed - hold on and have hope!
"I was young and now I am old,
yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken
or their children begging bread.
They are always generous and lend freely;
their children will be a blessing."
Perhaps it is because I define "righteous" from a New Testament perspective - as Christ makes all believers righteous. Perhaps it is because I define "forsaken" too loosely and include in that definition "treated unjustly." Perhaps it is because I wonder if the opposite is true, that if we see one who is forsaken or their children are not called "blessed" this verse indicates that indeed the parent isn't as righteous as s/he seems. More likely I struggle with these verses because I wonder how they apply to a relative of mine who has been through a lot, yet has always been a person who is generous and lends freely... a person who acknowledges God's will and gives God honor even in Job-like moments.
I suppose Job's children never begged bread and God never completely forsake Job. And prior to all the catastrophes and later when new children were born to Job and his wife, his children were considered "blessed." So perhaps, my struggle with this perspective is a time perspective. I'm looking at it all from a time period of 10 - 15 years, rather than from the perspective of 70 + or multiple generations. Perhaps I am hearing these words too much from a place of momentary injustice, without seeing the entire picture of how God's righteousness and faithfulness will prevail. And I suppose I do trust that it will.
Perhaps that is part of the message of these verses, "I was young and now I am old" - I have seen the passage of time and I know the end result - hold on, because God will not forsake the righteous and their children will be blessed - hold on and have hope!
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