Psalm 36: God trumps everything and everyone
I like how the contrast between the evildoers and God is set up in this psalm. In the first section (verses 1-4), they are introduced, and from the looks of things, they’re a handful. Yet in verse 5, God comes into the picture, and they simply fade away - poof! and they’re gone. Try and find a mention of them in verses 5-10.
The evil aren’t set up as the antithesis of God, and in that sense, it’s a true portrayal. That’s what I like. When one reads the psalm, God’s goodness and “faithful love” is so big, it obliterates any trace of them. We, the faithful, can take comfort and refuge “in the shadow of Your wings,” David writes. God becomes our life support system. It is in Him that we can find protection and life.
Can there even be an antithesis to God? Don’t fall for the obvious answer. Think about it, and I think you’ll reach the same conclusion as I do. Everything and everyone else in the universe is God’s creation. Just like there is no peer to God, there can be no enemy as big as Him.
I think this realization is very helpful when we are faced with problems caused by evildoers or otherwise. If it’s people who are causing us grief, we would do well to remember that they’re just people, no matter how highly placed or how influential they are. They’re still just people. And if we have a hunch we’re dealing with more than people, it still doesn’t matter. We have God on our side. He trumps everything and everybody. If He’s with us, who can be against us?
