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Dancing

             For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land. A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found.

But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy peace and prosperity.

The wicked plot against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them; but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he knows their day is coming. The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright. But their swords will pierce their own hearts, and their bows will be broken.

 Better the little that the righteous have than the wealth of many wicked; for the power of the wicked will be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous. The blameless spend their days under the Lord’s care, and their inheritance will endure forever. In times of disaster they will not wither; in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.

But the wicked will perish: Though the Lord’s enemies are like the flowers of the field, they will be consumed, they will go up in smoke. The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously; those the Lord blesses will inherit the land, but those he curses will be destroyed. The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand. (Psalm 37:9-24)

If yesterday was sandwiches, a dance. Sometimes the switch from left foot to right is quick, like an Irish step-dancer. Sometimes, it’s slow. Sometimes, it’s like someone moonwalking; it’s a little hard to tell which foot the dancer is on, but it’s forth and back.

It might be tempting to sit back to watch what God’s going to do, especially to watch Him punish the wicked. We want to see the magic happen as God elevates the righteous. We want a clear, simple two step, with one of the feet coming down hard as it stomps the wicked, and we want the stage on which God is dancing to be wired for sound so we can hear that massive thump and the accompanying crunches.

What if that’s not the point? Of course we should celebrate that those who hope in the Lord, the meek, the righteous, the blameless, and those who delight in the Lord will he helped. They will find eternal life in Him. Three cheers and all that stuff. But what if the wisdom of this psalm isn’t “three cheers for the destruction of evil people”? What if it is showing mercy by seeking to remove the wicked people from the list of wicked people, and into the list of those who hope in the Lord, etc.? What if it’s that their time is running out? Or, what if, at the very least, it is both “celebrate the victory that God gives His people” and “draw the wicked out of the miry clay.”? What if the point is is a continuation of yesterday’s call to not envy the wicked?

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