I Have Seen

             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. Turn from evil and do good; then you will dwell in the land forever. For the Lord loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. wrongdoers will be completely destroyed; the offspring of the wicked will perish. The righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever.

            The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom, and their tongues speak what is just. The law of their God is in their hearts; their feet do not slip. The wicked lie in wait for the righteous, intent on putting them to death; but the Lord will not leave them in the power of the wicked or let them be condemned when brought to trial. Hope in the Lord and keep his way. He will exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are destroyed, you will see it.

I have seen a wicked and ruthless man flourishing like a luxuriant native tree, but he soon passed away and was no more; though I looked for him, he could not be found. Consider the blameless, observe the upright; a future awaits those who seek peace.  But all sinners will be destroyed; there will be no future for the wicked. The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord; he is their stronghold in time of trouble. The Lord helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him. (Psalm 37:25-40)

There’s more dancing going on in today’s passage, and much of it seems to be quick steps, but what caught my attention is “I have not seen…I have seen.” David said he hadn’t seen the children of the righteous begging for bread, but that he had seen wicked and ruthless men flourishing. We need to keep in mind that this was a different culture and time. If we obeyed the Mosaic Law, and if we lived in an agrarian society, we might well not see the poor begging for bread, because they would be able to garden and glean.

As for the wicked, they will always find ways to use others. They may well flourish, but they will reap the consequences of their wickedness, and God will step in to help those who are blameless and upright. It’s not according to our schedule or preferences. This is the source of consternation for some. They think God or the government should eliminate any need to beg for bread and every evil deed that they don’t approve of immediately, but that gets in the way of our learning compassion, wisdom, and justice. It would eliminate the experience of mercy, kindness, and forgiveness. In short, it wouldn’t be wise or lead to wisdom or lasting benefit.

As we think about what we have seen and what we have not seen, the question comes to mind of what we have done about either.