The Promises of God - Psalms 37:23-24

Have I ever told you how much I LOVE the Psalms? If you have never taken a walk through the Psalms I strongly encourage you to do so.....if I have said this before.....here is another gentle nudge. :)

Let's jump in!

The Enduring Word Commentary - my favorite, calls this a Wisdom Psalm. It was written by David in his older years. David is imparting wisdom ....and if you think of the life he lived, he has a whole lot to share. In this Psalm he vividly contracts the righteous person with the wicked person.

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.

Psalms 37:23-24 NIV

Every version I read just oozed goodness - so I want to breakdown it all down.

The Lord makes firm the steps...

• ESV = The steps of a man are established by the Lord

• AMP = The steps of a good and righteous man are directed and established by the Lord

• NLT = The Lord directs the steps

of the one who delights in Him;

• ESV = when He delights in his way

• AMP = And He delights in his way and blesses his path

• NLT = of the godly

though he may stumble....

• ESV = though he fall

• AMP = When he falls

• NLT = Though they stumble

he will not fall

• ESV = he shall not be cast headlong

• AMP = he will not be hurled down

• NLT = they will never fall

• MSG = he's not down for long

• Spurgeon = he will not be overwhelmed

for the Lord upholds him with His hand.

• ESV = for the Lord upholds his hand.

• AMP = Because the Lord is the One who holds his hand and sustains him.

• NLT = for the Lord holds them by the hand.

• MSG = God has a grip on his hand.

Delight = please greatly

Establish = set up on a firm or permanent basis

Sustain = strengthen/support

The NIV version above is straight off the You Version Bible App but my old well loved NIV Bible actually says this.....

If the Lord delights in a man's way, He makes his steps firm; though he may stumble, he will not fall for the Lord upholds him with His hand.

Now in that version the little word that glaringly stands out to me is IF - that's a tiny word and an enormous word all at the same time isn't it?!

IF the Lord delights in my way....that can sting a little huh? Requires some self examination which is always painful.

My actual Bible says in the study notes - "The person in whom God delights is one who follows God, trusts Him, and tries to do His will. God watches over and makes firm every step that person takes." - This is the righteous person - not righteous on our own, but because Jesus gave us His righteousness when we gave our lives to Him.

There are so many way smarter than me, let me share some of their words with you....

"He is a loving Father to His people. Even when they fall, He holds them with his hand in a gentle but firm grip." - Tony Evans

"Keep them from being ruined by their falls, either into sin or into trouble. A good man may fall into the hands of a messenger of Satan and be sorely buffeted but God will not leave him in his enemy's hands." - Matthew Henry

"Even the most powerful must be supported by the Lord, otherwise their strength and courage will be of little avail." - Clarke

"All the stability in human conduct comes from His guidance." - Elliott's Commentary

MAN - that's good stuff!

Being 50 now, I feel like David "in his older years" - I can certainly look back on my life, the choices I have made and paths that I have walked down and see God's rescue everywhere! He has always held my hand and always dusted me off and put me back on the right path, His path. I wish I had been wiser, better, smarter....I wish so many things. But - I am grateful, ever so grateful that He has never left me and never will, that He will always walk with me and not let me fall - because I am His kid and He loves me!

What great encouragement, though we WILL stumble, our kind and loving Father is right there holding our hand. Our lives are not left to chance, they are under God's watchful eye, guiding us all the way. He is so good to us!

Verse 25 of this Psalm says....

I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken.

Lord, help us to seek You in all that we do so that we know Your will and Your ways before we step out. Thank You for holding our hands and not letting us fall and not letting us be overwhelmed.