The Metaphysics of Security Text: Psalm 37:18-19
Introduction: The Righteous Man's 401k
We live in an age of profound anxiety. Men are anxious about their jobs, their health, their portfolios, and the stability of the nation. The world offers a thousand different security systems, from insurance policies to gated communities to emergency prepper kits. But all these systems are built on sand. They are attempts to secure a future that is, apart from God, utterly insecure. They are attempts to manage the consequences of a world in rebellion against its Maker, without ever dealing with the rebellion itself. The secular man is constantly trying to build a seawall with materials that dissolve in water.
Psalm 37 is a bucket of cold water to the face of this fretful spirit. David, writing in his old age, gives us a series of profound contrasts between the righteous and the wicked. The central issue is one of permanence versus transience. The wicked, for a time, may seem to prosper. They are loud, they are flashy, they spread themselves like a green bay tree. But their prosperity is a mirage, their foundation is rot, and their end is to be cut off. The righteous, on the other hand, have a different kind of security altogether. It is not found in what they possess, but in who possesses them. Their security is metaphysical. It is grounded in the character and covenant faithfulness of Almighty God.
In the two verses before us today, we find a compact and potent summary of this covenantal security. It is a promise that cuts against the grain of all worldly wisdom. It is a declaration that the people of God are known, their inheritance is eternal, and their provision is guaranteed, even when the world's systems are collapsing. This is not a prosperity gospel that promises a life free of trouble. Rather, it is a dominion gospel that promises satisfaction and vindication in the midst of trouble.
The Text
Yahweh knows the days of the blameless,
And their inheritance will be forever.
They will not be ashamed in the time of evil,
And in the days of famine they will be satisfied.
(Psalm 37:18-19 LSB)
God's Personal Knowledge (v. 18a)
The first pillar of our security is found in the personal, intimate knowledge of God.
"Yahweh knows the days of the blameless..." (Psalm 37:18a)
The word for "knows" here is the Hebrew yada. This is not the detached, clinical knowledge of a scientist observing a specimen. This is the intimate, covenantal knowledge of a husband for his wife, a father for his son. It is the same word used in Genesis when Adam "knew" Eve his wife. It is the same knowledge God had of Abraham, to whom He said He "knew" him, that he would command his children after him. It is the knowledge of relationship, of commitment, of loyal love. God does not simply know about the blameless; He knows them.
And what does He know? He "knows the days" of the blameless. This means He knows the number of them, from the first to the last. Your lifespan is not a random draw. Your days were written in His book before one of them came to be. But it is more than just a number. He knows the content of those days. He knows the triumphs and the temptations, the joys and the sorrows, the victories and the stumbles. Nothing takes Him by surprise. Your life is not a series of unfortunate events; it is a story being written by a sovereign Author.
But who are these "blameless"? This is not a description of sinless perfection. Noah was blameless in his generation. Job was blameless. This does not mean they never sinned. It means they were men of integrity, men whose lives were oriented toward God, men who, when they fell, got back up and confessed their sin. In the New Covenant, to be blameless means to be found "in Christ." Our blamelessness is not a righteousness we have manufactured, but a righteousness that has been imputed to us by faith. We are blameless because we are clothed in the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ. So this promise is for every true believer. God knows your days because you are His child, wrapped in the righteousness of His Son.
A Permanent Inheritance (v. 18b)
Because God knows us and our days, He secures for us an inheritance that transcends our days.
"And their inheritance will be forever." (Psalm 37:18b)
Throughout this Psalm, the inheritance is described as "the land" or "the earth." This was, in the first instance, a promise to Israel of security in the land of Canaan. But the promise was always bigger than that. The promise to Abraham was that he would be the heir of the world. Jesus, quoting this very psalm, says, "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth" (Matthew 5:5). This is a postmillennial promise. It is a promise of dominion.
The inheritance of the saints is not a cloudy, ethereal, disembodied existence in the sweet by-and-by. Our inheritance is this world, redeemed, restored, and placed under the feet of King Jesus. The work of the church is to take dominion, to disciple the nations, and to fill the earth with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. This inheritance is "forever." It is not a temporary lease. It is a permanent possession. The wicked may currently hold mortgages on vast tracts of God's earth, but they are squatters. The title deed belongs to Christ and His people. History is the story of the meek inheriting the earth, slowly, surely, and inexorably.
This eternal inheritance is the ultimate security. The stock market can crash, nations can fall, but the kingdom of our God is an everlasting kingdom, and our place in it is secure. This is why we can work, build, plant, and plan for future generations. We are not polishing brass on a sinking ship. We are laying the foundations of a city that has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
Vindication in Dark Times (v. 19a)
The psalmist then applies this eternal security to the practical realities of a fallen world.
"They will not be ashamed in the time of evil..." (Psalm 37:19a)
A "time of evil" refers to a period of calamity, of social upheaval, of persecution, of moral decay. It is a time when the wicked seem to be prospering in their way, and the righteous are hard-pressed. In such times, the world expects the people of God to be ashamed, to be embarrassed by their faith, to retreat in confusion and defeat. The world expects our God to fail us.
But the promise is the opposite. We will not be ashamed. We will not be put to shame. Why? Because our hope is not in the stability of the times, but in the stability of our God. When the world's idols are revealed to be hollow, when their promises of security and prosperity turn to dust, the faithfulness of God will shine all the brighter. Our confidence is not in our circumstances, but in our covenant. Therefore, we can have a holy boldness, a cultural confidence, even when the culture is spiraling into the abyss. We are not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation, not just for individuals, but for nations.
This means we do not panic. We do not despair. When evil men advance their wicked schemes, we do not fret. We know that their "day is coming." We know that God laughs at them from the heavens. And so, in the time of evil, we are not ashamed. We are steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that our labor is not in vain in the Lord.
Supernatural Provision (v. 19b)
Finally, this security extends to our most basic physical needs.
"And in the days of famine they will be satisfied." (Psalm 37:19b)
Famine, in the ancient world, was the ultimate system collapse. It meant the crops had failed, the economy had ground to a halt, and the threat of starvation was real. A famine is a time when earthly resources are proven to be utterly insufficient. And it is precisely in this moment of insufficiency that God promises His people will be "satisfied."
This is a promise of supernatural provision. It does not mean we will be exempt from the hardship of the famine. It means that in the midst of it, God will provide. He did it for Israel in the wilderness with manna. He did it for Elijah with ravens and a widow's unending oil and flour. He did it for Joseph's family by placing him as prime minister of Egypt. God has a thousand ways to provide for His people that the world knows nothing of.
Notice the word is "satisfied." It is not just survival; it is satisfaction. This points to a contentment that is deeper than full bellies. It is the satisfaction of knowing that our ultimate provider is not the grocery store or the government, but the living God. It is the satisfaction that comes from trusting His promises when all other supports give way. This is why Jesus tells us not to be anxious about what we will eat or drink. Our Father knows what we need. Our task is to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to us. The righteous man, who is generous and lends, who trusts in the Lord and does good, will find that in the days of famine, he has plenty. God's economy operates on different principles than the world's. It operates on the principle of faith, and faith is always satisfied.
Conclusion: The Unshakeable Kingdom
So where is your security? Is it in your bank account? Your political party? Your own cleverness? All these things are sinking sand. Psalm 37 calls us to a radical reorientation of our trust. Our security is not in what we have, but in who we are. We are the blameless, known and loved by God. Our inheritance is not a fleeting earthly portfolio, but the entire redeemed cosmos, forever.
Therefore, we are not to be a people of anxiety, but a people of confidence. We are not to be ashamed when evil appears to have the upper hand, for we know its time is short. And we are not to fear lack, for our God owns the cattle on a thousand hills, and He has promised that in the days of famine, we will be satisfied.
This is the security of the covenant. It is the security that comes from being on the right side of history, which is His-story. The wicked are chaff that the wind drives away. But the righteous are like a tree planted by streams of water, whose leaf does not wither. In the time of evil, in the days of famine, that tree stands tall, a testament to the unshakeable faithfulness of the God who planted it.