The Steps Of A Good Man Are Ordered By The Lord
Psalms 37:23-25 – “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delights in his way (the ‘Good Man’ is the Lord Jesus Christ).
“Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholds him with His Hand (this Passage tells us that what God is promising is not an uneventful life; there will be difficulties along the way; in fact, at times the Believer looks as though he will be defeated and ‘utterly cast down’; but we have the Promise of the Lord that He will pick us up and start us again on our way).
“I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. (What a Promise! God’s Word is true. If our steps are ‘ordered by the Lord,’ we will never be forsaken, nor will we suffer want. Such will be until the Lord calls us home [Heb. 11:35-40].)”
Psalm 37 was written by David in the twilight of his life. He is writing from the perspective of experience, his experience of knowing God and walking with God. He is, in effect, looking back at his life, a life of great victories and great failures.
It has been said, and rightly so, that one never really learns anything about themselves when victorious, but it’s in failure that one is forced to look deep in their heart and see who they really are and what they are.
If one could sum up the true meaning of this Psalm, it would be God’s ever abiding faithfulness to His Children. We fail, we stumble, we doubt, we grow discouraged in our journey of life, but never forget you may fail a test but you can still pass the course. That is what David’s life shows us.
Let’s now dissect these Promises of God.
STEPS
The word “steps” means “one’s going,” “the way one goes,” “one’s direction.” All of these meanings portray to us the Path of Life. The idea is that when one gives their heart to the Lord, they embark on a journey that is planned, willed, and Ordained by the Lord. The Lord has a specific Plan for every one of His Children. We were not Saved to wander aimlessly in life, but to do and to be what the Lord has planned for us. Never forget that the Lord is the Great Shepherd and we are His Sheep, and as the True Shepherd, He desires that His Sheep be taken care of and protected.
OF A GOOD MAN
The “good man” is the person whose sins have been cleansed by the Lord and whose Faith is solely placed in Who Christ is and what Christ has done for us on Calvary’s Cross. However, the statement really goes further than one may see. The True “Good Man” is the Lord Jesus Christ. In reality, there is no good whatsoever in any of us. Romans 3:10 plainly states, “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one.” The goodness or righteousness the Believer has is imputed to him by the Lord through Faith.
ORDERED
The word “ordered” means “established,” which in the Hebrew means “to decree,” “to make good,” “to ordain,” “to succeed,” “to raise up.” The Holy Spirit through David is stating that the journey of our lives has been “decreed,” “ordered,” “ordained” by the Creator of the World. That’s how much He loves us. He loves us enough to plan out every step of our life. That doesn’t mean there will never be trials and tribulations for just as a natural sheep at times strays from his shepherd, so do we as Spiritual Sheep stray from our Heavenly Shepherd. But in spite of our failures and shortcomings, the Lord will not cast us aside.
HE DELIGHTS IN HIS WAY
To one who allows the Lord to order his life, the Lord delights in him and won’t leave him. One day, when we stand in Heaven and we hear the Words of the Master say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant,” then we will truly see and feel the Love the Lord has for us. We will see how He delights in His Children.
THOUGH HE FALL
Webster’s Dictionary defines the word “though” as “in spite of the fact,” or “even if.” This tells us that sometimes the way is dark and we falter and fail, but the Holy Spirit says, “in spite of,” “even if” you fall, “you shall not be utterly cast down.” That’s Justification by Faith. We are going to fail, but there is a great difference in us failing and one’s faith failing. True Faith gets up off the ground and continues on the journey the Lord has prepared.
FOR THE LORD UPHOLDETH HIM WITH HIS HANDS
The word “hand” is a Hebrew idiom meaning “power,” “strength,” “means.” Simply put, it means the One Who upholds the universe is the One Who holds us in His Hands, and you can rest assured when you are in His Hands, you are in Good Hands.
DAVID’S CONCLUSION
David closed out the test with this great promise: “I have been young, and now am old, yet have I not seen the Righteous forsaken nor His Seed begging for bread.” In its literal meaning, David was speaking of Israel in a time yet to come, yet this great promise includes us today. However, never forget all of God’s Promises are conditional. If we function according to the Word of God, we will reap God’s Promises.
If we adhere to God’s Prescribed Order, which is Faith in Christ and the Cross, we will reap God’s Promises.
The journey of one’s Christian experience is never smooth, but I leave you with these words penned well over one hundred years ago:
“I can see far down the mountain,"
“Where I wondered weary years,"
“Often hindered in my journey,"
“By the ghosts of doubts and fear;"
“Broken vows and disappointments"
“Thickly sprinkled all the way,"
“But the Spirit led, unerring,"
“To the land I hold today.”
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