Psalm 36: Divine justice and the nature of sin
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Psalm 36 is considered a balance of wisdom that at the same time exalts the love of God and reveals the nature of sin. See our interpretation of each verse of these sacred words.
The words of faith and wisdom of Psalm 36
Read the sacred words carefully:
1 I have a message from God in my heart
concerning the sinfulness of the wicked:
There is no fear of God
before their eyes.2 In their own eyes they flatter themselves
too much to detect or hate their sin.
3 The words of their mouths are wicked and deceitful;
they fail to act wisely or do good.
4 Even on their beds they plot evil;
they commit themselves to a sinful course
and do not reject what is wrong.5 Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the skies.
6 Your righteousness is like the highest mountains,
your justice like the great deep.
You, Lord, preserve both people and animals.
7 How priceless is your unfailing love, O God!
People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
8 They feast on the abundance of your house;
you give them drink from your river of delights.
9 For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light we see light.10 Continue your love to those who know you,
your righteousness to the upright in heart.
11 May the foot of the proud not come against me,
nor the hand of the wicked drive me away.
12 See how the evildoers lie fallen—
thrown down, not able to rise!
Interpretation of Psalm 36
In order for you to interpret the whole message of this mighty Psalm 36, the WeMystic team made a detailed description of each passage of this Psalm, see below:
Verses 1 to 4
These first verses from Psalm 36 show how evil acts within the heart of the wicked. As it lodges within the being, it distracts the fear of God, brings malice and deceit to their words, abandons prudence and the will to do good. They go on to plan evil because they no longer has revulsion or hatred for what is wrong. Moreover, they conceal from their own eyes what he does, taking care that their evil deeds are not discovered and detested.
Verses 5 and 6
In these verses we find the absolute opposite of all that was said in previous verses. Now the psalmist reveals the immensity of God’s love, how much God’s goodness is immense, and his justice is inexhaustible. They are words of praise that contrast with the descriptions of nature (clouds, abysses, animals and men).
Verses 7 to 9
In these words, the psalmist exalts the benefits that the faithful to God will enjoy: protection from the shadows, food and drink, light and life that God offers. It shows how rewarding it will be to be faithful to the one God. The continual salvation and mercy of God for His people are often described in terms of living and revivifying waters
Verses 10 to 12
Again, David makes a comparison between the nature of the wicked and the faithful love of God. The faithful get the goodness of God and justice. The wicked died in their pride, being overthrown without being able to rise. David has a glimpse of the horror of the consequences of the divine judgment upon the wicked.
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- Psalm 21: meaning of the sacred word
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- Psalm 35: a psalm of the faithful who believes in divine justice
- Psalm 37: divine words of delivery and wisdom
- Psalm 44: a psalm of collective lamentation
- Psalm 46: the virtue of acknowledgment
- Psalm 51: the power of forgiveness
- Psalm 90: psalm of reflection and self-knowledge
- Psalm 91: the most powerful shield of spiritual protection
- Psalm 100: gratitude to promote good energies
- Psalm 103: a praise for God’s love and forgiveness
- Psalm 119: the longest of them all
- Psalm 121: meeting grace and divine protection
- Psalm 139: the power of divine protection
