Sinners in Need of Grace (Ps 36)

Read Psalm 36:

Of David, the servant of the LORD.

¹ Transgression speaks to the wicked deep in his heart; there is no fear of God before his eyes. ² For he flatters himself in his own eyes that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated.

³ The words of his mouth are trouble and deceit; he has ceased to act wisely and do good. ⁴ He plots trouble while on his bed; he sets himself in a way that is not good; he does not reject evil.

⁵ Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds. ⁶ Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; your judgments are like the great deep; man and beast you save, O LORD.

⁷ How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings. ⁸ They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights. ⁹ For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light.

¹⁰ Oh, continue your steadfast love to those who know you, and your righteousness to the upright of heart! ¹¹ Let not the foot of arrogance come upon me, nor the hand of the wicked drive me away. ¹² There the evildoers lie fallen; they are thrust down, unable to rise.

Understand Psalm 36:

Psalm 36 contrasts the wicked and the righteous: at the heart level, in their words and actions, then finally their eternal destinies. These words are written by the king himself: “Of David, the servant of the LORD.”[1] For although the king of Israel, David submits himself to the service of Yahweh. He seeks to be a man after God’s own heart who loves the righteous, but hates the wicked.

A. The Wicked Live Without Fear of God (vv. 1–4)

David begins by condemning those who live without fear of God: “Transgression speaks to the wicked deep in his heart” (v. 1a). David personifies transgression as a deceiver who utters an oracle of lies into the sinner’s heart. Instead of listening to God’s Word, the depraved man listens to the speech of the tempter. He harbors rebellion deep within his heart and seeks to please himself—to step across the boundary set by God. The wicked permits temptation to control his thoughts, emotions, and desires. For “there is no fear of God before his eyes” (v. 1b; see 16:8a). The wicked man does not tremble before a holy God (55:19). He ignores the “no trespassing” sign as he steals forbidden fruit. He squanders his prodigal life as if God does not exist, for the fool declares in his heart, “There is no God” (14:1a).

We witness such lack of reverence in the world around us. Yet we too, whenever we embrace transgression, live like God does not exist. We would cease from sin if we remembered, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb 10:31; see Matt 10:28). God’s certain judgment must be to us like a train bearing down the tracks. We hear the horn blare as the ground rumbles beneath our feet. It is right to be afraid if we have fallen on the tracks and healthy to tremble before oncoming destruction. The wicked, however, stand defiantly on the tracks with no fear of the approaching train. “For he flatters himself in his own eyes that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated” (Ps 36:2). The sinner thinks himself wiser than God as he smooths out the wrinkles of his iniquity (see 5:9; 12:2-3). For the voice of sin is sneaky and seductive like the serpent in the garden. Yet in the end, it leads to death.

The problem begins when we look at life through worldly eyes like Eve who “saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate” (Gen 3:6). The first couple delighted in sin instead of delighting in God. Achan also saw, with his own eyes, “a beautiful cloak from Shinar, and 200 shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing 50 shekels’” (7:21a). Achan coveted wealth and status more than the favor of God, so he took what was not his. David himself saw, with his own eyes, “a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful. . . . So David sent messengers and took her, and she came to him, and he lay with her” (2 Sam 11:2b, 4a).

Transgression tricks us into thinking that no one can see our sin, including God: “No one will know. I’m certain to get away with it” (Ps 10:6, 11, 13). We lie to ourselves: “It’s not that big a deal. Everyone’s doing it. Biblical morals are just religious superstitions. There’s no God who will hold me accountable—no such thing as eternal judgment. Besides, I’m young. I’ve got plenty of time to change.” Sin blinds us to the way of God, for “the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jer 17:9). Sin has no logic. It doesn’t make sense. For we can lie to ourselves and to others, but we can never lie to the all-knowing God who declares, “I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds” (v. 10). Whatever we do, God will know and he will always assign the appropriate consequences.

A wicked heart then produces deceitful words and foolish actions: “The words of his mouth are trouble and deceit; he has ceased to act wisely and do good” (Ps 36:3). Once we lie to ourselves, we deceive others also and bring grief to them as well. Adam and Eve hid from God and plunged the entire human race in sin. Achan hid the spoils of battle beneath his tent which led to Israel’s defeat. David hid his adultery with Bathsheba for over a year and his family paid for it bitterly. Ironically, the moment we hide, we admit our guilt. Yet still, we deceive ourselves into thinking there’s nothing wrong. Sin corrupts our thinking before it corrupts both our speech and our behavior.

Sadly, believers can also stumble into sin. “To cease” from acting wisely and from doing good implies a fall from virtue. This wicked man once lived among the godly, yet sin now drags him through the mud. He has become so vile that he stays up late just to plot more sin (v. 4; see Prov 23:7; Mic 2:1). Evil has enticed him as he descends further into self-deception. He no longer fears the Lord as he lives a lie which will bring forth death (Jas 1:15).

Psalm 36 reminds us that the good news begins with bad news: We are all sinners at heart. None are inherently good and even our best intentions have mixed motives. Therefore, our primary problem is not a lack of education or low self-esteem. The root of our sin is neither injustice nor inequality as terrible as those are. We will not find our salvation in new technologies or man-made progress. And depravity is not relegated simply to the worst of men. Instead, every one of us is sinful at heart: “None is righteous, no, not one” (Rom 3:10). We all suppress the truth about God in our unrighteousness (1:18). Therefore, Paul quotes from Psalm 36 to describe the plight of man: “There is no fear of God before their eyes” (Rom 3:18). We are not only born with a sinful nature, but our wicked hearts have also manifested themselves in sinful words and actions. As sinners by nature and sinners by choice, we plot our sin then seek to live it out.

We need the antidote of God’s forgiveness as we fear the Lord and tremble before his coming wrath (Ps 130:3-4). We must confess our sin and call upon his grace. He then renews our heart’s desires until we start producing godly words and actions. For “the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight” (Prov 9:10).

B. The Righteous Delight in the Love of God (vv. 5–6)

The wicked live without fear of God, but the righteous delight in God’s love: “Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds. Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; your judgments are like the great deep; man and beast you save, O LORD” (Ps 36:5-6; see 57:10; 71:19; 85:11; 103:11; 108:4). David now turns his focus to our majestic God.[2]

Immeasurable Love

God’s foremost attribute is his “steadfast love” (hesed)—mentioned three times in Psalm 36 (vv. 5, 7, 10). The righteous call Yahweh by his personal name and embrace his covenant love which reaches to the heavens. We admire any father’s love for his child, but God’s “steadfast love” for his covenant people reigns supreme. His unfailing compassion extends to the vast, immeasurable reaches of outer space and deeper than the ocean depths. There are no limits to God’s covenant love for those he calls his own.

Enduring Faithfulness

David also celebrates God’s enduring faithfulness (v. 5b), for Yahweh’s immeasurable love guarantees his Word. We can always count on God to keep his promises. As Spurgeon wrote, “He never fails, nor forgets, nor falters, nor forfeits his word.”[3] One such promise is found in Psalm 103:11-12, “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.” God’s faithful love is greater than our sin and his forgiveness reaches farther than any guilt can bury us.

Unshakeable Righteousness

God’s righteousness stands impregnable like the mighty mountains—sheer, solid, unyielding walls of rock which make man’s deeds like swampy marshlands (v. 6a). Mountains “of God” define their majesty, for these massive peaks tower above mere mortals. Our sin often appears so large that it blocks out light and consumes our thoughts. Yet God’s unshakeable righteousness is like the mighty mountains. His holiness cannot be moved.

Inexhaustible Judgments

Next, we observe God’s judgments to be as inexhaustible as the ocean deeps (36:6b). Picture yourself watching from the shore as constant waves undulate in-and-out, crashing to the beach, before unfurling into the ocean as far as the eye can see. Then, imagine diving into the middle of that sea and thrashing your way downward until your lungs burst for air, knowing that the deepest parts of the ocean still stretch for miles until you reach the bottom. God’s wondrous judgments are never shallow like the short-sighted wisdom of man (Isa 55:8-9). Therefore, let us not pretend we know more than God.

Saving Grace

Finally, consider God’s salvation: “Man and beast you save, O LORD” (Ps 36:6c). It is in God’s nature to save and for God’s glory that he frees us. So, we need not lie about our sin or claim to be better people than we are. The good news for messed-up sinners is that God offers us his saving grace.

Therefore, the remedy for the wicked is to delight in God. We know him through his own divine revelation: “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin” (Exod 34:6-7a). We know him through David’s joyous exaltation in Psalm 36. We know him through the person and work of Jesus Christ (Eph 3:17-19). We know him through his immeasurable love for us.

C. The Righteous Receive the Blessings of God (vv. 7–9)

As we trust in God, we then receive his abundant blessings. As David continues, “How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light” (vv. 7-9).

Fierce Protection

These blessings for the righteous include God’s fierce protection, for “the children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings” (v. 7b). Like a mother hen covers its chicks with her wings, so God protects his people (2:12; 91:4; Ruth 2:12; Matt 23:37). Like a soldier falls on a grenade to save the lives of his battalion, God bears the brunt of sin. He has done this most clearly at the cross. For we, as sinners, deserved his judgment (Rom 6:23a). But God, became a man like us in Jesus Christ. He took his Father’s wrath upon himself and died an undeserved death. He is our refuge from the consequences of sin—our fierce protection.

Joyous Satisfaction

A second blessing is God’s joyous satisfaction, for “they feast on the abundance of your house” (Ps 36:8a).[4] Picture a banquet with food and wine aplenty. We can eat and drink until we’re full. In God’s house, we’re always satisfied. Sin will turn us away from God. It looks for satisfaction in the pig slop of the far country. But God welcomes home the prodigal. He places a new robe upon his shoulders and throws a feast: “For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and [now] is found” (Luke 15:22-24). There is ample abundance in the house of God.

Our satisfaction then leads to joy: “You give them drink from the river of your delights” (Ps 36:8b). This phrase conjures up the paradise of Eden from which flowed mighty rivers (Gen 2:10-14). In fact, the word “delights” is the plural form of Eden (naḥal ʿadaneka) and points us forward to the paradise still to come. For there will flow a river of life in the new heavens and the new earth (Rev 22:1-2a). And just like Eden, there will be a tree of life, with roots “on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations” (v. 2b).

“For with you is the fountain of life” (Ps 36:9a). Believers find our joyous satisfaction in God alone, for he is “the fountain of living waters” (Jer 2:13)—a life-giving well though his people have forsaken him (see 17:13). They have scoured empty cisterns and left their first love for wells without water. Yet wisdom calls them to return, for “the fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death” (Prov 14:27).

Life and Light

A third blessing in Psalm 36 is life and light (v. 9). For God fashioned human life when he declared, “‘Let there be light,’ and there was light” (Gen 1:3). This psalm’s majestic imagery of heavens and clouds, mountains and seas, and man and beast as well point back to the creation week.

Yet life and light also point forward to the coming of Jesus Christ. For John 1 would describe the world’s creation as the handiwork of God’s Son: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (1:1-5; see v. 9; 8:12). Thus, Christ as our blessed life and light is foretold in David’s psalm and foreshadowed by creation. Paul makes the same connection between the physical creation and new life: “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

Then, even beyond creation and David’s kingdom and Christ’s first coming, life and light also point us forward to the final consummation in which “the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it” (Rev 21:23-24). The Lamb of God, Christ Jesus, provides both eternal life and light in the new heavens and the new earth. Christ will be the King of kings and the greater Son of David in that place where “righteousness dwells” (2 Pet 3:13).

All these pictures from Psalm 36 find their ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ who created the world and all mankind, who accomplished redemption for repentant sinners, and who will rule and reign forever in his eternal kingdom. Jesus is our fierce protection (John 3:16-17) whose tender love is like a mother hen shielding her chicks while the bomb drops on Hiroshima. In the morning, the mother hen is found cold and lifeless, but her chicks are still alive. So also, at the cross, our Savior took the punishment for sin upon himself. He bore his Father’s wrath and restored us with true righteousness. “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (15:13). Therefore, if Christ’s love protected us at the cross, we are confident he will keep us safe us through life’s enduring trials (Rom 8:32).

In addition, Jesus is our satisfying joy. As he told the Samaritan woman at the well, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.’ The woman said to him, ‘Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water?’ . . . Jesus said to her, ‘Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life’” (John 4:10-14). Jesus is our living water—our eternal life—our ever-satisfying joy. Those who drink of Christ will never thirst again. As he declared on the Feast’s final day, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water’” (7:37-38).

Finally, Jesus is our life and light. “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life’” (8:12). When we walk with Jesus, we always have light for our path. He leads us even in the dark, for he is both our life and light. The righteous who delight in the love of God will surely receive the blessings of God.

D. All Will Face the Judgment of God (vv. 10–12)

David contrasts the wicked with the righteous, then declares that all will face God’s judgment. For the third time, he delights in the eternal, steadfast, covenant love of Yahweh toward those who know him truly: “Oh, continue your steadfast love to those who know you, and your righteousness to the upright of heart!” (Ps 36:10). He cries for God to pour out righteousness and prays, “Let not the foot of arrogance come upon me” (v. 11a). In battle, ancient kings would place their foot upon the necks of those they conquered (see 8:6; 110:1). So, like David, we might pray, “O Lord, don’t let my enemies shame me! Don’t let the wicked triumph or the arrogant stomp my face!”

“Nor the hand of the wicked drive me away” (Ps 36:11b) could also refer to living water. For in agrarian society, access to the watering hole meant life-and-death (e.g., Gen 13; 26; Exod 2:16-19). David pleads that the wicked might not drive him away from the fountain of life. Yet do we likewise yearn for the presence of God as a matter of life-or-death? Are we satisfied in the living water offered by our Savior? David prays to receive God’s favor.

He then pictures the ultimate defeat of sinners: “There the evildoers lie fallen; they are thrust down, unable to rise” (Ps 36:12). No matter how bad the situation seems, God will win. No matter how much sin appears to reign, God will win. Thus, David’s vision of fallen sinners reminds us that the sovereign God will rule for all eternity. “Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish” (1:5-6).

Sinners are sentenced to spiritual death if we do not repent and believe in Christ. We are destined for God’s judgment if we are not numbered with the righteous. Thus, Psalm 36 declares the blessed hope of our salvation accomplished in Jesus Christ. Praise God for his steadfast lovingkindness to those who know him! Praise God for his unchanging faithfulness to keep the promises in his Word! Praise God for his imputed righteousness through the finished work of Jesus! Praise God for his sovereign judgments and certain salvation in eternity to come! Praise God that he loves us to the heavens and beyond!

Apply Psalm 36:

Map the step-by-step descent from temptation to sin, then ultimately to judgment (Ps 36:1-4; Jas 1:13-15). How has this been true of your own experience?

What does it look like to fear the Lord or to tremble before his Word? How does such terror in our hearts redemptively lead us into joyful worship and right living?

Meditate on God’s marvelous attributes unveiled in Psalm 36:5-6. How do these unchanging truths minister to your soul today?
Delight in God’s abundant blessings which he promises for his children (Ps 36:7-12). In what ways have you received “every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” (Eph 1:3).
How does Psalm 36 remind God’s people of the world’s creation? How does it point believers to Christ’s first coming in the incarnation? To his second coming in glory?

Counsel Psalm 36:

The wicked reap the consequences for rebellious words and deeds. Yet the steadfast love of God transforms the stubborn heart and produces spiritual fruit. We must help our counselees reflect upon God’s greatness in order for their hearts to change and their lives to be filled with blessing.[5]

Projects for Growth (Psalm 36)

Examine your life for any prolonged patterns of sinful speech or behavior. What desires and thoughts of the heart have led to your rebellion? In what ways have you stopped fearing God? (vv. 1-4).
Meditate on God’s marvelous attributes unveiled in Psalm 36: Immeasurable love (v. 5a); Enduring faithfulness (v. 5b); Unshakeable righteousness (v. 6a); Inexhaustible judgments (v. 6); Saving grace (v. 6c).
Delight in God’s blessings which he promises for his children: Fierce protection (v. 7); Joyous satisfaction (v. 8); Life and light (v. 9); Steadfast love and righteousness (v. 10); Salvation from judgment (vv. 11-12).
Reflect on the hymn by Isaac Watts, When I Survey the Wondrous Cross. Write a song or poem of your own expressing praise for God’s person and his work.
Pray Psalm 36:

Graciously forgive my sinful speech and actions (vv. 1-4).
I praise you, Lord, for your steadfast lovingkindness (v. 5).
Keep me safe in the shadow of your wings (vv. 6-7, 11-12).
Thank you for delighting my soul in you alone (vv. 8-9).
Lord, keep on pouring out your loyal love to me (v. 10).

[1] David only elsewhere receives this title in Psalms 18:1; 35:27.

[2] An intricate merism depicts God’s total governance of heaven and earth, clouds and ocean deeps, and everything in between. Hamilton suggests that the psalm’s chiastic structure focuses on God’s divine attributes in verses 5-6 (Hamilton, Psalms, 1:392).

36:1–2, The Delusion of the Wicked

36:3–4, Words and Plots on the Way Not Good

36:5–6, Lovingkindness, Righteousness, Justice

36:7–9, The Satisfaction of Knowing God

36:10–12, Prayer for Those Who Know God

[3] Charles Spurgeon, Exposition of Psalm 36.

[4] “To feast” can also mean “to refresh, to quench thirst” as we carry on the theme of living water.

[5] See Paul Tripp, Age of Opportunity: A Biblical Guide to Parenting Teens (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2001), 216-22, for specific application of these principles to parenting teens.