The Ten Commandments

Negatives and Positives

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Biblical Law

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2026-01-04

Synopsis: John Weaver explores the biblical pattern of negatives and positives, using Psalm 37 as the primary text. He explains that negatives tell us what not to do, while positives instruct us in right thinking and action. The sermon emphasizes that every negative command has a corresponding positive, and vice versa, illustrated through the Ten Commandments and New Testament teachings. In Psalm 37, the repeated command 'fret not' is a negative that must be replaced with four positive graces: trusting in the Lord, delighting in the Lord, committing our way to the Lord, and resting in the Lord. The psalm also contrasts the temporary prosperity of the wicked with the eternal inheritance of the righteous, assuring believers of God's sovereign control and ultimate justice.

[John Weaver] Psalm 37. And the title of the message is Negatives and Positives. Negatives and Positives. So notice if you would, Psalm 37, beginning with verse one, fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity, for they shall soon be cut down like the grass and wither as the green herb. Trust in the Lord and do good. So shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the Lord, and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord, and trust also in him, and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him. Threaten not thyself because of him who prostrates in the way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. cease from anger and forsake wrath fret not thyself in any wise to do evil for evildoers shall be cut off and those that wait upon the Lord they shall inherit the earth for yet a little while and the wicked shall not be yea thou shalt diligently consider his place and it shall not

[John Weaver] be now i'm going to stop there but remember the title of the message is negatives and positives and i've pointed out many times while i was preaching that the Word of God is full of negatives and positives. Or if you desire, I would say positives and negatives. But this is true in the Old Testament and it's also true in the New Testament. The importance of this style of teaching in negatives and positives is simply this.

[John Weaver] The negative tells you what not to do. It tells you what not to think. It tells you what not or how not to act. The positive tells you what to do, how to think, and how to act. So this negative and positive that we see in the Word of God is to actually control the entirety of our lives in thinking as well as in acting as well.

[John Weaver] Now we have in the Bible what is known as wisdom literature, which I've mentioned here before. Wisdom literature happens to be the book of Job, the book of Psalms, the book of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon. You will find in these wisdom books a lot of negatives and positives as well. They are filled with this kind of teaching. When you get to the New Testament, you will find the Apostle Paul also makes use of this kind of teaching, and especially in the books of Ephesians and Colossians.

[John Weaver] For instance, he changes the negative and the positive to simply put off and put on. So putting off is the negative and putting on is the positive. So you're going to find this teaching throughout the entirety of the Word of God. So let me just give you some illustrations and examples before we begin looking at Psalm 37. Would you consider the Ten Commandments? And I hope you can quote those 10 commandments. But out of the 10 commandments, you only have two positive commandments, the fourth one and the fifth one. The rest of the commandments are set in negative terms.

[John Weaver] And there's a reason for that. So thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not covet. All these are negatives. A negative usually deals with a particular sin and a particular evil. So if you're not committing that particular sin or that particular evil, then the negative does not necessarily apply to you. Okay, so just pointing out that.

[John Weaver] Now, let me show you the importance of this. Because every negative has a positive. Every positive has a negative. Sometimes a negative may have multiple positives, and sometimes a positive may have multiple negatives. So let's take, just for an example, the Eighth Commandment. The Eighth Commandment is, thou shalt not steal. When we think of thou shalt not steal, that means I'm not to take anything that belongs to Roger and Sharon. At least not take it without their permission. If I took it without their permission, then I'm stealing. Thou shalt not steal. We understand that. But what about the positive side of thou shalt not steal? So every negative has a positive. So if you want to see what the positive side of Thou Shalt Not Steal is, then I'm going to ask you to turn in your Bibles holding Psalm 37 to the book of Ephesians chapter 4 and look if you would please at verse 28. Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 28. Now please remember this, Thou Shalt Not Steal, that is a negative.

[John Weaver] And just so you say, well, I'm not stealing. I must be obeying that commandment. No, no, no. Because the negative has a positive in order to obey the commandment. You must not only obey the negative. You must also obey the positive. So when you look in Ephesians four and verse twenty eight, the word of God says this. Let him that stole steal no more, but rather let him labor working with his hands, the thing which is good, that ye may give to him that needeth. Now look at this. Let him that stole steal no more. That's the negative. Do not steal. What is the positive? Learn to labor, working with your hands, that which is good.

[John Weaver] In other words, you're doing honest work. But wait a minute. There's more to it than just doing honest work. Look what he says. That ye may give to him that needeth. In other words, you're not only working for yourself and earning your money, You are not a covetous individual, that is what a thief is. You're not a selfish individual, that is what a thief is. But now you have developed a generous and loving and compassionate spirit and you're willing to share and you're willing to give to him that need it. Not willing necessarily to give to everyone that asks it, but to him that need it. And there would be an understanding of a biblical need as well. So the positive side of thou shalt not steal is that you are to be an honest laborer doing that which is right with a compassionate, unselfish, and ungreedy attitude and willing to share with those who need. So there you see the negative then has an absolute positive.

[John Weaver] Now when you think about the positives in the Bible, I mentioned that the fourth and fifth commandments are positive. So let's just take the fifth example, the fifth commandment as an example, where the Word of God says, honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days upon the earth may be long, which the Lord thy God giveth thee. So he says, honor thy father and thy mother. So you're going to find that all the positives are undergirded with negatives as well. So what does it mean then to honor your father and mother? Well, first of all, we could say, obviously, the first negative would be, thou shalt not dishonor thy father and thy mother in thy thoughts, attitudes, or actions. So, honor forbids dishonor. Okay? The second thing that we could say about the positive side of this commandment is that it also teaches us Obedience.

[John Weaver] For instance, in Ephesians 6 and verse 1, children, obey your parents in the Lord for this is right. So you have a negative and you have a positive. The negative is do not dishonor. Part of the positive is you must honor them as well.

[John Weaver] Now, you're going to say to me, well, I'm not a child any longer. And maybe my parents are dead or maybe my parents are elderly or I'm married and I have children myself. Well, you have to understand this. There is never a time when honor ceases. There may be a time when obedience ceases in the sense that here I am married and children and grandchildren and of course my parents are both dead, but if my father was alive, he would have no authority to command me over my wife or over my children. You follow that? Because I'm the head of my house, he was the head of his house. Now, after Alice and I were married, and after we had children, we went back and visited our parents. We would visit my parents, we'd visit her parents. And both of us, when we would go back for a visit, would try not only to honor our parents, but also to obey them.

[John Weaver] to the extent that we could. For instance, when I went back to see my father, he is still my father, and I'm still his child. I don't care if I'm 40 years old or 50 years old, I'm still his child. And my mother still, until she died, called me her baby, and I was. I was the youngest of the two, but I'm just simply pointing out. And when I would go back to visit my father, He is still the head of his house. And I'm still his child. So whenever he would ask me to do something, as much as I could, I would obey it. I just would. And my mother asked me to do something, I would obey it.

[John Weaver] Thankfully, my father never ever tried to tell me how to run my wife, how to run my children, how to run my home. Certainly, he would offer counsel, he would offer advice. But he never tried to run my life after I was married or my family. It's just that simple. But now there are other ways that we can honor our parents, even when we are grown. How do we do that? Well, here's a verse. First Timothy, chapter five and verse eight.

[John Weaver] You need to write it down. Here it is. God said, but if any provide not for his own and especially for those of his own house, He has denied the faith. He is worse than an infidel.

[John Weaver] Now, let that sink in. But if any provide not for his own, especially their own household, he has denied the faith. He's worse than infidel. So here's what God is saying. Your parents took care of you when you were incapable of taking care of yourself. They fed you. They clothed you. They nurse you. They doctored you. They educated you. And now when the parents are elderly and can't take care of themselves, it's now the children's responsibility to take care of their parents. It's not the state's responsibility. It's the responsibility of the children.

[John Weaver] In fact, I would even go farther. It's the responsibility of the extended family. Because if you read in 1 Timothy chapter 5, He also talks about widows. He said honor widows that are widows indeed. But if a widow have children or nephews, that's an extended family, let them first show piety at home and requite their parents. And so the word requite means to pay back. And to show piety at home, it means to show godliness, holiness, righteousness, and obedience.

[John Weaver] Now, so let me just point out the facts. that in the New Testament our Lord thoroughly rebuked the Pharisees over this issue of honoring your parents because they were dishonoring and allowing others to dishonor their parents. So let me show you. So hold Psalm 37 but turn in your Bibles to two passages. First of all to Matthew chapter 15 and then secondly to Mark chapter 7. So we'll go to Matthew chapter 15 first and I want you to note beginning there with verse 1 and I will explain this. Matthew chapter 15 verse 1, Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees which were of Jerusalem, saying, Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders?

[John Weaver] For they wash not their hands when they eat bread. But he answered and said unto them, Why do you also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? For God commanded, honor thy father and mother, and he that cursed his father and mother let him die of the death. So what you see right here is a good contrast. If you are not honoring your parents, you're cursing your parents. And the law of God said whoever cursed their parents deserved the death penalty. Now, so watch this. He says, For God commanded, saying, Unto thy father and thy mother, And he that curseth father and mother, let him die of the dead. But you say, Here's what they were teaching, Whosoever shall say to his father and mother, It is a gift. Now look at it. By whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me and honor not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have you made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. So he says you are dishonoring your parents and you're dishonoring God who commanded you to honor your parents.

[John Weaver] Now, before I explain it, turn over to Mark chapter seven and let's begin reading there with verse nine. Mark chapter seven, verse nine. It's basically the same thing, but just a little bit different. Watch this. Mark seven, verse nine. And he said unto them, still the Pharisees, full well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your own tradition. For Moses said, Honor thy father and thy mother, and whoso curses father and mother, let him die the death. But you say, If a man shall say to his father or his mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me, he shall be free, and you suffer him no more to do aught for his father or his mother, making the word of God

[John Weaver] of none effect through your tradition which you have delivered and many such like things you do." Now, notice if you would, the word Korban is used here when it was not used in Matthew chapter 5 or 15. So the word Korban just simply means a gift or it means dedicated. So what the rabbis would do with this, they would let a man come up and dedicate his money to the Lord. He would only have to say the word Corban. It's a gift. It's dedicated.

[John Weaver] And thus then they would relieve him of his responsibility of taking care of his elderly, aging, and possibly sickly parents. Because you could not use money that had been dedicated to God for such a mundane purpose of taking care of old iron people. Well, and so they made the Word of God of none effect. They despised the Word of God by saying that all of this stuff is dedicated. Perhaps the rabbi got a little cut, I don't know, but all I'm saying is they just simply had to say it's a gift and they according to the Pharisaic religion, were relieved then of their responsibility of helping their parents.

[John Weaver] So, will you here honor thy father and thy mother? It has a lot of negatives, but also at the same time, it means do not dishonor them in any way whatsoever, and it would mean further positives. You take care of them when they could not take care of themselves. You help them in any way that you can help them. You do for them whatever you can do for them. That's what it would basically mean.

[John Weaver] Now, before we get back to Psalm 37, I want you to turn over in your Bibles to 1 Thessalonians chapter 5. And I want you to just look at this passage, and I'm just pointing out how many times that we see in the Bible positives and negatives, and how we have to stop and think when we look at this so that we can actually understand what is being said. So, in 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, let's begin looking there at verse 16. Here's a simple verse. Two words. Rejoice evermore. That's a positive. Rejoice evermore.

[John Weaver] Well, what would be the negative? Do not complain. Do not deliate. Do not whine and cry. You see what I'm saying? so if you really understand what it means to rejoice evermore you have to understand also what it does not mean and what it does mean okay so look at verse 17 pray without ceasing well what does that mean it means that you must be in a constant state of prayer now that doesn't mean that you have to stay down on your knees 24 hours a day but what it does mean You should be praying about anything and everything that happens to you during the day.

[John Weaver] You should be asking God's will. You should be asking God for direction. You should be asking God for his divine help and mercy. So pray without ceasing. Look at verse 18. And everything give thanks. That's positive. For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. That's positive. And everything give thanks. What's that mean? Don't grumble. Don't complain. Be thankful for whatever you have. I like what the hillbilly said. He said, bless God, he said, I ain't got but two teeth in my mouth, but thank God they meet. Well, that's good. If they meet, you can you can eat meat. That's a fact. So just simply saying, in everything, give thanks for this is the will of God and Christ Jesus concerning you.

[John Weaver] Then he says, quench not the spirit. That's a negative. So what would be the positive? Be submissive to the Holy Spirit. Be tender toward his direction and his leadership. Follow him. Obey him. Disguise not prophesies. I'm going to come back to that one. So that's the negative. You have to understand what the positive is. Then he says prove all things. Well, what would be the negative? Don't be gullible. Don't be easily deceived. Don't swallow every lie that comes down the road. No. Prove all things. And once you prove them, hold fast that which is good.

[John Weaver] Lord, you know what truth is. You hold it fast. And then he says in verse 22, abstain from all appearance of evil. So that means positively we should make sure that our life, our thinking, our attitude, everything about it does not even appear to be evil. and we're not associating with it in any way whatsoever. Now, if you go back to verse 20, he says, despised, not prophesied.

[John Weaver] Now, the word prophesied here is the word prophetia, which literally means a prophecy or a discourse which is emanating from divine inspiration, which would be the Bible. A prophecy here would refer to declaring, pronouncing, teaching and preaching the Word of God, demonstrating the purpose of God, not only toward those who are unsaved, but also toward the saved. It would include comforting the saints. It would include giving direction and counsel to the saints. What this Word does not mean, and cannot mean, is that there is now fresh and new revelation coming to someone over and above and beyond the Word of God. And the reason it can't mean that is because, number one, revelation has ceased. It has stopped. God is not revealing anything else anymore. We have the completed Word of God, and we also have the living Word of God.

[John Weaver] Now, since you're so close, if you will turn over in your Bibles to Ephesians chapter, I'm sorry, Hebrews chapter 1, Hebrews chapter 1, and let's begin reading there with verse 1. Just a few pages over. Hebrews chapter 1 and verse 1. Look at this. This is why I'm telling you there is no more revelation. Here we go. God, who at sundry times and in divers manners, or different manners, different times, spake in time past in the fathers by the prophets. Yes, when you look in the Old Testament and in the New Testament, There were prophets that had dreams, there were prophets that were in trances, there were prophets that had visions, different ways that God spoke. But look at verse 2.

[John Weaver] But he hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he is appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the world. Who is God's last, full, and final revelation? It's Jesus Christ. So when someone is telling me, well, I just got this revelation from God. Here's what God's going to do. No, you didn't get a revelation from God. You may have gotten one from your own dream factory or the fact that you ate a peanut butter, mayonnaise, pickle and onion sandwich before you went to sleep, but you didn't get it from God. Because if you try to tell me you now have a new revelation, you are denying, first of all, that the Bible is the Word of God and denying, secondly, that Jesus Christ is the full and final revelation of God. You're saying that there's something beyond the Bible and there's something beyond Jesus Christ, which is blasphemy. So when he says despise not prophesize, what he's saying is do not despise the preaching and teaching from the Word of God.

[John Weaver] Don't despise it. When you read throughout the Old Testament particularly and really in the book of Jeremiah, Jeremiah preached to these people and what would they do? They refused to listen. They stiffened their neck. They hardened their heart. They closed their ears. They closed their minds. They would not hear. That's exactly where people are today. They're despising the preaching and teaching, the declaration of God's divinely inspired word. God says don't despise it.

[John Weaver] Well, he hurt my feelings. I'm sorry. Don't despise the Word of God. Well, I don't like the way he preaches. I'm sorry. Don't despise the Word of God. If the Word of God is being preached, you have to understand this. Men have different talents. They have different personalities. They have different voices. They have different styles of oratory. You end up being like those Corinthians in 1 Corinthians chapter 1 through 3. I like the Apostle Paul. Not me. I like Apollos. No, no, no. I like the Apostle Peter. And then they're fussing and fighting over different preachers. No. Just so the Word of God is being taught is what counts.

[John Weaver] Now, I will tell you, I know there are certain things that upset individuals or certain individuals that do not like. I had a friend. He's now with the Lord. He was a preacher. And I loved him in the Lord, but I could not stand to talk to him more than 10 or 15 minutes. And the reason was because his voice was so high and so shrill, it hurt my ears. But God used him. I mean, that's me, but I would listen to him as long as he's teaching the Word of God.

[John Weaver] But I'm just sitting around talking. His voice hurt my ears. Well, I'm just saying, despise not prophesy. In other words, he says, you learn to love the Word of God. That would be the positive. You learn to love preaching. You learn to be there. It's astounding to me how easily people get out of preaching and teaching. they stuff their toe, their mother has a cough, or the baby has diarrhea or something, I don't know. But anything and everything just to stay away from preaching.

[John Weaver] Big dinner somewhere, we'll go to that. But there you go, despising off both sides.

[John Weaver] Now, what I want you to do is this. I want you to turn back in your Bibles, if you would, to Psalm 37. And I want to show you the negatives and the positives as well as the contrasts that are given to us in Psalm 37.

[John Weaver] Now, I want to call your attention to three verses right off. The first one is this. Look in verse one. Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. So the very first thing you have in the very first verse happens to be two negatives. Fret not, neither be thou envious. OK. Now, if you look at verse seven, you'll see this again.

[John Weaver] Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him. Fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in the way and because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

[John Weaver] Now look in verse eight. Cease from anger and forsake wrath. Fret not thyself in any wise to do evil. So you have in this psalm three fret not. So obviously, fret not happens to be a negative. So we are not to fret under any circumstances, but we're especially not to fret over the circumstances that are outlined in Psalm 37. We're not to fret concerning the wicked, neither are we to fret or be envious at the workers of iniquity.

[John Weaver] If you read the Word of God, you'll find They do not suffer as we suffer. They're not afflicted as we are afflicted. Be not envious against the workers of iniquity. How in the world can you be envious as a Christian against the worker of iniquity? I told some folks that last week on the way to church, I passed a couple of folks who were going to worship Dagon. You say, how do you know they were going to worship Dagon? Well, you'd have to know who Dagon is. He was the Philistine god, but he was also the fish god.

[John Weaver] Remember the Pope has that mitre? That's the fish mouth and the fish head. And I know they were going to worship Dagon because they had their boats behind their truck all the way to the ocean to fish. Well, you know, I love beautiful days and I love spring weather and I love warm weather. I have no desire to go fishing somewhere on Sunday morning. I don't envy them. They're doing that. They're neglecting God. They're neglecting the word. That's them.

[John Weaver] But I'm just simply saying it's astounding to me. They do things that we don't do. They go places we cannot go and will not go.

[John Weaver] Now, when he says fret not three times in this word, in this verse, or this passage, the word fret is the Hebrew word korah, and it actually means to be angry, to be wrathful, to be displeased, to be incensed, to be upset, to be burning, to be hot, to be furious. Let me put it to you like this. Don't get worked up and vex yourself until you explode. That's what he's saying. Don't fret over these things. Don't get angry over these things.

[John Weaver] Now, let me tell you something about this psalm. that should make it more easily received. If you look in your Bibles to verse 25, David said this. We'll come back to this passage. David said, I've been young and now I'm old, yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken nor received baking bread. So this psalm was written by David when he was an old man. So he had lived his life He had many, many experiences.

[John Weaver] He learned a lot of things. And so now he said, I'm trying to teach you this while I am old. And so you should learn from the wisdom of the elderly.

[John Weaver] Now, before I begin, I want to give you two quotes. The first one is by Charles Haddon Spurgeon, and both of these quotes are dealing with this psalm. So Spurgeon says it like this. The great riddle of the prosperity of the wicked and the affliction of the righteous, which has perplexed so many, is here dealt with in the light of the future, which I'll correct and show you.

[John Weaver] And fretfulness and repining, repining is another word which means to moan, complain, to bellyache. And so he says, and fretfulness and repining are most impressively It is a psalm in which the Lord hushes most sweetly the two common repinings of His people, and calms their mind as to the present dealings with His own chosen flock and the wolves by whom they are surrounded. It contains eight great precepts, is twice illustrated by autobiographical statements, and abounds in remarkable contrasts, which there are plenty in this psalm.

[John Weaver] And then here's the second one by John Trapp. He says, fret not, be not angry at God as Jonah was, or aggrieved as Jeremiah and Habakkuk were, as if the divine providence did not justly divide to every man his due estate and do him right. But have patience a while, yea, let patience have her line and rope, her perfect work as James hath it, and quiet your boiling spirits with that word where with Christ be calm the raging sea peace be still. So now three times in this psalm he said fret not.

[John Weaver] Now look if you would please back at verse one. He says fret not thyself because of evildoers neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. So here's my question why should we not be fretful over the evildoers And why should we not be envious over against the workers of iniquity? And the answer comes from verse 2. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass and withers the green herb. Why are you going to be envious of someone who's soon going to be destroyed? Would you like to be destroyed as they? No, obviously not. Now, the command to fret not is a negative. So God commands us Do not fret. So the question is this. If God commands us not to fret, in light of these situations and in light of these circumstances, what are we to do? He says, do not fret.

[John Weaver] You cannot replace something with nothing. If God commands us not to fret, we must replace fretting, anxiousness, worriness, worrisomeness, we must replace that with something else. What are we to replace it with? Well, let me just put it to you like this. The Lord gives us four things right now to replace fretting with. I want to say four wonderful graces. And I must point out that fretting hinders and removes these graces from actions. So let me just put this very plainly. If you are fretting, you are not obeying. If you are obeying, then you are not fretting. If you are fretting, you're not exercising faith. If you're exercising faith, then you are not fretting. So what do we replace fretting with anxiety, worrying about everything. What replaced that with? Well, he gives you four things.

[John Weaver] Number one, if you look, first of all, in verse three, here's what you do. Trust in the Lord and do good. So shalt thou dwell in the land and verily thou shalt be fed. So the very first thing he said is this instead of fretting, You learn to trust in the Lord and do good. You do that which is right and biblical and holy.

[John Weaver] Now, the Hebrew word for good happens to be the word Tov, which means that which is good, that which is pleasant, that which is agreeable, that is to God, and to do that which is ethical, moral, right and appropriate. I could say it like this. Fretting not only delays obedience, fretting itself is disobedience. When they are fretting, they are disobedient. Do you realize that people who are anxious, fretful, worrying constantly and consistently, usually one of two things happens in their lives.

[John Weaver] They're either extremely fearful or extremely indecisive. Because when you're full of anxiety, you're fearful of what is going to transpire, what is going to happen. or you're so concerned, you're indecisive, you just simply do not know what to do. So he says, here's what you best do first. You must trust in the Lord. Look at this. Look at it in verse three. Trust in the Lord and do good.

[John Weaver] So shalt thou dwell in the land and verily thou shalt be fed. So he says, as long as we are obedient to him, We don't have to worry about something to eat and a place to sleep. God said, I'm going to make sure that you have that.

[John Weaver] Now, look, if you would, beginning at verse 25. I read this earlier, but I'm going to go through verse 27. Look what he says. Psalm 37, 25. I've been young and I'm old. Yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken nor his seed begging bread. He is ever merciful and lended and his seed is blessed. Depart from evil. and do good and dwell forevermore for the Lord loveth judgment and forsaketh not his saints they are preserved forever but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off so you see even here is a contrast there is the saints and there are the wicked and God has said if we do good we're going to dwell in the land and he's not going to forsake us and we're never ever going to be cut off from him it's only the wicked that are going to be cut off So, the very first thing he tells you to do to replace fretting is to trust in the Lord. Look, if you would, at verse 4. Here's the second thing.

[John Weaver] Delight thyself also in the Lord, and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Now, if we're delighting ourselves in the Lord, we're not concerned about the wicked. We're not envious at the workers of iniquity. If we're delighting ourselves in the Lord, we are concerned with Him. Now, notice what he said,"...delight thyself also in the Lord, and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart." If you are delighting yourself in the Lord, that means then the desires of your heart are going to be holy and right. You're not going to desire anything that's contrary to God. So this verse, as you say, well, I'm going to delight myself in the Lord and I desire a billion dollars. I'm sorry. You're not delighting yourself in the Lord. If you delight yourself in the Lord, you're going to be delighted in whatever he gives you. Why? Because you realize you don't deserve anything. Wow. So delight thyself in the Lord. The word delight is the word anog in the Hebrew, and it literally means to be happy and to take exquisite delight in.

[John Weaver] It means basically to be pampered with and to make merry over. In other words, you're to rejoice in him. Delight thyself in the Lord.

[John Weaver] Now, so how do we replace fretting? By trusting, by delighting ourselves in the Lord. Here's the third one. Look in verse five. Commit thy way unto the Lord, trust also in him, and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noon day. Now, the word commit is a very interesting word. Commit thy way unto the Lord, trust also in him, and he shall bring it to pass.

[John Weaver] There are certain words that I find in the Hebrew and in the Greek that are so expressive that I really delight in reading those words. This is one of them. When he uses the word commit, it is the Hebrew word galal. Commit thy way unto the Lord. The word galal literally means, listen to this, to flow into to roll in, yea, even to wallow in, and to run into. In other words, you are wallowing in committing your way into the Lord. I was raised on a farm, and I've seen hogs wallow in mud all day long. They love it. They enjoy it. it's delightful to them. God said we're to wallow in committing our way into the Lord it should be delightful for us as well. Now note if you would he said look at it now commit thy way into the Lord trust also in him so if you trust in him you're going to commit your way to him if you commit your way to him it's because you trust in him what is going to happen he shall

[John Weaver] bring it to pass In other words, he will fulfill it. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.

[John Weaver] Now, since we're in the Psalms, if you would turn right over to Psalm 55, Psalm 55, I want you to see this. Look in verse 22. Psalm 55, verse 22. Then I'll quote a couple of other verses. Psalm 55, verse 22. Cast thy burden upon the Lord and he shall sustain thee. He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. That's the same as committing thy way to the Lord. Whatever's bothering you, whatever you desire, whatever you just committed to the Lord, wallow in him. He shall sustain thee. He's not going to allow you to be moved, but he's going to bring to pass that which is ordained for your good and his glory. Absolutely. Now, 1 Peter 5 and verse 7, you don't have to adjourn there, I'll quote it.

[John Weaver] Casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you. Now, if you look back to Psalm 37 and look at verses 23 and 24, in light of this, the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord and he delighteth in his way. The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord and he delighteth in his way.

[John Weaver] Now, let me ask you a question. Who's the he? Is it God or is it a man? And I would venture to say both. The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord and he, God, delighted in the steps of a good man. Or the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord and he, the man, delights in his way, that is, in God's way. It can be read either way.

[John Weaver] But look at verse 24. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down. For the Lord upholdeth him with his hand. So far, we've seen three things to replace Freddy. Trust in the Lord, delight thyself in the Lord, commit thyself or thy way to the Lord. Wow. But what's the fourth one? Look, if you would, in verse seven. Rest in the Lord. And wait patiently for him. Wow. Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him. Now the word rest is a very interesting word. Domon is the Hebrew word and it means to be silent, to be still, and to be quiet. Resting is a quiet time. Resting is a relaxable time. Resting is peaceful time. Resting is a cessation of activity and complaining.

[John Weaver] So, I'll give you an illustration. Alice and I had four daughters. So, when our children were small and I was studying at home, I had to learn to study with running, screaming, and hollering, and crying, and playing, and laughing, and shouting, and, you know. So finally, they grew up, and I didn't have to study under those conditions. I had peace and quiet. And I enjoyed that. And then they got grown and got married. And we had grandkids. Six of them. So now I'm in the room studying and the grandkids are running, hollering, Papa, Papa, come here, Papa do this, Papa do...

[John Weaver] And I had to get used to all that again. Then they grew up. And they got married. They're grown and gone. Now I've got peace of mind again. Till we got seven great brands. But you see what I'm saying? So when you think about resting, resting in the Lord, you're thinking about relaxing in the Lord, a quiet time with the Lord. It's just you and the Lord. It's just as easy as pie. It's what he's talking about. Rest in the Lord. Don't get bent out of shape. Don't try to do something you shouldn't be doing. Just rest.

[John Weaver] That is very difficult for most people. Rest in the Lord. So that's what he said. Watch this. If you are not to fret, God says the way to stop your fretting is to trust in me, delight yourself in me, commit your way to me and rest in me.

[John Weaver] Now, if you look in verse seven again, you're going to see the second fret not. He says, Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him. Fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of a man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

[John Weaver] Now, in light of Psalm 37, we're talking about wicked men who are exceedingly powerful and prosperous. We're talking about wicked men who have money coming out of their ears. And they're using their power, they're using their prosperity to defile, defame, and destroy the righteous. And I'm going to tell you something that is upsetting in and of itself. When you look at the man like George Soros and how he got his billions is another story.

[John Weaver] He defrauded his own people. But that's okay. That's another story. Look at Mark Zuckerberg. Look at the World Economic Forum man. What was his name? Yeah. Look at the money that they have and how they are attacking the righteous. Well, look what he says in verse 8. This is going to join in with it. He says, cease from anger and forsake wrath. Now, when he says cease from anger and forsake wrath, he's talking about unbiblical anger and unbiblical wrath. There is a biblical anger and there is a biblical wrath. And so when you look at what is happening in verse seven, it is enough to make a ordinary man angry and extremely wrathful.

[John Weaver] Now, why is it that God forbids us to fret not over these kinds of men? Why am I not to fret over George Soros and what he's doing? Well, let's see. The first reason I should not be fretting is because God told me not to. The second reason I should not be fretting is this. Why in the world am I going to fret over someone or something over which I have absolutely no control. Absolutely no control. How many of you in here can control Donald Trump? Not one. Who can control George Soros? Not one. Which of you can control your own children? You say, and I've heard young parents say this, well I've got mine under control, they obey me, and I always smile and say, teenage years are coming, hang on, hang on. 21's coming, hang on.

[John Weaver] You know something, I don't care how you love your child, I don't care how you train your child, I don't care how you teach your child. The truth of the matter is you cannot make your child do that which is right. You can't control him once he's grown and gone. It's impossible. Husbands can't even control their wives. Wives cannot control their husbands. Now listen to me. I know I can say, well Alice, I can control Alice. I can control Alice as long as she's in submission and doing what God has commanded her to do. But if she makes up her mind she's going to rebel against God and rebel against me.

[John Weaver] There's no way I can stop her. I can't control her. So why in the world would we get bent out of shape over individuals that are doing wickedness and wrong? We can pray against them. We can pray those imprecatory prayers. But I'm not going to get bent out of shape because I can't control them. I have no, no power over them. Now, look at this. What God is telling us in Psalm 37 is this, that God is going to control them. He's going to judge them. So if you look in your Bibles to Psalm 37 and verse 12, look what he says now. Here it is.

[John Weaver] The wicked plotted against the just. and gnasheth upon him with his teeth."

[John Weaver] Now, he's trying to destroy the righteous. What's going to happen? Verse 13, The LORD shall laugh at him, for he seeth that his day is coming. The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow to cast down the poor and the needy, and to slay such as be of an upright conversation. What's going to happen to them? Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bow shall be broken. God said, I'll let them fall upon their own sword. I'll let them destroy themselves. It's just that simple. So God is saying, don't worry about it.

[John Weaver] I've got this thing under control. I will take care of them.

[John Weaver] Now, skip down to verse 18 and 19. Look at this. The Lord knoweth the days of the upright and their inheritance shall be forever. That's a good one. Now, look at verse 19. They shall not be ashamed in the evil time, and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied. But the wicked shall perish. In other words, here's a contrast. And God is saying we're not to fret over the prosperity and the programs and the plans of the wicked. Now, here's why they are prospering. Look, if you would please, in verse 20. He said, but the wicked shall perish and the enemies of the Lord shall be as the fat of lambs, they shall consume and the smoke shall they consume away. Wow. In other words. In all of their prosperity, they're just being fattened as lambs for the slaughter. It's just that simple. Now. Look, if you would, please, in verse eight again, here's the third fret not. He says cease from anger and forsake wrath fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.

[John Weaver] Now let me tie cease from anger and forsake wrath not only with verse 7 but with verse 8 as well because he says cease from anger and forsake wrath fret not thyself in any wise to do evil. So now we're talking about unbiblical anger there is a righteous anger and unbiblical wrath and there is a righteous wrath. But God says, cease from that which is unbiblical and fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.

[John Weaver] So I want you to mark this down in your mind, in your notes. Here it is. That unrighteous anger will make us do evil. Unrighteous anger will make us do evil. OK. Breading is sinful in and of itself because it is a lack of faith and trust. But you must remember that one's sin always leads to other sins.

[John Weaver] Now, the Hebrew word for wrath here is the word Kame, which literally means to be in a fury, to be in a heat, to be in a rage. to be filled with displeasure, to be filled with anger and wrath, which are nothing more than a poison burning up in your bosom is what it amounts to. So these negatives, to cease from anger and to forsake wrath, means positively that we're to continue in righteousness, holiness, peace, calmness, doing that which is righteous.

[John Weaver] And he said in verse 8, Threat not thyself any wise to do evil. We're not to do evil regardless.

[John Weaver] Now, ask yourself, if you would please, why we should not be angry and wrathful. Now, like I said, there is a righteous anger and there is a righteous wrath, but we're not talking about that here. We're talking about getting bent out of shape over the wicked and their prosperity. OK, but here's why we should not be bent out of shape. Look, if you would, in Psalm 37, beginning with verse nine. Here's why. Let's read verse eight. Cease from anger and forsake wrath, fret not thyself in any wise to do evil, for evildoers shall be cut off.

[John Weaver] But those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth. for yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be. Yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be. But the meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. Note, if you would, God says the reason we are not afraid is he's going to take care of it. He's going to wipe them out. He said, but we, the meek, shall inherit the earth. And by the way, when our Lord in Matthew chapter 5 says, blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. And you remember the passage in Matthew 11, where he said, I am meek and lowly in heart. The word meek does not mean mousiness. It does not mean weakness. If you are a meek individual. That means your strength is controlled by God, it is a controlled strength. Moses was called the meekest man upon the earth and look what he did.

[John Weaver] I have a 3,000 pound bull. If you want to try to ride him, help yourself. But if that bull was broken to yoke or was trained with a bit and bridle, you now have controlled strength. That's what meekness is. The meek shall inherit the earth, those who are controlled.

[John Weaver] Now, notice now, please listen to me. He says once again, the wicked are going to be destroyed.

[John Weaver] Now, here's what God does in Psalm 37. He puts everything together for us in the latter part of this psalm. He's not only showing you the negatives and the positives, but he's also showing you the contrast between the righteous and the wicked. He's been doing that all through this psalm. So let's begin reading at verse 34 and read to the end of this psalm. And look how God puts this thing together. Look in Psalm 37, verse 34.

[John Weaver] He says, Wait on the Lord and keep his way. And he shall exalt thee to inherit the land. When the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it. So once again, here's the contrast. then David said I've seen the wicked in great power spreading himself like a green bay tree he's going to take over he thinks yet he passed away and though he was not yea I sought him but he could not be found there's another contrast mark the perfect man and behold the upright for the end of that man is peace here's the contrast again but the transgressor The transgressors shall be destroyed together. The end of the wicked shall be cut off. But, another contrast, the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord.

[John Weaver] He is their strength in the time of trouble. Then the last verse, and the Lord shall help them and deliver them. He shall deliver them from the wicked and save them because they trust in Him. So in this psalm, he gives you the negatives and the positives, tells you not to do something, here's what you should do in the place of that, and says here's the contrast, here's why you should not be worried.

[John Weaver] You're going to get everything, they're going to be destroyed. Wow. So, let me make some applications very quickly. I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would, to Philippians chapter 4. I want you to look at this. This is a New Testament parallel passage to Psalm 37. If you look in Philippians chapter 4, I want you to note verses 6 and 7. Philippians 4 verses 6 and 7. Because Psalm 37 has been telling you not to fret, tells you how to trust, how to delight, how to commit, how to rest. Now he says in the book of Philippians chapter 4 verse 6, be careful for nothing. And the word careful means anxious. Don't be anxious for anything. Be careful for nothing. Well, if you are careful for nothing, what do you replace it with if you're not going to worry about anything?

[John Weaver] He said, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. He said the reason you should not be anxious is because you're praying about everything. You're asking God for everything. You're giving thanksgiving unto God. and you're making your request known unto God. So, actually, Philippians 4, verses 6 and 7 is a parallel to Psalm 37.

[John Weaver] Now, the Greek word here for careful is the word meriam nao, and it literally means that we are not to be anxious, we're not to be troubled, we're not to be upset, we're not to be confused about anything, and the way not to be that way is to buy continual prayer and supplication with thanksgiving making our requests made known unto God.

[John Weaver] Now let me tell you a second application. Psalm 37 assures us of the protection and the preservation and the providential acts of God in the lives of his people. It also teaches us that God is going to judge and destroy the wicked and especially those who have tried to harm his people.

[John Weaver] Now, there's a passage I want you to jot down. I will quote it. Deuteronomy 7, verses 9 and 10. This is a parallel passage to the destruction of the wicked in Psalm 37. Listen to it. Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, faithful God which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keepeth his commandments to a thousand generations hang on and repayeth them that hate him to their face to destroy them he will not be slack to him that hated them he will repay him to his face God said I'm not ashamed to strike the wicked I will pay him to his face. So when you look at Psalm 37, you think of the negatives and the positive. You think of the contrast between the righteous and the wicked. You think of how God is going to preserve and protect and provide for his people. And you think about how God is going to judge and destroy the wicked. What does that mean?

[John Weaver] It means that he is in absolute sovereign control. And he's going to work things out for us. And he's going to judge those that hate him and destroy him. And all we have to do is rest in him and wait on him because he will do it in his time and in his way. The reason we get so upset is because we don't want to wait. And we don't want to rest. We want to help him. And we can't. He is in control.

[John Weaver] Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to thee. We thank you for your words. We thank you for your truth. And we pray, Lord, that you teach us the negatives and the positives, as well as the contrasts in Psalm 37. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray. Amen.

Negatives and Positives

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	127261831455350
Subject	Biblical Law
Course	The Ten Commandments
Genre	Sermon
Date	2026-01-04
Dictation Name
Book	Book 001: The Ten Commandments — Chapter 9
Source Timed Segments	96

Formatted Transcript

Introduction to Negatives and Positives in Scripture

Weaver introduces the concept that the Bible is filled with negatives and positives, which control our thinking and actions. Negatives tell us what not to do, and positives tell us what to do.

Psalm 37. And the title of the message is Negatives and Positives. Negatives and Positives. So notice if you would, Psalm 37, beginning with verse one,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 37:1-2

"Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity, for they shall soon be cut down like the grass and wither as the green herb. Trust in the Lord and do good. So shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the Lord, and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord, and trust also in him, and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him. Fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in the way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. Cease from anger and forsake wrath, fret not thyself in any wise to do evil. For evildoers shall be cut off, and those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth. For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not

be." Now I'm going to stop there, but remember the title of the message is Negatives and Positives. And I've pointed out many times while I was preaching that the Word of God is full of negatives and positives. Or if you desire, I would say positives and negatives. But this is true in the Old Testament and it's also true in the New Testament. The importance of this style of teaching in negatives and positives is simply this. The negative tells you what not to do. It tells you what not to think. It tells you what not or how not to act. The positive tells you what to do, how to think, and how to act. So this negative and positive that we see in the Word of God is to actually control the entirety of our lives in thinking as well as in acting.

Examples of Negatives and Positives in the Ten Commandments and New Testament

Using the Eighth Commandment and Ephesians 4:28, Weaver shows that 'thou shalt not steal' has a positive side: honest labor and generosity. He also explains the Fifth Commandment's positive command to honor parents and its negative implications.

Now we have in the Bible what is known as wisdom literature, which I've mentioned here before. Wisdom literature happens to be the book of Job, the book of Psalms, the book of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon. You will find in these wisdom books a lot of negatives and positives as well. They are filled with this kind of teaching. When you get to the New Testament, you will find the Apostle Paul also makes use of this kind of teaching, and especially in the books of Ephesians and Colossians. For instance, he changes the negative and the positive to simply put off and put on. So putting off is the negative and putting on is the positive. So you're going to find this teaching throughout the entirety of the Word of God. So let me just give you some illustrations and examples before we begin looking at Psalm 37. Would you consider the Ten Commandments? And I hope you can quote those ten commandments. But out of the ten commandments, you only have two positive commandments, the fourth one and the fifth one. The rest of the commandments are set in negative terms.

And there's a reason for that. So thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not covet. All these are negatives. A negative usually deals with a particular sin and a particular evil. So if you're not committing that particular sin or that particular evil, then the negative does not necessarily apply to you. Okay, so just pointing out that.

Now, let me show you the importance of this. Because every negative has a positive. Every positive has a negative. Sometimes a negative may have multiple positives, and sometimes a positive may have multiple negatives. So let's take, just for an example, the Eighth Commandment. The Eighth Commandment is, "Thou shalt not steal." When we think of "thou shalt not steal," that means I'm not to take anything that belongs to Roger and Sharon. At least not take it without their permission. If I took it without their permission, then I'm stealing. "Thou shalt not steal." We understand that. But what about the positive side of "thou shalt not steal"? So every negative has a positive. So if you want to see what the positive side of "Thou Shalt Not Steal" is, then I'm going to ask you to turn in your Bibles, holding Psalm 37, to the book of Ephesians chapter 4 and look, if you would please, at verse 28. Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 28. Now please remember this, "Thou Shalt Not Steal," that is a negative.

And just so you say, "Well, I'm not stealing. I must be obeying that commandment." No, no, no. Because the negative has a positive. In order to obey the commandment, you must not only obey the negative, you must also obey the positive. So when you look in Ephesians 4 and verse 28, the Word of God says this:

Scripture Reading — Ephesians 4:28

"Let him that stole steal no more, but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may give to him that needeth."

Now look at this.

Scripture Reading — Ephesians 4:28

"Let him that stole steal no more."

That's the negative. Do not steal. What is the positive? Learn to labor, working with your hands, that which is good.

In other words, you're doing honest work. But wait a minute. There's more to it than just doing honest work. Look what he says: "That ye may give to him that needeth." In other words, you're not only working for yourself and earning your money, you are not a covetous individual—that is what a thief is. You're not a selfish individual—that is what a thief is. But now you have developed a generous and loving and compassionate spirit and you're willing to share and you're willing to give to him that needeth. Not willing necessarily to give to everyone that asks it, but to him that needeth. And there would be an understanding of a biblical need as well. So the positive side of "thou shalt not steal" is that you are to be an honest laborer doing that which is right with a compassionate, unselfish, and ungreedy attitude and willing to share with those who need. So there you see the negative then has an absolute positive.

Now when you think about the positives in the Bible, I mentioned that the fourth and fifth commandments are positive. So let's just take the fifth example, the fifth commandment as an example, where the Word of God says, "Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days upon the earth may be long, which the Lord thy God giveth thee." So he says, "Honor thy father and thy mother." So you're going to find that all the positives are undergirded with negatives as well. So what does it mean then to honor your father and mother? Well, first of all, we could say, obviously, the first negative would be, "Thou shalt not dishonor thy father and thy mother in thy thoughts, attitudes, or actions." So honor forbids dishonor. Okay? The second thing that we could say about the positive side of this commandment is that it also teaches us obedience.

For instance, in Ephesians 6 and verse 1, "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right." So you have a negative and you have a positive. The negative is do not dishonor. Part of the positive is you must honor them as well. Now, you're going to say to me, "Well, I'm not a child any longer. And maybe my parents are dead or maybe my parents are elderly or I'm married and I have children myself." Well, you have to understand this. There is never a time when honor ceases. There may be a time when obedience ceases in the sense that here I am married and children and grandchildren and of course my parents are both dead, but if my father was alive, he would have no authority to command me over my wife or over my children. You follow that? Because I'm the head of my house, he was the head of his house. Now, after Alice and I were married, and after we had children, we went back and visited our parents. We would visit my parents, we'd visit her parents. And both of us, when we would go back for a visit, would try not only to honor our parents, but also to obey them.

to the extent that we could. For instance, when I went back to see my father, he is still my father, and I'm still his child. I don't care if I'm 40 years old or 50 years old, I'm still his child. And my mother still, until she died, called me her baby, and I was. I was the youngest of the two, but I'm just simply pointing out. And when I would go back to visit my father, he is still the head of his house. And I'm still his child. So whenever he would ask me to do something, as much as I could, I would obey it. I just would. And my mother asked me to do something, I would obey it.

Thankfully, my father never ever tried to tell me how to run my wife, how to run my children, how to run my home. Certainly, he would offer counsel, he would offer advice. But he never tried to run my life after I was married or my family. It's just that simple. But now there are other ways that we can honor our parents, even when we are grown. How do we do that? Well, here's a verse. 1 Timothy, chapter 5 and verse 8.

You need to write it down. Here it is. God said, "But if any provide not for his own, and especially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel." Now, let that sink in. "But if any provide not for his own, especially their own household, he hath denied the faith. He's worse than an infidel." So here's what God is saying. Your parents took care of you when you were incapable of taking care of yourself. They fed you. They clothed you. They nursed you. They doctored you. They educated you. And now when the parents are elderly and can't take care of themselves, it's now the children's responsibility to take care of their parents. It's not the state's responsibility. It's the responsibility of the children.

In fact, I would even go farther. It's the responsibility of the extended family. Because if you read in 1 Timothy chapter 5, he also talks about widows. He said, "Honor widows that are widows indeed. But if a widow have children or nephews," that's an extended family, "let them first show piety at home, and requite their parents." And so the word "requite" means to pay back. And to show piety at home, it means to show godliness, holiness, righteousness, and obedience.

Now, so let me just point out the facts, that in the New Testament our Lord thoroughly rebuked the Pharisees over this issue of honoring your parents because they were dishonoring and allowing others to dishonor their parents. So let me show you. So hold Psalm 37 but turn in your Bibles to two passages. First of all to Matthew chapter 15 and then secondly to Mark chapter 7. So we'll go to Matthew chapter 15 first and I want you to note beginning there with verse 1 and I will explain this. Matthew chapter 15 verse 1,

Scripture Reading — Matthew 15:1-6

"Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying, Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders?" "For they wash not their hands when they eat bread. But he answered and said unto them, Why do you also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? For God commanded, saying, Honor thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death."

So what you see right here is a good contrast. If you are not honoring your parents, you're cursing your parents. And the law of God said whoever cursed their parents deserved the death penalty. Now, so watch this. He says,

Scripture Reading — Matthew 15:1-6

"For God commanded, saying, Honor thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; and honor not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition."

So he says you are dishonoring your parents and you're dishonoring God who commanded you to honor your parents.

Now, before I explain it, turn over to Mark chapter 7 and let's begin reading there with verse 9. Mark chapter 7, verse 9. It's basically the same thing, but just a little bit different. Watch this. Mark 7, verse 9.

Scripture Reading — Mark 7:9-13

"And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. For Moses said, Honor thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death: But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free. And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother; making the word of God

of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye." Now, notice if you would, the word Corban is used here when it was not used in Matthew chapter 5 or 15. So the word Corban just simply means a gift or it means dedicated. So what the rabbis would do with this, they would let a man come up and dedicate his money to the Lord. He would only have to say the word Corban. It's a gift. It's dedicated. And thus then they would relieve him of his responsibility of taking care of his elderly, aging, and possibly sickly parents. Because you could not use money that had been dedicated to God for such a mundane purpose of taking care of old iron people. Well, and so they made the Word of God of none effect. They despised the Word of God by saying that all of this stuff is dedicated. Perhaps the rabbi got a little cut, I don't know, but all I'm saying is they just simply had to say it's a gift and they, according to the Pharisaic religion, were relieved then of their responsibility of helping their parents.

So, will you hear "honor thy father and thy mother"? It has a lot of negatives, but also at the same time, it means do not dishonor them in any way whatsoever, and it would mean further positives. You take care of them when they could not take care of themselves. You help them in any way that you can help them. You do for them whatever you can do for them. That's what it would basically mean.

Now, before we get back to Psalm 37, I want you to turn over in your Bibles to 1 Thessalonians chapter 5. And I want you to just look at this passage, and I'm just pointing out how many times that we see in the Bible positives and negatives, and how we have to stop and think when we look at this so that we can actually understand what is being said. So, in 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, let's begin looking there at verse 16. Here's a simple verse. Two words. "Rejoice evermore." That's a positive. "Rejoice evermore."

Further New Testament Illustrations of Negatives and Positives

Weaver examines 1 Thessalonians 5:16-22, showing how commands like 'rejoice evermore' and 'pray without ceasing' have corresponding negatives, and he clarifies the meaning of 'despise not prophesyings' as not rejecting biblical preaching.

Well, what would be the negative? Do not complain. Do not deliate. Do not whine and cry. You see what I'm saying? So if you really understand what it means to rejoice evermore, you have to understand also what it does not mean and what it does mean. Okay. So look at verse 17. "Pray without ceasing." Well, what does that mean? It means that you must be in a constant state of prayer. Now that doesn't mean that you have to stay down on your knees 24 hours a day, but what it does mean: You should be praying about anything and everything that happens to you during the day.

You should be asking God's will. You should be asking God for direction. You should be asking God for his divine help and mercy. So pray without ceasing. Look at verse 18. "In every thing give thanks." That's positive. "For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." That's positive. "In every thing give thanks." What's that mean? Don't grumble. Don't complain. Be thankful for whatever you have. I like what the hillbilly said. He said, "Bless God," he said, "I ain't got but two teeth in my mouth, but thank God they meet." Well, that's good. If they meet, you can eat meat. That's a fact. So just simply saying, "In every thing give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."

Then he says, "Quench not the Spirit." That's a negative. So what would be the positive? Be submissive to the Holy Spirit. Be tender toward his direction and his leadership. Follow him. Obey him. "Despise not prophesyings." I'm going to come back to that one. So that's the negative. You have to understand what the positive is. Then he says, "Prove all things." Well, what would be the negative? Don't be gullible. Don't be easily deceived. Don't swallow every lie that comes down the road. No. Prove all things. And once you prove them, "hold fast that which is good."

Lord, you know what truth is. You hold it fast. And then he says in verse 22, "Abstain from all appearance of evil." So that means positively we should make sure that our life, our thinking, our attitude, everything about it does not even appear to be evil, and we're not associating with it in any way whatsoever. Now, if you go back to verse 20, he says, "Despise not prophesyings."

Now, the word "prophesyings" here is the word "propheteia," which literally means a prophecy or a discourse which is emanating from divine inspiration, which would be the Bible. A prophecy here would refer to declaring, pronouncing, teaching and preaching the Word of God, demonstrating the purpose of God, not only toward those who are unsaved, but also toward the saved. It would include comforting the saints. It would include giving direction and counsel to the saints. What this word does not mean, and cannot mean, is that there is now fresh and new revelation coming to someone over and above and beyond the Word of God. And the reason it can't mean that is because, number one, revelation has ceased. It has stopped. God is not revealing anything else anymore. We have the completed Word of God, and we also have the living Word of God.

Now, since you're so close, if you will turn over in your Bibles to Ephesians chapter—I'm sorry, Hebrews chapter 1. Hebrews chapter 1, and let's begin reading there with verse 1. Just a few pages over. Hebrews chapter 1 and verse 1. Look at this. This is why I'm telling you there is no more revelation. Here we go.

Scripture Reading — Hebrews 1:1-2

"God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets."

Yes, when you look in the Old Testament and in the New Testament, there were prophets that had dreams, there were prophets that were in trances, there were prophets that had visions, different ways that God spoke. But look at verse 2.

"Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds." Who is God's last, full, and final revelation? It's Jesus Christ. So when someone is telling me, "Well, I just got this revelation from God. Here's what God's going to do." No, you didn't get a revelation from God. You may have gotten one from your own dream factory or the fact that you ate a peanut butter, mayonnaise, pickle and onion sandwich before you went to sleep, but you didn't get it from God. Because if you try to tell me you now have a new revelation, you are denying, first of all, that the Bible is the Word of God and denying, secondly, that Jesus Christ is the full and final revelation of God. You're saying that there's something beyond the Bible and there's something beyond Jesus Christ, which is blasphemy. So when he says "despise not prophesyings," what he's saying is do not despise the preaching and teaching from the Word of God.

Don't despise it. When you read throughout the Old Testament particularly and really in the book of Jeremiah, Jeremiah preached to these people and what would they do? They refused to listen. They stiffened their neck. They hardened their heart. They closed their ears. They closed their minds. They would not hear. That's exactly where people are today. They're despising the preaching and teaching, the declaration of God's divinely inspired word. God says don't despise it.

"Well, he hurt my feelings." I'm sorry. Don't despise the Word of God. "Well, I don't like the way he preaches." I'm sorry. Don't despise the Word of God. If the Word of God is being preached, you have to understand this. Men have different talents. They have different personalities. They have different voices. They have different styles of oratory. You end up being like those Corinthians in 1 Corinthians chapter 1 through 3. "I like the Apostle Paul." "Not me. I like Apollos." "No, no, no. I like the Apostle Peter." And then they're fussing and fighting over different preachers. No. Just so the Word of God is being taught is what counts.

Now, I will tell you, I know there are certain things that upset individuals or certain individuals that do not like. I had a friend. He's now with the Lord. He was a preacher. And I loved him in the Lord, but I could not stand to talk to him more than 10 or 15 minutes. And the reason was because his voice was so high and so shrill, it hurt my ears. But God used him. I mean, that's me, but I would listen to him as long as he's teaching the Word of God.

But I'm just sitting around talking. His voice hurt my ears. Well, I'm just saying, despise not prophesyings. In other words, he says, you learn to love the Word of God. That would be the positive. You learn to love preaching. You learn to be there. It's astounding to me how easily people get out of preaching and teaching. They stuff their toe, their mother has a cough, or the baby has diarrhea or something, I don't know. But anything and everything just to stay away from preaching.

Big dinner somewhere, we'll go to that. But there you go, despising off both sides. Now, what I want you to do is this. I want you to turn back in your Bibles, if you would, to Psalm 37. And I want to show you the negatives and the positives as well as the contrasts that are given to us in Psalm 37.

Now, I want to call your attention to three verses right off. The first one is this. Look in verse 1. "Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity." So the very first thing you have in the very first verse happens to be two negatives. "Fret not, neither be thou envious." OK. Now, if you look at verse 7, you'll see this again.

The Three 'Fret Nots' in Psalm 37

Weaver identifies three occurrences of 'fret not' in Psalm 37:1, 7, and 8. He explains that fretting is a negative command, and believers must replace it with positive actions.

Now, what I want you to do is this. I want you to turn back in your Bibles, if you would, to Psalm 37. And I want to show you the negatives and the positives as well as the contrasts that are given to us in Psalm 37. Now, I want to call your attention to three verses right off. The first one is this. Look in verse 1. "Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity." So the very first thing you have in the very first verse happens to be two negatives. "Fret not, neither be thou envious." OK. Now, if you look at verse 7, you'll see this again.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 37:7-8

"Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass."

Now look in verse 8.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 37:7-8

"Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil."

So you have in this psalm three "fret not." So obviously, "fret not" happens to be a negative. So we are not to fret under any circumstances, but we're especially not to fret over the circumstances that are outlined in Psalm 37. We're not to fret concerning the wicked, neither are we to fret or be envious at the workers of iniquity. If you read the Word of God, you'll find they do not suffer as we suffer. They're not afflicted as we are afflicted. "Be not envious against the workers of iniquity." How in the world can you be envious as a Christian against the worker of iniquity? I told some folks that last week on the way to church, I passed a couple of folks who were going to worship Dagon. You say, "How do you know they were going to worship Dagon?" Well, you'd have to know who Dagon is. He was the Philistine god, but he was also the fish god.

Remember the Pope has that mitre? That's the fish mouth and the fish head. And I know they were going to worship Dagon because they had their boats behind their truck all the way to the ocean to fish. Well, you know, I love beautiful days and I love spring weather and I love warm weather. I have no desire to go fishing somewhere on Sunday morning. I don't envy them. They're doing that. They're neglecting God. They're neglecting the word. That's them.

But I'm just simply saying it's astounding to me. They do things that we don't do. They go places we cannot go and will not go. Now, when he says "fret not" three times in this word, in this verse, or this passage, the word "fret" is the Hebrew word "charah," and it actually means to be angry, to be wrathful, to be displeased, to be incensed, to be upset, to be burning, to be hot, to be furious. Let me put it to you like this. Don't get worked up and vex yourself until you explode. That's what he's saying. Don't fret over these things. Don't get angry over these things.

Now, let me tell you something about this psalm that should make it more easily received. If you look in your Bibles to verse 25, David said this. We'll come back to this passage. David said, "I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread." So this psalm was written by David when he was an old man. So he had lived his life. He had many, many experiences.

Four Positive Graces to Replace Fretting

Weaver outlines four positive replacements for fretting: trust in the Lord and do good (v.3), delight in the Lord (v.4), commit your way to the Lord (v.5), and rest in the Lord and wait patiently (v.7).

You cannot replace something with nothing. If God commands us not to fret, we must replace fretting, anxiousness, worriness, worrisomeness—we must replace that with something else. What are we to replace it with? Well, let me just put it to you like this. The Lord gives us four things right now to replace fretting with. I want to say four wonderful graces. And I must point out that fretting hinders and removes these graces from action. So let me just put this very plainly. If you are fretting, you are not obeying. If you are obeying, then you are not fretting. If you are fretting, you're not exercising faith. If you're exercising faith, then you are not fretting. So what do we replace fretting with—anxiety, worrying about everything? What do we replace that with? Well, he gives you four things.

Number one, if you look, first of all, in verse 3, here's what you do. "Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed." So the very first thing he said is this: instead of fretting, you learn to trust in the Lord and do good. You do that which is right and biblical and holy. Now, the Hebrew word for "good" happens to be the word "tov," which means that which is good, that which is pleasant, that which is agreeable, that is to God, and to do that which is ethical, moral, right and appropriate. I could say it like this. Fretting not only delays obedience, fretting itself is disobedience. When they are fretting, they are disobedient. Do you realize that people who are anxious, fretful, worrying constantly and consistently, usually one of two things happens in their lives.

They're either extremely fearful or extremely indecisive. Because when you're full of anxiety, you're fearful of what is going to transpire, what is going to happen, or you're so concerned, you're indecisive, you just simply do not know what to do. So he says, here's what you best do first. You must trust in the Lord. Look at this. Look at it in verse 3. "Trust in the Lord, and do good."

"So shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed." So he says, as long as we are obedient to him, we don't have to worry about something to eat and a place to sleep. God said, I'm going to make sure that you have that. Now, look, if you would, beginning at verse 25. I read this earlier, but I'm going to go through verse 27. Look what he says. Psalm 37:25,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 37:25-27

"I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed. Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore. For the Lord loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off."

So you see even here is a contrast: there are the saints and there are the wicked. And God has said if we do good, we're going to dwell in the land and he's not going to forsake us and we're never ever going to be cut off from him. It's only the wicked that are going to be cut off. So, the very first thing he tells you to do to replace fretting is to trust in the Lord. Look, if you would, at verse 4. Here's the second thing.

"Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart." Now, if we're delighting ourselves in the Lord, we're not concerned about the wicked. We're not envious at the workers of iniquity. If we're delighting ourselves in the Lord, we are concerned with Him. Now, notice what he said, "Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart." If you are delighting yourself in the Lord, that means then the desires of your heart are going to be holy and right. You're not going to desire anything that's contrary to God. So this verse, as you say, "Well, I'm going to delight myself in the Lord and I desire a billion dollars." I'm sorry. You're not delighting yourself in the Lord. If you delight yourself in the Lord, you're going to be delighted in whatever he gives you. Why? Because you realize you don't deserve anything. Wow. So "delight thyself in the Lord." The word "delight" is the word "anog" in the Hebrew, and it literally means to be happy and to take exquisite delight in.

It means basically to be pampered with and to make merry over. In other words, you're to rejoice in him. "Delight thyself in the Lord." Now, so how do we replace fretting? By trusting, by delighting ourselves in the Lord. Here's the third one. Look in verse 5. "Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday." Now, the word "commit" is a very interesting word. "Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass."

There are certain words that I find in the Hebrew and in the Greek that are so expressive that I really delight in reading those words. This is one of them. When he uses the word "commit," it is the Hebrew word "galal." "Commit thy way unto the Lord." The word "galal" literally means, listen to this, to flow into, to roll in, yea, even to wallow in, and to run into. In other words, you are wallowing in committing your way into the Lord. I was raised on a farm, and I've seen hogs wallow in mud all day long. They love it. They enjoy it. It's delightful to them. God said we're to wallow in committing our way into the Lord. It should be delightful for us as well. Now note if you would, he said, look at it now: "Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him." So if you trust in him, you're going to commit your way to him. If you commit your way to him, it's because you trust in him. What is going to happen? "He shall

bring it to pass." In other words, he will fulfill it. "And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday." Now, since we're in the Psalms, if you would turn right over to Psalm 55. Psalm 55, I want you to see this. Look in verse 22. Psalm 55, verse 22. Then I'll quote a couple of other verses. Psalm 55, verse 22: "Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 55:22

" That's the same as committing thy way to the Lord. Whatever's bothering you, whatever you desire, whatever you just committed to the Lord, wallow in him. He shall sustain thee. He's not going to allow you to be moved, but he's going to bring to pass that which is ordained for your good and his glory. Absolutely. Now, 1 Peter 5 and verse 7, you don't have to turn there, I'll quote it.

"Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." Now, if you look back to Psalm 37 and look at verses 23 and 24, in light of this,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 37:23-24

"The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way." "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way."

Now, let me ask you a question. Who's the "he"? Is it God or is it a man? And I would venture to say both. "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he"—God—

Scripture Reading — Psalm 37:23-24

"delighteth in the steps of a good man."

Scripture Reading — Psalm 37:23-24

"The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he"

—the man—

Scripture Reading — Psalm 37:23-24

"delighteth in his way,"

that is, in God's way. It can be read either way.

But look at verse 24. "Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand." So far, we've seen three things to replace fretting: Trust in the Lord, delight thyself in the Lord, commit thyself or thy way to the Lord. Wow. But what's the fourth one? Look, if you would, in verse 7. "Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him." Wow. "Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him." Now the word "rest" is a very interesting word. "Damam" is the Hebrew word and it means to be silent, to be still, and to be quiet. Resting is a quiet time. Resting is a relaxable time. Resting is peaceful time. Resting is a cessation of activity and complaining.

So, I'll give you an illustration. Alice and I had four daughters. So, when our children were small and I was studying at home, I had to learn to study with running, screaming, and hollering, and crying, and playing, and laughing, and shouting, and, you know. So finally, they grew up, and I didn't have to study under those conditions. I had peace and quiet. And I enjoyed that. And then they got grown and got married. And we had grandkids. Six of them. So now I'm in the room studying and the grandkids are running, hollering, "Papa, Papa, come here, Papa do this, Papa do..."

And I had to get used to all that again. Then they grew up. And they got married. They're grown and gone. Now I've got peace of mind again. Till we got seven great-grands. But you see what I'm saying? So when you think about resting, resting in the Lord, you're thinking about relaxing in the Lord, a quiet time with the Lord. It's just you and the Lord. It's just as easy as pie. It's what he's talking about. Rest in the Lord. Don't get bent out of shape. Don't try to do something you shouldn't be doing. Just rest.

That is very difficult for most people. Rest in the Lord. So that's what he said. Watch this. If you are not to fret, God says the way to stop your fretting is to trust in me, delight yourself in me, commit your way to me and rest in me.

Now, if you look in verse 7 again, you're going to see the second "fret not." He says, "Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass."

Reasons Not to Fret Over the Wicked

Weaver explains that believers should not fret over the prosperity of the wicked because God will judge them. The wicked are like fattened lambs for slaughter, and their destruction is certain.

Now, in light of Psalm 37, we're talking about wicked men who are exceedingly powerful and prosperous. We're talking about wicked men who have money coming out of their ears. And they're using their power, they're using their prosperity to defile, defame, and destroy the righteous. And I'm going to tell you something that is upsetting in and of itself. When you look at a man like George Soros and how he got his billions is another story. He defrauded his own people. But that's okay. That's another story. Look at Mark Zuckerberg. Look at the World Economic Forum man. What was his name? Yeah. Look at the money that they have and how they are attacking the righteous. Well, look what he says in verse 8. This is going to join in with it. He says, "Cease from anger, and forsake wrath." Now, when he says "cease from anger, and forsake wrath," he's talking about unbiblical anger and unbiblical wrath. There is a biblical anger and there is a biblical wrath. And so when you look at what is happening in verse 7, it is enough to make an ordinary man angry and extremely wrathful.

Now, why is it that God forbids us to fret not over these kinds of men? Why am I not to fret over George Soros and what he's doing? Well, let's see. The first reason I should not be fretting is because God told me not to. The second reason I should not be fretting is this. Why in the world am I going to fret over someone or something over which I have absolutely no control? Absolutely no control. How many of you in here can control Donald Trump? Not one. Who can control George Soros? Not one. Which of you can control your own children? You say, and I've heard young parents say this, "Well I've got mine under control, they obey me," and I always smile and say, "Teenage years are coming, hang on, hang on. 21's coming, hang on."

You know something, I don't care how you love your child, I don't care how you train your child, I don't care how you teach your child. The truth of the matter is you cannot make your child do that which is right. You can't control him once he's grown and gone. It's impossible. Husbands can't even control their wives. Wives cannot control their husbands. Now listen to me. I know I can say, "Well Alice, I can control Alice." I can control Alice as long as she's in submission and doing what God has commanded her to do. But if she makes up her mind she's going to rebel against God and rebel against me,

there's no way I can stop her. I can't control her. So why in the world would we get bent out of shape over individuals that are doing wickedness and wrong? We can pray against them. We can pray those imprecatory prayers. But I'm not going to get bent out of shape because I can't control them. I have no power over them. Now, look at this. What God is telling us in Psalm 37 is this, that God is going to control them. He's going to judge them. So if you look in your Bibles to Psalm 37 and verse 12, look what he says now. Here it is.

"The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth." Now, he's trying to destroy the righteous. What's going to happen? Verse 13, "The Lord shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming. The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as be of upright conversation." What's going to happen to them? "Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken." God said, I'll let them fall upon their own sword. I'll let them destroy themselves. It's just that simple. So God is saying, don't worry about it.

I've got this thing under control. I will take care of them. Now, skip down to verse 18 and 19. Look at this. "The Lord knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever." That's a good one. Now, look at verse 19. "They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied. But the wicked shall perish." In other words, here's a contrast. And God is saying we're not to fret over the prosperity and the programs and the plans of the wicked. Now, here's why they are prospering. Look, if you would please, in verse 20. He said, "But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the Lord shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away." Wow. In other words, in all of their prosperity, they're just being fattened as lambs for the slaughter. It's just that simple. Now, look, if you would, please, in verse 8 again, here's the third "fret not." He says, "Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil."

Now let me tie "cease from anger, and forsake wrath" not only with verse 7 but with verse 8 as well, because he says "cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil." So now we're talking about unbiblical anger—there is a righteous anger—and unbiblical wrath—and there is a righteous wrath. But God says, cease from that which is unbiblical and fret not thyself in any wise to do evil. So I want you to mark this down in your mind, in your notes. Here it is. That unrighteous anger will make us do evil. Unrighteous anger will make us do evil. OK. Fretting is sinful in and of itself because it is a lack of faith and trust. But you must remember that one's sin always leads to other sins.

Contrasts Between the Righteous and the Wicked in Psalm 37

Weaver highlights the contrasts in the latter part of Psalm 37, showing that the righteous will inherit the land and be saved, while the wicked will be cut off and destroyed.

Now, the Hebrew word for "wrath" here is the word "chemah," which literally means to be in a fury, to be in a heat, to be in a rage, to be filled with displeasure, to be filled with anger and wrath, which are nothing more than a poison burning up in your bosom is what it amounts to. So these negatives, to cease from anger and to forsake wrath, means positively that we're to continue in righteousness, holiness, peace, calmness, doing that which is righteous. And he said in verse 8, "Fret not thyself in any wise to do evil." We're not to do evil regardless. Now, ask yourself, if you would please, why we should not be angry and wrathful. Now, like I said, there is a righteous anger and there is a righteous wrath, but we're not talking about that here. We're talking about getting bent out of shape over the wicked and their prosperity. OK, but here's why we should not be bent out of shape. Look, if you would, in Psalm 37, beginning with verse 9. Here's why. Let's read verse 8. "Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil. For evildoers shall be cut off."

"But those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth. For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be. But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace." Note, if you would, God says the reason we are not afraid is he's going to take care of it. He's going to wipe them out. He said, but we, the meek, shall inherit the earth. And by the way, when our Lord in Matthew chapter 5 says, "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth." And you remember the passage in Matthew 11, where he said, "I am meek and lowly in heart." The word "meek" does not mean mousiness. It does not mean weakness. If you are a meek individual, that means your strength is controlled by God, it is a controlled strength. Moses was called the meekest man upon the earth and look what he did.

I have a 3,000 pound bull. If you want to try to ride him, help yourself. But if that bull was broken to yoke or was trained with a bit and bridle, you now have controlled strength. That's what meekness is. The meek shall inherit the earth, those who are controlled.

Now, notice now, please listen to me. He says once again, the wicked are going to be destroyed. Now, here's what God does in Psalm 37. He puts everything together for us in the latter part of this psalm. He's not only showing you the negatives and the positives, but he's also showing you the contrast between the righteous and the wicked. He's been doing that all through this psalm. So let's begin reading at verse 34 and read to the end of this psalm. And look how God puts this thing together. Look in Psalm 37, verse 34.

He says, "Wait on the Lord, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it." So once again, here's the contrast. Then David said, "I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree." He's going to take over, he thinks. "Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found." There's another contrast. "Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace." Here's the contrast again. "But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off. But"—another contrast—"the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord." "He is their strength in the time of trouble." Then the last verse, "And the Lord shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him." So in this psalm, he gives you the negatives and the positives, tells you not to do something, here's what you should do in the place of that, and says here's the contrast, here's why you should not be worried.

You're going to get everything, they're going to be destroyed. Wow. So, let me make some applications very quickly. I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would, to Philippians chapter 4. I want you to look at this. This is a New Testament parallel passage to Psalm 37. If you look in Philippians chapter 4, I want you to note verses 6 and 7. Philippians 4 verses 6 and 7. Because Psalm 37 has been telling you not to fret, tells you how to trust, how to delight, how to commit, how to rest. Now he says in the book of Philippians chapter 4 verse 6, "Be careful for nothing." And the word "careful" means anxious. Don't be anxious for anything. "Be careful for nothing." Well, if you are careful for nothing, what do you replace it with if you're not going to worry about anything?

New Testament Parallel and Final Applications

Weaver connects Psalm 37 to Philippians 4:6-7, where prayer replaces anxiety. He concludes with the assurance of God's protection for His people and judgment on the wicked, emphasizing God's sovereign control.

He said, "But in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." He said the reason you should not be anxious is because you're praying about everything. You're asking God for everything. You're giving thanksgiving unto God, and you're making your request known unto God. So, actually, Philippians 4, verses 6 and 7 is a parallel to Psalm 37.

Now, the Greek word here for "careful" is the word "merimnao," and it literally means that we are not to be anxious, we're not to be troubled, we're not to be upset, we're not to be confused about anything, and the way not to be that way is by continual prayer and supplication with thanksgiving making our requests made known unto God. Now let me tell you a second application. Psalm 37 assures us of the protection and the preservation and the providential acts of God in the lives of his people. It also teaches us that God is going to judge and destroy the wicked and especially those who have tried to harm his people.

Now, there's a passage I want you to jot down. I will quote it. Deuteronomy 7, verses 9 and 10. This is a parallel passage to the destruction of the wicked in Psalm 37. Listen to it.

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 7:9-10

"Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;"

hang on,

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 7:9-10

"and repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them: he will not be slack to him that hateth him, he will repay him to his face."

God said, I'm not ashamed to strike the wicked. I will pay him to his face. So when you look at Psalm 37, you think of the negatives and the positives. You think of the contrast between the righteous and the wicked. You think of how God is going to preserve and protect and provide for his people. And you think about how God is going to judge and destroy the wicked. What does that mean?

It means that he is in absolute sovereign control. And he's going to work things out for us. And he's going to judge those that hate him and destroy them. And all we have to do is rest in him and wait on him because he will do it in his time and in his way. The reason we get so upset is because we don't want to wait. And we don't want to rest. We want to help him. And we can't. He is in control.

Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to thee. We thank you for your words. We thank you for your truth. And we pray, Lord, that you teach us the negatives and the positives, as well as the contrasts in Psalm 37. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray. Amen.

Study Guide

Major Themes

Biblical Pattern of Negatives and Positives

Summary: Scripture frequently uses negative commands (what not to do) paired with positive commands (what to do), and understanding both is essential for obedience.

Evidence: The negative tells you what not to do. It tells you what not to think. It tells you what not or how not to act. The positive tells you what to do, how to think, and how to act.

Replacing Fretting with Trust, Delight, Commitment, and Rest

Summary: The command 'fret not' in Psalm 37 must be replaced with positive graces: trusting in the Lord, delighting in Him, committing our way to Him, and resting in Him.

Evidence: If God commands us not to fret, we must replace fretting... with something else. What are we to replace it with? Well, let me just put it to you like this. The Lord gives us four things right now to replace fretting with.

The Temporary Prosperity and Ultimate Destruction of the Wicked

Summary: The wicked may prosper for a time, but God will judge and destroy them; they are like grass that withers or lambs fattened for slaughter.

Evidence: For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb... But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the Lord shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.

God's Sovereign Control and Justice

Summary: God is in absolute control of all events, and He will preserve the righteous and repay the wicked to their face; believers need only to wait and rest in Him.

Evidence: It means that he is in absolute sovereign control. And he's going to work things out for us. And he's going to judge those that hate him and destroy them.

The Contrast Between the Righteous and the Wicked

Summary: Psalm 37 repeatedly contrasts the destiny of the righteous (inheritance, peace, salvation) with that of the wicked (cut off, destroyed, perishing).

Evidence: But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace... But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off.

Obedience as the Antidote to Anxiety

Summary: Fretting is disobedience and hinders faith; replacing anxiety with prayer and thanksgiving is a New Testament parallel to Psalm 37.

Evidence: Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

Key Arguments

Every negative command implies a positive duty

Summary: Weaver argues that biblical negatives are not merely prohibitions but require corresponding positive actions; for example, 'thou shalt not steal' implies honest labor and generosity.

Evidence: Every negative has a positive. Every positive has a negative... In order to obey the commandment, you must not only obey the negative, you must also obey the positive.

Fretting is sinful and must be actively replaced

Summary: Fretting is a lack of faith and trust, and God commands believers to replace it with trust, delight, commitment, and rest in Him.

Evidence: Fretting is sinful in and of itself because it is a lack of faith and trust... If you are fretting, you are not obeying. If you are obeying, then you are not fretting.

The wicked's prosperity is temporary and their judgment is certain

Summary: Believers should not envy or fret over the wicked because God will soon cut them down; their prosperity is like grass that withers.

Evidence: Why are you going to be envious of someone who's soon going to be destroyed? Would you like to be destroyed as they? No, obviously not.

God's sovereignty should calm our anxieties

Summary: Because God is in control and will judge the wicked, believers can rest and wait patiently rather than fret over circumstances they cannot control.

Evidence: Why in the world am I going to fret over someone or something over which I have absolutely no control? ... God is going to control them. He's going to judge them.

Unrighteous anger leads to evil

Summary: Weaver warns that unbiblical anger and wrath can cause believers to do evil, so they must cease from such anger and instead pursue righteousness.

Evidence: That unrighteous anger will make us do evil. Unrighteous anger will make us do evil.

Scripture References

Psalm 37:1-2

Context: Introduction of the psalm's opening negatives and the reason not to fret: the wicked will soon be cut down.

Ephesians 4:28

Context: Illustration of the positive side of 'thou shalt not steal': honest labor and giving to those in need.

Exodus 20:12

Context: The fifth commandment as an example of a positive command with underlying negatives.

Ephesians 6:1

Context: Children's obedience to parents as part of the positive duty of honoring them.

1 Timothy 5:8

Context: Providing for one's own household, including elderly parents, as a way to honor them.

Matthew 15:1-6

Context: Jesus rebukes the Pharisees for using tradition to avoid honoring parents, contrasting honor with cursing.

Mark 7:9-13

Context: Parallel account of Jesus condemning the Corban practice that nullified the command to honor parents.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-22

Context: A series of negatives and positives, including 'rejoice evermore,' 'pray without ceasing,' and 'despise not prophesyings.'

Hebrews 1:1-2

Context: God's final revelation is in His Son, indicating that new revelation has ceased.

Psalm 37:7-8

Context: The second and third 'fret not' commands, along with 'rest in the Lord' and 'cease from anger.'

Psalm 37:25-27

Context: David's testimony that he has never seen the righteous forsaken, reinforcing trust in God's provision.

Psalm 55:22

Context: Casting burdens on the Lord as parallel to committing our way to Him.

1 Peter 5:7

Context: Casting all care upon God because He cares for us.

Psalm 37:23-24

Context: The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and though he fall, he will not be utterly cast down.

Psalm 37:12-15

Context: The wicked plot against the just, but the Lord laughs at them and their own weapons will destroy them.

Psalm 37:18-20

Context: The Lord knows the days of the upright; the wicked will perish and consume away like smoke.

Psalm 37:9-11

Context: Evildoers will be cut off, but those who wait on the Lord will inherit the earth.

Psalm 37:34-40

Context: Final contrasts: the wicked will be cut off, but the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord.

Philippians 4:6-7

Context: New Testament parallel: instead of being anxious, believers should pray with thanksgiving.

Deuteronomy 7:9-10

Context: God keeps covenant and repays those who hate Him to their face, paralleling the judgment in Psalm 37.

Historical References

Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Context: Quoted regarding Psalm 37 as dealing with the riddle of the prosperity of the wicked and the affliction of the righteous.

John Trapp

Context: Quoted on the command 'fret not,' comparing it to Jonah's anger and Jesus calming the sea.

George Soros

Context: Mentioned as an example of a wealthy, powerful wicked man who defrauded his own people.

Mark Zuckerberg

Context: Mentioned alongside other wealthy individuals who attack the righteous.

World Economic Forum

Context: Referenced in connection with powerful individuals who use their wealth against the righteous.

Donald Trump

Context: Used as an example of someone over whom individuals have no control.

Moses

Context: Cited as the meekest man on earth, illustrating that meekness is controlled strength.

Important Quotes

The negative tells you what not to do. It tells you what not to think. It tells you what not or how not to act. The positive tells you what to do, how to think, and how to act.

Significance: Defines the core concept of the sermon: the biblical pattern of negatives and positives governing all of life.

Every negative has a positive. Every positive has a negative.

Significance: Establishes the hermeneutical principle that commands in Scripture are two-sided.

If you are fretting, you are not obeying. If you are obeying, then you are not fretting.

Significance: Connects fretting directly to disobedience, emphasizing the need to replace anxiety with positive graces.

Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.

Significance: The opening text of the sermon, providing the first negative command and the reason for it.

Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.

Significance: The first positive replacement for fretting, combining faith and obedience.

Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

Significance: The second 'fret not' command, paired with the call to rest and wait.

Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.

Significance: The third 'fret not,' linking unrighteous anger to the danger of doing evil.

Discussion Questions

How does understanding that every negative command has a positive counterpart change the way you read Scripture?

Context: Weaver emphasizes that negatives and positives are paired throughout the Bible.

In what areas of your life are you most prone to fret, and how can you practically replace fretting with trust, delight, commitment, and rest in the Lord?

Context: The four positive graces are given as replacements for fretting.

Why is it difficult to rest and wait patiently for God to deal with the wicked, and what truths from Psalm 37 can help you wait?

Context: Weaver explains that we want to help God rather than wait on His timing.

How does the promise that the wicked will be cut down like grass affect your perspective on current events and powerful ungodly people?

Context: The sermon applies the temporary nature of the wicked's prosperity.

What is the difference between righteous anger and unrighteous anger, and how can we 'cease from anger' as commanded?

Context: Weaver distinguishes between biblical and unbiblical anger in the context of Psalm 37:8.

How does the New Testament teaching in Philippians 4:6-7 reinforce the message of Psalm 37?

Context: Weaver presents Philippians 4 as a parallel passage.

In what ways can we honor our parents even after we are adults, and how does this relate to the broader principle of negatives and positives?

Context: The sermon uses the fifth commandment to illustrate the positive duties of honor.

Applications

Replace anxiety with prayer and thanksgiving

Summary: Instead of fretting, believers should bring every concern to God in prayer with a thankful heart, as taught in Philippians 4:6-7.

Evidence: Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

Actively trust God rather than fret over the wicked

Summary: When tempted to fret over evildoers, believers must consciously trust in the Lord and continue doing good, knowing God will judge the wicked.

Evidence: Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.

Cultivate delight in the Lord to align desires with His will

Summary: Delighting in the Lord transforms our desires so that we want what God wants, freeing us from envy of the wicked.

Evidence: Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

Commit your way to the Lord by rolling your burdens onto Him

Summary: Believers should actively 'wallow' in committing their plans and concerns to God, trusting Him to bring about His purposes.

Evidence: Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

Practice resting in the Lord through silence and stillness

Summary: Resting in the Lord involves quieting our hearts, ceasing from frantic activity, and waiting patiently for God to act.

Evidence: Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him.

Cease from unrighteous anger to avoid doing evil

Summary: Believers must forsake unbiblical anger and wrath, recognizing that such emotions can lead to sinful actions.

Evidence: Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.

Honor parents through practical care and respect

Summary: The command to honor parents includes providing for them in old age and showing respect, reflecting the positive side of the fifth commandment.

Evidence: But if any provide not for his own, and especially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T02:19:16Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T15:49:15Z

Clean Transcript

Negatives and Positives

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

Psalm 37. And the title of the message is Negatives and Positives. Negatives and Positives. So notice if you would, Psalm 37, beginning with verse one, "Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity, for they shall soon be cut down like the grass and wither as the green herb. Trust in the Lord and do good. So shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the Lord, and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord, and trust also in him, and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him. Fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in the way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. Cease from anger and forsake wrath, fret not thyself in any wise to do evil. For evildoers shall be cut off, and those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth. For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not
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be." Now I'm going to stop there, but remember the title of the message is Negatives and Positives. And I've pointed out many times while I was preaching that the Word of God is full of negatives and positives. Or if you desire, I would say positives and negatives. But this is true in the Old Testament and it's also true in the New Testament. The importance of this style of teaching in negatives and positives is simply this.
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The negative tells you what not to do. It tells you what not to think. It tells you what not or how not to act. The positive tells you what to do, how to think, and how to act. So this negative and positive that we see in the Word of God is to actually control the entirety of our lives in thinking as well as in acting.
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Now we have in the Bible what is known as wisdom literature, which I've mentioned here before. Wisdom literature happens to be the book of Job, the book of Psalms, the book of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon. You will find in these wisdom books a lot of negatives and positives as well. They are filled with this kind of teaching. When you get to the New Testament, you will find the Apostle Paul also makes use of this kind of teaching, and especially in the books of Ephesians and Colossians.
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For instance, he changes the negative and the positive to simply put off and put on. So putting off is the negative and putting on is the positive. So you're going to find this teaching throughout the entirety of the Word of God. So let me just give you some illustrations and examples before we begin looking at Psalm 37. Would you consider the Ten Commandments? And I hope you can quote those ten commandments. But out of the ten commandments, you only have two positive commandments, the fourth one and the fifth one. The rest of the commandments are set in negative terms.
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And there's a reason for that. So thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not covet. All these are negatives. A negative usually deals with a particular sin and a particular evil. So if you're not committing that particular sin or that particular evil, then the negative does not necessarily apply to you. Okay, so just pointing out that.
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Now, let me show you the importance of this. Because every negative has a positive. Every positive has a negative. Sometimes a negative may have multiple positives, and sometimes a positive may have multiple negatives. So let's take, just for an example, the Eighth Commandment. The Eighth Commandment is, "Thou shalt not steal." When we think of "thou shalt not steal," that means I'm not to take anything that belongs to Roger and Sharon. At least not take it without their permission. If I took it without their permission, then I'm stealing. "Thou shalt not steal." We understand that. But what about the positive side of "thou shalt not steal"? So every negative has a positive. So if you want to see what the positive side of "Thou Shalt Not Steal" is, then I'm going to ask you to turn in your Bibles, holding Psalm 37, to the book of Ephesians chapter 4 and look, if you would please, at verse 28. Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 28. Now please remember this, "Thou Shalt Not Steal," that is a negative.
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And just so you say, "Well, I'm not stealing. I must be obeying that commandment." No, no, no. Because the negative has a positive. In order to obey the commandment, you must not only obey the negative, you must also obey the positive. So when you look in Ephesians 4 and verse 28, the Word of God says this: "Let him that stole steal no more, but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may give to him that needeth." Now look at this. "Let him that stole steal no more." That's the negative. Do not steal. What is the positive? Learn to labor, working with your hands, that which is good.
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In other words, you're doing honest work. But wait a minute. There's more to it than just doing honest work. Look what he says: "That ye may give to him that needeth." In other words, you're not only working for yourself and earning your money, you are not a covetous individual—that is what a thief is. You're not a selfish individual—that is what a thief is. But now you have developed a generous and loving and compassionate spirit and you're willing to share and you're willing to give to him that needeth. Not willing necessarily to give to everyone that asks it, but to him that needeth. And there would be an understanding of a biblical need as well. So the positive side of "thou shalt not steal" is that you are to be an honest laborer doing that which is right with a compassionate, unselfish, and ungreedy attitude and willing to share with those who need. So there you see the negative then has an absolute positive.
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Now when you think about the positives in the Bible, I mentioned that the fourth and fifth commandments are positive. So let's just take the fifth example, the fifth commandment as an example, where the Word of God says, "Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days upon the earth may be long, which the Lord thy God giveth thee." So he says, "Honor thy father and thy mother." So you're going to find that all the positives are undergirded with negatives as well. So what does it mean then to honor your father and mother? Well, first of all, we could say, obviously, the first negative would be, "Thou shalt not dishonor thy father and thy mother in thy thoughts, attitudes, or actions." So honor forbids dishonor. Okay? The second thing that we could say about the positive side of this commandment is that it also teaches us obedience.
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For instance, in Ephesians 6 and verse 1, "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right." So you have a negative and you have a positive. The negative is do not dishonor. Part of the positive is you must honor them as well.
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Now, you're going to say to me, "Well, I'm not a child any longer. And maybe my parents are dead or maybe my parents are elderly or I'm married and I have children myself." Well, you have to understand this. There is never a time when honor ceases. There may be a time when obedience ceases in the sense that here I am married and children and grandchildren and of course my parents are both dead, but if my father was alive, he would have no authority to command me over my wife or over my children. You follow that? Because I'm the head of my house, he was the head of his house. Now, after Alice and I were married, and after we had children, we went back and visited our parents. We would visit my parents, we'd visit her parents. And both of us, when we would go back for a visit, would try not only to honor our parents, but also to obey them.
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to the extent that we could. For instance, when I went back to see my father, he is still my father, and I'm still his child. I don't care if I'm 40 years old or 50 years old, I'm still his child. And my mother still, until she died, called me her baby, and I was. I was the youngest of the two, but I'm just simply pointing out. And when I would go back to visit my father, he is still the head of his house. And I'm still his child. So whenever he would ask me to do something, as much as I could, I would obey it. I just would. And my mother asked me to do something, I would obey it.
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Thankfully, my father never ever tried to tell me how to run my wife, how to run my children, how to run my home. Certainly, he would offer counsel, he would offer advice. But he never tried to run my life after I was married or my family. It's just that simple. But now there are other ways that we can honor our parents, even when we are grown. How do we do that? Well, here's a verse. 1 Timothy, chapter 5 and verse 8.
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You need to write it down. Here it is. God said, "But if any provide not for his own, and especially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel."
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Now, let that sink in. "But if any provide not for his own, especially their own household, he hath denied the faith. He's worse than an infidel." So here's what God is saying. Your parents took care of you when you were incapable of taking care of yourself. They fed you. They clothed you. They nursed you. They doctored you. They educated you. And now when the parents are elderly and can't take care of themselves, it's now the children's responsibility to take care of their parents. It's not the state's responsibility. It's the responsibility of the children.
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In fact, I would even go farther. It's the responsibility of the extended family. Because if you read in 1 Timothy chapter 5, he also talks about widows. He said, "Honor widows that are widows indeed. But if a widow have children or nephews," that's an extended family, "let them first show piety at home, and requite their parents." And so the word "requite" means to pay back. And to show piety at home, it means to show godliness, holiness, righteousness, and obedience.
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Now, so let me just point out the facts, that in the New Testament our Lord thoroughly rebuked the Pharisees over this issue of honoring your parents because they were dishonoring and allowing others to dishonor their parents. So let me show you. So hold Psalm 37 but turn in your Bibles to two passages. First of all to Matthew chapter 15 and then secondly to Mark chapter 7. So we'll go to Matthew chapter 15 first and I want you to note beginning there with verse 1 and I will explain this. Matthew chapter 15 verse 1, "Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying, Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders?"
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"For they wash not their hands when they eat bread. But he answered and said unto them, Why do you also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? For God commanded, saying, Honor thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death." So what you see right here is a good contrast. If you are not honoring your parents, you're cursing your parents. And the law of God said whoever cursed their parents deserved the death penalty. Now, so watch this. He says, "For God commanded, saying, Honor thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; and honor not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition." So he says you are dishonoring your parents and you're dishonoring God who commanded you to honor your parents.
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Now, before I explain it, turn over to Mark chapter 7 and let's begin reading there with verse 9. Mark chapter 7, verse 9. It's basically the same thing, but just a little bit different. Watch this. Mark 7, verse 9. "And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. For Moses said, Honor thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death: But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free. And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother; making the word of God
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of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye." Now, notice if you would, the word Corban is used here when it was not used in Matthew chapter 5 or 15. So the word Corban just simply means a gift or it means dedicated. So what the rabbis would do with this, they would let a man come up and dedicate his money to the Lord. He would only have to say the word Corban. It's a gift. It's dedicated.
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And thus then they would relieve him of his responsibility of taking care of his elderly, aging, and possibly sickly parents. Because you could not use money that had been dedicated to God for such a mundane purpose of taking care of old iron people. Well, and so they made the Word of God of none effect. They despised the Word of God by saying that all of this stuff is dedicated. Perhaps the rabbi got a little cut, I don't know, but all I'm saying is they just simply had to say it's a gift and they, according to the Pharisaic religion, were relieved then of their responsibility of helping their parents.
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So, will you hear "honor thy father and thy mother"? It has a lot of negatives, but also at the same time, it means do not dishonor them in any way whatsoever, and it would mean further positives. You take care of them when they could not take care of themselves. You help them in any way that you can help them. You do for them whatever you can do for them. That's what it would basically mean.
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Now, before we get back to Psalm 37, I want you to turn over in your Bibles to 1 Thessalonians chapter 5. And I want you to just look at this passage, and I'm just pointing out how many times that we see in the Bible positives and negatives, and how we have to stop and think when we look at this so that we can actually understand what is being said. So, in 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, let's begin looking there at verse 16. Here's a simple verse. Two words. "Rejoice evermore." That's a positive. "Rejoice evermore."
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Well, what would be the negative? Do not complain. Do not deliate. Do not whine and cry. You see what I'm saying? So if you really understand what it means to rejoice evermore, you have to understand also what it does not mean and what it does mean. Okay. So look at verse 17. "Pray without ceasing." Well, what does that mean? It means that you must be in a constant state of prayer. Now that doesn't mean that you have to stay down on your knees 24 hours a day, but what it does mean: You should be praying about anything and everything that happens to you during the day.
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You should be asking God's will. You should be asking God for direction. You should be asking God for his divine help and mercy. So pray without ceasing. Look at verse 18. "In every thing give thanks." That's positive. "For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." That's positive. "In every thing give thanks." What's that mean? Don't grumble. Don't complain. Be thankful for whatever you have. I like what the hillbilly said. He said, "Bless God," he said, "I ain't got but two teeth in my mouth, but thank God they meet." Well, that's good. If they meet, you can eat meat. That's a fact. So just simply saying, "In every thing give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."
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Then he says, "Quench not the Spirit." That's a negative. So what would be the positive? Be submissive to the Holy Spirit. Be tender toward his direction and his leadership. Follow him. Obey him. "Despise not prophesyings." I'm going to come back to that one. So that's the negative. You have to understand what the positive is. Then he says, "Prove all things." Well, what would be the negative? Don't be gullible. Don't be easily deceived. Don't swallow every lie that comes down the road. No. Prove all things. And once you prove them, "hold fast that which is good."
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Lord, you know what truth is. You hold it fast. And then he says in verse 22, "Abstain from all appearance of evil." So that means positively we should make sure that our life, our thinking, our attitude, everything about it does not even appear to be evil, and we're not associating with it in any way whatsoever. Now, if you go back to verse 20, he says, "Despise not prophesyings."
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Now, the word "prophesyings" here is the word "propheteia," which literally means a prophecy or a discourse which is emanating from divine inspiration, which would be the Bible. A prophecy here would refer to declaring, pronouncing, teaching and preaching the Word of God, demonstrating the purpose of God, not only toward those who are unsaved, but also toward the saved. It would include comforting the saints. It would include giving direction and counsel to the saints. What this word does not mean, and cannot mean, is that there is now fresh and new revelation coming to someone over and above and beyond the Word of God. And the reason it can't mean that is because, number one, revelation has ceased. It has stopped. God is not revealing anything else anymore. We have the completed Word of God, and we also have the living Word of God.
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Now, since you're so close, if you will turn over in your Bibles to Ephesians chapter—I'm sorry, Hebrews chapter 1. Hebrews chapter 1, and let's begin reading there with verse 1. Just a few pages over. Hebrews chapter 1 and verse 1. Look at this. This is why I'm telling you there is no more revelation. Here we go. "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets." Yes, when you look in the Old Testament and in the New Testament, there were prophets that had dreams, there were prophets that were in trances, there were prophets that had visions, different ways that God spoke. But look at verse 2.
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"Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds." Who is God's last, full, and final revelation? It's Jesus Christ. So when someone is telling me, "Well, I just got this revelation from God. Here's what God's going to do." No, you didn't get a revelation from God. You may have gotten one from your own dream factory or the fact that you ate a peanut butter, mayonnaise, pickle and onion sandwich before you went to sleep, but you didn't get it from God. Because if you try to tell me you now have a new revelation, you are denying, first of all, that the Bible is the Word of God and denying, secondly, that Jesus Christ is the full and final revelation of God. You're saying that there's something beyond the Bible and there's something beyond Jesus Christ, which is blasphemy. So when he says "despise not prophesyings," what he's saying is do not despise the preaching and teaching from the Word of God.
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Don't despise it. When you read throughout the Old Testament particularly and really in the book of Jeremiah, Jeremiah preached to these people and what would they do? They refused to listen. They stiffened their neck. They hardened their heart. They closed their ears. They closed their minds. They would not hear. That's exactly where people are today. They're despising the preaching and teaching, the declaration of God's divinely inspired word. God says don't despise it.
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"Well, he hurt my feelings." I'm sorry. Don't despise the Word of God. "Well, I don't like the way he preaches." I'm sorry. Don't despise the Word of God. If the Word of God is being preached, you have to understand this. Men have different talents. They have different personalities. They have different voices. They have different styles of oratory. You end up being like those Corinthians in 1 Corinthians chapter 1 through 3. "I like the Apostle Paul." "Not me. I like Apollos." "No, no, no. I like the Apostle Peter." And then they're fussing and fighting over different preachers. No. Just so the Word of God is being taught is what counts.
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Now, I will tell you, I know there are certain things that upset individuals or certain individuals that do not like. I had a friend. He's now with the Lord. He was a preacher. And I loved him in the Lord, but I could not stand to talk to him more than 10 or 15 minutes. And the reason was because his voice was so high and so shrill, it hurt my ears. But God used him. I mean, that's me, but I would listen to him as long as he's teaching the Word of God.
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But I'm just sitting around talking. His voice hurt my ears. Well, I'm just saying, despise not prophesyings. In other words, he says, you learn to love the Word of God. That would be the positive. You learn to love preaching. You learn to be there. It's astounding to me how easily people get out of preaching and teaching. They stuff their toe, their mother has a cough, or the baby has diarrhea or something, I don't know. But anything and everything just to stay away from preaching.
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Big dinner somewhere, we'll go to that. But there you go, despising off both sides.
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Now, what I want you to do is this. I want you to turn back in your Bibles, if you would, to Psalm 37. And I want to show you the negatives and the positives as well as the contrasts that are given to us in Psalm 37.
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Now, I want to call your attention to three verses right off. The first one is this. Look in verse 1. "Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity." So the very first thing you have in the very first verse happens to be two negatives. "Fret not, neither be thou envious." OK. Now, if you look at verse 7, you'll see this again.
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"Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass."
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Now look in verse 8. "Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil." So you have in this psalm three "fret not." So obviously, "fret not" happens to be a negative. So we are not to fret under any circumstances, but we're especially not to fret over the circumstances that are outlined in Psalm 37. We're not to fret concerning the wicked, neither are we to fret or be envious at the workers of iniquity.
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If you read the Word of God, you'll find they do not suffer as we suffer. They're not afflicted as we are afflicted. "Be not envious against the workers of iniquity." How in the world can you be envious as a Christian against the worker of iniquity? I told some folks that last week on the way to church, I passed a couple of folks who were going to worship Dagon. You say, "How do you know they were going to worship Dagon?" Well, you'd have to know who Dagon is. He was the Philistine god, but he was also the fish god.
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Remember the Pope has that mitre? That's the fish mouth and the fish head. And I know they were going to worship Dagon because they had their boats behind their truck all the way to the ocean to fish. Well, you know, I love beautiful days and I love spring weather and I love warm weather. I have no desire to go fishing somewhere on Sunday morning. I don't envy them. They're doing that. They're neglecting God. They're neglecting the word. That's them.
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But I'm just simply saying it's astounding to me. They do things that we don't do. They go places we cannot go and will not go.
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Now, when he says "fret not" three times in this word, in this verse, or this passage, the word "fret" is the Hebrew word "charah," and it actually means to be angry, to be wrathful, to be displeased, to be incensed, to be upset, to be burning, to be hot, to be furious. Let me put it to you like this. Don't get worked up and vex yourself until you explode. That's what he's saying. Don't fret over these things. Don't get angry over these things.
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Now, let me tell you something about this psalm that should make it more easily received. If you look in your Bibles to verse 25, David said this. We'll come back to this passage. David said, "I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread." So this psalm was written by David when he was an old man. So he had lived his life. He had many, many experiences.
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He learned a lot of things. And so now he said, "I'm trying to teach you this while I am old." And so you should learn from the wisdom of the elderly.
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Now, before I begin, I want to give you two quotes. The first one is by Charles Haddon Spurgeon, and both of these quotes are dealing with this psalm. So Spurgeon says it like this: "The great riddle of the prosperity of the wicked and the affliction of the righteous, which has perplexed so many, is here dealt with in the light of the future," which I'll correct and show you.
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"And fretfulness and repining"—repining is another word which means to moan, complain, to bellyache—and so he says, "and fretfulness and repining are most impressively... It is a psalm in which the Lord hushes most sweetly the two common repinings of His people, and calms their mind as to the present dealings with His own chosen flock and the wolves by whom they are surrounded. It contains eight great precepts, is twice illustrated by autobiographical statements, and abounds in remarkable contrasts," which there are plenty in this psalm.
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And then here's the second one by John Trapp. He says, "Fret not, be not angry at God as Jonah was, or aggrieved as Jeremiah and Habakkuk were, as if the divine providence did not justly divide to every man his due estate and do him right. But have patience a while, yea, let patience have her line and rope, her perfect work as James hath it, and quiet your boiling spirits with that word wherewith Christ becalmed the raging sea: Peace, be still." So now three times in this psalm he said "fret not."
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Now look if you would please back at verse 1. He says, "Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity." So here's my question: why should we not be fretful over the evildoers? And why should we not be envious over against the workers of iniquity? And the answer comes from verse 2. "For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb." Why are you going to be envious of someone who's soon going to be destroyed? Would you like to be destroyed as they? No, obviously not. Now, the command to "fret not" is a negative. So God commands us: Do not fret. So the question is this. If God commands us not to fret, in light of these situations and in light of these circumstances, what are we to do? He says, do not fret.
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You cannot replace something with nothing. If God commands us not to fret, we must replace fretting, anxiousness, worriness, worrisomeness—we must replace that with something else. What are we to replace it with? Well, let me just put it to you like this. The Lord gives us four things right now to replace fretting with. I want to say four wonderful graces. And I must point out that fretting hinders and removes these graces from action. So let me just put this very plainly. If you are fretting, you are not obeying. If you are obeying, then you are not fretting. If you are fretting, you're not exercising faith. If you're exercising faith, then you are not fretting. So what do we replace fretting with—anxiety, worrying about everything? What do we replace that with? Well, he gives you four things.
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Number one, if you look, first of all, in verse 3, here's what you do. "Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed." So the very first thing he said is this: instead of fretting, you learn to trust in the Lord and do good. You do that which is right and biblical and holy.
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Now, the Hebrew word for "good" happens to be the word "tov," which means that which is good, that which is pleasant, that which is agreeable, that is to God, and to do that which is ethical, moral, right and appropriate. I could say it like this. Fretting not only delays obedience, fretting itself is disobedience. When they are fretting, they are disobedient. Do you realize that people who are anxious, fretful, worrying constantly and consistently, usually one of two things happens in their lives.
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They're either extremely fearful or extremely indecisive. Because when you're full of anxiety, you're fearful of what is going to transpire, what is going to happen, or you're so concerned, you're indecisive, you just simply do not know what to do. So he says, here's what you best do first. You must trust in the Lord. Look at this. Look at it in verse 3. "Trust in the Lord, and do good."
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"So shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed." So he says, as long as we are obedient to him, we don't have to worry about something to eat and a place to sleep. God said, I'm going to make sure that you have that.
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Now, look, if you would, beginning at verse 25. I read this earlier, but I'm going to go through verse 27. Look what he says. Psalm 37:25, "I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed. Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore. For the Lord loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off." So you see even here is a contrast: there are the saints and there are the wicked. And God has said if we do good, we're going to dwell in the land and he's not going to forsake us and we're never ever going to be cut off from him. It's only the wicked that are going to be cut off. So, the very first thing he tells you to do to replace fretting is to trust in the Lord. Look, if you would, at verse 4. Here's the second thing.
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"Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart." Now, if we're delighting ourselves in the Lord, we're not concerned about the wicked. We're not envious at the workers of iniquity. If we're delighting ourselves in the Lord, we are concerned with Him. Now, notice what he said, "Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart." If you are delighting yourself in the Lord, that means then the desires of your heart are going to be holy and right. You're not going to desire anything that's contrary to God. So this verse, as you say, "Well, I'm going to delight myself in the Lord and I desire a billion dollars." I'm sorry. You're not delighting yourself in the Lord. If you delight yourself in the Lord, you're going to be delighted in whatever he gives you. Why? Because you realize you don't deserve anything. Wow. So "delight thyself in the Lord." The word "delight" is the word "anog" in the Hebrew, and it literally means to be happy and to take exquisite delight in.
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It means basically to be pampered with and to make merry over. In other words, you're to rejoice in him. "Delight thyself in the Lord."
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Now, so how do we replace fretting? By trusting, by delighting ourselves in the Lord. Here's the third one. Look in verse 5. "Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday." Now, the word "commit" is a very interesting word. "Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass."
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There are certain words that I find in the Hebrew and in the Greek that are so expressive that I really delight in reading those words. This is one of them. When he uses the word "commit," it is the Hebrew word "galal." "Commit thy way unto the Lord." The word "galal" literally means, listen to this, to flow into, to roll in, yea, even to wallow in, and to run into. In other words, you are wallowing in committing your way into the Lord. I was raised on a farm, and I've seen hogs wallow in mud all day long. They love it. They enjoy it. It's delightful to them. God said we're to wallow in committing our way into the Lord. It should be delightful for us as well. Now note if you would, he said, look at it now: "Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him." So if you trust in him, you're going to commit your way to him. If you commit your way to him, it's because you trust in him. What is going to happen? "He shall
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bring it to pass." In other words, he will fulfill it. "And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday."
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Now, since we're in the Psalms, if you would turn right over to Psalm 55. Psalm 55, I want you to see this. Look in verse 22. Psalm 55, verse 22. Then I'll quote a couple of other verses. Psalm 55, verse 22: "Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved." That's the same as committing thy way to the Lord. Whatever's bothering you, whatever you desire, whatever you just committed to the Lord, wallow in him. He shall sustain thee. He's not going to allow you to be moved, but he's going to bring to pass that which is ordained for your good and his glory. Absolutely. Now, 1 Peter 5 and verse 7, you don't have to turn there, I'll quote it.
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"Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." Now, if you look back to Psalm 37 and look at verses 23 and 24, in light of this, "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way." "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way."
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Now, let me ask you a question. Who's the "he"? Is it God or is it a man? And I would venture to say both. "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he"—God—"delighteth in the steps of a good man." Or "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he"—the man—"delighteth in his way," that is, in God's way. It can be read either way.
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But look at verse 24. "Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand." So far, we've seen three things to replace fretting: Trust in the Lord, delight thyself in the Lord, commit thyself or thy way to the Lord. Wow. But what's the fourth one? Look, if you would, in verse 7. "Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him." Wow. "Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him." Now the word "rest" is a very interesting word. "Damam" is the Hebrew word and it means to be silent, to be still, and to be quiet. Resting is a quiet time. Resting is a relaxable time. Resting is peaceful time. Resting is a cessation of activity and complaining.
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So, I'll give you an illustration. Alice and I had four daughters. So, when our children were small and I was studying at home, I had to learn to study with running, screaming, and hollering, and crying, and playing, and laughing, and shouting, and, you know. So finally, they grew up, and I didn't have to study under those conditions. I had peace and quiet. And I enjoyed that. And then they got grown and got married. And we had grandkids. Six of them. So now I'm in the room studying and the grandkids are running, hollering, "Papa, Papa, come here, Papa do this, Papa do..."
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And I had to get used to all that again. Then they grew up. And they got married. They're grown and gone. Now I've got peace of mind again. Till we got seven great-grands. But you see what I'm saying? So when you think about resting, resting in the Lord, you're thinking about relaxing in the Lord, a quiet time with the Lord. It's just you and the Lord. It's just as easy as pie. It's what he's talking about. Rest in the Lord. Don't get bent out of shape. Don't try to do something you shouldn't be doing. Just rest.
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That is very difficult for most people. Rest in the Lord. So that's what he said. Watch this. If you are not to fret, God says the way to stop your fretting is to trust in me, delight yourself in me, commit your way to me and rest in me.
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Now, if you look in verse 7 again, you're going to see the second "fret not." He says, "Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass."
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Now, in light of Psalm 37, we're talking about wicked men who are exceedingly powerful and prosperous. We're talking about wicked men who have money coming out of their ears. And they're using their power, they're using their prosperity to defile, defame, and destroy the righteous. And I'm going to tell you something that is upsetting in and of itself. When you look at a man like George Soros and how he got his billions is another story.
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He defrauded his own people. But that's okay. That's another story. Look at Mark Zuckerberg. Look at the World Economic Forum man. What was his name? Yeah. Look at the money that they have and how they are attacking the righteous. Well, look what he says in verse 8. This is going to join in with it. He says, "Cease from anger, and forsake wrath." Now, when he says "cease from anger, and forsake wrath," he's talking about unbiblical anger and unbiblical wrath. There is a biblical anger and there is a biblical wrath. And so when you look at what is happening in verse 7, it is enough to make an ordinary man angry and extremely wrathful.
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Now, why is it that God forbids us to fret not over these kinds of men? Why am I not to fret over George Soros and what he's doing? Well, let's see. The first reason I should not be fretting is because God told me not to. The second reason I should not be fretting is this. Why in the world am I going to fret over someone or something over which I have absolutely no control? Absolutely no control. How many of you in here can control Donald Trump? Not one. Who can control George Soros? Not one. Which of you can control your own children? You say, and I've heard young parents say this, "Well I've got mine under control, they obey me," and I always smile and say, "Teenage years are coming, hang on, hang on. 21's coming, hang on."
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You know something, I don't care how you love your child, I don't care how you train your child, I don't care how you teach your child. The truth of the matter is you cannot make your child do that which is right. You can't control him once he's grown and gone. It's impossible. Husbands can't even control their wives. Wives cannot control their husbands. Now listen to me. I know I can say, "Well Alice, I can control Alice." I can control Alice as long as she's in submission and doing what God has commanded her to do. But if she makes up her mind she's going to rebel against God and rebel against me,
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there's no way I can stop her. I can't control her. So why in the world would we get bent out of shape over individuals that are doing wickedness and wrong? We can pray against them. We can pray those imprecatory prayers. But I'm not going to get bent out of shape because I can't control them. I have no power over them. Now, look at this. What God is telling us in Psalm 37 is this, that God is going to control them. He's going to judge them. So if you look in your Bibles to Psalm 37 and verse 12, look what he says now. Here it is.
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"The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth."
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Now, he's trying to destroy the righteous. What's going to happen? Verse 13, "The Lord shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming. The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as be of upright conversation." What's going to happen to them? "Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken." God said, I'll let them fall upon their own sword. I'll let them destroy themselves. It's just that simple. So God is saying, don't worry about it.
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I've got this thing under control. I will take care of them.
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Now, skip down to verse 18 and 19. Look at this. "The Lord knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever." That's a good one. Now, look at verse 19. "They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied. But the wicked shall perish." In other words, here's a contrast. And God is saying we're not to fret over the prosperity and the programs and the plans of the wicked. Now, here's why they are prospering. Look, if you would please, in verse 20. He said, "But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the Lord shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away." Wow. In other words, in all of their prosperity, they're just being fattened as lambs for the slaughter. It's just that simple. Now, look, if you would, please, in verse 8 again, here's the third "fret not." He says, "Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil."
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Now let me tie "cease from anger, and forsake wrath" not only with verse 7 but with verse 8 as well, because he says "cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil." So now we're talking about unbiblical anger—there is a righteous anger—and unbiblical wrath—and there is a righteous wrath. But God says, cease from that which is unbiblical and fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.
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So I want you to mark this down in your mind, in your notes. Here it is. That unrighteous anger will make us do evil. Unrighteous anger will make us do evil. OK. Fretting is sinful in and of itself because it is a lack of faith and trust. But you must remember that one's sin always leads to other sins.
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Now, the Hebrew word for "wrath" here is the word "chemah," which literally means to be in a fury, to be in a heat, to be in a rage, to be filled with displeasure, to be filled with anger and wrath, which are nothing more than a poison burning up in your bosom is what it amounts to. So these negatives, to cease from anger and to forsake wrath, means positively that we're to continue in righteousness, holiness, peace, calmness, doing that which is righteous.
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And he said in verse 8, "Fret not thyself in any wise to do evil." We're not to do evil regardless.
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Now, ask yourself, if you would please, why we should not be angry and wrathful. Now, like I said, there is a righteous anger and there is a righteous wrath, but we're not talking about that here. We're talking about getting bent out of shape over the wicked and their prosperity. OK, but here's why we should not be bent out of shape. Look, if you would, in Psalm 37, beginning with verse 9. Here's why. Let's read verse 8. "Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil. For evildoers shall be cut off."
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"But those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth. For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be. But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace." Note, if you would, God says the reason we are not afraid is he's going to take care of it. He's going to wipe them out. He said, but we, the meek, shall inherit the earth. And by the way, when our Lord in Matthew chapter 5 says, "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth." And you remember the passage in Matthew 11, where he said, "I am meek and lowly in heart." The word "meek" does not mean mousiness. It does not mean weakness. If you are a meek individual, that means your strength is controlled by God, it is a controlled strength. Moses was called the meekest man upon the earth and look what he did.
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I have a 3,000 pound bull. If you want to try to ride him, help yourself. But if that bull was broken to yoke or was trained with a bit and bridle, you now have controlled strength. That's what meekness is. The meek shall inherit the earth, those who are controlled.
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Now, notice now, please listen to me. He says once again, the wicked are going to be destroyed.
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Now, here's what God does in Psalm 37. He puts everything together for us in the latter part of this psalm. He's not only showing you the negatives and the positives, but he's also showing you the contrast between the righteous and the wicked. He's been doing that all through this psalm. So let's begin reading at verse 34 and read to the end of this psalm. And look how God puts this thing together. Look in Psalm 37, verse 34.
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He says, "Wait on the Lord, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it." So once again, here's the contrast. Then David said, "I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree." He's going to take over, he thinks. "Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found." There's another contrast. "Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace." Here's the contrast again. "But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off. But"—another contrast—"the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord."
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"He is their strength in the time of trouble." Then the last verse, "And the Lord shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him." So in this psalm, he gives you the negatives and the positives, tells you not to do something, here's what you should do in the place of that, and says here's the contrast, here's why you should not be worried.
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You're going to get everything, they're going to be destroyed. Wow. So, let me make some applications very quickly. I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would, to Philippians chapter 4. I want you to look at this. This is a New Testament parallel passage to Psalm 37. If you look in Philippians chapter 4, I want you to note verses 6 and 7. Philippians 4 verses 6 and 7. Because Psalm 37 has been telling you not to fret, tells you how to trust, how to delight, how to commit, how to rest. Now he says in the book of Philippians chapter 4 verse 6, "Be careful for nothing." And the word "careful" means anxious. Don't be anxious for anything. "Be careful for nothing." Well, if you are careful for nothing, what do you replace it with if you're not going to worry about anything?
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He said, "But in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." He said the reason you should not be anxious is because you're praying about everything. You're asking God for everything. You're giving thanksgiving unto God, and you're making your request known unto God. So, actually, Philippians 4, verses 6 and 7 is a parallel to Psalm 37.
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Now, the Greek word here for "careful" is the word "merimnao," and it literally means that we are not to be anxious, we're not to be troubled, we're not to be upset, we're not to be confused about anything, and the way not to be that way is by continual prayer and supplication with thanksgiving making our requests made known unto God.
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Now let me tell you a second application. Psalm 37 assures us of the protection and the preservation and the providential acts of God in the lives of his people. It also teaches us that God is going to judge and destroy the wicked and especially those who have tried to harm his people.
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Now, there's a passage I want you to jot down. I will quote it. Deuteronomy 7, verses 9 and 10. This is a parallel passage to the destruction of the wicked in Psalm 37. Listen to it. "Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;" hang on, "and repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them: he will not be slack to him that hateth him, he will repay him to his face." God said, I'm not ashamed to strike the wicked. I will pay him to his face. So when you look at Psalm 37, you think of the negatives and the positives. You think of the contrast between the righteous and the wicked. You think of how God is going to preserve and protect and provide for his people. And you think about how God is going to judge and destroy the wicked. What does that mean?
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It means that he is in absolute sovereign control. And he's going to work things out for us. And he's going to judge those that hate him and destroy them. And all we have to do is rest in him and wait on him because he will do it in his time and in his way. The reason we get so upset is because we don't want to wait. And we don't want to rest. We want to help him. And we can't. He is in control.
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Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to thee. We thank you for your words. We thank you for your truth. And we pray, Lord, that you teach us the negatives and the positives, as well as the contrasts in Psalm 37. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray. Amen.
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T02:19:16Z

Negatives and Positives

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

John Weaver explores the biblical pattern of negatives and positives, using Psalm 37 as the primary text. He explains that negatives tell us what not to do, while positives instruct us in right thinking and action. The sermon emphasizes that every negative command has a corresponding positive, and vice versa, illustrated through the Ten Commandments and New Testament teachings. In Psalm 37, the repeated command 'fret not' is a negative that must be replaced with four positive graces: trusting in the Lord, delighting in the Lord, committing our way to the Lord, and resting in the Lord. The psalm also contrasts the temporary prosperity of the wicked with the eternal inheritance of the righteous, assuring believers of God's sovereign control and ultimate justice.

Introduction to Negatives and Positives in Scripture

Weaver introduces the concept that the Bible is filled with negatives and positives, which control our thinking and actions. Negatives tell us what not to do, and positives tell us what to do.

Psalm 37. And the title of the message is Negatives and Positives. Negatives and Positives. So notice if you would, Psalm 37, beginning with verse one,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 37:1-2

"Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity, for they shall soon be cut down like the grass and wither as the green herb. Trust in the Lord and do good. So shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the Lord, and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord, and trust also in him, and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him. Fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in the way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. Cease from anger and forsake wrath, fret not thyself in any wise to do evil. For evildoers shall be cut off, and those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth. For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not

Examples of Negatives and Positives in the Ten Commandments and New Testament

Scripture Reading — Ephesians 4:28

"Let him that stole steal no more, but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may give to him that needeth."

Now look at this.

Scripture Reading — Ephesians 4:28

"Let him that stole steal no more."

That's the negative. Do not steal. What is the positive? Learn to labor, working with your hands, that which is good.

Scripture Reading — Matthew 15:1-6

"Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying, Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders?" "For they wash not their hands when they eat bread. But he answered and said unto them, Why do you also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? For God commanded, saying, Honor thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death."

Scripture Reading — Matthew 15:1-6

"For God commanded, saying, Honor thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; and honor not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition."

So he says you are dishonoring your parents and you're dishonoring God who commanded you to honor your parents.

Scripture Reading — Mark 7:9-13

"And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. For Moses said, Honor thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death: But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free. And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother; making the word of God

Further New Testament Illustrations of Negatives and Positives

Scripture Reading — Hebrews 1:1-2

"God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets."

The Three 'Fret Nots' in Psalm 37

Weaver identifies three occurrences of 'fret not' in Psalm 37:1, 7, and 8. He explains that fretting is a negative command, and believers must replace it with positive actions.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 37:7-8

"Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass."

Now look in verse 8.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 37:7-8

"Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil."

Four Positive Graces to Replace Fretting

Scripture Reading — Psalm 37:25-27

"I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed. Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore. For the Lord loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off."

Scripture Reading — Psalm 55:22

" That's the same as committing thy way to the Lord. Whatever's bothering you, whatever you desire, whatever you just committed to the Lord, wallow in him. He shall sustain thee. He's not going to allow you to be moved, but he's going to bring to pass that which is ordained for your good and his glory. Absolutely. Now, 1 Peter 5 and verse 7, you don't have to turn there, I'll quote it.

"Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." Now, if you look back to Psalm 37 and look at verses 23 and 24, in light of this,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 37:23-24

"The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way." "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way."

Now, let me ask you a question. Who's the "he"? Is it God or is it a man? And I would venture to say both. "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he"—God—

Scripture Reading — Psalm 37:23-24

"delighteth in the steps of a good man."

Scripture Reading — Psalm 37:23-24

"The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he"

—the man—

Scripture Reading — Psalm 37:23-24

"delighteth in his way,"

that is, in God's way. It can be read either way.

Reasons Not to Fret Over the Wicked

Weaver explains that believers should not fret over the prosperity of the wicked because God will judge them. The wicked are like fattened lambs for slaughter, and their destruction is certain.

Contrasts Between the Righteous and the Wicked in Psalm 37

Weaver highlights the contrasts in the latter part of Psalm 37, showing that the righteous will inherit the land and be saved, while the wicked will be cut off and destroyed.

New Testament Parallel and Final Applications

Now, there's a passage I want you to jot down. I will quote it. Deuteronomy 7, verses 9 and 10. This is a parallel passage to the destruction of the wicked in Psalm 37. Listen to it.

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 7:9-10

"Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;"

hang on,

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 7:9-10

"and repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them: he will not be slack to him that hateth him, he will repay him to his face."

Negatives and Positives

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	127261831455350
Subject	Biblical Law
Course	The Ten Commandments
Genre	Sermon
Date	2026-01-04
Dictation Name
Book	Book 001: The Ten Commandments — Chapter 9
Source Timed Segments	96

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction to Negatives and Positives in Scripture: Weaver introduces the concept that the Bible is filled with negatives and positives, which control our thinking and actions. Negatives tell us what not to do, and positives tell us what to do.
Examples of Negatives and Positives in the Ten Commandments and New Testament: Using the Eighth Commandment and Ephesians 4:28, Weaver shows that 'thou shalt not steal' has a positive side: honest labor and generosity. He also explains the Fifth Commandment's positive command to honor parents and its negative implications.
Further New Testament Illustrations of Negatives and Positives: Weaver examines 1 Thessalonians 5:16-22, showing how commands like 'rejoice evermore' and 'pray without ceasing' have corresponding negatives, and he clarifies the meaning of 'despise not prophesyings' as not rejecting biblical preaching.
The Three 'Fret Nots' in Psalm 37: Weaver identifies three occurrences of 'fret not' in Psalm 37:1, 7, and 8. He explains that fretting is a negative command, and believers must replace it with positive actions.
Four Positive Graces to Replace Fretting: Weaver outlines four positive replacements for fretting: trust in the Lord and do good (v.3), delight in the Lord (v.4), commit your way to the Lord (v.5), and rest in the Lord and wait patiently (v.7).
Reasons Not to Fret Over the Wicked: Weaver explains that believers should not fret over the prosperity of the wicked because God will judge them. The wicked are like fattened lambs for slaughter, and their destruction is certain.
Contrasts Between the Righteous and the Wicked in Psalm 37: Weaver highlights the contrasts in the latter part of Psalm 37, showing that the righteous will inherit the land and be saved, while the wicked will be cut off and destroyed.
New Testament Parallel and Final Applications: Weaver connects Psalm 37 to Philippians 4:6-7, where prayer replaces anxiety. He concludes with the assurance of God's protection for His people and judgment on the wicked, emphasizing God's sovereign control.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

Every negative command implies a positive duty

Weaver argues that biblical negatives are not merely prohibitions but require corresponding positive actions; for example, 'thou shalt not steal' implies honest labor and generosity.

Every negative has a positive. Every positive has a negative... In order to obey the commandment, you must not only obey the negative, you must also obey the positive.

Fretting is sinful and must be actively replaced

Fretting is a lack of faith and trust, and God commands believers to replace it with trust, delight, commitment, and rest in Him.

Fretting is sinful in and of itself because it is a lack of faith and trust... If you are fretting, you are not obeying. If you are obeying, then you are not fretting.

The wicked's prosperity is temporary and their judgment is certain

Believers should not envy or fret over the wicked because God will soon cut them down; their prosperity is like grass that withers.

Why are you going to be envious of someone who's soon going to be destroyed? Would you like to be destroyed as they? No, obviously not.

God's sovereignty should calm our anxieties

Because God is in control and will judge the wicked, believers can rest and wait patiently rather than fret over circumstances they cannot control.

Why in the world am I going to fret over someone or something over which I have absolutely no control? ... God is going to control them. He's going to judge them.

Unrighteous anger leads to evil

Weaver warns that unbiblical anger and wrath can cause believers to do evil, so they must cease from such anger and instead pursue righteousness.

That unrighteous anger will make us do evil. Unrighteous anger will make us do evil.

Scripture References

Psalm 37:1-2: Introduction of the psalm's opening negatives and the reason not to fret: the wicked will soon be cut down.
Ephesians 4:28: Illustration of the positive side of 'thou shalt not steal': honest labor and giving to those in need.
Exodus 20:12: The fifth commandment as an example of a positive command with underlying negatives.
Ephesians 6:1: Children's obedience to parents as part of the positive duty of honoring them.
1 Timothy 5:8: Providing for one's own household, including elderly parents, as a way to honor them.
Matthew 15:1-6: Jesus rebukes the Pharisees for using tradition to avoid honoring parents, contrasting honor with cursing.
Mark 7:9-13: Parallel account of Jesus condemning the Corban practice that nullified the command to honor parents.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-22: A series of negatives and positives, including 'rejoice evermore,' 'pray without ceasing,' and 'despise not prophesyings.'
Hebrews 1:1-2: God's final revelation is in His Son, indicating that new revelation has ceased.
Psalm 37:7-8: The second and third 'fret not' commands, along with 'rest in the Lord' and 'cease from anger.'
Psalm 37:25-27: David's testimony that he has never seen the righteous forsaken, reinforcing trust in God's provision.
Psalm 55:22: Casting burdens on the Lord as parallel to committing our way to Him.
1 Peter 5:7: Casting all care upon God because He cares for us.
Psalm 37:23-24: The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and though he fall, he will not be utterly cast down.
Psalm 37:12-15: The wicked plot against the just, but the Lord laughs at them and their own weapons will destroy them.
Psalm 37:18-20: The Lord knows the days of the upright; the wicked will perish and consume away like smoke.
Psalm 37:9-11: Evildoers will be cut off, but those who wait on the Lord will inherit the earth.
Psalm 37:34-40: Final contrasts: the wicked will be cut off, but the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord.
Philippians 4:6-7: New Testament parallel: instead of being anxious, believers should pray with thanksgiving.
Deuteronomy 7:9-10: God keeps covenant and repays those who hate Him to their face, paralleling the judgment in Psalm 37.

Historical References

Charles Haddon Spurgeon: Quoted regarding Psalm 37 as dealing with the riddle of the prosperity of the wicked and the affliction of the righteous.
John Trapp: Quoted on the command 'fret not,' comparing it to Jonah's anger and Jesus calming the sea.
George Soros: Mentioned as an example of a wealthy, powerful wicked man who defrauded his own people.
Mark Zuckerberg: Mentioned alongside other wealthy individuals who attack the righteous.
World Economic Forum: Referenced in connection with powerful individuals who use their wealth against the righteous.
Donald Trump: Used as an example of someone over whom individuals have no control.
Moses: Cited as the meekest man on earth, illustrating that meekness is controlled strength.

Important Quotes

The negative tells you what not to do. It tells you what not to think. It tells you what not or how not to act. The positive tells you what to do, how to think, and how to act.

Defines the core concept of the sermon: the biblical pattern of negatives and positives governing all of life.

Every negative has a positive. Every positive has a negative.

Establishes the hermeneutical principle that commands in Scripture are two-sided.

If you are fretting, you are not obeying. If you are obeying, then you are not fretting.

Connects fretting directly to disobedience, emphasizing the need to replace anxiety with positive graces.

Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.

The opening text of the sermon, providing the first negative command and the reason for it.

Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.

The first positive replacement for fretting, combining faith and obedience.

Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

The second 'fret not' command, paired with the call to rest and wait.

Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.

The third 'fret not,' linking unrighteous anger to the danger of doing evil.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

How does understanding that every negative command has a positive counterpart change the way you read Scripture?

[Context]

Weaver emphasizes that negatives and positives are paired throughout the Bible.

[Question]

In what areas of your life are you most prone to fret, and how can you practically replace fretting with trust, delight, commitment, and rest in the Lord?

[Context]

The four positive graces are given as replacements for fretting.

[Question]

Why is it difficult to rest and wait patiently for God to deal with the wicked, and what truths from Psalm 37 can help you wait?

[Context]

Weaver explains that we want to help God rather than wait on His timing.

[Question]

How does the promise that the wicked will be cut down like grass affect your perspective on current events and powerful ungodly people?

[Context]

The sermon applies the temporary nature of the wicked's prosperity.

[Question]

What is the difference between righteous anger and unrighteous anger, and how can we 'cease from anger' as commanded?

[Context]

Weaver distinguishes between biblical and unbiblical anger in the context of Psalm 37:8.

[Question]

How does the New Testament teaching in Philippians 4:6-7 reinforce the message of Psalm 37?

[Context]

Weaver presents Philippians 4 as a parallel passage.

[Question]

In what ways can we honor our parents even after we are adults, and how does this relate to the broader principle of negatives and positives?

[Context]

The sermon uses the fifth commandment to illustrate the positive duties of honor.

Applications

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