A Blind Old Man

I have been young and am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his seed begging bread. Psalm 37:25

Begging – Do you think David might have been blind when he made this statement?  I don’t know about you, but I have seen God’s people suffering, begging for food for the day.  Maybe David was sheltered from destitution because he was the king?  Is this just poetic license, or is David saying something that we don’t quite understand?

Some of the answer is found in the context of this psalm.  What is the psalm about?  It’s actually a contrast between the wicked and the righteous.  The psalm instructs us not to envy the apparent success of the wicked.  Yes, those who oppose God’s instructions often appear to prosper.  They have worldly success.  They may be “rock stars” from the world’s perspective.  They seem to have glamour, fame, power and money.  But they lose it all in the end.  The perspective of this psalm is not on the day-to-day observable reality but rather on the final result of life in this world.  Don’t envy the wicked because the end of their game is cut off from God.  Depart from evil.  Stick with God’s ways, even if it appears that you will suffer.  Why?  Because the end of life is not found here.  What good is it to have all your success and pleasure now, and spend eternity regretting it?  The wicked will perish.  Don’t get fooled with them.

Now we come to this verse.  The Hebrew verb here is baqash.  It doesn’t mean just begging.  In fact, it really means “to seek, to try to obtain or to require.”  You’ll find it in Genesis 31:39 (seeking something stolen), Exodus 4:19 (seeking to take someone’s life) and Nehemiah 2:10 (seeking what is good).  It is often used for seeking the Lord’s will, God’s Word and God’s face.  Context tells us how to interpret the verb.

What about this verse?  First, we need to understand its eschatological perspective.  Yes, there may be times when God’s children suffer.  That is the inevitable result of living in a broken world.  In fact, in some respects, followers of the Way are called to suffering.  But from a final perspective, no child of God will ever be left begging for nourishment.  This psalm is about justice, and in the end, even if the child of God is knocked down seven times, yet he or she will rise again (Proverbs 24:16).  By the way, being knocked down seven times is an idiom for being killed.  Yet the righteous will still rise.  It is the final condition that is in view.

Secondly, once we understand that we are to look for justice in the end, then we clearly know that none of the righteous will ever beg for bread.  They will be fed because God guarantees their deliverance.  That does not mean that life on this planet will always be full.  It means that God will bring justice to the earth.  The wicked will perish.  The righteous will be redeemed.  The followers of the Way will come into the all-sufficient presence of the Lord.

Biblical perspective is often not the same as the seductive appeal of this world.  The Bible treats this present life as practice for eternity.  Oh, it’s real, all right.  But it’s not the end of the story.  We need to keep that in mind – always.  The reason that we can count the present danger and suffering as minor is that we have a hope that is greater than this entire world.  We see where we are going and that direction takes us toward a God of justice.  The righteous, and the seed of the righteous, will never be left begging.  They will attend the bridal feast of the Lamb – and be filled.

Topical Index:  begging, righteous, wicked, Psalm 37:25, baqash, seek, eschatological