The Road of No Good Versus the Path of Godliness: The Cosmic Struggle Between Transgression And The Servant Of The Lord In Psalm 36 (Part 2)

by on January 17, 2026 | Comment

By recording an oracle of Mr. Transgression, Psalm 36 lays out the cosmic battle between the descendants of the serpent and the heir of Eve, the Servant of the Lord. Even though the action might be fierce, our Lord is not a disinterested bystander in this conflict. God is not oblivious to the struggle. Instead, he is an active agent and comprehensive controller. The psalmist turns his gaze from covenant rebel to Covenant Overlord. The ugliness of sin has made him hungry for the beauty of Yahweh, so he lauds the heavenly love of the Lord. In the heavens is the steadfast loyalty of God (v. 5). The fidelity of the Almighty reaches to the clouds. This is one of the classic pairings of our God’s perfections, his steadfast love and his faithfulness. These cover his mercy and kindness sealed in the oath of his covenant. It is the Lord’s sworn love that cannot fail, for it is imperishable. And for his love and fidelity to be in the heavens magnifies them as glorious and beautiful. The Lord filled his creation with the stunning and the magnificent, from the columbines of the Rockies to the white sands of Bora Bora. Yet even the majesties of earth do not keep our eyes from looking upward. Blue skies with cotton-ball clouds, the red-gold horizon after a storm, the diamond-studded night sky—captivating hardly does the heavenly beauties justice. Moreover, the stars impress on us a sense of endurance and permanence that far surpasses the earthly. So the faithful love of the Lord crowns the heavens as its royal gemstone.

This pair of divine perfections gives way to another: Yahweh’s righteousness stands like the mountains of God; his justice encompasses the great deep of the charted oceans (v. 6). The Lord’s justice and righteousness are his royal couplet of ideal government and sustenance. Thus, his flawless lordship covers the highest peak to the deepest ocean trench. From Everest to Mariana, our God rules over all, and he does so with pristine wisdom. True wisdom is a master at doing good. By his reign, the Lord rescues man and beast. He does good to infant and kitten; he rains down benefactions on elephants and on newlyweds. This embraces all the common graces and goods of the Lord under the rainbow.

But why mention God’s providential goods in a psalm that opened with the depravity of the wicked heart? Because this is the world in which the evil deny God and refuse to fear him. Evidence of the Lord’s righteousness and justice covers every inch and minute of the world. Yahweh even cares for the animals, from ant to giraffe. To deny the Lord while you live in the gorgeous and good house he built amounts to a blind depravity that is mind-boggling.

Yet these common benefits of the Lord soon give way to his redemptive ones. God’s steadfast love is not just in the heavens, but it is also precious above all else, for the love of God provides refuge under his wings. And this shadow of God’s wings is an image of His Spirit, who guided Israel in the wilderness and then came to rest in the temple, so in verse 8 the Lord’s house is named explicitly. To take refuge in God is the idiom for having faith. Therefore, these humans in verse 7 are those who believe in the Lord and hide themselves in Him. We are no longer dealing with the wicked, who deny God and suppress all knowledge of Him, but with the covenant people of the Lord, who are his by faith and devotion.

Note the amazing graces that these believers find in God’s temple. First, they have the peace and safety of his refuge. Second, motherly tenderness and fierceness care for them under his wings. Next, in the temple they feast abundantly; or, literally, “They are stuffed with the fat of your house” (v. 8; my translation). Such fat is the rich umami of juicy meat; this is the best steak feast ever! And in the temple, where does sumptuous meat come from? The altar! What was first offered to God as a sacrifice is then handed to the people to enjoy and share. Similarly, God makes his people drink from the river of his delights, but the word for “delights” is the same word for Eden. Yes, this is the stream of Eden that makes glad the city of God. And as Ezekiel informs us, this paradise river of life bubbles up from the base of the altar.

Thus, in verse 9 God is revealed as the fountain of life for his people. And by his light, we see light. To see light is an idiom for life, and when it is God’s light, then it is everlasting life. In God’s house, the saints enjoy an imperishable life by the light of the Lord’s face. Every day, they get to drink deeply from the river of life that issues from the Lord himself. And these blessings shine too brightly to fit comfortably on the earth. The paradise richness, the enduring life, the impenetrable security—these were sampled in the terrestrial temple, but they aimed at their full expression within the celestial sanctuary. Thus, the ideal refuge and feasting with the Lord portray the gift of everlasting bliss. The precious love of God that reigns in the heavens and shades with its wings bestows on those who believe in Yahweh the glory of the heavenly Eden, the garden city of God. The grace of the Lord wins for his own people imperishable life with Him, to enjoy the light of his face without end.

This psalm reveals, then, both the invisible contours of the wicked soul and the unseen splendors of the eternal realm in the age to come, which is why the psalmist offers a single petition concerning the saints in verse 10: “Prolong your love to those who know you; extend your righteousness to the upright of heart” (my translation). David already savors these gifts of God, at least in part, so he merely asks for them to continue unfailingly. As God’s people, we receive everything we need from the Lord—and much more—for salvation and life here and forever. So what more is there to ask for, except for these gifts to never cease? Hence, the servant of the Lord prays that all God’s people would know his love and righteousness forever more.

There is, though, another related petition. This focuses on David more than on the people, and it is the other side of the coin of prolonged love, which is judgment on the wicked. Salvation and judgment always go together. The psalmist asks that the violent hostilities of Proud Foot would fail. May they never succeed over the servant of the Lord. Let them fall down to never rise again. To fall without the possibility of rising is not just death, but it is descent into Sheol with no option for resurrection. Such is eternal death. Yes, technically, as the New Testament teaches, the wicked are plunged into Sheol, rise for judgment, and are thrust into the lake of fire. But the Old Testament image for this was to fall and never rise. Therefore, the blessing and the curse are polar opposites matched at each point. Both are everlasting; each one lands in the invisible realm. Yet the one is the imperishable bliss of God’s face, and the other is the enduring torment of the Lord’s fury.

The question, then, remains for us. How do we achieve the Edenic streams of God’s heavenly home? How can we escape the depravity and fate of the evil heart? In Psalm 36 it comes through the temple. The shadow of His wings and the light of His face reside in the temple. But we do not have the temple. How can we enter a sanctuary that does not exist on the earth? Is this a privilege of the Old Testament saints that is lost to us? No, because the Old Testament temple was never the real deal. The lovely architecture of the tabernacle and temple of old was not the original but merely a model. Oh, the building was real enough. It truly existed in history, but it was a figure pointing to a more substantial reality, which was Immanuel. God dwelling with his people was the essence. The temple was a circumstance. And when did Immanuel truly come down to earth?

The disciples struggled to wrap their minds around it, but the real temple appeared in the person of Christ. As Jesus said, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19). The temple he was speaking about was his body. The Word became flesh to tabernacle among his people. The One born of a virgin was named Immanuel. Therefore, the heavenly benefits heralded in this psalm are yours in Christ. Your refuge dwells under the shade of Christ’s wings. The fountain of life flows from the side of our crucified Servant of the Lord. The light by which you live, now and forever, is the light of Christ’s face. And you receive the full Christ and all his gifts by the precious love of God. The faithful grace of the Father works faith in you. The Spirit recreates you; the Spirit cuts out of you the old, depraved heart pictured in this psalm and gives you a new heart, one that is upright and resting in God.

Thus, the oracle of Psalm 36 reveals our full, fallen wickedness in Adam. It pictures the heavenly paradise of everlasting life with God. It displays the final judgment of the evildoers. And it shows us how we escape wrath to enjoy the wonders of God’s love—namely, through the true Servant of the Lord, the real temple of God, Jesus Christ and his grace. The sanctuary salvation of heaven is not found in some earthly cathedral or august church building, but it resides in a person, in the Son of God—Jesus! May our faith ever be hidden in Christ. May you rejoice in the security of God’s steadfast love, be comforted by his faithful compassion, and let us give thanks that this is all ours by the grace of Christ.

Moreover, while we delight in the comforts of Christ presently by faith, we do not yet savor them by sight. Feasting on the rich fat of the New Jerusalem is yet to come. Nonetheless, just because we cannot see these eternal blessings, even though science cannot measure them, they are fully yours, and you will be brought to glory without fail. God’s faithfulness never fails. Christ’s love will not lose you. Praise the Lord for his steadfast love in the heavens. May all the glory be to Father, Son, and Holy Spirit forever more!

©Zach Keele. All Rights Reserved.

You can find the whole series here.

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    Post authored by:

  • Zach Keele
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    Rev. Zachary Keele grew up on a ranch in a small town named Crawford, Colorado. He attended Geneva College in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania and received his Master of Divinity from Westminster Seminary California. He has served as the pastor of Escondido OPC since 2006.

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