Psalms · psalm 36 of 150
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Psalm 36 is a psalm of David, servant of the Lord, that contrasts the wicked, who does not fear God and plans evil, with the Lord's steadfast love, which reaches to the heavens. Those who take refuge in God drink from the river of his delights, because with him is the fountain of life, and in his light we see light. The psalm ends with a prayer that the wicked not prevail.
The title dedicates it to the choirmaster and ascribes it to David, the servant of the Lord, a phrase seldom found in psalm titles. The poem has three scenes: the description of the wicked, the praise of God's love and a closing prayer. It is short, yet it holds some of the most beautiful images in the Old Testament about the fountain of life and the light of God.
The psalm begins with a strange observation: transgression speaks to the wicked deep in his heart, and there is no fear of God before his eyes. He flatters himself and does not discover his guilt or hate it. His words are mischief and deceit, he has ceased to act wisely and do good, and even in bed he plots evil; he sets himself on a way that is not good and does not reject evil.
Suddenly the tone changes. The Lord's steadfast love reaches to the heavens and his faithfulness to the clouds; his righteousness is like the mountains of God and his judgments like the great deep. The Lord saves humans and animals. How precious is his steadfast love: the children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of his wings, feast on the abundance of his house and drink from the river of his delights. For with him is the fountain of life, and in his light we see light.
The psalm ends with a prayer: that the Lord continue his steadfast love to those who know him and his righteousness to the upright in heart, that the foot of arrogance not come upon David nor the hand of the wicked drive him away. There the evildoers lie fallen; they are thrown down and cannot rise.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
The Lord's steadfast love reaches to the heavens and his faithfulness to the clouds. David uses the greatest distances he knows to say that God's love has no limit.
How precious is God's steadfast love, under whose wings the children of mankind take refuge. The picture of a bird sheltering her young speaks of care and nearness.
With God is the fountain of life, and in his light we see light. Life and light are not things we can produce; they are received from God.
David asks God to continue his steadfast love to those who know him and his righteousness to the upright in heart. The psalm ends with a prayer for perseverance.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: The fear of God. — Psalm 36:1
Answer: To the heavens; his faithfulness reaches to the clouds. — Psalm 36:5
Answer: The mountains of God; his judgments are like the great deep. — Psalm 36:6
Answer: In the shadow of God's wings. — Psalm 36:7
Answer: The fountain of life; and in his light we see light. — Psalm 36:9
Answer: They lie fallen, thrown down, unable to rise. — Psalm 36:12
Psalm 36 teaches us to look at wickedness without letting it fill the whole picture. The first verses are realistic: people can live without fearing God and harm one another. But the psalm does not stop there. In a small group you can ask each person to name one evidence of God's love in their life and compare it with the phrases of verse 5.
The fountain of life and the light of God are an invitation to dependence. We do not need to invent our own light; we receive it. In his letter to the Ephesians Paul says we were once darkness and are now light in the Lord, and this psalm helps us see where that light comes from.
Psalm 36 leaves the reader with the contrast between a heart without fear of God and a people who drink from his fountain. Psalm 37 continues the same theme from another angle: how to live when the wicked seem to prosper.
It is a poetic phrase saying that only when God enlightens us can we see truth, life and the way. The light of the psalm is not only knowledge but also his presence that guides and gives joy. John 8:12 shows Jesus as the light of the world.
Verse 6 affirms that God's care is not limited to people but reaches every creature. It is a reminder that God is Creator and sustains his creation, without taking away from the special attention he gives to his people.
The phrase also appears in the title of Psalm 18, and it underlines that David presented himself before God as a servant, someone who belongs to the Lord and does his will. It is a sign of humility, even for a king.