Psalm Category: Hymn of Praise

Central Thought: In Psalm 36, David examines this topic by exploring the result, reach, and reversal of the Fall.

Key Word: Neum (v. 1). Neum is translated as “oracle” in verse 1. Generally, this term is used to describe some form of declarative judgment of a king (2 Sam. 23:1), prophet (Nah. 1:1), or even God Himself (see Jer. 23:34). By employing this term in Psalm 36, David is informing us that he is rendering a definitive, authoritative, divine, and prophetic judgment regarding the nature of wickedness.

Psalm 36

One of the distinctives of Reformed theology is its emphasis on the impact of the Fall. In Psalm 36, David explores this topic, focusing on the impact of the Fall on human nature.

The Result of the Fall (vv. 1-4): In this psalm, David engages in deep theological reflection regarding the nature of sin. He begins by declaring that it is an “oracle” on this topic. Like a diligent scientist, David examines wickedness and then reports his findings. In verses 1-4, David articulates the life cycle of human sinfulness.

First, he tells us that wickedness takes root when men disregard the divine. In verse 1, he states that the wicked man has “no fear of God before his eyes.” David observes that wickedness is spawned when man rejects God’s authority.

Next, David notes that wickedness sprouts as man’s moral diagnostics become disabled. In verse 2, we learn that the wicked man is misled by his own self-flattery: “For in his own eyes he flatters himself too much to detect or hate his sin.” Without the light of God’s presence, man becomes so deceived that he is no longer able to even detect his sin, let alone hate it.

The third phase in the life cycle of sin occurs when wickedness matures into the stalk of deceitful deeds. In verse 3, David states that the wicked man sins both in words (“The words of his mouth are wicked”) and deeds (“he has ceased…to do good”).

Finally, the cycle reaches its pinnacle as it blossoms into defiant depravity. In verse 4, David states that the wicked man “commits himself to a sinful course.” For him, sin becomes a way of life.

The Reach of the Fall: As we read this psalm, it is easy to think of the sinner it describes as someone other than ourselves. However, we know the Bible teaches that all mankind is corrupted by the Fall. That fact is elucidated by Paul in Romans 1–3. In those chapters, Paul echoes the thoughts and themes of the first four verses of Psalm 36: divine disregard (Rom. 3:18, quoting Psalm 36:1), disabled diagnostics (Rom. 1:21-22), deceitful deeds (Rom. 1:29-31), and defiant depravity (Rom. 1:28). As you will recall, Paul concludes his argument by declaring that, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). Salvation is only possible when we realize that verses 1-4 describe us.

The Reversal of the Fall (vv. 5-12): However, it is interesting to note that, in Psalm 36, David does not include himself among the wicked. Rather, he includes himself among those that are “upright in heart” (v. 10). How did David come to this conclusion? Was he arrogant? Was his theology flawed?

David understood quite well that he too was a sinner (read Psalms 32, 51). But David also understood that there was a power greater than the Fall. David had experienced God’s covenant love, which he describes as both boundless (v. 5) and priceless (v. 7). David knew that it was only God’s love that allowed him to possess both “life” and “light” (v. 9). He comprehended that only God’s love kept him from falling into the pit of the wicked; therefore he prays earnestly for its continuance (v. 10). David understood the severity of the Fall, but he also understood the magnitude of God’s love.

Of course, we understand this in an even more powerful way than David did. For we understand that God so loved the world that He gave us Jesus Christ (John 3:16), in whom we find both “life” and “light” (John 1:4). Jesus is the epitome of God’s covenant love—which reverses the effects of the Fall, as far as the curse is found—even as far as the recesses of our own hearts.

—Anthony Selvaggio