Verse: Transgression speaks to the wicked deep in his heart; there is no fear of God before his eyes. For or he flatters himself in his own eyes that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated. Psalm 36:1-2

This psalm is titled To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David the servant of the LORD. Psalm 18 also uses the phrase the servant of the LORD in the title, and John Trapp observed that Psalm 18 comes from David’s old age, and Psalm 36 comes from a younger David. From youth to old age, he was David the servant of the LORD, and “He took more pleasure in the names of duty than of dignity.” (John Trapp)

Sin is rooted deeply within the human heart (Jeremiah 17:9). That innate wickedness is the source of our evil actions (Matthew 15:18–19). Here, David notes that those who reject God find themselves overtaken by sin. They lose all respect for the Lord (Proverbs 1:7), and all fear of eternal consequences for their actions. Instead, they assume that what they do will never be punished, or never even found out. Sin is so addictive that those who turn from God find themselves constantly pursuing depravity, even when they try to sleep (Psalm 36:1–4).

We are living in a world where we need to talk so highly about ourselves and describe our achievements, David here says flatters himself, that even a normal conversation is all about what we did, work achievements, ministry fruitfulness, kids’ progress list goes on, I am so convicted to read this; spiritual blindness is the result of self and self-promotion. Lord help me to be called your servant as David did in this Psalm. And to take privilege in this and let that alone be our boasting – a bondservant of God

In contrast, God’s character is flawless and perfect. In mercy, God extends a measure of grace to all people and all animals. This is seen in His continued provision in nature. The Lord’s graciousness is also expressed in His “steadfast love,” or “lovingkindness,” from the Hebrew term hesed. This passage uses the imagery of God’s protection extending like the wings of a mother bird (Psalm 36:5–9).