Tom Lowe
Title: PSALM 37: WHEN WICKEDNESS TRIUMPHS ON EARTH
A psalm of David.
Part 1 Prospects That Are Foreign to the Wicked (verses 1-11)
Part 2 Pursuits That Are Favored by the Wicked (verses 12-22)
Part 3 Paths That Are Forsaken by the Wicked (verses 23-31)
Part 4 Points that are Forgotten by the Wicked (verses 32-40)
Psalm 37 (KJV)
(Part 1: verses 1-11)
1 Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.
2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.
3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
4 Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
5 Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.
7 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.
8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.
9 For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.
10 For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.
11 But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
Introduction to Psalm 37
David was an old man when he wrote this psalm. It deals with a question that has puzzled people through all the ages, a question that is still being asked. How can we account for the fact that the wicked (lawless) are often prosperous and the godly (believers) often face hardships, disappointment, and even persecution? Honest atheists and agnostics don’t have to wrestle with this problem because their philosophy of relativeness forbids them from using words like good, bad, righteous, and wicked.
The theological foundation for the psalm is the covenant God made with Israel, recorded in Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 27-30. God owned the land, and if the nation obeyed Him, they could live in the land and enjoy its blessings. But if Israel disobeyed the Lord, He would first chasten them in the land (invasion, drought, famine), but if they continued to rebel, He would then take them out of the land (captivity). (see Deuteronomy 11 and 33:28, and Leviticus 26:3-10) The righteous could fret over the problem (vs. 1, 7, 8), leave the land (v. 3), or go on being faithful, trusting the Lord to keep His Word (vs. 3, 5, 7, 34, 39). David encouraged Solomon and the people to believe God’s promises and wait on Him.
David could have had the book of Job before him as he pondered the problem and wrote the psalm. Job shows that there are factors at work in God’s government which men cannot see and that in the end things turn out right and proper and as God wills it. But the end is sometimes long in coming—sometimes it doesn’t seem to come at all in this life. The problem hardly ever goes away easily. No wave of a wand, no matter how magic, can dissolve the problem; why does wickedness seemly triumph and goodness so often seems to go unrewarded?
David divides his subject into four parts, explaining each; one with considerable detail. To some the subject of this psalm may be an interesting exercise in philosophy, but to anyone who has found himself in the clutches of an unscrupulous man this psalm deals with pertinent issues.
Introduction to Psalm 37, Part 1
The first eleven verses look at things from the point of view of the righteous man. David immediately strikes the right note, for the righteous man has certain prospects that are absolutely outside of the realm of experience of the wicked man. These prospects are rooted both in the character and continuance of God’s throne, things which are spiritual and unseen rather than seen and temporal. The righteous man has a depth of life altogether different from that of the sinner. David begins with that.
Commentary
1 Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.
The prosperity of evildoers troubled David a great deal. It is a subject that is dealt with in Psalm 73 and one that is presented elsewhere in the Old Testament. Why do the godless people seem to prosper? In the Old Testament, God promised people earthly and material prosperity. He has not promised that to believers today. Our hope is in heaven, not on earth. But the hope of Israel was on the earth. The man of that day looked about and saw the ungodly prosper. He could see the fields of the ungodly being watered by the rain and flourishing, while down the road a poor righteous man was having a hard time. It was difficult to understand the reason for this.
When we see evil in the world, we ought to feel holy anger at sin (Ephesians 4:26), but to envy the wicked only leads to fretting, and fretting leads to anger (v. 8). “Fret not” might be translated “Do not worry.”
In the end the evil man’s harvest is not something to be envied. He is to be pitied because his little day doesn’t last long. This earth is the only heaven they are ever going to have. The sword of retribution will soon strike them down, and their spectacular careers will fade and whither.
2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.
The wicked are temporary and one day they will be gone (see 9, 22, 28, 34, 38). They are like “grass” that either fades away or is cut down and burned.
3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
David knew what he was talking about. For years he had lived as a hunted fugitive, yet he had not missed a meal and now Saul his enemy was dead and he himself sat upon his enemy’s throne. He indeed had his dwelling “in the land.”
A fretful heart is not a trusting heart, because it lacks joy and peace: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13). Faith and works go together, so we should also do good as we wait on the Lord (Psalm 34:14; Luke 6:35; Galatians 6:10). Some of God’s people were tempted to leave the land (Ruth 1; 1 Samuel 26:19; “land” refers to Canaan.”), which was tantamount to saying that God wasn’t faithful and couldn’t be trusted. But David encouraged them to stay in the land and trust God for what they needed (v. 27). Each tribe, clan, and family in Israel had its assigned inheritance which was not to pass into other hands, and the Lord promised to care for the land of the faithful (vs. 9, 11, 22, 29, 34). If we are faithful to God, He will be faithful to us. Trusting the Lord is a key theme in this psalm (vs. 4, 5, 7, 34, 39). Despite the fiercest attacks of demons or men, no sheep of Christ will ever perish: “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand” (John 10:27-29). A dwelling place in the father’s house is guaranteed to all who trust in Christ (John 14:1-6).
The directive to “Do good” means “continue in the practice of that which is good and well-pleasing to God.”
4 Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
This was a promise for Israel, but it also applies to us today. I am not sure He is going to bless your business, but He has already blessed you with spiritual blessings, and He will shower on you all the spiritual blessings you can contain.
This is good to remember, for when things go wrong we tend to get occupied with the problem. Maybe things have gone wrong at work or at home. Perhaps the children are rebellious. We must get our eyes back on the Lord. As long as we look at the problem, we can become increasingly depressed, but if we look at the Lord we can rise above our circumstances. After all, He hasn’t failed. He cannot fail. Our happiness must not rest upon what happens. It must be drawn out of the wellsprings of salvation and from our experiencing the goodness, grace, and greatness of our God.
The word translated “delight” comes from a root that means “to be brought up in luxury, to be pampered.” It speaks of the abundance we have in the Lord Himself, totally apart from what He gives us. “Delight thyself also in the LORD,” that is, in His favor and service, and in the study of His Word and promises. To enjoy the blessings and to ignore the blessor is to practice idolatry. In Jesus Christ, we have all God’s treasures, and we need no other. If we truly delight in the Lord, then the secret desire of our heart will be to know Him better so that we can delight in Him even more, and the Lord will satisfy that desire! This is not a promise for people who want “things,” but for those who want more of God in their lives.
The phrase, “the desires of thine heart” suggests self-examination. What are really our desires? What do we think about when we are alone? What is the desire of the heart of a good man? It is this, to know, and love, and serve God. We have to train our desires. If they are properly trained, so that we can invite the Lord to inspect them, He will certainly increase them: “He shall give thee the desires of thine heart,” that is, thy just desires, or whatsoever is truly desirable and good for you. But suppose you have had great desires to carry on a certain ministry for the Lord. You feel confident that He has been leading you, and your only desire is to glorify Him. Yet a powerful adversary has opposed, blocked, and thwarted you at every bend of the road. What do you do in a case like this? The answer is that you “Delight yourself also in the LORD,” knowing that in His own time “He shall give you the desires of your heart.” It is not necessary for you to fight back. “The battle is not yours, but God’s (2 Chronicles 20:15). “The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace” (Exodus 14:14).
5 Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
“Trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.” “Trust in Him” (literally “on Him”), and remember God is working on a very grand scale indeed and is not going to be hustled and hurried by our worrying. Give God time. He will work things out in your life. God is good, my friend. But many Christians don’t view God that way. They think of Him as a sort of villain who will turn on you at any moment. He never will—He is your friend. He loves you. He wants to save you, but you have to commit your “way” to Him. That word “commit” is an interesting one. It literally means “to roll over.” We should take our great burdens and roll them over on Him. The word “way” means primarily, no doubt, one’s journey through life; but it has come to mean the kind of life we choose and develop. So we speak of “our way of life.” It has to be the kind that we can commit to God in prayer. If we can do so, as far as our personal life is concerned, He will take care of it. A way leads somewhere; He will ensure that a committed life leads to Himself. True religion is summed up in two words, SUBMIT and COMMIT.
One of the things He will “bring to pass” is the vindication of His servants who have been slandered by God’s enemies (v. 6; see vs. 28, 32, 33). Imagine that you have been misquoted, falsely accused or slandered. If there were some shred of truth to the charges they wouldn’t be so hard to take. But they are absolutely untrue and malicious. What should you do? “Commit” the matter to the Lord. Roll the whole weight of it onto the Lord. Let Him act on your behalf, and then you will be completely vindicated. It will become clear for all to see that you were innocent after all.
6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.
“Judgment,” as the word is used here and in verse 28, is the same as righteousness.
7 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.
“Fret not!” The word “fret” means “to blaze” or “to get hot.” We could easily get into a fever of rage against those who are building pornography into a billion-dollar business, against those who are destroying the moral fiber of our youth with drink or drugs, against those in our colleges who are systematically stripping young people of any faith they might have in God. Our best resource, however, is in God, for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but spiritual and they are mighty through God for the pulling down of strongholds. Sometimes it takes greater discipline to wait than it does to war.
“Rest in the Lord”: here “rest” means “be silent, be still.” It describes calm surrender to the Lord (Psalm 62:5). Silence is a rare commodity today, even in church worship services. People cannot tolerate silence. A silent radio or TV screen invites listeners and viewers to turn to another station or channel. But unless we learn to wait silently before God, we will never experience his peace. For us to get upset for the evil schemes of the ungodly is to doubt the goodness and justice of God (vs. 7, 12, 32). Let us be satisfied that God will make everything work out for our good. Let us not burden ourselves with what we see in the world. Since He is carrying your burden, it is not necessary for you to bear it also. Too often that is exactly what we do. We cast our care hesitantly on Him, then promptly take it back on ourselves.
“Rest in the LORD, and wait”—be submissive—avoid being cantankerous and complaining and acting rashly. The Christian should not become emotionally disturbed or build up anger, resentment, malice, and hatred. If we allow ourselves to engage in these attitudes, they can eventually lead to violent words and acts. Then we become offenders ourselves.
8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.
“Cease from anger”—don’t lose your temper; either against the sinner for his success, or against God for bringing it about, which is what Jonah did: “But Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry” (Jonah 4:1).
If you do evil, don’t think you can get by with it. If you are God’s child, you will find yourself in deep trouble if you try to get by with evil.
For the second time, David says, “Do not fret . . .” Why the repetition? For needed emphasis, of course. Even after determining not to get upset over the way we are treated, we often go back and stir up the mud all over again in our minds. But this is both self-defeating and hazardous. Mere fretting, even against undeserved prosperity, accomplishes nothing; it only embitters without rectifying. It is a mark of nervous weakness which many of our youth are exposed to today.
9 For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.
“Those that wait upon the LORD . . . shall inherit the earth; there we have deliverance from the power, the penalty, and from the very presence of sin. Note again that expression “fret not!” Three times we are told not to fret; three times we are told not to be envious of the wicked. We are not to be occupied with them at all—we might start wanting to be like them. “Earth” may be read as “land.”
“Inherit the earth” (Vs. 9, 11, 22, 29) refers to the security of future generations in the Land of Promise, according to God’s covenant (Genesis 12:1-3; 13:14-18; 15:7-17), for God had a great work for His righteous remnant to do in that land, culminating in the coming of Messiah. Evidentially, the wicked will be cut off (vs. 922, 28, 34), which in Israel usually meant exclusion from the covenant community (Exodus 12:15; 30:33, 38; 31:14; Leviticus 7:20, 21), but it could mean execution (Genesis 9:11; Leviticus 20:17; Numbers 15:30, 31). They would be cut off for two reasons: The prosperity of the wicked is short; and the pious, by humble trust, will secure all covenant blessings, denoted here by “Inherit the earth.”
10 For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.
The phrase “yet a little while” is similar to the terminology of Jeremiah 51:33 and Hosea 1:4. The Lord’s intervention is eminent.
11 But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
The psalmist wrote this psalm at a time when the land was in the hands of evil men, but it was destined to be possessed by the righteous meek (the “godly”) who, awaiting God’s own time, will at length in thrilling delight come into possession of it as their rightful inheritance.
We need to pause here for a moment for this is one of those verses of the Old Testament which shed a flood of light on our Lord’s teaching. The reason Jesus “spoke with authority and not as the scribes” was because he based his teaching solidly on the scriptures whereas the scribes based theirs on the traditions of the elders. Jesus simply taught the Bible. We tend to think that Jesus taught a lot of new and novel things, and He certainly did, but in actual fact He rarely introduced anything new. His soul was so saturated with the scriptures that they flowed out of His mouth and nearly all His teaching came right out of the Old Testament. In some cases He simple elevated the Old Testament teaching to a higher level. For example, the commandment is “Thou shall not commit adultery,” but Jesus said lusting for a woman was just as bad as adultery; the command was “Thou shall not kill,” but Jesus said, if you are angry with someone, you have committed murder in your heart. Jesus took the Old Testament, passed it through the prism of His holy intellect, and restated it in a particularly memorable and forceful form. Thus, when we read in the Sermon on the Mount: “Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth,” we are not reading something new; we are reading psalm 37:11, only it is Psalm 37:11 lifted to a new and vital plane.
The truth of the statement, “The meek shall inherit the earth” (“possess the land” in some versions) is ingrained in the Biblical concept of the coming millennial reign of Christ, and one of Christ’s Beatitudes. The meek man’s domain will extend, on that day, from the river to the ends of the earth, from sea to sea, from shore to shore, from pole to pole. In light of that, the prospects of the wicked man are somewhat tarnished after all. But why does the idea of meekness cause so much laughter among “realists?” For the meek are God-trusters and God-dependers. Therefore they are strong. Their nerves are steady, and they never know when they are beaten. Indeed, they know that if they are in agreement with God they cannot be beaten. Their morale is unbreakable, and morale is nine-tenths of the battle. When will the day come when “The meek shall inherit the earth?” For the church, it will begin when the Savior descends into the clouds to catch away his waiting people and take them to their heavenly home. For the believing remnant of Israel and the nations it will begin when the Lord Jesus returns to earth to decimate His foes and to reign for a thousand years.
“Meekness” does not mean “weakness.” It means force under the control of faith. Moses was meek (Numbers 12:3), but he was a man of great power. Jesus quoted verse 11 (Matthew 5:5), but expanded it to include “the earth.”
The expression “the abundance of peace” denotes partly the outward peace and prosperity, which God in His good time will give them; but principally, the inward peace and satisfaction of mind, which comes from the sense of God’s favor and the assurance of His goodwill and endless love.
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November 20, 2014
Tom Lowe
Title: PSALM 37: WHEN WICKEDNESS TRIUMPHS ON EARTH
A psalm of David.
Part 1 Prospects That Are Foreign to the Wicked (verses 1-11)
Part 2 Pursuits That Are Favored by the Wicked (verses 12-22)
Part 3 Paths That Are Forsaken by the Wicked (verses 23-31)
Part 4 Points that are Forgotten by the Wicked (verses 32-40)
Psalm 37 (KJV)
(Part 2: verses 12-22)
12 The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth.
13 The Lord shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming.
14 The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as be of upright conversation.
15 Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken.
16 A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked.
17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken: but the LORD upholdeth the righteous.
18 The LORD knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever.
19 They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.
20 But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the LORD shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.
21 The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again: but the righteous sheweth mercy, and giveth.
22 For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth; and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off.
Introduction to Psalm 37, Part 2
In this section, David explores the kinds of things that loom so large in the life of the man who imagines he can get along without God and, indeed, often seems to be successful in doing so.
Commentary
12 The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth.
13 The Lord shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming.
Since God can be trusted, we should not worry, and since God understands our situation, we should not fear the threatening of our foes: “. . . If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31). The “wicked” (the cheats, the extortioners, the oppressors) plot against the poor and needy (see 2 Co. 37:7, 32), and they “gnash[1]” with their “teeth” in beastly rage. They express the bitterest hostility toward those who love the Lord. But Jehovah is not agitated by the sound of their grinding teeth. On the contrary, the Lord laughs at the wicked (see 2 Co. 2:4) because He knows their judgment “is coming.” In this place “laugh” expresses the idea that God will loathe and ridicule all their plans and actions against the saints as being very vain and foolish.
There is a certain poetry in God’s administration of justice, of which we can get an occasional glimpse in the Bible, but which is rarely seen in the rush and bustle of our daily lives even though it is there. Perhaps in eternity God will show us how it has never failed to work in every instance of His dealings with men.
We glimpse God’s justice in the book of Esther when we see Haman being hanged upon the gallows he had prepared for Mordechai. We glimpse it in the Book of Jonah when we see that angry prophet experiencing himself the “belly of hell” into which he so much wanted the people of Nineveh to fall. We glimpse it again in the life of David himself—reaping in his own family the lust and lawlessness he had sowed. The poetic justice of God is real: “For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (Mat. 7:2).
The expression “His day” means either (1) “God’s day,” which is how it is used in 1 Samuel 26:10: “David said furthermore, As the LORD liveth, the LORD shall smite him; or his day shall come to die; or he shall descend into battle, and perish.” Or (2) “his own day” as in Ezekiel 21:25: “And thou, profane wicked prince of Israel, whose day is come, when iniquity shall have an end.” Both signify the same thing, the day of his punishment or destruction will come. The psalmist does not seem to view God as directly bringing this about. But God sees it, awaits it, knows that it will happen, and so He laughs at their puny efforts thwart His purpose for Israel.
Whatever else we do, we must not be envious of the unrighteous! This earth is the only heaven they’re ever going to have. The scythe of retribution will soon mow them down, and their spectacular careers will fade and whither.
14 The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as be of upright conversation.
15 Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken.
When the “wicked” man has the power to do so, he commits terrible atrocities. The history of our times provides only too many examples. Indeed, the twentieth century has put it out of mind, because it can no longer cope with the enormity of the statistics involved, the crimes which have been committed against humanity during its span. Who can measure the sum total of suffering caused by men like Kaiser, Lenin, Stalin, Hitler, Mao Tse, Tung, and the communist rulers of Vietnam, to mention just a few? But God has a sword[2] for them, a “sword” which will “enter into their own” souls and twist and turn there for all eternity. The psalmist is convinced that wickedness in its very nature is suicidal. It brings its perpetrator to his own destruction. The Scripture makes it clear that if you take the sword that is the way you will perish.
The wicked are well-armed and well-trained. The righteous by comparison seem ill-equipped and continually outwitted. But there are certain inflexible laws at work in the moral realm. The way of the transgressor is hard in the end. Sins are certain to come home to roost someday.
The word “slay” means “to butcher an animal.”
The phrase “such as be of upright conversation” refers to the righteous against whom they have no quarrel for any injury done to them, nevertheless they hate them because of their integrity and righteousness, or because they are better than themselves and will not comply with their wicked counsel and behavior.
16 A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked.
17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken: but the LORD upholdeth the righteous.
All too often in our materialistic culture we put the emphasis in the wrong place. We think that money can buy happiness. The wicked man’s prosperity, however, is illusionary. It is like the pot of gold that is supposed to rest at the foot of the rainbow. I have been in the homes of very poor saints and also in the homes of very rich saints. It has been my experience that the happiest saints are those who do not have so much. God seems to see to that.
“God upholds the righteous” and sees to it they have what they need—“Better a little with the fear of the LORD than great wealth with turmoil” (Prov. 15:16); “Better a little with righteousness than much gain with injustice” (Prov. 16:8). Righteous men are altogether different from wicked men and their worth is measured by moral values, not by material well-being. The little bit they have is “better,” because along with it they have many great and glorious advantages, such as God’s favor and blessings, and great serenity and satisfaction of mind, which is infinitely more desirable and comfortable than all earthly possessions; and add to that the presence of God’s Spirit and the assurance of everlasting joy. Just as Jesus met a great need with a few loaves and fishes, so the Lord can make a little go a long way. “Give us today our daily bread” (Mat. 6:11). The writer of the letter to the Hebrews, after documenting all the incomparable wealth that the believer enjoys in Christ, adds rather wryly: “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you" (Heb. 13:5).
“The arms of the wicked” (that is, their strength) “shall be broken;” but that doesn’t apply to “the righteous.” They will be upheld by “the Lord” of infinite power.
18 The LORD knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever.
19 They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.
20 But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the LORD shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.
“The LORD knoweth (the number of) the days of the upright,” that is, He knows their condition and everything that may happen to them, their dangers and fears, and suffering at the hands of ungodly men; and therefore, He will watch over them and protect them from all the evil plans and attacks of their enemies. It is enough that God knows what is hid in each day, and He guarantees that our strength is sufficient to meet every trial.
For the righteous and their seed, David declares “their inheritance shall be forever;” and when they die their inheritance is not lost but exchanged for one infinitely better. Their inheritance which is incorruptible, undefiled and unfading, reserved in heaven for all those who by God’s power are guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time (1 Pet. 1:4, 5). Their outstanding characteristic is a security that is not rooted in the circumstances of everyday life, so that when misfortune comes upon them they are not disconcerted, and in times of deficiency are still contented; “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength” (Phil. 4:11-13).
There is in verse 18 the suggestion of something beyond the needs of this life, while the emphasis in Psalm 34 is on Israel’s national life in the land, and the ancient Jew saw his “immortality” in his posterity, but occasionally in the Psalms you catch a glimpse of the eternal (see Ps. 16:11, 17:15 and the “forever” statements in Ps. 37:18 and 27-29).
“Knoweth” in verse 18 refers to much more than intellectual understanding—God knows what is going on”—but indicates that He is involved and caring for us daily: “For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish” (Ps. 1:6; also see Ps. 31:7, 15). “The wicked will perish.” That is God’s department, and He will take care of it.
Verse 19 includes the great Biblical theme that a disaster such as a famine may in fact be a judgment, but that out of it God can bring no less than a blessing.
The saints “shall not be ashamed” of their faith when hard times come. They have the hidden spiritual resources to see them through. In “days of” scarcity they enjoy a special kind of abundance. First of all, they have learned to live sacrificially, so that they do not feel deprived when the refrigerator is empty. But also they have the Lord, who is able to spread a table in the wilderness. They have the privilege of seeing God provide for them in miraculous ways, and there is an especially sweet flavor to all such manna from heaven.
Verse 20 emphasizes the impermanence of the enemies of God, which is described in the language we find in Isaiah 40:8—“The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever."
The “wicked” man “shall perish,” in other words, he has no protection; throughout the psalm this death bell tolls for “the enemies of the Lord.” It may look as though the righteous man has no protection, but God says otherwise. Viewed from His perspective, the wicked man’s defenses against misfortune are worthless. He likens his future to smoke (20). We have all seen what happens to smoke coming out of a chimney. Sometimes it lies thick over the house, but it soon disperses and vanishes. God has His winds which can soon blow away the defenses of the wicked man and dissipate them before his very eyes. This begs the question, “If the punishment of the wicked involves more than suffering and death in this life, will not the blessings of the righteous go beyond this life as well?
21 The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again: but the righteous sheweth mercy, and giveth.
22 For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth; and they that be cursed of him (of the Lord) shall be cut off.
The “wicked borrows” and does not repay. This may mean that he is careless about paying back or cannot. But with all his money, why can’t he repay? The answer is that he is always over-extended. In his greed for money he speculates. When he loses, he borrows to cover his losses. It’s the old story of borrowing from Peter to pay Paul. He builds his empire on credit and then when reverses come, he grows desperate to prop up his sagging fortunes. Behind the outward veneer of prosperity lies financial chaos. It is terrible to fall into the clutches of a man who borrows while knowing he cannot repay. It is even worse if the man calls himself a Christian—God has a different description of him in this segment, declaring“they that be cursed of him shall be cut off.” By contrast how happy is the man who gives generously to help those in need, especially those of the family of faith? Such people are laying up treasure for eternity. But there is no treasure in the unprincipled pursuits favored by the wicked because he thinks he can get away with them because so often it seems he does. But that is because his perspectives are warped, which is David’s next great theme.
Though the righteous are often far from affluent, yet they are incredibly generous, always finding it more blessed to give than to receive. They have proved that if a believer really wants to give, he will never lack the means to do it. As Paul taught:
And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. (2 Co. 9:8)
The Lord blesses His people. He blesses them first of all by providing their daily needs. The wicked may succeed for a time, but eventually, they have to borrow in order to survive, while the Godly have what they need and can lend to others: “For the LORD your God will bless you as he has promised, and you will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. You will rule over many nations but none will rule over you” (Deut. 15:6; also see 28:12, 44). Verse 22 is not a promise for every believer at all times in all places, for many believers have died in poverty and hunger. Like the statements in the Book of Proverbs, it’s a generalization that proves true in so many cases that we can safely apply it to life.
Verse 22 reintroduces the theme that appears throughout this psalm, at verse 9, verse 11, and later at verse 29; that there are only two roads set before us, which was introduced in Deuteronomy 30:19—“. . . I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life. . .”
There is one thing that the righteous and the wicked have in common—their destiny hinges on their relationship with the Lord. Those who have been justified by faith are blessed by the Lord; they will possess the land. Those who have refused God’s offer of salvation have put themselves in the unenviable position of standing under His curse; they will be destroyed.
[1] to grind (the teeth) together, as in pain or anger
[2] Sword (also “bow”) stands for any weapon of violence.
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November 28, 2014
Tom Lowe
Title: PSALM 37: WHEN WICKEDNESS TRIUMPHS ON EARTH
A psalm of David.
Part 1 Prospects That Are Foreign to the Wicked (verses 1-11)
Part 2 Pursuits That Are Favored by the Wicked (verses 12-22)
Part 3 Paths That Are Forsaken by the Wicked (verses 23-31)
Part 4 Points that Are Forgotten by the Wicked (verses 32-40)
Psalm 37 (KJV)
(Part 3: verses 23-31)
23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.
24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.
25 I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.
26 He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed.
27 Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore.
28 For the LORD loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.
29 The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever.
30 The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment.
31 The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.
Introduction to Psalm 37, Part 3
David comes back now to look at the godly man and on the path that he walks through life. It is the good and the right way, the straight and the narrow path. It holds no attraction at all for the wicked man.
Commentary
23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.
“The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord,” that is, his thoughts, affections, and plans are directed by the Holy Spirit and by His grace. By His providence, He overrules events and makes their pathway through life clear. He does not always show them His way for a long distance, but leads them step by step, like children are led; and he establishes them on a foundation that is the Rock—and the Rock is Christ. But God not only gives provision[1], he gives protection as well.“Ordered,” means secured, established, directed, strengthened—“Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me” (Ps. 139:133). Even if believers stumble, God will pick them up and get them going again. He can keep us from stumbling: “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present [you] faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy” (Jude 24). He can restore us if we do stumble. Why?” Because “He delighteth in his way;” He delights in His children and wants them to learn to walk. Does God delight in you today? God could point to Job—who was not sinless by any means—but God took delight in him.
The righteous man has his ups and downs, but he presents a composed and stable front to life. A “steady” man is the cement of any society; and his secret is that he walks with the steadfast God.
24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.
The word “fall” as it is used here means either (1) Fall into sin, as this word is used in Jeremiah 8:4: “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!”; or rather, (2) Fall into suffering or trouble, as in Micah 7:8: “Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light.” They will “not be utterly cast down,” that is, not totally or irrecoverably ruined by their falls, either into sin or into trouble, though those who fall into sin will be severely hurt. But the force of their fall will be broken because God has not let go of them. That is why the misfortunes of the righteous are never final and complete. Long experience has shown the psalmist that the Lord does what is right to the righteous, generation after generation.
25 I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.
There is a lot of truth in this verse that can be applied to any society. The righteous are rarely unemployable; in hard times his honest pride invents work if it can be invented. His discontent with dependence sends him seeking ways to be independent, and his good reputation stands him in good stead with those who can set him on his feet.
The instruction of this sage-psalmist is based on personal observation. David was now in his old age and can look back across the years to his boyhood, to his struggles with Saul and the enemies of Israel, and to his sin of adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of Uriah. His violent and unsettled days were over. Twice he had been a fugitive and he might have said at the time that he had been forsaken and was begging bread. But he had outlived all that; he had lived long enough to get things into perspective. He had never seen the righteous abandoned by God and any temporary shifts of fortune had all been part of the wise discipline of God to make of him a true man of God. That said, the assertion, “I [have]not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread” seems to be contradicted by life experiences; nor can it be denied that good men and their families have sometimes been subjected to great poverty; but they have never been forsaken by the Lord, and ultimately conditions are improved for their children. Question. “How, then, can this be true?”Answer:
Some render the clause thus, nor (did I ever see) his seed (that is, forsaken, as the verse now reads) though begging bread. So the sense is “I have seen him begging, yet even then God did not forsake him.” But this sense does not agree with the context nor scope, which is to show the plenty and prosperity that God blessed him with.
This is to be understood as the seed of the righteous walking in their father’s steps, from which if they digress, they will lose all their privileges, which is affirmed many places in scripture.
A few exceptions do not destroy the truth of a general proposition.
These worldly promises were more relevant to the Jews in the times of the Old Testament than to Christians today, and therefore were more literally fulfilled.
He doesn’t mention any kind of wanting, desiring or receiving relief from others, which David himself did: “Now then, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever you can find" (1 Sam. 21:3). Instead, he refers to the customary practice or trade of begging, which was threatened as a curse upon the disobedient.
Not begging, that is, in vain, because he is forsaken, which is how it is expressed here, and may very well be understood in this way.
David speaks only of his own experience, but if it has been contradicted since that time by other men’s experiences, it is no more than what happens in all the events of human life.
26 He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed.
The righteous man’s works are both merciful and moral in character, the kinds of works God is bound to bless. Along with the blessing of provision and protection is the blessing of the Lord’s presence with His people. As an elder saint, David bore witness to God’s faithfulness to him and his descendants. Not only did God meet every need, but He gave enough so that David could share it with others. Throughout his life, he has never witnessed a righteous person uncared for, but on the contrary, he has seen how generous and gracious the righteous man is to others and how the very remembrance of him is a blessing. Jesus said this in Luke 6:38, “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." David’s seed is blessed not only with spiritual blessings but with temporal blessings as well. His descendants become a blessing because they have learned these lessons thoroughly at home, and they follow them throughout their own lives.
27 Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore.
Since we have these glorious promises and privileges, no man should do anything evil or unjust to enrich himself, nor should he refrain from doing pious and charitable actions simply because he fears being humiliated by them. This alone will lead to security such as the Lord, the just and faithful, will assure. At all times, the only right principle is to keep on doing good, because fairness in dealing with men and loyalty to God is always approved by God and fostered by His cooperation. “Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it” (Ps. 34:14). Let every man live by discharging all his duties to God and men, committing himself and all his undertakings to God’s fatherly care and providence, and confidently anticipating that he will be blessed by Him. And he shall “dwell for evermore” in the land (as expressed in Ps. 37:3), and afterward in heaven.
This verse is one of several in the Bible that seems to teach salvation by good works. We know from passages such as Ephesians 2:8-10 and Titus 3:5 that this is not the case. We must conclude that if a man is saved he will produce good works and that such faithful saints are the only ones that will abide forever.
28 For the LORD loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.
We must remember that the ultimate vision of the psalm is millennial[2] and that God’s purposes do not ripen in a day. In the Old Testament the believer anticipated a “heaven on earth,” the glory-age when Christ will reign and when the Old Testament saints will come into their own.
As we pray for daily bread (Matt. 6:11), the Lord answers. God also blesses His people by enabling them to live obedient lives (vs. 27-29), which means righteousness in character and justice in conduct. God’s blessing on the godly continues in the lives of their children, but the descendants of the wicked are cut off. Alas, the sins of ungodly fathers influence their children to disobey God, and the Lord has to punish them as well.
“The LORD loveth judgment(justice),” and it is in keeping with His justice to make “His saints” eternally secure. It is not that the saints deserve eternal life, but that Christ died to purchase it for them, and that God must honor the terms of the purchase.
The psalmist loves to meditate on the security of the believer (see vs. 18, 24, and 33). All who have been born again through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ can know on the authority of the Word of God that they are saved forever, or as the verse declares, “they are preserved for ever.” A good man may fall into the hands of a messenger of Satan, and be ruthlessly beaten and battered, but God will not leave him in his enemy’s hands.
It is a melancholy business to contemplate the doom of the unsaved, for David said, “the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.” What will it mean to be separated from God, from Christ, and from hope for all eternity?
29 The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever.
This verse again tells us that God is going to make good His promise to Abraham and to the children of Israel. He promised them earthly blessings. He did not promise that to you and me. We are blessed with all spiritual blessings. You will be confused if you believe God had promised you earthly blessings. It is true that many Christians are blessed with material things, but that is surplus. It is an added blessing; and, if God has blessed you that way, you have a tremendous responsibility. I feel sorry for some of the rich saints who are not using their money the way God wants them to use it.
It’s worth remembering this basic difference between the Old Testament believer and his blessing and that of the Christian today. In the Old Testament, to receive a blessing a believer had to be in a place, in the New Testament he has to be in a person; in the Old Testament he had to be in Canaan, in the New Testament he has to be in Christ; in the Old Testament God’s blessing was “yea and amen” in the land, in the New Testament it is “yea and amen” in the Lord.
Israel’s prime hope was to live in “the land” under the reign of the Messiah. Devout Jews admittingly had a heavenly hope as well: “For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God” (Heb. 11:10). But the emphasis in the Old Testament era was on material blessings in the land of Israel during the golden age of peace and prosperity. When we read that the righteous will “dwell” upon “the land forever,” we must understand that the earthly kingdom of Christ will last for one thousand years, then merge into His everlasting kingdom. It may be that in the eternal state redeemed Israel will inhabit the new earth mentioned in Revelation 21:1; if that is the case then the promise of possessing the land “forever” can be taken literally.
While the unrighteous and their descendants are headed for destruction, the righteous will inherit the land and dwell permanently in it. The righteous, David declares, “The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever,” and when they die their inheritance is not lost, but exchanged for one infinitely better. “Their inheritance which is incorruptible, undefiled and unfading, reserved in heaven for all those who by God’s power are guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Pet. 1:4, 5).
30 The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment.
The ungodly man prides himself on his cleverness and cunning, but he is a fool. The righteous man draws from a well of wisdom which has its unfailing springs in the omnificence[3] of God. When the discourses of other men are either wicked, or vain and useless, his are serious and edifying, and pious, concerning the Word and ways of God. The just man’s speech is brim-full of “wisdom.” What he says is sound, scriptural, and solid. He speaks justice, not crookedness and deceit. It has been rightly said, “The mouth (that is, “what a man says”) is the primary evidence of his character”: “The words of his mouth are wicked and deceitful; he has ceased to be wise and to do good” (Ps. 36:3).
31 The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.
Finally, God blesses the righteous with His Word. God’s Word is the heart of the secret of a holy life: “I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart" (Ps. 40:8; also see Ps.1:1-3; 119:9-16; Deut. 6:6). Verses 30 and 31 provide us with a portrait of the life of the godly, as well as a look into their heart and a chart of their steps. Here, as in Psalms 1 and 119, “the Law of God” is the source of strength and safety. “Thy word have I hid in mine heart” (Ps. 119:11). God will uphold and preserve him from falling into that trouble which wicked men “cook up” against him.
The wise and just speech of the righteous and the steadiness of his conduct are due to the fact that he obeys God’s Law, which he treasures in his heart. He meditates continually on the Word of God, and this keeps “his steps” from slipping into sin and shame. The righteous do not commit immorality or wickedness, but that does not mean they are sinless, which is abundantly confirmed, both by many scriptures and by universal experience. He not only begins well, but constantly perseveres in God’s ways, and will not be persuaded to forsake God and religion upon any terms.
“None of his steps shall slide” refers to the paths, the rule, or God’s Laws that are forsaken by the wicked. They are steep and narrow, but they lead to life. How much better it is, after all, to go in at the narrow gate and to climb the steps that lead to God than to enter in at the wide gate and tread the broad, downward path to destruction.
[1] Something that is supplied or provided—food, etc.
[2] Pertaining to the period of a thousand years during which Christ will reign on earth. Rev. 20:1–7.
[3] Creating all things; having unlimited powers of creation.
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December 5, 2014
Tom Lowe
Title: PSALM 37: WHEN WICKEDNESS TRIUMPHS ON EARTH
A psalm of David.
Part 1 Prospects That Are Foreign to the Wicked (verses 1-11)
Part 2 Pursuits That Are Favored by the Wicked (verses 12-22)
Part 3 Paths That Are Forsaken by the Wicked (verses 23-31)
Part 4 Points that Are Forgotten by the Wicked (verses 32-40)
Psalm 37 (KJV)
(Part 4: verses 32-40)
32 The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him.
33 The LORD will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged.
34 Wait on the LORD, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.
35 I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree.
36 Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.
37 Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace.
38 But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off.
39 But the salvation of the righteous is of the LORD: he is their strength in the time of trouble.
40 And the LORD shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him.
Introduction to Psalm 37, Part 4
There are three images in Psalm 37 which illustrate God’s judgment of those who reject Him and rebel against His Law; the court trial (vs. 32-34), the tree (vs. 35-36), and the rescue (vs. 37-40).
Commentary
32 The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him.
The psalmist begins this section by describing the struggle between the “wicked” and the righteous. His solution to the problem of wicked people was to contrast their evil plots to destroy the righteous with God’s power to prevent them from doing it. The wicked watched the godly and tried to find some reason for accusing them and also to learn the best time to destroy them.
In spite of David’s integrity and Solomon’s great wisdom, the judicial system in Israel was far from efficient and it was easy for the rich to oppress the poor and take what little they possessed (Amos 2:4-8; 4:1-3).
33 The LORD will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged.
Even though evil men plot against the righteous and accuse him before corrupt judges, nevertheless the Lord will not fail to intervene sooner or later. The Lord is the highest judge, and He knows how to deliver the righteous from lying witnesses and judges who have been bribed. Moreover, “The LORD will not leave him in his hand,” that is, will not give him up to his power and rage; “nor condemn him,” that is, give His consent to the condemnation, which the wicked have pronounced against him. But instead, He will justify him, and vindicate his innocence and deliver (rescue) him. God is the Guardian and Advocate of all His own people.
34 Wait on the LORD, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.
There is a promise here for the godly man—that “He (God) shall exalt thee”; but there are also two conditions that must be met: (1) We are to “Wait on the LORD”; and (2) We are to “keep his way.” The first condition requires patience and trusting God to do what He said He would do; whereas, the second requires us to put our confidence on the Lord. Our best policy is, therefore, to trust (wait on the Lord) and obey (keep His way). “There is no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey!”
One who waits “on the Lord” will enjoy security and the “upright man . . . of peace” will have “a future” (or, perhaps better, will see his “posterity”). By contrast, the “wicked” will flourish (v.35) “but” they “will be cut off” (v.36). The wicked man’s schemes and deceits will be rewarded by death. In the day God settles the score, the righteous man will see how just God is. In the meantime, it will look as though liars prosper, and wicked men may unjustly condemn the righteous. But there is a great day of reckoning coming when the truth will be on the side of the godly, and all accounts will be settled according to God’s will, and “Thou shall see it.” You will not only escape the destruction they had planned for you but will live to see their ruination.
35 I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree[1].
David could have written these words about either Saul or Absalom or someone he knew. He himself had known a wicked man acting like a terrible tyrant and flourishing like a leafy tree in its own native soil, yet he was suddenly cut down and removed from the scene as though he had never existed. David “sought him, but he could not be found” anywhere. He knew from his own personal experience that time was on the side of the godly. The man prospered for a while. His power lasted for a short time, but then he himself was gone, and so was his prosperity and power.
The righteous are pictured by the fruitful tree in Psalms 1:3 where David wrote: “He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.” And the ungodly are pictured here by a luxurious (“overbearing and towering) shrub or tree planted in its native soil where its roots can go way down deep. The phrase “and spreading himself” refers to a tree that is firmly and deeply rooted.
36 Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.
Not only did the tree (v. 35), die and fall, but there was no evidence left behind to indicate that there ever had been a tree there at all! And God will do the same to the wicked, who appear to be successful and permanent but are destined for judgment. He will be gone in an instant, like a tree blasted and blown down, or cut off and uprooted, and carried away in a moment. There was no monument or reminder of him left. The higher the wicked man exalts himself the more terrible will be his fall. His end will be sudden and complete. But the Lord helps, delivers, and saves the righteous.
The communists used to boast that time was on their side; they claimed that the inevitable laws of history guarantee their ultimate success. But they were wrong, as evidenced by the dismantling of the USSR, the pulling down of the Berlin Wall, and the former communist nations that have decided to try democracy. Time is on God’s side; it is God’s tool; it is not the wicked man’s ally, it is God’s. Sooner or later, time will run out for the wicked man and he will be carried by friends to his grave and then he will go into a “Christless” eternity. Time is the friend of the people of God, bringing them safely home at last.
37 Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace.
The “perfect man” (godly man) is one who is perfect toward God in that he trusts God and rests upon His salvation. Though he may meet with troubles along the way, yet all shall end well with him, he shall be happy at last. The end of the upright “man is peace,” God will see to that. But let everyone take note of what happens to a man who is upright and godly; there is indeed a future for him and his posterity. The Israelite looked forward to living on in his children: “If brothers are living together and one of them dies without a son, his widow must not marry outside the family. Her husband's brother shall take her and marry her and fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to her. The first son she bears shall carry on the name of the dead brother so that his name will not be blotted out from Israel. (Deut. 25:5-6).
The godly man has something that the ungodly man does not have; he has a vital trust in God that tips the scales firmly in his favor. The godly man has his feet firmly planted on the Rock; the ungodly man builds everything on shifting sand.
38 But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off.
Again, as in verses 25-26, our sage-psalmist reaches back into his own personal observation (vs. 35-36) and draws from it the lesson (vs. 37-40) that the prosperity experienced by a wicked man is a very fleeting thing, for his life will come to an end in destruction. Moreover, although the righteous man may suffer for a time, he will end his life in peace, for the Lord will deliver those who in their trouble seek His protection.
The key question isn’t what people look like or what they possess, but what is their final end? Proverbs 24:10 speaks of their sad demise: “For the evil man has no future hope, and the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out” (see also Proverbs 5:4; 14:12-13; 16:25). There is a future for the “man of peace” (v. 37) but the future of “the wicked will be cut off.” “The transgressors will be destroyed” and “the wicked shall be cut off.” You can mark that down. It is as sure as the law of gravitation.
39 But the salvation of the righteous is of the LORD: he is their strength in the time of trouble.
“Salvation . . . is of the LORD.” Since salvation belongs to Him (Ps. 3:8), He is the perennial Source of it: “My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will never be shaken” (Psalms 62:1-2). The very character and continuance of God’s throne are ultimately at stake in this issue. God would have to cease to be God, cease to be righteous and just, holy and true if He failed to come through fully, finally, and forever on behalf of the righteous man. That is a point the wicked man has forgotten.
The salvation of the righteous will be the Lord’s doing. He will help them to do their duties, to bear their burdens; help them to bear their troubles well, and obtain “good” from them, and, in due time, will deliver them out of their troubles. Let sinners then depart from evil, and do good; repent and forsake sin, and trust in the mercy of God through Jesus Christ. Let them take His yolk upon them, and learn of Him, that they may dwell forevermore in heaven. Let us always depend on God’s mercy.
Some see this as referring to future generations, and that may be included, but certainly it describes the final destiny of the righteous, as verse 38 does for the wicked. So much then, for David’s handling of the problem. How can we apply it to the forces that are shaping society today, to those evil and lawless forces bent on enslaving the world in atheism, godlessness, and wickedness? [Something to think about].
40 And the LORD shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him.
The Lord delivers the righteous from eternal judgment, but He also delivers them from the attacks and accusations of the wicked in this world today. Why? “Because they trust in Him.” Fretting and fear cannot stand before faith in the living God. David concluded that in a world with wicked people on every hand, the Lord is “the Salvation and Stronghold” (a strongly fortified place) for those who “take refuge in Him” from “the wicked.”
The greatest thing about the righteous is their connection with God. He is their Savior and their strength in times of trouble. No wonder Christians turn instinctively to Him in time of need! They find that He helps them, and saves them“because they” depend on “Him” completely. Are you in trouble now? “Trust in him.” He will see you through!
I heard yesterday that Muslim terrorists have announced that they are going to decapitate another American within seventy-two hours. They do it, so they say because the Koran demands it. Who can measure the guilt of men who callously plan and perpetrate atrocities like that? “The wicked,” says David, “have drawn out the sword and have bent their bow to cast down the poor and needy. . . .” Well, God has promised to settle such accounts with the men responsible. “The sword,” he says, “shall enter their own heart.” We will have to take our stand on that, and remember that the accounting is not always in the here and now. The wicked man’s plot, the wicked man’s power, the wicked man’s prosperity, the wicked man’s protection—all reduced to nothing in a moment of time by Death.
Time is on God’s side. That is the great message of Psalm 37.
[1] bay tree—This tree is named only in Ps. 37:35, King James Version. The Hebrew word so rendered is ereh, which simply means “native-born”, i.e., a tree not transplanted, but growing on its native soil, and therefore luxuriantly. If the psalmist intended by this word to denote any particular tree, it may have been the evergreen bay laurel (Laurus nobilis), which is a native of Israel. Instead of “like a green bay tree” in the Authorized Version, the Revised Version has, “like a green tree in its native soil.
