Psalm 37
do not be envious of wrongdoers, 2 for they will soon fade like the grass, and wither like the green herb. 3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; so you will live in the land, and enjoy security. 4 Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act. 6 He will make your vindication shine like the light, and the justice of your cause like the noonday. 7 Be still before the LORD, and wait patiently for him; do not fret over those who prosper in their way, over those who carry out evil devices. 8 Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath. Do not fret-it leads only to evil. 9 For the wicked shall be cut off, but those who wait for the LORD shall inherit the land. 10 Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look diligently for their place, they will not be there. 11 But the meek shall inherit the land, and delight themselves in abundant prosperity. 12 The wicked plot against the righteous, and gnash their teeth at them; 13 but the LORD laughs at the wicked, for he sees that their day is coming. 14 The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows to bring down the poor and needy, to kill those who walk uprightly; 15 their sword shall enter their own heart, and their bows shall be broken. 16 Better is a little that the righteous person has than the abundance of many wicked. 17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but the LORD upholds the righteous. 18 The LORD knows the days of the blameless, and their heritage will abide forever; 19 they are not put to shame in evil times, in the days of famine they have abundance. 20 But the wicked perish, and the enemies of the LORD are like the glory of the pastures; they vanish-like smoke they vanish away. 21 The wicked borrow, and do not pay back, but the righteous are generous and keep giving; 22 for those blessed by the LORD shall inherit the land, but those cursed by him shall be cut off. 23 Our steps are made firm by the LORD, when he delights in our way; 24 though we stumble, we shall not fall headlong, for the LORD holds us by the hand. 25 I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. 26 They are ever giving liberally and lending, and their children become a blessing. 27 Depart from evil, and do good; so you shall abide forever. 28 For the LORD loves justice; he will not forsake his faithful ones. The righteous shall be kept safe forever, but the children of the wicked shall be cut off. 29 The righteous shall inherit the land, and live in it forever. 30 The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom, and their tongues speak justice. 31 The law of their God is in their hearts; their steps do not slip. 32 The wicked watch for the righteous, and seek to kill them. 33 The LORD will not abandon them to their power, or let them be condemned when they are brought to trial. 34 Wait for the LORD, and keep to his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land; you will look on the destruction of the wicked. 35 I have seen the wicked oppressing, and towering like a cedar of Lebanon. 36 Again I passed by, and they were no more; though I sought them, they could not be found. 37 Mark the blameless, and behold the upright, for there is posterity for the peaceable. 38 But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed; the posterity of the wicked shall be cut off. 39 The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; he is their refuge in the time of trouble. 40 The LORD helps them and rescues them; he rescues them from the wicked, and saves them, because they take refuge in him. The New Revised Standard Version (Anglicized Edition), copyright 1989, 1995 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. |
Singing the Blues?
Thoughts on Psalm 37
Pressure, stress, trouble, difficulty. People against us, circumstances that seem too difficult, hard times that seem to go on forever. It’s enough to make someone give up, or join the opposition.
Friends who encourage us are a great help in such circumstances. But sometimes people try to encourage us with words that don’t mean anything, or ideas that are nonsense. It is nice that they care, but the help is a bit thin and doesn’t actually sustain us in the troubles.
Sometimes a song cheers us up. Maybe because of the tune – like the blues. But good words might also help.
David wrote a really good song about this. You could call it a song of encouragement. Psalm 37 is a strange psalm in many ways. For one thing it is an acrostic – an alphabet psalm – in which each stanza begins with the next letter of the alphabet (the most famous is Ps 119).
And it does not have any praise to God in it. In fact it is not even addressed to God. It sounds like something from the book of Proverbs. The Psalm has David’s name on it, who presumably composed it in one of those periods when he was thinking about how pressured he was by his enemies.
Some of it reads like a review of the life of bad people. David’s view is that they don’t last and they don’t prosper in the end. He says this so that he and his friends won’t be tricked into taking the short term advantage of joining them or acting like them.
David’s song (I wonder what kind of a tune it had?) is full of encouragement to believers. Don’t fret. Trust in the Lord and do good. Delight yourself in the Lord. Commit your way to the Lord and trust in him. Wait patiently for him. Don’t get angry.
David says that he has never seen the righteous forsaken by the Lord. Because the Lord is the one who will make sure they inherit the earth. He is our stronghold. He rescues us because we take refuge in him.
It is a simple choice, but for some the pressure is there every day to make the wrong choice. The Lord watches over those who trust in him. So keep trusting him.
Jan 23, 2005