Let us compose ourselves by believing in God: These verses are much to the same purport with the foregoing verses of this psalm, for it is a subject worthy to be dwelt upon. 4:1 ): Thou shalt diligently consider his place, where but the other day he made a mighty figure, but it shall not be, you will not find it; he shall leave nothing valuable, nothing honourable, behind. I, Wait on the LORD: “Wait in obedience as a servant, in hope as an heir, in expectation as a believer.” (Spurgeon), ii. Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. Their sword shall enter their own heart, [2.] Outward prosperity is a fading thing, and so is the life itself to which it is confined. Catholicism sees, God will reverse things, rewarding the good and punishing the wicked here on earth. They prepare instruments of death, the sword and the bow, no less will serve; they hunt for the precious life. Saul, who sought to slay David, fell on his own sword.” (Spurgeon). In the Bible’s wisdom literature, general principles are often presented in the absolute when they are intended to be understood as general or even overwhelming principles – understanding that there can be exceptions. Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. They are the opposite of delighting oneself in the LORD and patiently waiting upon Him. I cried to the Lord with my voice, And He heard me from His holy hill. “It is right to say that Psalm 37 is an exposition of the third beatitude, even though it was written a thousand years before Jesus began his public ministry. The wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just, Job. 15:23 . iii. Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. And your justice as the noonday. Behold, he was no more: “What clean sweeps death makes! The day of their ruin. “Like Haman they shall be hanged upon the gallows built by themselves for Mordecai. The descendants of the wicked shall be cut off: “The children who follow the wicked steps of wicked parents shall, like their parents, be cut off. But it may very well be applied to the wicked one, the devil, that old serpent, who has his wiles to entrap the righteous, his devices which we should not be ignorant of,—that great red dragon, who seeks to slay them,—that roaring lion, who goes about continually, restless and raging, and seeking whom he may devour. Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him: Because God has promised to faithfully take care of those who put their trust in Him, we can rest in the LORD. That which they design is to cast down and slay; it is the blood of the saints they thirst after. Vaughan Smith Several Psalms and many Proverbs divide all of humanity into two groups:the righteous and the wicked. These cookies collect information that is used either in aggregate form to help us understand how our website is being used or how effective our marketing campaigns are, or to help us customize our website and application for you in order to enhance your experience. Let them know to their comfort, First, That they shall inherit the earth, as much of it as Infinite Wisdom sees good for them; they have the promise of the life that now is, 1 Tim. Otherwise you will be prompted again when opening a new browser window or new a tab. 4:8 . It was written by David in his old age Ps 37:25, and is the more valuable as the record of so varied an … Nor condemn him when he is judged. 59:15 . This ranks among my favorite of all psalms and you’ll hopefully see why after you read the commentary on Psalm 37. 23:17; 24:19) not fret because of evildoers,Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.For they shall s For the future of that man is peace. “If we follow the Hebrew, it intimates that they shall consume as the fat of lambs. Good people have no reason to envy the worldly prosperity of wicked people, nor to grieve or be uneasy at it, (1.) Verses 1-2 and 19-20 of Proverb 24 echo the theme and content of Psalm 37. 5:9 . He upholds them both in their integrity and in their prosperity; and those that are so upheld by the rock of ages have no reason to envy the wicked the support of their broken reeds. Psalm 37. In the days of famine they shall be satisfied: God can even find a way to provide for His own when others have nothing. “A little blest is better than a great deal curst; a little blest is better than a world enjoyed; a pound blest is better than a thousand curst; a black crust blest is better than a feast curst; the gleanings blest are better than the whole harvest curst; a drop of mercy blest is better than a sea of mercy curst.” (Brooks, cited in Spurgeon). i. a. The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: The reward for the righteous is not only in the age to come. i. When others droop they shall lift up their heads with joy and confidence: Even in the days of famine, when others are dying for hunger round about them, they shall be satisfied, as Elijah was; in some way or other God will provide food convenient for them, or give them hearts to be satisfied and content without it, so that, if they should be hardly bestead and hungry, they shall not (as the wicked do) fret themselves and curse their king and their God (Isa. This psalm is a sermon, and an excellent useful sermon it is, calculated not (as most of the psalms) for our devotion, but for our conversation; there is nothing in it of prayer or praise, but it is all instruction; it is "Maschil—a teaching psalm… 27:17 ; Prov. Psalm 37:9-11. By proceeding, you consent to our cookie usage. In the … 37:22 .(2.) “His blessing can multiply a mite into a talent, but his curse will shrink a talent to a mite.” (Horne), ii. But God will have his day shortly, a day of recompences, a day which will set all to rights, and render that ridiculous which now passes for glorious. 3:18 ),—it is theirs by virtue of their relation to Christ, who is the heir of all things,—and it is put to better use; it is sanctified to them by the blessing of God. This promise is here made, 1. (2.) i. To the surprise of all men the great man was gone, his estates sold, his business bankrupt, his house alienated, his name forgotten, and all in a few months!” (Spurgeon). Let us see what will be the end of God’s poor despised people. iii. "Verily thou shalt be fed, as Elijah in the famine, with what is needful for thee.’’ God himself is a shepherd, a feeder, to all those that trust in him, Ps. b. David knew that among his ancestors were some who left Israel, fearful in a time of famine (Ruth 1). “This was emphatically true of the man Christ, whose steps Jehovah established, and in whose way he delighted.” (Horne). David cautions us not to worry about the prosperity of the wicked. By his grace and Holy Spirit he directs the thoughts, affections, and designs of good men. The meek shall inherit the earth: Jesus quoted this line in the Sermon on the Mount, in the third beatitude (Matthew 5:5). It is but a jest and a mockery to speak wisdom, and to talk of judgment (v. 30), unless we have the law in our hearts, and we think as we speak. See here, [1.] Indeed I sought him, but he could not be found. 37 Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. (3.) He does not always show him his way at a distance, but leads him step by step, as children are led, and so keeps him in a continual dependence upon his guidance; and this, (1.) He did not write that this was an absolute principle, but his own observation. Psalms 37, Adam Clarke Commentary, One of over 110 Bible commentaries freely available, this commentary is one of the most respected interdenominational commentaries ever written. Psalm 37 is another acrostic psalm of David. They are proud and insolent, but God shall pour contempt upon them. The Psalm answers that the situation is … These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features. Because of the destruction and ruin which the wicked are nigh to (v. 2, v. 9, v. 10, v. 20, v. 35, v. 36, v. 38) and the salvation and protection which the righteous are sure of from all the malicious designs of the wicked (v. 13, v. 15, v. 17, v. 28, v. 33, v. 39, v. 40). Preferment. 3:18 .2. Those who wait on the LORD, they shall inherit the earth: This is another reason for our delight in and rest upon the LORD. “The context gives the best possible definition of the meek: they are those who choose the way of patient faith instead of self-assertion.” (Kidner), iii. The idea is that we will not speak to vindicate ourselves; we will trust in God to protect us. 1. Psalm 1 uses a flourishing tree as a picture of the righteous. In the present lectionary reading, we encounter a portion of a wisdom psalm spun by a sage who has grown old (verse 25). Observe, [1.] . 7. God puts this honour upon all that fear him; and thus careful is he of them, and of their posterity.”, iv. i. 22:31, Lu. (Pause) THEODORET: My reason, of course in offering my prayers to you in all confidence is my knowledge that you grant our requests without delay. Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of … i. 2 For your n arrows have sunk into me, and your hand o has come down on me. And his tongue talks of justice. In David’s praise and encouragement of righteous men or women, it is possible that one might think those ones are saved by their own righteousness. Do not fret—it only causes harm. I have seen no righteous man forsaken, nor any children of the righteous begging their bread. Mark the perfect man, &c. — Behold now a very different character, a man who is upright before God, who sincerely desires and endeavours to please and glorify him, and therefore makes it his care to walk in his ordinances and commandments blameless: mark him, keep your eye upon him, and observe the issue of his course and conversation. It is not only a shameful paltry thing, but a sinful wicked thing, not to repay what we have borrowed. To those that live a quiet and peaceable life (v. 11): The meek shall inherit the earth. This lament psalm – like most lament psalms – has David working through dealing with his enemies. But roughly, 37:1-11 deals with the idea of submitting to God; 37:12-26 speaks of contentment in Him; 37:27-40 expands on doing rightly; and, trusting the Lord to judge righteously recurs through the whole psalm. The foregoing precepts inculcated; for we are so apt to disquiet ourselves with needless fruitless discontents and distrusts that it is necessary there should be precept upon precept, and line upon line, to suppress them and arm us against them. Now the law of Moses had promised temporal blessings to the obedient, and denounced temporal miseries against the disobedient, which principally referred to the body of the people, the nation as a nation; for, when they came to be applied to particular persons, many instances occurred of sinners in prosperity and saints in adversity; to reconcile those instances with the word that God had spoken is the scope of the prophet in this psalm, in which, I. Verses 1-6 The instructions here given are very plain; much need not be said for the exposition of them, but there is a great deal to be done for the reducing of them to practice, and there they will look best.I. I have often hoped that the poverty I saw might be the means of bringing them to seek the God of their fathers!” (Spurgeon), vi. We are here cautioned against discontent at the prosperity and success of evil-doers (. Psalm 37:1-3 “Fret not yourself because And spreading himself like a native green tree. Their prosperity, which gratifies their sensuality, is like the fat of lambs, not solid or substantial, but loose and washy; and, when their ruin comes, they shall fall as sacrifices to the justice of God and be consumed as the fat of the sacrifices was upon the altar, whence it ascended in smoke. A Psalm of David, l for the memorial offering. He is their strength in the time of trouble: “While trouble overthrows the wicked, it only drives the righteous to their strong Helper, who rejoices to uphold them.” (Spurgeon). He shall save them, not only keep them safe, but make them happy, because they trust in him, not because they have merited it from him, but because they have committed themselves to him and reposed a confidence in him, and have thereby honoured him. A little that a righteous man has He keeps account of the days of their service, and not one day’s work shall go unrewarded, and of the days of their suffering, that for those also they may receive a recompence. As he seeks the LORD and delights in Him, he finds his life proves the good and acceptable and perfect will of God (Romans 12:1-2). בכִּ֥י כֶֽ֖חָצִיר מְהֵרָ֣ה יִמָּ֑לוּ וּכְיֶ֥רֶק … Though they do bring some of their wicked devices to pass, which makes us fear they will gain their point and bring them all to pass, yet let us cease from anger, and not fret ourselves so as to think of giving up the cause. i. The man or woman of God should find his or her rest in this, and leave aside worry and envy. Some make this promise relate especially to those that are charitable and liberal to the poor, and to intimate that David never observed any that brought themselves to poverty by their charity. Now he considered the inevitable conflict between the righteous and the wicked – how, without reason, the wicked plots against the just. 57:21 . 23:10 . 5. That’s probably why the words, “Don’t … He gives very good reasons why we should not fret at it. NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: PSALM 37:12-15 12 The wicked plots against the righteous And gnashes at him with his teeth. To slay those who are of upright conduct. (2.) Psalm 37:3. 13:22 . “There is nothing unworthy in solemn thankfulness when God’s judgments break the teeth of some devouring lion.” (Maclaren). If thou hast accepted him as thy Lord, he is thine; so delight in him, and then he will give thee the desires of thy heart.” (Spurgeon). And seeks to slay him. Secondly, It is promised that God will, in due time, roll away the reproach they are under, clear up their innocency, and bring forth their righteousness, to their honour, perhaps in this world, at furthest in the great day, Mt. Psalm 37:1 Do not fret because of evildoers, Be not envious toward wrongdoers. The wicked have drawn the sword 2:4, Ps. Christ cursed: He passed away as a dream, as a shadow, such was he and all the pomp and power he was so proud of. A good man may be overtaken in a fault, but the grace of God shall recover him to repentance, so that he shall not be utterly cast down. 1-6 When we look abroad we see the world full of evil-doers, that flourish and live in ease. But this does not cast a doubt upon the observation of David.”, v. “And it has been my unhappy lot, within these very walls, to have to minister relief to the unworthy and reprobate sons of Christian ministers, about whose piety I could entertain no doubt, and some of whom, are now in heaven. They have it by inheritance, a safe and honourable title, not by permission only and connivance. The eternal salvation, that salvation of God which those shall see that order their conversation aright (Ps. For the LORD knows the days of the upright: “He is acquainted with all his circumstances, severings, and ability to bear them; and he will either shorten his trials or increase his power.” (Clarke). of The Lord laughs at him, for He sees that his day is coming: For all the plotting and gnashing of teeth of the wicked, they accomplish nothing against the Lord and His people. That we shall dwell for evermore (v. 27), and not be cut off as the seed of the wicked, v. 28. We need 2 cookies to store this setting. a. Observe, God orders the steps of a good man; not only his way in general, by his written word, but his particular steps, by the whispers of conscience, saying, This is the way, walk in it. b. Because of this knowledge of and reliance upon God’s word, none of his steps shall slide. (2.) The flourishing of a godly man is like that of a fruitful tree (Ps. COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 3.4. . The reward of the righteous is to be upheld by God’s own arms. A patient bearing of what is laid upon us, with a patient expectation of what is further appointed for us, is as much our interest as it is our duty, for it will make us always easy; and there is a great deal of reason for it, for it is making a virtue of necessity. That is, as the fat is wholly consumed in sacrifices by the fire on the altar, so shall they consume away in the fire of God’s wrath.”. Wait on the LORD, and keep His way: “While we are waiting let us take heed of wavering.” (Watson, cited in Spurgeon). Sometimes that very thing proves to be their own destruction which they projected against their harmless neighbours; however, God’s sword, which their provocations have drawn against them, will give them their death’s wound.(3.) I know well that God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him. “Again, he delights in you; I speak to such of whom this may be supposed. 2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. Retreat thy way unto the Lord (so the Septuagint), that is, "By prayer spread thy case, and all thy cares about it, before the Lord’’ (as Jephthah uttered all his words before the Lord in Mizpeh, Jdg. Biblical Commentary Children's Sermons Hymn Lists Psalm 37 Trusting God in Troubled Times The Rev. Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. We must have our wills brought into an entire subjection to the will and word of God (v. 31): The law of God, of his God, is in his heart; and in vain do we pretend that God is our God if we do not receive his law into our hearts and resign ourselves to the government of it. This shows that God intends to fulfill the heart desires of the redeemed man or woman of God. Some label this as an “imprecatory psalm… God’s day will give a decisive judgment. a. 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