Psalm 37:1-3 Never envy the wicked! Soon they fade away like grass and disappear. Trust in the Lord instead. Be kind and good to others; then you will live safely here in the land and prosper, feeding in safety.
4-6 Be delighted with the Lord. Then he will give you all your heart’s desires. Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him to help you do it, and he will. Your innocence will be clear to everyone. He will vindicate you with the blazing light of justice shining down as from the noonday sun.
7-11 Rest in the Lord; wait patiently for him to act. Don’t be envious of evil men who prosper.
Stop your anger! Turn off your wrath. Don’t fret and worry—it only leads to harm. For the wicked shall be destroyed, but those who trust the Lord shall be given every blessing. Only a little while and the wicked shall disappear. You will look for them in vain. But all who humble themselves before the Lord shall be given every blessing and shall have wonderful peace.
12-15 The Lord is laughing at those who plot against the godly, for he knows their judgment day is coming. Evil men take aim to slay the poor; they are ready to butcher those who do right. But their swords will be plunged into their own hearts, and all their weapons will be broken.
Live long enough, and you will DEFINITELY suffer at the hands of someone wicked! Fellow students in school, fellow employees at work, supervisors who favor those who are well-connected or wealthy-the list of situations is endless. When we suffer at the hands of evil people, many of us turn to God, blaming Him. “God, why are You letting these people get away with this stuff? Why aren’t You intervening and protecting me?
When we think such things, we are failing to remember that we live in a fallen sinful world and that all of us have free will, including those who are evil. That means that bad people can make terrible choices that hurt or kill people. During the most recent Easter celebrations in Nigeria, many churches were attacked by Islamic extremists who slaughtered worshipers. What about those people? Those church members died as martyrs, and God knew every one of them. Even though such deaths horrify us, God can still use those deaths to convict the murderers and bring them to repentance.
What about those who benefit from evil? Sadly, many of the old-time fortunes built by families in New England originated with the triangle trade, selling tobacco to the West Indies, where ships collected rum that was then shipped to West Africa, where the ships loaded slaves, bringing them back to America. Other families have built fortunes by bootlegging liquor during Prohibition. It’s tempting to look at such things and accuse God of turning a blind eye; however, actions have consequences, and God keeps score.
16-17 It is better to have little and be godly than to own an evil man’s wealth; or the strength of evil men shall be broken, but the Lord takes care of those he has forgiven.
18-22 Day by day the Lord observes the good deeds done by godly men,[b] and gives them eternal rewards. He cares for them when times are hard; even in famine, they will have enough. But evil men shall perish. These enemies of God will wither like grass and disappear like smoke. Evil men borrow and “cannot pay it back”! But the good man returns what he owes with some extra besides. Those blessed by the Lord shall inherit the earth, but those cursed by him shall die.
God does reward virtue, and He knows how to care for those who love Him. Many times, we confuse wealth with safety; however, money is a relatively useless commodity. You can’t eat money or wear money but only buy things you need. When God supplies your needs without giving you wealth, you are still cared for. C. H. Spurgeon was fond of saying that “Remember that omnipotence has servants everywhere.”
23-28 The steps of good men are directed by the Lord. He delights in each step they take. If they fall, it isn’t fatal, for the Lord holds them with his hand.
I have been young and now I am old. And in all my years I have never seen the Lord forsake a man who loves him; nor have I seen the children of the godly go hungry. Instead, the godly are able to be generous with their gifts and loans to others, and their children are a blessing.
So if you want an eternal home, leave your evil, low-down ways and live good lives. For the Lord loves justice and fairness; he will never abandon his people. They will be kept safe forever; but all who love wickedness shall perish.
29-33 The godly shall be firmly planted in the land and live there forever. The godly man is a good counselor because he is just and fair and knows right from wrong.
Evil men spy on the godly, waiting for an excuse to accuse them and then demanding their death. But the Lord will not let these evil men succeed, nor let the godly be condemned when they are brought before the judge.
34-40 Don’t be impatient for the Lord to act! Keep traveling steadily along his pathway and in due season he will honor you with every blessing, and you will see the wicked destroyed. I myself have seen it happen: a proud and evil man, towering like a cedar of Lebanon, but when I looked again, he was gone! I searched but could not find him! But the good man—what a different story! For the good man—the blameless, the upright, the man of peace—he has a wonderful future ahead of him. For him there is a happy ending. But evil men shall be destroyed, and their posterity shall be cut off.
The Lord saves the godly! He is their salvation and their refuge when trouble comes. Because they trust in him, he helps them and delivers them from the plots of evil men.
This psalm is one of our favorites, for we have found ourselves targeted by evil people on several occasions. But throughout all our struggles, God has remained faithful and continues to provide in surprising ways. And truly, there have been many times when our accusers have simply vanished into the background, never to be heard from again.
What can we learn from this psalm?
- Trust in the Lord.
- Be delighted with the Lord.
- Commit everything you do to the Lord.
- Trust him to help you do it, and he will.
- Rest in the Lord; wait patiently for him to act.
- Don’t fret and worry—it only leads to harm.
- The steps of good men are directed by the Lord. He delights in each step they take.
Take heart! God delights in you! God wants good things for you! And God will never leave you or forsake you! Delight in Him, commit everything to Him, and trust Him.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to delight in You, commit everything to You, and trust You, no matter what happens. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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