Mission Venture Ministries

The purpose of Psalm 37 is to teach the righteous how to live in a world filled with wickedness, and among those who hate God. 

This Psalm contains several lessons on how to achieve tranquility and peace of mind as we live under a perverse and wicked world. 

Psalm 37:1-2, “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.” 

Because the wicked prosper in this world obtained by evil motives, the natural reaction from the righteous is to become annoyed and troubled. But we are reminded that success by the wicked is short-lived, and they will come to a painful end when the destruction of the unbelievers comes; and at that hour, the glory of the wicked will vanish. So why should a believer envy such a life that would end up in hell? 

Psalm 37:3-4, “Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” 

Rather than becoming incensed because of what the wicked do, it is far better to trust in God and continue to do good, because, “Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him” (Jeremiah 17:7). 

Psalm 37:5-6, “Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun.” 

The instruction here is that we need to trust all we do, every day and all our life, to God; and He will handle the rest. “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:6-7). 

Psalm 37:7-9, “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil. For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.”

The command here is that we need to be patient and trust in God to protect us, instead of trying to vindicate ourselves. Anger, wrath, and worrying, accomplish nothing except harm.

Those who wait and hope on the Lord shall inherit the land, is another reason for our delight in and rest upon the Lord. We can trust His promise that He will take care of His own not only in this world, but in the world to come. In contrast, evildoers shall be cut off.

Psalm 37:10-15, in these verses David summarize that we are to be content that the Lord will judge. As we see in verse 13, God isn’t worried about the proud schemes of the wicked instead the Lord laughs at the wicked, because He knows their day is coming.  He knows that the seeming victories of the wicked only last for a season, and then their schemes will come back on their own heads. 

As Christians, we can be assured that if the Lord doesn’t settle the account in this life, there is a coming judgment when everything will be revealed and the sentence will be passed (Revelation 6:10-11). Therefore, we can leave vengeance to God, (Romans 12:19). 

Psalm 37:16-26, these verses further explain being content that the Lord will provide. 

The reward for the righteous is not only in the age to come but it is realized every day, as God guides their steps. And, as they seeks the LORD and delights in Him, the righteous finds that his life proves the good and acceptable and perfect will of God (Romans 12:1-2). 

David gave a testimony from his own experience. He noted that God cared for those who trusted in Him and walked in His righteousness. They were not forsaken and their descendants were also blessed. In times of scarcity, the righteous not only receive God’s provision, but with a generous and merciful heart the righteous give generously. 

If you expect the Lord to provide, you’ve got to trust Him by giving. David says that the Lord sustains the righteous in verse 37; and as you keep reading you discover that the righteous are marked by generosity (37:21, 25-26). To claim God’s promises, you have to meet the conditions of being righteous, and be a generous giver. 

Psalm 37:27-28, “Turn from evil and do good; then you will dwell in the land forever. For the Lord loves the just and will not forsake His faithful ones. Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed; the offspring of the wicked will perish.” 

The warning here is to depart from evil and do good because, those who practice evil cannot expect God’s intervention when it is needed. How many times in the Scriptures do we see God standing up for the righteous and forsaking the wicked? Yet, the promise given in verse 27 is much more profound than just in this present life, because the meaning for “dwell in the land forever” is also a promise of eternal life. 

Psalm 37:29-33, “The righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever. The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom, and their tongues speak what is just. The law of their God is in their hearts; their feet do not slip. The wicked lie in wait for the righteous, intent on putting them to death; but the Lord will not leave them in the power of the wicked or let them be condemned when brought to trial.” 

In these verses we again see the contrast between the deeds of the righteous and of the wicked, and the promise for deliverance for the righteous. The promise being that the Lord will not allow the wicked to fulfill their plans to destroy the righteous. And most importantly is that the righteous man who departs from evil will not be condemned in the judgment! 

Psalm 37:34, “Hope in the Lord and keep His way. He will exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are destroyed, you will see it.” 

For the fifth time in this psalm, David promised the people of God that they would inherit the land. As king of Israel, David had a concern for their territory, but he could also be extending that thought to the age to come. 

When the wicked are destroyed, you shall see it. Again, David promised that the wicked would be destroyed and their coming doom was just as certain as the coming blessing and security for the righteous. 

Psalm 37:35-40, and David finishes this Psalm by writing: “I have seen a wicked and ruthless man flourishing like a luxuriant native tree, but he soon passed away and was no more; though I looked for him, he could not be found. Consider the blameless, observe the upright; a future awaits those who seek peace. But all sinners will be destroyed; there will be no future for the wicked. The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord; He is their stronghold in time of trouble. The Lord helps them and delivers them; He delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in Him.” 

In summary, we are told not to fret or to be envious of the illusive success of the wicked. Rather, our delight should come from a relationship with the Lord. We should commit our way to that of the Lord and to place our trust in Him patiently waiting for Him. We are to forsake wrath, cease from anger over the deeds of the wicked, as they will be cut off soon enough. Depart from evil and do good because God loves justice. And finally wait upon the Lord; being obedient to Him, knowing that in due time the blessing from God will be the answer to all of His promises. 

Always remember that we can enjoy what He supplies even if we’re persecuted, because we know the Creator. We can delight ourselves in abundant peace because the meek will inherit the land and enjoy peace and prosperity (37:11), even when the bad person presently wins. 

And we can “delight in the Lord” as we realize that doing good is always the right choice, evildoers never really win in the end, God’s love is amazing and never fails, and our eternal life is a guarantee that is sealed on the day that we believed in what Jesus did on the cross for us. In good times and in bad we can count on the fact that God is our strength, He won’t let us fall and we can trust Him to deliver upon every promise that He ever made since not one word has failed of all the promises He gave throughout Scripture. 

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