December 9
Reading: Psalm 37
Of David.
1 Fret not yourself because of evildoers;
be not 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;
dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
4 Delight yourself 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 bring forth your righteousness as the light,
and your justice as the noonday.
7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,
over the man who carries out evil devices!
8 Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!
Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.
9 For the evildoers shall be cut off,
but those who wait for the LORD shall inherit the land.
10 In just a little while, the wicked will be no more;
though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there.
11 But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace.
12 The wicked plots against the righteous
and gnashes his teeth at him,
13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
for he sees that his day is coming.
14 The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows
to bring down the poor and needy,
to slay those whose way is upright;
15 their sword shall enter their own heart,
and their bows shall be broken.
16 Better is the little that the righteous 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 remain forever;
19 they are not put to shame in evil times;
in the days of famine they have abundance.
20 But the wicked will perish;
the enemies of the LORD are like the glory of the pastures;
they vanish– like smoke they vanish away.
21 The wicked borrows but does not pay back,
but the righteous is generous and gives;
22 for those blessed by the LORD shall inherit the land,
but those cursed by him shall be cut off.
23 The steps of a man are established by the LORD,
when he delights in his way;
24 though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong,
for the LORD upholds his hand.
25 I have been young, and now am old,
yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken
or his children begging for bread.
26 He is ever lending generously,
and his children become a blessing.
27 Turn away from evil and do good;
so shall you dwell forever.
28 For the LORD loves justice;
he will not forsake his saints.
They are preserved forever,
but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.
29 The righteous shall inherit the land
and dwell upon it forever.
30 The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom,
and his tongue speaks justice.
31 The law of his God is in his heart;
his steps do not slip.
32 The wicked watches for the righteous
and seeks to put him to death.
33 The LORD will not abandon him to his power
or let him be condemned when he is brought to trial.
34 Wait for the LORD and keep his way,
and he will exalt you to inherit the land;
you will look on when the wicked are cut off.
35 I have seen a wicked, ruthless man,
spreading himself like a green laurel tree.
36 But he passed away, and behold, he was no more;
though I sought him, he could not be found.
37 Mark the blameless and behold the upright,
for there is a future for the man of peace.
38 But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed;
the future of the wicked shall be cut off.
39 The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD;
he is their stronghold in the time of trouble.
40 The LORD helps them and delivers them;
he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in him.
This is a wisdom psalm, a teaching psalm, always speaking about the Lord rather than to the Lord. Moreover, this is another alphabetic acrostic psalm, every other verse (almost) beginning with the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet. It is as if David is telling us all the ways, from A to Z (from aleph to tau), that the righteous life is better than the wicked.
Setting the tone and message, the psalm begins with a series of commands followed by reasons for those commands:
vs. 1 “Don’t fret yourself because of evildoers.”
Why? Because they will fade away like grass.
vs. 3 “Trust in the Lord… delight yourself in the Lord.”
Why? Because you will live and gain the desires of your heart.
vs. 5 “Commit your way to the Lord.”
Why? Because then He will show that you are righteous.
vs. 7 “Be still before the Lord… don’t get angry.”
Why? Because those who do evil will be cut off. They will be no more.
But the meek shall inherit the land.
You get the idea. This is the reasoning that continues throughout the psalm. Verses 12-22 describe the folly of the wicked life in contrast to the righteous. Verses 23-34 describe the blessing of the righteous life in contrast to the wicked. Finally, verses 35-40 depict the destruction of the wicked and the salvation of the righteous.
So, the psalm leaves the reader with these questions: Who do I want to be? What path am I on?
Are you worried when you look at the world and see those who care nothing about God seeming to prosper? Things might look good for them for a little while, but it will not last. Frankly, life is not very long and then it is on to eternity.
What are you living for?
I love verse 16; “Better is the little of the righteous than the abundance of all the wicked.” Why? Verses 23-26 make it clear. The Lord guides my steps. The Lord holds my hand. The Lord provides what I need. The Lord makes me and my family to be a blessing.