Psalm 37- Do Not Fret
Psalms 37:1-40 (NKJV)
1 [A Psalm] of David. Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity. 2 For they shall soon be cut down like thegrass, And wither as the green herb. 3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. 4 Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring [it] to pass. 6 He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday. 7 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. 8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret--[it] only [causes] harm. 9 For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the LORD, They shall inherit the earth. 10 For yet a little while and the wicked [shall be] no [more;] Indeed, you will look carefully for his place, But it [shall be] no [more.] 11 But the meek shall inherit the earth, And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
12 The wicked plots against the just, And gnashes at him with his teeth. 13 The Lord laughs at him, For He sees that his day is coming. 14 Thewicked have drawn the sword And have bent their bow, To cast down the poor and needy, To slay those who are of upright conduct. 15 Their sword shall enter their own heart, And their bows shall be broken.
16 A little that a righteous man has [Is] better than the riches of many wicked. 17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, But the LORD upholdsthe righteous. 18 The LORD knows the days of the upright, And their inheritance shall be forever. 19 They shall not be ashamed in the evil time, And in the days of famine they shall be satisfied. 20 But the wicked shall perish; And the enemies of the LORD, Like the splendor of the meadows, shall vanish. Into smoke they shall vanish away. 21 The wicked borrows and does not repay, But the righteous shows mercy and gives. 22 For [those] blessed by Him shall inherit the earth, But [those] cursed by Him shall be cut off. 23 The steps of a [good] man are ordered by the LORD, And He delights in his way. 24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the LORD upholds [him with] His hand.
25 I have been young, and [now] am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his descendants begging bread. 26 [He is] ever merciful, and lends; And his descendants [are] blessed. 27 Depart from evil, and do good; And dwell forevermore. 28 For the LORD loves justice, And does not forsake His saints; They are preserved forever, But the descendants of the wicked shall be cut off. 29 The righteous shall inherit the land, And dwell in it forever. 30 The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom, And his tongue talks of justice. 31 The law of his God [is] in his heart; None of his steps shall slide. 32 The wicked watches the righteous, And seeks to slay him. 33 The LORD will not leave him in his hand, Nor condemn him when he is judged. 34 Wait on the LORD, And keep His way, And He shall exalt you to inherit the land; When the wicked are cut off, you shall see [it.] 35 I have seen the wicked in great power, And spreading himself like a native green tree. 36 Yet he passed away, and behold, he [was] no [more;] Indeed I sought him, but he could not be found. 37 Mark the blameless [man,] and observe the upright; For the future of [that] man [is] peace. 38 But the transgressors shall be destroyed together; The future of the wicked shall be cut off. 39 But the salvation of the righteous [is] from the LORD; [He is] their strength in the time of trouble. 40 And the LORD shall help them and deliver them; He shall deliver them from the wicked, And save them, Because they trust in Him.
Psalm 37 is a treasure trove of encouragement and advice for righteous living. It sounds very much like Jesus’ sermon on the mount.
Psalm 37
11 But the meek shall inherit the earth, And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
29 The righteous shall inherit the land, And dwell in it forever.
Matthew 5:5
5 “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.
Psalm 37
1 Do not fret because of evildoers, …
7 Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, …
8 Do not fret--[it] only [causes] harm…
Matthew 6:25
Do Not Worry
(Luke 12:22–31)
Matthew 6:3125 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?
Matthew 6:3431 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’
34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
This psalm is a good example of the Hebrew method of discourse that is always making comparisons. One the one hand… but on the other hand… If you remember the movie Fidler on the Roof, Tevye argued with the Lord about his situation in this same way. My Jewish friends say that it is a good thing that there are no three handed rabbis as then they would have three opinions to consider! Anyway, back to the psalm. What does the psalmist compare here?
Do not fret … but trust in the Lord
Do not be envious … but delight yourself in the Lord
Do not get angry … but wait patiently for the Lord
The wicked will be cut off … but the righteous will inherit the earth.
The psalm is full of promises. Verse 4 contains one of the most beautiful promises in the Word:
Psalms 37:4-6
4 Delightyourself also in the LORD,
AndHe shall give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the LORD,
Trust also in Him,
And He shall bring it to pass.
6 He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light,
And your justice as the noonday.
Jesus taught the same thing in the sermon on the mount as seeking the kingdom and not worrying.
Matthew 6:33-34
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Following the advice of the psalmist and of Jesus leads to a blessed life. Not everything will be easy, but when you trust in the Lord you can rest in His lovingkindness and know that He will provide for you. As I have gotten older, I often quote verse 25 because it is my testimony as well.
Psalms 37:25-26
25 I have been young, and now am old;
Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken,
Nor his descendants begging bread.
26 He is ever merciful, and lends;
And his descendants are blessed.
In all my years, I have found this to be true. When you put the Lord first and serve Him, and give your firstfruits to the kingdom, He will provide for you. So it is my testimony that the Word is true and the Lord is righteous and just. Therefore, do not fret. Do not worry. The Lord has this!
No comments:
Post a Comment