CHAPTER 37

A PSALM OF DAVID: THE RIGHTEOUS VINDICATED

¹Fret not yourself because of evildoers, neither be you envious against the workers of iniquity. (This Psalm anticipates the two principle difficulties which confuse and discourage beginners in the Christian life. That they should be hated by their fellowmen because they have become followers of Christ is unexpected and painful, and that evil doers should prosper is confounding. However, the Holy Spirit tells us regarding these things, Dont fret yourself.)

²For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb (in other words, the wicked may prosper for a time, but only for a time).

³Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shall you dwell in the land, and verily you shall be fed (in other words, dont look to the wicked or at the wicked, but rather the Lord, and in Him put your trust).

⁴Delight yourself also in the LORD: and He shall give you the desires of your heart (what a Promise!).

⁵Commit your way unto the LORD; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass.

⁶And He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your judgment as the noonday (these things will ultimately be rewarded).

⁷Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him: fret not yourself because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked devices to pass (in Verses 37, we have the four keys to a victorious life: Trust, Delight, Commit, and Rest).

⁸Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not yourself in any wise to do evil (never turn to that which is evil to remedy the situation, whatever the situation might be; continue to trust, delight, commit, and rest).

⁹For evildoers shall be cut off: but those who wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the Earth (always, and without exception, the righteous will come out on top, because the righteous have prepared for eternity).

¹⁰For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yes, you shall diligently consider his place, and it shall not be (this speaks of the coming Kingdom Age).

¹¹But the meek shall inherit the Earth (again, the Kingdom Age); and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace (Isa. 2:4).

THE GOOD AND THE WICKED CONTRASTED

¹²The wicked plots against the just, and gnashes upon him with his teeth (Christ is the Just).

¹³The LORD shall laugh at him: for He sees that his day (the wicked) is coming (there will be a judgment [Rev. 20:1115]).

¹⁴The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, and to kill such as be of upright conversation (the one who is poor and needy is Christ; as well, conversation means lifestyle).

¹⁵Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken (Israel also comes under the heading of the poor and needy, with the broken bow referring to the Battle of Armageddon and the Second Coming).

¹⁶A little that a righteous man has is better than the riches of many wicked (too often the righteous are deceived into seeking the same rewards that the wicked seek out; if money and riches are the goal in the Christians life, he will pierce himself through with many sorrows [I Tim. 6:10]; even though most Christians have only a little of this worlds goods, still, this is better than the abundance of the wicked, because the Blessings of the Lord are upon the little).

¹⁷For the arms of the wicked shall be broken: but the LORD upholds the righteous.

¹⁸The LORD knows the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever.

¹⁹They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied (we have His Promise; He keeps His Promises).

²⁰But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the LORD shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.

²¹The wicked borrows, and pays not again: but the righteous shows mercy, and gives (the difference in the economy of the world and the economy of God).

²²For such as be blessed of Him shall inherit the Earth; and they who be cursed of Him shall be cut off (the pronouns Him refer to Christ).

²³The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delights in his way (the Good Man is the Lord Jesus Christ).

²⁴Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholds him with His Hand (this Passage tells us that what God is promising is not an uneventful life; there will be difficulties along the way; in fact, at times the Believer looks as though he will be defeated and utterly cast down; but we have the Promise of the Lord that He will pick us up and start us again on our way).

²⁵I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. (What a Promise! Gods Word is true. If our steps are ordered by the Lord, we will never be forsaken, nor will we suffer want. Such will be until the Lord calls us home [Heb. 11:3540].)

²⁶He is ever merciful, and lends; and his seed is blessed.

²⁷Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore.

²⁸For the LORD loves Judgment, and forsakes not His Saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off (the word Judgment, as rendered here, refers to the Bible; in other words, God loves His Word).

²⁹The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever (the coming Kingdom Age, and then forever [Rev., Chpts. 2122]).

³⁰The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom, and his tongue talks of Judgment (talks of the Word of God).

³¹The Law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide (speaks of Christ, and all who truly follow Christ, which can only be done by taking up the Cross daily [Lk. 9:2324]).

³²The wicked watch the righteous, and seek to kill him (refers to Christ!).

³³The LORD will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged (again, speaks of Christ).

³⁴Wait 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. (The lessons taught here are to wait on God, and to wait for God, when perplexed by the prosperity of evil doers and when oppressed by them.

The Messiah Himself, in the days of His flesh, when in the midst of His foes, perfectly learned and lived the lessons of this Psalm.)

³⁵I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree (thus did the Pharisees and Sadducees during the time of Christ).

³⁶Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not: yes, I sought him, but he could not be found (prophesied a thousand years before it happened, Jerusalem, i.e., the Pharisees and Sadducees were totally destroyed in A.D. 70).

³⁷Mark the Perfect Man, and behold the upright: for the end of that Man is peace (Christ is the Perfect Man).

³⁸But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off.

³⁹But the salvation of the righteous is of the LORD: He is their strength in the time of trouble (Verses 3839 speak of the Battle of Armageddon, and the destruction of Israels enemies).

⁴⁰And the LORD shall help them, and deliver them: He shall deliver them from the wicked (from the Antichrist), and save them, because they trust in Him (at that day they shall and will be Saved [Zech. 13:1]).