Psalm 37:1 ¶ «A Psalm
of David.» Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious
against the workers of iniquity. 2 For
they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. 3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; so
shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. 4 Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he
shall give thee the desires of thine heart. 5
Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it
to pass. 6 And he shall bring forth thy
righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.
Here is advice from David based on his faith and trust in God
Almighty. We are not to worry about the end fate of the evildoers, the workers
of iniquity. Their end is foretold in many places in the Bible. Psalm 73 is a
good example of how a person of God realizes the fate of the wicked. Here also
are promises that the Holy Spirit gives us through David. Verses 3-5 give the
Israelites who follow God and obey Him rules to live by. Notice the temporal
context of these promises; dwelling in the land, being fed, the desires of
their hearts. These were temporal benefits in the land that God had given them.
The Christian is given spiritual assurances and promises ending in
their abode with Christ in the Heavenly realm. But life can be difficult for us
and we are called to rejoice in our sufferings as Christians.
Romans 5:1 ¶ Therefore
being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
2 By whom also we have access by faith
into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations
also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; 4 And patience, experience; and experience,
hope:
5 And hope maketh not
ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost
which is given unto us.
1 Peter 4:16 Yet if any man
suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this
behalf.
So be careful when you apply Old Testament verses to you as a
follower of Christ. They apply to you, all of them, but the question you must
ask yourself is how they apply to you considering the Israelites were promised
a kingdom on earth with armies and cities, foreign policy and an economy. The
Christian is promised an invisible kingdom within the believer until the
millennial reign of Christ in which the Christian will take part.
Luke 17:20 ¶ And when he
was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered
them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: 21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo
there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
John 18:36 Jesus answered,
My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would
my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my
kingdom not from hence.
Revelation 20:6 Blessed and
holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death
hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign
with him a thousand years.
Psalm 37:7 ¶ Rest in the
LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who
prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.
8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath:
fret not thyself in any wise to do evil. 9
For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they
shall inherit the earth. 10 For yet a
little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt
diligently consider his place, and it shall not be. 11 But the meek shall inherit the earth; and
shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. 12 The wicked plotteth against the just, and
gnasheth upon him with his teeth. 13 The
Lord shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming. 14 The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have
bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as be
of upright conversation. 15 Their sword
shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken. 16 A little that a righteous man hath is
better than the riches of many wicked. 17
For the arms of the wicked shall be broken: but the LORD upholdeth the
righteous. 18 The LORD knoweth the days
of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever. 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 shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke
shall they consume away.
Verse 7 reinforces verse 1 and gives the meaning of the entire
Psalm essentially. The idea of waiting on God to do His will is expressed
elsewhere in Psalms. Here are only three examples;
Psalm 27:14 Wait on the
LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on
the LORD.
Psalm 40:1 ¶ «To the chief
Musician, A Psalm of David.» I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined
unto me, and heard my cry.
Psalms 46:10 Be still, and
know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in
the earth.
And from the prophet Jeremiah as an example;
Lamentations 3:25 The LORD
is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.
26 It is good that a man
should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.
This is teaching that God’s people should not worry that evildoers
seem to triumph in this world as we need to wait on the Lord to do His will and
His ways are sure. God’s people are not justified in doing evil, doing
violence, against the wicked because we must trust in God’s deliverance and
that He will stay their hand.
Romans 12:17 Recompense to
no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. 18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you,
live peaceably with all men. 19 Dearly
beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is
written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
James 1:19 ¶ Wherefore, my
beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
20 For the wrath of man worketh not the
righteousness of God.
Those that wait on the Lord shall inherit the earth which gives us
another dimension of meekness, as the meek defined in this way shall inherit
the earth. This is one of those passages that make some like Dr. Ruckman think
that the faithful Jews will live on the earth in eternity.
Matthew 5:5 Blessed are the
meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
We’ve already discussed that gnashing on someone with your teeth
means to grind your teeth in fury and anger.
What is important here is that God will avenge, and we must trust
that even if His ways take what seems as a long time.
Romans 12:19 Dearly
beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is
written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
Our wrath and anger are puny compared to God’s judgment. We just
have trouble waiting on His judgment.
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