Psalm 37:1-20 A Psalm of David with Commentaries by Dennis Edwards
37:1-2 Fret not yourself because of evildoers, neither be you
envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like
the grass, and wither as the green herb.
The whole psalm is a comparison
of the life of the righteous in contrast to the life of the wicked. God
commands the righteous to not be envious of the wicked who seems blessed upon
the earth. He reminds us that our life is but a vapor that appears for little
time and then is gone. We have no guarantee for tomorrow.
Our eye must be on heaven from
whence also we look. We must not build bigger barns, but lay up for ourselves treasures
in heaven where moth and rust do not corrupt and where thieves do not break in
and steal. Where our heart is, there our treasure will be also, Matthew
5:19-21. The saints of the Old Testament had no continuing city, but they
sought one to come. Therefore, God was not ashamed to be called their God and
He prepared for them a city, Hebrews 13:14, 11:16b.
Jesus said on the eve of His
death, that He was going to prepare a place for us, that where He is, we would
be also. He said in His Father’s house there were many mansions and that He
went before to prepare one for us, John 14:2-3. But our tendency is to look at what we do not
have here on earth, and at what others are blessed with. We compare among
ourselves, which Apostle Paul has told us is unwise to do, 2 Corinthians
12:10. We get our eyes off of heaven and off of our heavenly reward. We get
our eyes on the here and now and want our reward today.
If we keep that frame of mind,
God may indeed give us our request but send leanness to our souls, Psalm
116:15. What we should do is, keep our eyes on Jesus, who kept His eyes on
the Father, and the heavenly vision, and the heavenly reward. He endured cross for the
joy that was set before Him, Hebrews 12:1-3. We must do the same.
We must be like Moses, who chose
rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasure
of sin for a season. Esteeming the reproach of Christ, greater riches than the
treasures that the world offers, Hebrews 11:25-26. We must deny
ourselves and our desire for recognition, and comfort, and pleasure, and a life
of ease. We must take up our cross for Christ and die daily to ourselves for
His glory.
Psalm 34:3-6 Trust in the Lord,
and do good; so, shall you dwell in the land, and verily you shall be fed. Delight
yourself also in the Lord:
and he shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall
bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and
thy judgment as the noonday.
We need to walk by faith. For without
faith, it is impossible to please God; for he that comes to God must believe
that He is, and He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him, Hebrews
11:6. But we must seek Him with all our heart, for He promises that if we
do, we shall find Him. “Seek the Lord, and His strength; seek His face
continually,” 1 Chronicles 16:11. “For you shall seek Me and find Me,
when you shall seek for Me, with all your heart,” Jeremiah 29:13.
Psalm 37:7-9 Rest 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. Cease from anger
and forsake wrath: fret not yourself in any wise to do evil. For evildoers
shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.
We will not make it unless we
come and rest at the feet of Jesus daily. The mountain is too high, and the
river is too wide. Only by coming unto Jesus and taking His yoke upon us and
learning to have a meek and quiet spirit, will we be able to climb the rugged
mountain path of life. If we wait upon the Lord in communion with Him, we will
renew our strength. We will mount up with wings like eagles. We will run and not
be weary. We will walk and not faint, Isaiah 41:31.
It is in the coming and resting
in the Lord, and having quiet time with Him, where and when we are renewed,
encouraged, and fortified for the battles ahead.
Psalm 37:10-11 For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not
be: yea, you shall diligently consider his place, and it shall not be. But the
meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of
peace.
The end of the wicked is the
second death. Those who refuse to humble themselves and confess their sin shall
be judged. For every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess that Jesus
is Lord, of things in heaven, and things on earth. But if they do not submit,
He will utterly pluck up and destroy them. “This is the second death,” Revelation
20:14b.
Psalm 37:12-15 The wicked plots against the just, and gnashes
upon him with his teeth. The Lord shall
laugh at him: for he sees that his day is coming. 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. Their sword shall enter into their own
heart, and their bows shall be broken.
Judgment is coming for the
wicked. Though we know before Christ’s second coming mankind will first pass
through the period called the great tribulation, there is a happy ending for
the believer. For those that go through great tribulation and remain steadfast
in faith shall one day be before the throne of God and serve Him day and night
in His temple: and He that sits on the throne shall dwell among them. They
shall hunger no more, neither shall they thirst anymore, neither shall the sun
light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne
shall feed them and lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall
wipe away all tears from their eyes, Revelation 7:14-17.
Psalm 37:16-17 A little that a righteous man has is better than
the riches of many wicked. For the arms of the wicked shall be broken: but
the Lord upholds the
righteous.
In the book of Proverbs,
we find the same message: “Better a little with the fear of the Lord than great
treasures and trouble therewith. Better is a dinner of herbs where love is,
than a fattened ox and hatred therewith,” Proverbs 15:16-17. “Better is
a dry morsel in quietness than a house full of feasting with strife,” Proverbs
17:1.
Psalm 37:18-20 The Lord knows
the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever. They shall
not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine, they shall be
satisfied. 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.
God promises to keep the
righteous in the day of trouble. In Revelation at the onset of the great
tribulation period, God sends forth an angel to set a mark on the forehead of those
that serve Him, Revelation 7:3. He has said, “Because you have kept the
word of My patience, I also will you from the hour of temptation, which shall
come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth,” Revelation
3:10. In fact, when the church begins to suffer under the hands of the
Antichrist world government, God promises that He will nourish His people and
help them escape into the wilderness where He shall feed them for the three and
a half year period, see Revelation 12:14.
It will be at that time we will
claim Psalm 91 and the promises ascribed therein. Because we have set
our love upon Him, therefore will He deliver us. He will set us on high (at the
beginning of the Millennium period as priests and rulers), because we have
known His name. We will call upon Him, and He will answer. He will be with us
in trouble; He will deliver us and honour us. With long life (eternal life) will
He satisfy us, and show us His salvation, Psalm 91:14-16 adapted.
End of first half of Psalm 37.
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