Psalms 37:22

“To Be Blessed or to Be Cursed”

Psalms 37:22 says, “For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth; and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off.” Psalms 37 gives details concerning the difference between those that follow Christ and the Bible in this life and those that do not. Verse 22 of Psalms summarizes the difference by saying: those that trust in Jesus are blessed and those that do not trust in Jesus shall be cut off.

In verse 21 the concept of giving gifts is tied into the word mercy. The greatest gift of all is the free gift of forgiveness of sins and eternal life through faith in the name of Jesus Christ. This is why when speaking of the free gift of eternal life the Bible says in Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.”

When you think of free gifts think about the gospel of Jesus Christ and think about the mercy of God. The reason there is a difference between those that seek after and live only for the things of this life and those who are Christians is that a Christian is a person who has accepted the free gift of God which is of grace and not of works. What a gift is the gift of God. The gift of God is: righteousness, eternal life, all spiritual blessings in heavenly places, eternal fellowship with God, forgiveness of sins, redemption, and a personal relationship with the almighty king of kings and prince of peace Jesus Christ for all eternity. A gift such as this is mercy indeed; considering all men are sinners.

Psalms 37:22 says, “For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth; and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off.” In verse 22 notice the words blessed, cursed, and cut off. There are several different words in the Old Testament which are translated blessed. The word used here for blessed is not the same word used in Psalms 1:1 which says, “Blessed is the man that walked not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.”

The word that is translated blessed in Psalms 37:22 carries with it the idea of submission. It can be translated “to kneel, to break down.” The word used for Blessed in Psalms 1:1 means to be happy. The rain falls on the just and the unjust. But to receive the blessings of God for all eternity one must kneel in submission to the will of God. And Jesus said concerning the work and the will of God in John 6:29, “This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom Hath sent.”

In speaking about who are the blessed that shall inherit the earth the Bible also talks about those that will be cut off. The word cursed used here in Psalms 37:22 means, “to be diminished.” Interestingly the word is used in reference to the waters of the flood receding. In Genesis 8:11 the word is translated abated. Genesis 8:11 says, “And the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf plucked off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth.”

God is good and all that God does, creates’ and gives to men is good. Sin and suffering exist because of man and his choices not because of God. In this life the good things that God has created are available for everyone to enjoy. This is why the Bible says in Matthew 5:44-45, “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of you Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and the unjust.” James 1:17 says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” And First John 1:5 says, “This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.”

Now think about Psalms 37:22 again which says, “For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth; and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off.” What a contrast between these two words: blessed, and cursed. In other words those that turn from their sins to Jesus, those that submit themselves to God by grace through faith in Jesus Christ will be a part of the blessings of God for all eternity. But those who do not repent of their sins and accept Christ as their Savior are cursed because they shall be cut off from the blessings of God for all eternity.

Man is a sinner. There must be judgment for sin. God is holy. The judgment of God is just. Just as the word curse here means to slowly waste away; those that turn away from Christ are running out of time. They only have this life and then if they die without Christ they will be cut off from the blessing of God forever because of their sins. In a way to speak of the judgment of God almost sounds like a negative message but it is not. It is grace, love, and mercy to warn the world that there is judgment for sin. Therefore to speak of the judgment of God is to speak of the love of God and the zeal of God to warn men to repent before all of their opportunities in life have ablated away from them.

In thinking of the word cursed think of what the Bible says about Jesus Christ in Galatians 3:13, “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree.” Christ hung on the cross for the sins of the world. He became the curse that men deserve to have: the eternal judgments of hell including both separation from God and all his blessings.

Psalms 37 is a Psalm about the difference between those who only seek the things of this life and those who seek after Christ. Man is a sinner. Man is weak and so easily a failure. How wonderful is the gift of God in mercy. No one can turn things around for man like Christ can. Instead of man receiving a curse those that trust in Jesus can receive eternal blessing because of Christ becoming the curse. Ephesians 1:3 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. ” This is the contrast between those that live only for this life and those that repent of their sins and turn to Jesus: eternal curses or eternal blessings.

The message of Psalms 37 is very clear when it says in verse 1 to the Christian, “Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.” To fret means to become very very angry and very very jealous. Those that do not have Jesus are not cursed yet. They seek after the pleasures of this world and they may in some ways have more pleasures than the Christian in a physical sense but the world passeth away and the lust thereof but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever. Shakespeare said, “to be or not be that is the question.” The question is, “to believe or not to believe, to repent or not to repent, to be cursed or to be blessed for eternity?” It is your choice. You can choose good or you can choose evil. You can choose Jesus or you can choose the curse of the law.

In Psalms 37 we are going to see the same truth emphasized over and over. Once again the result is given of those who turn from their sins to Jesus Psalms 37:23 says, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighted in his way.” What is the direction you are heading in life? Have you made the decision to turn from your sins to Jesus? Are the decisions that you are making in life the decisions Christ wants you to make.

The word ordered is an interesting word because it can be translated many different ways. One way in which the word is used is in Job 31:15, “Did not he that made me in the womb make him? And did not one fashion us in the womb?” Here the word ordered is translated fashion. God has a plan for the world. God has a plan for each human life he brings into this world. God is the potter and we are the clay. God wants to make you into something in this life. He has a purpose for you. You can enter into that plan and that purpose by repenting of your sins and trusting in Jesus as your Savior.

If there is a word in Psalms 37 which stands out it is the word delight. However the word used for delight in Psalms 37:4 is not the same word used in Psalms 37:23. Psalms 37:4 says, “Delight thyself also in the LORD.” Psalms 37:23 says, “He delighteth in his way.” The word delight used in reference to man delighting in God implies submission. The word delight used in reference to God delighting in men implies pleasure and favour.

There is no greater favor you can obtain than to become a joint-heir with Jesus Christ the righteous. And there is no greater pleasure you can bring to God than to repent of your sins and accept His free gift of salvation by grace through faith in Christ who suffered, and sacrificed everything when he died on the cross. Delight in God and He will delight in you. Another way of saying this is James 4:8 “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double-minded.” Draw nigh to God and He will draw nigh to you. Delight in God and He will delight in you.

Psalms 37:23 says, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.” You can seek after the pleasures of this life. But “the world passeth away, and the lust thereof.” He that doeth the will of God abideth forever. Delight in Jesus and he will delight in you. Draw nigh to God and He will draw nigh to you. God has a plan and a purpose for your life. God is the potter and we are the clay. There is no confusion or uncertainty to those that follow after the will of God because the steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD.

If you have never turned from your sins to Jesus do so today. Today is the day of salvation. Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose again the 3^rd day. There is redemption and eternal life in Jesus Christ.

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