Psalms 37:1

The Bible says in Psalms 37:1-2, “Fret not thyself because of evil-doers, 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.” Christians should not worry about anything because Jesus is the King of kings, and Jesus is going to fix every problem and right every wrong. Why would believers be tempted to be “envious” of the workers of iniquity? That is because sometimes the workers of iniquity appear to be benefitting from their evil ways. Verse two reminds us that they are heading for their judgment, and it will not be pretty. Notice that it says that they will “soon” be cut down. Life is short, very short, compared to eternity. The life of faith looks to the future. Using God’s way of looking at human history, the return of Christ will be soon and the final judgment of the wicked will be soon. They will not get away with anything. They will be “cut down.” Make sure that you have repented and turned to Jesus, or you will have the same fate.

The Bible says in Psalms 37:3, “Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.” What do we do while we are waiting for the return of the Lord Jesus? We trust in the Lord. The goal is to rely upon Him and depend upon Him every moment of every day. That is our active faith in the Lord. But faith without works is dead, and so we also “do good.” Even though the workers of iniquity are continuing on their path to destruction, we avoid their way and their ideas, and we follow the Lord wherever He leads us. If we mess up and sin, we ask the Lord to forgive us, and Jesus always does, and so we stay on the straight and narrow path of following Him. While we put Him first and follow Him, He gives us many promises. For example, He promises to take care of our material needs: “so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.” Jesus said in Matthew 6:33, “But Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.”

The Bible says in Psalms 37:4, “Delight thyself also in the Lord, and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” This verse is another great promise from God who cannot lie, and who always keeps His promises. To “delight” oneself in God means that we enjoy thinking about Him and what He is like, and we enjoy believing in Him. It means that we enjoy being in fellowship with Christ and walking with Him as our best Friend and Companion. If you have this kind of enjoyable relationship with God, then He will “give thee the desires of thine heart.” Do you want your prayers answered, and do you want to receive all the things that you hope for to make you happy? Put God first and enjoy walking with Christ. His honor is on the line. He wants you to enjoy life. When you walk with Christ faithfully and closely, you will know the mind of God. What He wants is what you will want. How are you going to get all the things that you want out of life? Do this: “Delight thyself also in the Lord...”

The Bible says in Psalms 37:5-6, “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.” These verses build on what was said in verse four. Verse four used the word “delight.” Verse five uses the words “commit” and “trust.” “Commit thy way unto the Lord:” that means to dedicate the way that you take in life to the Lord and to His glory. And of course, to “trust” in the Lord means to rely upon the Lord for everything that comes your way in life. And so if you “delight,” “commit,” and “trust,” Jesus will use you as a “light.” This light that will shine out of your heart and life will be directly related to your “righteousness” and “judgment.” God will help you do right, and those good works will shine as a beacon. God will help you make the right decisions, in other words, the right judgment about things; and the result of your decisions will shine as a beacon for Christ in this world. That will be a successful life.

The Bible says in Psalms 37:7-10, “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.” Verse seven tells believers to do three things: rest in the Lord, wait patiently for the Lord, and “fret not” because of evildoers. To rest means to settle down, be quiet, and be content in the Lord. It means to depend upon what the Lord will do, and not take our own actions. To wait upon the Lord means to have patience. Because we know that the Lord will act in His time, we wait for His time. To not fret means to not worry. We do not worry because we know that the Lord will take care of things.

Verse eight tells believers to cease from anger. We will easily get angry if we consider evil people and what they are doing. And then once we are angry, we also will easily do evil. That is why verse eight also says, “fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.” In order to help keep us from being angry verses nine and ten remind us of the final destiny of the evil doers. Verse nine says, “For evildoers shall be cut off.” Verse 10 says, “For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be.” We are also reminded of the destiny of those who wait upon the Lord. We “shall inherit the earth.” All of the things that people are lusting, and fighting, and lying over will be given to the believers. Jesus is King of kings, and we are His children. The wicked will have nothing, and we will have everything. That is settled and pre-determined. What is there to worry about or get angry about: nothing.

The Bible says in Psalms 37:11, “But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.” The first part of this verse is one of the beatitudes that Jesus stated in the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus said in Matthew 5:5, “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.” We are meek if we do not put forth our own will, and we are meek if we surrender to the Lord’s will. Those who are not meek are constantly struggling against others to get as much of the world’s wealth and power as they can. Guess who is going to win in the end: the meek.

The Bible says in Psalms 37:12-13, “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.” The wicked are not meek. They are just the opposite. They are overbearing and aggressive and very competitive. The wicked want to win at all costs. The wicked connive and plot against those who are trying to do the right thing. The language that would describe a vicious wild animal is used to describe the wicked in verse twelve. The wicked “gnasheth upon him with his teeth.” But what the wicked are doing will not work because God is over all. God sees and knows. God sees what the wicked are doing, and God laughs. The day of judgment is coming.

The Bible says in Psalms 37:14-15, “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.” To say that “The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow,” means that they are murderous and cruel. They will harm others. They will destroy others if they can. The wicked are looking for easy targets: “the poor and needy.” A person of normal human affection would have compassion on someone who is poor or needy, but a wicked person purposely attacks them. A wicked person wants an easy target. A wicked person goes after the weak and the innocent. No wonder that hell awaits the wicked. Also, a wicked person hates those who believe and who want to follow Jesus. They hate and they want to kill those of “upright conversation.” But God will turn the tables. “Their sword shall enter into their own heart…” They will have the same fate as Dracula. It might be a good idea to repent and turn to Jesus while there is time and opportunity.

The Bible says in Psalms 37:16, “A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked.” This verse implies that if you follow Jesus, you might not be rich and you might not have an abundance of material things. It also implies that if you are a wicked person who has chosen to not follow Jesus, then you just might be rich. Remember that the devil is called the god of this world. The devil has a certain amount of riches and power to hand out to those who reject Christ, but of course, for only a very limited time. Remember during the temptation of Christ that it says in Matthew 4:8-10 concerning what the devil offered Jesus, “Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;[9] And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.[10] Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.”

How can “a little” be better than “the riches of many?” If you are serving the Lord and following the Lord, He will bless your efforts. God will use the little that you have as if it was much. That is exactly what Jesus did with the feeding of the five thousand and the feeding of the four thousand. No matter how much money you have, if you do not dedicate it to Jesus and His glory, it will all be wasted. God is the richest of all. Everything belongs to God. He can make you rich if He wants to do that. For many people to be rich is a temptation to trust in riches that they cannot overcome, and riches ruin them. Your rich heavenly Father is going to take care of you. What difference does it make if He gives you a lot all at once or just what you need each day? God has promised to take care of every believer that puts Him first, and God always keeps His promises.

The Bible says in Psalm 37:17-20, “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.” These verses tell us once again what we are told over and over in the book of Psalms: the wicked shall lose and the believers shall win. We will win because we have eternal life through Christ our Savior. Notice the words “for ever” in verse eighteen. But until we step into eternity, we still must go through the trials and sorrows of this life. There are times when “evil” gets the upper hand such as when the wrong rulers come into power, and there are “days of famine” when natural disasters take place. But God is promising in verse nineteen that He will take care of us even in such times. God will take care of us in this life, and He has a great future planned for us in the next life because of Jesus. But not so for the wicked. They “shall perish” because they are “the enemies of the LORD,” and they cannot oppose God and win. They shall “consume away.”

Many of the verses in the rest of this chapter tell us the difference between those who are wicked unbelievers and those who know and follow the Lord Jesus. It says in Psalms 37:21, “The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again: but the righteous sheweth mercy, and giveth.” One of the differences between the wicked and the righteous has to do with material possessions. A wicked person is a selfish person, and the wicked do not care about other people. That is why they can borrow something and not give it back. A righteous person is a giver. God has given to the believers the greatest of all gifts: eternal life through faith in Christ. Therefore, the believers know how to receive and how to give. Believers are the most generous people in the world.

The Bible says in Psalms 37:22, “For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth; and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off.” This is one of the greatest differences between believers and unbelievers: their eternal destiny. The earth belongs to the Lord because He created it. Jesus will give the earth to the children of the Lord as an inheritance. Notice that the wicked are called “the cursed of the Lord.” Those that reject Jesus are condemned already because they have not believed in the name of the Lord. They will be “cut off” forever.

The Bible says in Psalms 37:23-24, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.[24] Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.” As human beings we are very limited. We do not know the future. And we do not know the consequences of any decision that we make. If we turn to the left hand or to the right hand, we do not really know what either choice will ultimately bring. But God knows. God knows everything. God knows the future. In an unstable and insecure world full of dangers, it is very important to have this benefit that believers have: to have our steps “ordered by the LORD.” That means the result of any decision that we make will be what God wants it to be, and so we can praise God and know that His will is being done in every aspect of our lives because He determines the outcomes. No wonder that Christians are told in Romans 8:28, “We know that all things work together for good to them that love God and to them that are the called according to His purpose.” Even when we make mistakes, God is there to help us. That is why it says in verse 24, “Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down…” That is eternal security. We might fail, but we will never be lost. God is still ordering our steps even when bad things happen. Jesus is always there to help us. He will never leave us nor forsake us.

The Bible says in Psalms 37:25, “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.” This is another of many verses in the Bible that affirm to us that God will provide the material needs of His children. God promised, and God always keeps His promises. It is not surprising that David’s own observations were that God keeps His promises. If you have wisdom, then you will also understand what is going on as you observe the world around you. Here is what you will conclude also: God keeps His promises and God takes care of His people.

The Bible says in Psalms 37:26, “He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed.” This verse is a description of believers who follow the Lord Jesus. There are two things mentioned here that describe a righteous person, and one thing that is a result of being a righteous person. A righteous person is merciful. Because we have obtained mercy from Jesus, we know the importance of being merciful to others. We understand people’s needs. They have spiritual needs and they have material needs. We want to help them in any way that we can. We are generous people because God has first given to us when He gave His Son to die on the cross for us. One of the results of being merciful and generous is this: the righteous person’s descendants are “blessed.” God’s blessings are not only on the believer, but also on everyone in their lives.

The Bible says in Psalms 37:27, “Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore.” Seeing all the differences in consequences between those that do evil and those that serve the Lord Jesus, we should all have the wisdom to “Depart from evil, and do good.” This motivation is a part of what goes on inside of a person when they decide to turn to Christ for salvation. It says in John 3:18-21, “He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.[19] And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.[20] For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.[21] But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.” If you have this motivation to depart from evil and to do good, then you will turn to Jesus and trust in Him, and therefore, you will “dwell for evermore” in heaven with the Savior.

The Bible says in Psalms 37:28, “For the LORD loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.” This is a great verse about salvation and eternal security. God loves judgment. He is the Judge, and He does His job very well. His judgment sets things right. Things are terribly wrong if judges do not make the right decisions. God wants everything to be set right, and that is why He loves judgment. Sin must be judged. Evil must be called evil, and it must be punished. That is why Jesus became sin for us and died on the cross. Jesus bore God’s judgment against sin. Judgment is also why Jesus will return. It will be a great and terrible judgment when Jesus returns. The armies of the world that will align against Israel will be destroyed in the Battle of Armageddon. Judgment is coming because God loves judgment.

Because Jesus bore our judgment, the saints do not have to fear these judgments from God. The Lord “forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever.” Jesus will always be with us to protect us, to provide for us, to help us in every endeavor; and then to take us to heaven. Once we come to Jesus for forgiveness, we are eternally secure in His hands and in the Father’s hands. Unfortunately for the wicked and the seed of the wicked, they “shall be cut off.” In other words they have no escape from judgment and they will be lost forever.

The Bible says in Psalms 37:29, “The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever.” Once again God makes the promise of who shall inherit the earth: “The righteous.” The righteous are the true believers: sinners who have believed on Jesus and who have the standing of righteousness before God. God loves them because they are the ones who listened to the Spirt and followed the Spirit’s leading to come to Jesus. The reward for turning to Jesus: you will live “forever.”

The Bible says in Psalms 37:30-31, “The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment.[31] The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.” How can you recognize a righteous person: by what they say. What determines what they say: by what is in the heart. The innermost being of a person comes out in what they say. How do you change the innermost being: by reading and meditating on the Word of God. “The law of his God is in his heart.” “Thy Word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” If you know Jesus as Savior, the Word of God will transform you. It says in Romans 12:2, “Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind…” Once your mind is transformed, it will be obvious by your speech. And it will be obvious by your actions. That is why it says, “none of his steps shall slide.” God will help you go the right way and do the right things in life.

The Bible says in Psalms 37:32-33, “The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him.[33] The Lord will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged.” People who have purposely rejected the Lord Jesus are people who have nothing in common with believers from a spiritual standpoint. Because the wicked hate God, they also hate the ones who know God. Hatred leads to murder. Therefore, the truly wicked ones seek to “slay” those who believe in Jesus. There is one thing that will keep the wicked from doing this: the power of God. As long as God has something for a believer to do, that believer will be protected by the power of God. Believers are in a very good place. We are protected from the wicked ones, and we are protected from the wrath of God. We will not be condemned at the judgment, but the wicked will be. So we need to make sure that we do not return hatred for hatred. Jesus told us to love our enemies and to pray for those who persecute us.

The Bible says in Psalms 37:34, “Wait on the Lord, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.” God’s judgment against the wicked will come eventually, but it may not come today. What do we do as we live with the wicked all around us? We do two things. First we “Wait on the Lord.” This means that we do not take things into our own hands. We know that God will do what needs to be done in His own time. That is living by faith. Secondly, we keep serving the Lord Jesus and “keep his way.” No matter what happens to us, our goal is to do things God’s way, and to do the things that He has put into our hands to do. Eternity is a long time. The wicked will be “cut off.”

The Bible says in Psalms 37:35-36, “I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree.[36] Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.” Yes, the wicked gain power in this life. But one thing is going to happen to them for sure: they will pass away. Their time is coming unless they turn to Jesus before it is too late. Believers always look to the future. Do not ever think that the wicked are going to win it all. They only appear to win it all for a while. But we know that God is Judge. No one gets away with anything.

The Bible says in Psalms 37:37-38, “Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace.[38] But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off.” The perfect man is the man who has been completed as a human being by faith in the Lord. Anyone who does not have faith in the Lord Jesus is only half human because they do not have the vitality that a spiritual nature would give to them. The final result of a perfect man is “peace.” Such a person has peace with God because his sins have been forgiven through faith in Christ. The perfect man also has “peace” with others because the Prince of Peace is His Master, and the Price of Peace teaches His followers to be peacemakers instead of troublemakers. In contrast to this, the transgressors shall be “destroyed,” and the wicked “shall be cut off.” Which destiny do you prefer? Turn to Jesus and you will have a wonderful destiny of peace.

The Bible says in Psalms 37:39-40, “But the salvation of the righteous is of 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.” These last two verses of Psalms chapter thirty-seven give a great summary to the chapter. This verse mentions several wonderful things that believers enjoy, but unbelievers know nothing about. We have “salvation” from the LORD Jesus. What a great salvation it is: all of our sins are forgiven, a place is reserved for us in heaven, all of the promises of the Bible are ours, Jesus is always with us to guide us, to protect us, to provide for us, and to use us for His glory. God is our “strength in the time of trouble.” Human beings are so weak. That is one reason they cannot become what they should become without the Lord. The Lord “helps” every believer. If you believe in Jesus, whatever is your situation in life, He will help you. We do not need alcohol or drugs and anything else that unbelievers turn to for help. We have the Lord Jesus. Even though we are in the minority, and even though the wicked have many material and earthly advantages over us, we have one great advantage over them: the Lord shall deliver us “from the wicked.” How do we get saved and then how do we get all these other blessings from the Lord? The last phrase of verse forty says, “because they trust in him.” That is what it means to have faith. Faith is active from the standpoint that we turn to the Lord Jesus and put our trust in Him. We do that when we are born-again and trust in Him to forgive us from our sins. And then if we are spiritual, we trust in Him for everything that comes into our lives, whether that thing be good or bad. Trust in Jesus today.