Psalm 37

Psa 37:1 A Psalm of David. Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.

Everyone has been hurt by someone. A friend may have not been there for you. Trouble may have come to you like a wave, the waters covering you casting you about, powerless, alone and frightened. Afflictions may have taken you and you suffered alone in silence. Some may carry secret hurts too painful to mention. Evildoers, have done their evil to you and they seem to prosper; they have no remorse. God knows and he cares. They will not get away from his justice. Do not be envious of their power or prosperity. They cannot have your soul or your worth, this belongs to God. Seek the Lord with all your heart, He cares and he wants to help you. In Jesus forgive them so that they will have no more hold on you. Give them all to the LORD.

Psa 37:2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.

All flesh will be cut off and wither, but in the LORD there is life eternal.

Psa 37:3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.

This Psalm was written by David who would be king of Israel. He suffered at the jealousy of King Saul who chased him and tried to kill him for twenty years. He knew what it meant to be despised without a cause of his own. His advice is from the LORD and his personal experience: trust in the LORD, do good to all and towards God; in this manner you shall dwell and be fed. Your needs will be met.

1 Pet 2:15 For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:
1 Pet 2:16 As free, and not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.
1 Pet 2:17 Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.
1 Pet 2:18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward.
1 Pet 2:19 For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully.
1 Pet 2:20 For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.

Psa 37:4 Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

We have desires of the flesh for friends for love, food and drink, for warmth and shelter and clothing. All these God will give to us if we seek Him first.

Mat 6:25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
Mat 6:26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
Mat 6:27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
Mat 6:28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
Mat 6:29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
Mat 6:30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
Mat 6:31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
Mat 6:32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
Mat 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Mat 6:34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

All good comes from God. Think also on His things. What does he wish for us to do? First we are to love him above all else, even above our own life. If we love him most, then His will is our hearts desire. LORD, be glorified through your servant; you are LORD of glory.

Psa 37:5 Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

Prov 16:1 The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD.
Prov 16:2 All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the LORD weigheth the spirits.
Prov 16:3 Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.

Be committed to God. Be a disciple of Jesus Christ. Learn of Him, learn the Bible. Walk in the truth that you know. Ask God for more wisdom, seek him and he shall bring your desires to pass. How many desire things, only to find that they soon do not mean so much to them? The things of God are precious and lasting. Things of the world perish, souls are eternal. Seek the Lord to bring souls to him, to make your life a blessing to others.

Psa 37:6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.

Our righteousness is through being in Christ Jesus. His righteousness is seen in and through us. We are the bearers of his light and truth in a sin darkened land, we shall appear as the light of noonday. Some will be drawn to the light, others will hide in darkness. We are of the LORD and walk in His light and love.

Psa 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.

Jesus is our rest.

Mat 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Mat 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
Mat 11:30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Be not envious of the prosperity of evil doer; do good to others.

Rom 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.
Rom 12:20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.
Rom 12:21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

Psa 37:8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.
Psa 37:9 For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.

Evil shall be cut off, shall be removed from the inheritance of the LORD. We shall inherit the earth as a paradise for a thousand years and then heaven.

Isa 40:31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Psa 37:10 For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.

Look at the world, how much has changed and how quickly. Once great businesses are bankrupt or are no more. Just as change is coming fast in the natural so shall it be in the spiritual.

1 Cor 15:50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
1 Cor 15:51 Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
1 Cor 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
1 Cor 15:53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

Psa 37:11 But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

Mat 5:5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

Meek, in the Greek language implies strength under control. Spiritual meekness shows a willingness to submit under God's authority, to not demand one's own way. A spiritually meek person is a person of character and discipline, submitting their own desires to the better will of God. The meek shall prosper and inherit the earth. Jesus was meek, in him we will inherit the earth as he returns to rule at the end times.

Psa 37:12 The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth.

As a snarling animal, like a wolf.

Stephan

Acts 7:52 Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which showed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers:
Acts 7:53 Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it.
Acts 7:54 When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.
Acts 7:55 But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,
Acts 7:56 And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.
Acts 7:57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord,
Acts 7:58 And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul.
Acts 7:59 And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.

Psa 37:13 The Lord shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming.

The LORD is almighty and shall laugh in supreme contempt; his days are numbered. There shall be no wolves with the sheep of God.

Psa 37:14 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.
Psa 37:15 Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken.

This is like the story of Esther where Haman had built a gallows to hang Mordecai the Jew. The gallows were used to hang Haman and his 10 sons.

Est 8:7 Then the king Ahasuerus said unto Esther the queen and to Mordecai the Jew, Behold, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and him they have hanged upon the gallows, because he laid his hand upon the Jews.

All enemies of the Jews shall be destroyed. Even now there is war in Israel, may we never side against God's old covenant people.

Psa 37:16 A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked.
Psa 37:17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken: but the LORD upholdeth the righteous.
We do not need a lot of things to be content.

1 Tim 6:5 Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.
1 Tim 6:6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.
1 Tim 6:7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
1 Tim 6:8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.

Psa 37:18 The LORD knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever.
Psa 37:19 They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.

Our days are ordered of the LORD. Our inheritance is eternal life through Jesus Christ. The days are evil, we do not have to be ashamed: the LORD will keep us in times of famine.

Psa 37:20 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.

They shall be burned and nothing saved, so shall they consume away in the fire of God's wrath.

Psa 37:21 The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again: but the righteous showeth mercy, and giveth.

We had a neighbor whose teenage son would ask to borrow a rake, a tool and he would never return them. I had to go get them. I had a talk with him about being honest in returning what was borrowed. Sometimes it is just being forgetful, but it could be called a sin. The psalm says a wicked man borrows and never pays for what he keeps. Was I unrighteous in not giving him what was borrowed? Let the Spirit give you wisdom in this. It is good to be a giver and to give generously, but not so good to support a thief. Often we see people with signs seeking food or money. Food I give, but money I do not know if it would be used wisely. If they want monery for gas, it is best to take them to a gas station. Many use money for drug addictions or alcohol. Mercy and giving are good. Sometimes mercy gives to the undeserving, but were we deserving when God gave his Son to us for our salvation? Give according to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Psa 37:22 For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth; and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off.

Again a warning to those who chose the wrong way, that the end determines the place we shall be in for eternity. If we are with those who follow the LORD we inherit the earth and heaven. If we seek the LORD we are blessed in him; if we go the way of evil we shall be cut off.

Psa 37:23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.

We may say that we are walking in the Spirit and not in the will of the flesh. To have the LORD delighted with us, is only by the grace we receive in Jesus. Thank you Lord!

Gal 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

Gal 5:24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
Gal 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Gal 5:26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.

Psa 23:1 A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
Psa 23:2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
Psa 23:3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Psa 23:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Psa 23:5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Psa 23:6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

follow: radaph , to persue, to chase after. The LORD'S goodness and mercy shall chase after you, to bless you now and forever more.

Psa 37:24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.

Upholdeth: camek, to lean, lay, rest, support, put, uphold, lean upon

There is a hymn entitled "Leaning on the everlasting arms"' this is what is implied here. I have blessed peace with my Lord so near, leaning on the everlasting arms.

Psa 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 true, we may have encountered many hardships, but we and our children are never foresaken or without our daily bread.

Mat 6:11 Give us this day our daily bread.
Mat 6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
Mat 6:13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

This may not be so true in Africa and other nations where persecution is so intense, but there is another daily bread that sustains us and that is the word of God.

John 4:32 But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of.
John 4:33 Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat?
John 4:34 Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.

Psa 37:26 He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed.

The righteous is ever merciful, and lendeth perhaps food to the needy, without any desire to have it paid back. His family after him is blessed.

Mat 7:11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

Psa 37:27 Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore.
Psa 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.
Psa 37:29 The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever.

Depart from evil, avoid it, repent of it and do good, for the LORD loves judgement, and will not foresake his holy ones who follow him.

Judgment: mishpat, justice, knowing right from wrong and following the right way.

The LORD will not forsake us and we should forsake all that gets in the way of following him. The LORD must be most important to us.

Luke 14:33 So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.

Psa 37:30 The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment.
Psa 37:31 The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.

The righteous speak wisdom, for wisdom is of God. His tongue speaks of justice, with grace. The law is in his heart so that he does not walk in evil ways. He follows the good things of God.

Phil 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Psa 37:32 The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him.

As they wanted to kill Jesus, for envy, they will seek to destroy you, for you do not approve of evil and they are evil.

Mark 15:9 But Pilate answered them, saying, Will ye that I release unto you the King of the Jews?
Mark 15:10 For he knew that the chief priests had delivered him for envy.
Mark 15:11 But the chief priests moved the people, that he should rather release Barabbas unto them.
Mark 15:12 And Pilate answered and said again unto them, What will ye then that I shall do unto him whom ye call the King of the Jews?
Mark 15:13 And they cried out again, Crucify him.

Psa 37:33 The LORD will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged.

The story of Joseph shows to us the favor of the LORD upon a righteous man; sold as a slave, cast into prison and then by his wisdom and favor he was raised to be second in command in Egypt.

Gen 39:21 But the LORD was with Joseph, and showed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison.


Psa 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.
Psa 37:35 I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree.
Psa 37:36 Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.

It is a sad thing when a family member turns away from God for power and honor from the world. I have seen this happen and at the end of his life he has nothing, if without Lord. His children even mock him at his funeral with boasting songs of pride in the flesh.

Psa 37:37 Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace.

Take note and watch the man of faith, for he shall have peace.

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Psa 37:38 But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off.
Psa 37:39 But the salvation of the righteous is of the LORD: he is their strength in the time of trouble.
Psa 37:40 And the LORD shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him.

Psa 18:2 The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.
Psa 18:3 I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.