Psalm 37

Do not fret because of those who are evil
    or be envious of those who do wrong;
for like the grass they will soon wither,
    like green plants they will soon die away.
Trust in the Lord and do good;
    dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
Take delight in the Lord,
    and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord;
    trust in him and he will do this:
He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
    your vindication like the noonday sun.
Be still before the Lord
    and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
    when they carry out their wicked schemes.
Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
    do not fret—it leads only to evil.
For those who are evil will be destroyed,
    but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.
A little while, and the wicked will be no more;
    though you look for them, they will not be found.
But the meek will inherit the land
    and enjoy peace and prosperity.
The wicked plot against the righteous
    and gnash their teeth at them;
but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
    for he knows their day is coming.
The wicked draw the sword
    and bend the bow
to bring down the poor and needy,
    to slay those whose ways are upright.
But their swords will pierce their own hearts,
    and their bows will be broken.
Better the little that the righteous have
    than the wealth of many wicked;
for the power of the wicked will be broken,
    but the Lord upholds the righteous.
The blameless spend their days under the Lord’s care,
    and their inheritance will endure forever.
In times of disaster they will not wither;
    in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.
But the wicked will perish:
    Though the Lord’s enemies are like the flowers of the field,
    they will be consumed, they will go up in smoke.
The wicked borrow and do not repay,
    but the righteous give generously;
those the Lord blesses will inherit the land,
    but those he curses will be destroyed.
The Lord makes firm the steps
    of the one who delights in him;
though he may stumble, he will not fall,
    for the Lord upholds him with his hand.
I was young and now I am old,
    yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken
    or their children begging bread.
They are always generous and lend freely;
    their children will be a blessing.
Turn from evil and do good;
    then you will dwell in the land forever.
For the Lord loves the just
    and will not forsake his faithful ones.
Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed;
    the offspring of the wicked will perish.
The righteous will inherit the land
    and dwell in it forever.
The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom,
    and their tongues speak what is just.
The law of their God is in their hearts;
    their feet do not slip.
The wicked lie in wait for the righteous,
    intent on putting them to death;
but the Lord will not leave them in the power of the wicked
    or let them be condemned when brought to trial.
Hope in the Lord
    and keep his way.
He will exalt you to inherit the land;
    when the wicked are destroyed, you will see it.
I have seen a wicked and ruthless man
    flourishing like a luxuriant native tree,
but he soon passed away and was no more;
    though I looked for him, he could not be found.
Consider the blameless, observe the upright;
    a future awaits those who seek peace.
But all sinners will be destroyed;
    there will be no future for the wicked.
The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord;
    he is their stronghold in time of trouble.
The Lord helps them and delivers them;
    he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
    because they take refuge in him.

• Psalm 37:1-40

Type of Psalm

Didactic psalms: These psalms are psalms that are intended to teach.  In most cases the psalm instructs us in moral principles.

Matthew Henry’s Summary

“This psalm is a sermon, and an excellent useful sermon it is, calculated not (as most of the psalms) for our devotion, but for our conversation; there is nothing in it of prayer or praise, but it is all instruction; it is “Maschil—a teaching psalm”; it is an exposition of some of the hardest chapters in the book of Providence, the advancement of the wicked and the disgrace of the righteous. The scope of the prophet in this psalm, I. He forbids us to fret at the prosperity of the wicked in their wicked ways, ver. 1, 7, 8. II. He gives very good reasons why we should not fret at it. 1. Because of the scandalous character of the wicked (ver. 12, 14, 21, 32) notwithstanding their prosperity, and the honourable character of the righteous, 21,26,30, 31. 2. Because of the destruction and ruin which the wicked are nigh to (ver. 2, 9, 10, 20, 33, 36, 38) and the salvation and protection which the righteous are sure of from all the malicious designs of the wicked, ver. 13, 15, 17, 28, 33, 39, 40. 3. Because of the particular mercy God has in store for all good people and the favour he shows them, ver. 11, 16, 18, 19, 22-25, 28, 29, 27. III. He prescribes very good remedies against this sin of envying the prosperity of the wicked, and great encouragement to use those remedies, ver. 3-6, 27, 34.”

• Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary

Noted Biblical Scholars, Teachers, and Preachers Comments

Psalm37:4 : “ The worldly person says, ‘I thought religion was all self-denial; I never imagined that in loving God we could have our desires. I thought godliness consisted in killing, destroying, and keeping back our desires.’ The religion of most people consists in abstaining from sins they secretly love. Negative godliness is common; it is supposed by most that our religion consists in things we must not do rath­ er than in pleasures we may enjoy. And they suppose us to be a crabby, miserable bunch, who undoubtedly make up for denying ourselves in public by some private indulgence. Now it is true that religion is self-denial; it is equally true that it is not self-denial. Christians have two selves. There is the old self, and there they do deny the flesh with its affections and lusts; but there is a new self, a newborn spirit, the new man in Christ Jesus. Our religion does not consist in any self-denial there. No, let it have the full swing of its wishes and desires, for all it can wish for, all it can pant after, all it can long to enjoy. When I hear persons say, ‘My religion consists in some things that I must do and in some things that I must not do,’ I reply, ‘Mine consists in things I love to do and in avoiding things I hate and would scorn to do.’ I feel no chains in my religion, for I am free, and no one is more free. He who fears God and is wholly God’s servant has no chains about him; he may live as he likes, for he likes to live as he ought, He may have his full desires, for his desires are holy, heavenly, and divine. He may take the full range of the utmost capacity of his wishes and desires and have all he needs and all he wishes, for God has given him the promise, and God will give him the fulfillment of it.”

• Charles H. Spurgeon, from sermon notes

My Thoughts

This instructional song instructs us not to fret, a common phrase.

What should we not fret about?  How the wicked prosper.  Yes, you can each find wicked people who prosper, but the psalmist says that they will soon be no more.  They will burn up.  While most wickedness is not named particularly other than cheating and such.  Wickedness against the poor and needy is mentioned as being particularly odious.

While the wicked take and never give, the righteous give generously.

The meek will inherit the earth.  The blameless are under the Lord’s care.

From the mouth of the righteous you will hear wisdom.

Hope in the Lord.  Salvation comes from the Lord, and we can take refuge in Him.

Psalm 38

Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger
    or discipline me in your wrath.
Your arrows have pierced me,
    and your hand has come down on me.
Because of your wrath there is no health in my body;
    there is no soundness in my bones because of my sin.
My guilt has overwhelmed me
    like a burden too heavy to bear.
My wounds fester and are loathsome
    because of my sinful folly.
I am bowed down and brought very low;
    all day long I go about mourning.
My back is filled with searing pain;
    there is no health in my body.
I am feeble and utterly crushed;
    I groan in anguish of heart.
All my longings lie open before you, Lord;
    my sighing is not hidden from you.
My heart pounds, my strength fails me;
    even the light has gone from my eyes.
My friends and companions avoid me because of my wounds;
    my neighbors stay far away.
Those who want to kill me set their traps,
    those who would harm me talk of my ruin;
    all day long they scheme and lie.
I am like the deaf, who cannot hear,
    like the mute, who cannot speak;
I have become like one who does not hear,
    whose mouth can offer no reply.
Lord, I wait for you;
    you will answer, Lord my God.
For I said, “Do not let them gloat
    or exalt themselves over me when my feet slip.”
For I am about to fall,
    and my pain is ever with me.
I confess my iniquity;
    I am troubled by my sin.
Many have become my enemies without cause;
    those who hate me without reason are numerous.
Those who repay my good with evil
    lodge accusations against me,
    though I seek only to do what is good.
Lord, do not forsake me;
    do not be far from me, my God.
Come quickly to help me,
    my Lord and my Savior.

• Psalm 38:1-22

Type of Psalm

Penitential psalms:  Penitential psalms relate to penitence, but more specifically confession.

Matthew Henry’s Summary

“This is one of the penitential psalms; it is full of grief and complaint from the beginning to the end. David’s sins and his afflictions are the cause of his grief and the matter of his complaints. He complains, I. Of God’s displeasure, and of his own sin which provoked God against him, ver. 1-5. II. Of his bodily sickness, ver. 6-10. III. Of the unkindness of his friends, ver. 11. IV. Of the injuries which his enemies did him, pleading his good conduct towards them, yet confessing his sins against God, ver. 12-20. Lastly, he concludes the psalm with earnest prayers to God for his gracious presence and help, ver. 21, 22.”

• Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary

Noted Biblical Scholars, Teachers, and Preachers Comments

Psalm 38:9 : ”The ‘oh’ of our wishes and the ‘oh’ of prayer are two different things. The former comes out of our need as we understand it; the latter comes out of our need as God has taught us to see it. The former is demanding or despairing; the latter is humble and confident. We cannot bring forth even the right ‘oh’ from our own heart. God, through the Holy Spirit, must teach us to say it. In the right ‘oh’ our inexpressible deep needs are summarized before God; these are the ‘sighs too deep for words’ of the Holy Spirit, who represents us before God (Rom. 8:26). This right sigh, however, does not remain hidden from God (Ps. 38:9).

“Our wishes are directed toward an improvement of the world, but our prayer begins with our own selves. How yearningly we long for people to change, for evil in the world to come to an end, and for a new righteousness to come into being. But all of that leads us nowhere. All change and renewal must begin with me myself.”

• Dietrich Bonhoeffer, I Want to Live These Days with You, devotional compiled from several of his writings

My Thoughts

This psalm is a downer of a psalm.  David is distraught in his guilt and in anguish over his sin.  His health is failing as a result.  Is this God’s punishment of David for specific sins or the fact that our bodies fall apart over time?  Our bodies will return to dust soon enough just due to our sin nature.

As a Christian, we should know that God has forgiven us our sin, but our sin does have an accumulative effect on our bodies.  Things will break down and that “sinful pleasure” will come back to haunt us.  It may be overindulgence that something in moderation would not harm us, but as my Type 2 diabetes gets worse, my favorite two foods, chocolate and ice cream, must be earned treats and rare at that.

But then, David speaks of how God knows our sighing and our longing, even when we do not or cannot express it.  He also knows our needs.

But a common theme throughout the lament psalms is that neighbors keep their distance and enemies set traps, even without falling into the trap, the enemy will mock at the righteous distress, but that is where the previous psalm comes into play.

Do not fret.  The wicked will not prosper forever.  And God is our Savior.

Psalm 39

I said, “I will watch my ways
    and keep my tongue from sin;
I will put a muzzle on my mouth
    while in the presence of the wicked.”
So I remained utterly silent,
    not even saying anything good.
But my anguish increased;
    my heart grew hot within me.
While I meditated, the fire burned;
    then I spoke with my tongue:
“Show me, Lord, my life’s end
    and the number of my days;
    let me know how fleeting my life is.
You have made my days a mere handbreadth;
    the span of my years is as nothing before you.
Everyone is but a breath,
    even those who seem secure.
“Surely everyone goes around like a mere phantom;
    in vain they rush about, heaping up wealth
    without knowing whose it will finally be.
“But now, Lord, what do I look for?
    My hope is in you.
Save me from all my transgressions;
    do not make me the scorn of fools.
I was silent; I would not open my mouth,
    for you are the one who has done this.
Remove your scourge from me;
    I am overcome by the blow of your hand.
When you rebuke and discipline anyone for their sin,
    you consume their wealth like a moth—
    surely everyone is but a breath.
“Hear my prayer, Lord,
    listen to my cry for help;
    do not be deaf to my weeping.
I dwell with you as a foreigner,
    a stranger, as all my ancestors were.
Look away from me, that I may enjoy life again
    before I depart and am no more.”

• Psalm 39:1-13

Type of Psalm

Didactic psalms: These psalms are psalms that are intended to teach.  In most cases the psalm instructs us in moral principles.

Matthew Henry’s Summary

“David seems to have been in a great strait when he penned this psalm, for it is with some difficulty that he composes his spirit himself to take that good counsel which he had given to others (xxxvii) to rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him, without fretting. I. He relates the struggle that was in his breast between grace and corruption, between passion and patience, ver. 1-3. II. He meditates upon the doctrine of man’s frailty and mortality, and prays to God to instruct him in it, ver. 4-6. III. He applies to God for the pardon of his sins, the removal of his afflictions, and the lengthening out of his life till he was ready for death, ver. 7-13.”

• Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary

Noted Biblical Scholars, Teachers, and Preachers Comments

Psalm 39:11 : In a life marked by doctor appointments, dentist appointments, and school appointments, there is one appointment that none of us will miss, the appointment with death. ‘Everyone must die once and then be judged’ (Hebrews 9:27). Oh, how we’d like to change that verse just a word or two would suffice. ‘Nearly everyone must die … ‘ or ‘Everyone but me must die ‘or ‘Everyone who forgets to eat right and take vitamins must die …’ But those are not God’s words.  In his plan everyone must die, even those who eat right and take their vitamins.
“Exercise may buy us a few more heartbeats. Medicine may grant us a few more breaths. But in the end, there is an end. And the best way to face life is to be honest about death.”

• Max Lucado, Traveling Light

My Thoughts

We should muzzle our mouths.  We should not say anything.  But then the fire burns within us.

Our life span is very short.  David asks God for the knowledge of how much time he has left.

Who is going to get all my stuff?

As for me, one son looked through the house and only wanted what could be sold quickly for cash.  The other son looked for a few things that would bring back memories.  Asking the question of who gets my stuff is a raw wound for me.

David ends the psalm with a plea for God to look the other way so he can enjoy one last moment.  This is odd in that most of David’s life was spent in righteousness and David, above most people, would know how fulfilling being righteous and in God’s presence can be.  But we all have our moments.  The pity party does not last long, and knowing that David had those, it makes us much further down the food chain less likely to think we are worthless for having such ideas.

But back to the end of the previous psalm.  God is our Savior.

Some Serendipitous Reflections

Psalm 37

“1. What do you secretly want to see happen to those who do evil and enjoy momentary success? How does their success and your reaction to it make you feel about God?
“2. Give an example of how you are postponing an immediate good for a greater, future gain? Does society encourage ‘delayed gratification’?
“3. Is verse 25 always true? Or was this just David’s experience, for which there are many exceptions? Why do you think so?
“4. How does Jesus use the idea that the meek will inherit the land (see Mt 5:5)?
“5. Are you currently frustrated because ‘evil’ people are getting their way? How can you apply verses 3-8 this week? Which of those biblical qualities would a best friend tell you to work on?
“6. Righteousness affects a person’s pocketbook (vv. 21, 26), speech (v. 30) and thoughts (v. 31): In which of these areas have you grown the most during the past year?
“7. Since Job, good people have been asking why bad things happen to them. How would you sensitively encourage Christians who suffer oppression? How does the suffering of Jesus relate to these times?

Psalm 38

“1. Think of this psalm as written at a time of great illness. What illnesses are caused by ignoring God’s laws? What did Jesus say to the notion of illness as punishment (see Jn 9:1-3)?
“2. Think of this psalm as written at a time of great awareness of sin. Is David’s guilt healthy? Why or why not?
“3. When have you felt punished by God? What happened at that time of crisis? How did you relate to God then?
“4. What part of David’s faith can you relate to from your own experience? How so? Where do you need to exert such faith now?”

Psalm 39

1. How is David’s shame like Peter’s ‘Depart from me’ (Lk 5:8)? Have you ever felt ashamed before God?
“2. Perhaps David is angry when God seems unfair. Do you ever feel like God ‘gangs up’ on you? Can you ex­ press hard questions or doubts about what God is doing?
“3. Does life sometimes seem short and empty? How does that awareness affect your priorities?
“4. Compare verse 13 with Job 7:16-20: When have you felt God was demanding ‘too much’ from you? What happened to push you to the brink? Does this psalm give you hope in God when hard times next occur?”

• Lyman Coleman, et al, The NIV Serendipity Bible for Study Groups

There is one set of questions for each psalm.

Substitute whatever group for any reference to a small group or ask who could come to your aid.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.