Chapter 37
2023 - In the chronological Bible, this Psalm comes after IKgs 1 and 2. In those, David is old, near the end of his reign. We might think of this chapter as a reflection of David's thoughts after the life he lived - from shepherd, to the King's palace, to the King's arch enemy, to King, to murderer and adulterer, to fleeing as his own son tries to kill him, to the years of asking how long, and finally to peace at the end of his life.
David. This Psalm reads differently than others. It seems more like a chapter of Proverbs than of Psalms.
1st Stanza, 2 verses only. Don't fret over bad guys, they won't last long, won't be in power long.
2nd, Trust in the Lord to look after you. He will be good to you. I think this is contrasting looking to the evil in power, and trying to get what you want from them, through them, or by joining them, but David urges looking to God for our desires instead of to men.
3rd, Same sense as the 2nd.
4th, Again, urging not to worry about the evil, not to get twisted off about them, not to be angry with them, but to wait on the Lord. This would be a good one to post!
7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! 8 Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil. 9 For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the LORD shall inherit the land. [Psa 37:7-9 ESV]
2024 - This whole Psalm would be comforting when we are anxious about being carried along by the poor decisions of others, knowing all the while that we are rushing in the wrong direction...and completely powerless ourselves to stop it. This is a reminder that there is one, who has the power to stop it, and with whom we can talk at any time.
5th, The wicked are transient. Not only will they be gone, but there will be no sign they were ever there.
6th, The Lord laughs at the wicked.
7th, The wicked are their own worst enemy. They will destroy themselves.
8th, Contrast between the better way of being righteous with little instead of much because of evil. God is with the first group.
9th, God watches over the blameless.
10th, This verse:
21 The wicked borrows but does not pay back, but the righteous is generous and gives; [Psa 37:21 ESV]
Doesn't leave much doubt about how to classify those who won't pay.
11th, If the righteous stumble/fall, God helps them back up. Not so the wicked. These verses:
23 The steps of a man are established by the LORD, when he delights in his way; 24 though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the LORD upholds his hand. [Psa 37:23-24 ESV]
The implication is that even good and righteous men may have some pretty awful setbacks, but they are not to be completely undone.
12th, God cares for the righteous. These verses:
25 I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread. 26 He is ever lending generously, and his children become a blessing. [Psa 37:25-26 ESV]
Even so, Amen. This is the hope I have. I have many sins in my past, too many, and I know that consequences for those are ongoing. But I hope the righteousness of Christ conferred by salvation makes me a recipient of the promises in this verse.
2022 - I wonder if this was true in David's time because he led the country according to God's word and God's promises, and so even the poorest of the poor at least had enough to eat? Is it true in a nation that spurns God and all his ways...a nation that seems to pick out verses just so they can be sure and violate them and do just the opposite of them? Is that why there are so many places where this statement does not apply?
13th, So do good, and your children will inherit the land of the wicked.
14th, More about the good
15th, and so on. The rest of the chapter repeats these themes. Some of the "doublets" are wicked/good, others are good/wicked, and some are the same for both verses. I wonder if there is a pattern? Would be interesting to go back and look at them.
This is a long Psalm. 40 verses.
2022 - This Psalm (37) seems to be written specifically for those who find themselves "eaten up" with apparent injustice in the world. We see those who are laughing at God's ways, and yet they just go right along, getting by as wells as we do, or very often even better than we do. And we get angry. We indulge in self-pity because we are so very good, and they are worse, and they are better off. Like those chapters in Job where he talks about the evil dying fat and happy in their beds as he sits and suffers from the sores. We are not to be this way. We are to persevere in faithfulness, and look for God's purpose in our lives right where we are, in the circumstances where we live. The evil have it good sometimes because God doesn't want any to perish. And the better they have it, and don't honor God for it, the less excuse they will have for the hell that awaits them, and the more just God's punishment. Unrepentant, vile, evil, wealthy, happy, people ought to be seen as examples of God's love, patience, and extended opportunity in this life, and of the assurance of justice in the next. (God's justice).
I also can't help but tie this back to Rummages message on the "older brother" in the Prodigal Son parable yesterday. He was jealous that one had come in from the sentence of death. Jealous that one who'd lived like the devil was now welcome in the house of the saints. Heaven is not like a chocolate pie. You don't get less just because there are more people at the table. The is no end of pie.
Possible FB post, using a verse, or several verses from 37.