Fret Not – Psalm 37

David, in his old age, is giving the wisdom he has learned about Yahweh and about those who trust in Yahweh, the meek, the righteous, the poor and needy.  We are tempted at times to envy the wicked because it seems they prosper in their own strength.  But David assures us over and over that they will face a severe judgment and the meek will inherit the land God promised to Israel.  We may “fall” temporarily but not permanently.  Yahweh will give us a future with Him forever.  We must trust and wait without giving in to anger, envy or worry.

 

Of David.

Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers!  For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb.

 

David was not immune to worry over what bad people did, nor to envy of their seeming freedom to indulge themselves in sin.  He felt the pull of temptation to emulate them, while at the same time, perhaps, feeling intensely anxious.  You keep company with evildoers because you want to experience their illicit desires.  But you must constantly worry that their desires will at some point be turned in a bad way on you.

The reality is that they cannot stand under God’s judgment, and neither can you.  When the heat of his justice bears down on you, you will wither up and die.

 

Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.  Delight yourself 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 act.  He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.

 

The better course is to trust in Yahweh.  If you make friends with faithfulness and truth, goodness and holiness, you will actually find that the things you truly desire are His delight to give you.

But why do I so often, then, fail to take delight in Yahweh?  Why am I so reluctant to give up the meeting of my desires my way?  So many have learned the hard way how fruitless it was to indulge their desires contrary to God’s teaching.  But somehow I think I will be immune to sin’s disease.

I need David’s encouragement.  I need to commit my way to Yahweh, trust that what He is telling me is for my good and that He will act on my behalf when I do.  Will He really make my righteousness and justice evident to all, and prove the wisdom of my choices?  Will it become obvious that right choices are honored by Him?  I must believe so.

 

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!

Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!  Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.  For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the LORD shall inherit the land.

In just a little while, the wicked will be no more; though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there.  But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace.

 

But I will need to be patient.  It will seem those who choose otherwise will be on the path to success.  It will not at first, perhaps, seem true that God’s way is the right way to make it in this world.  I may be tempted to lie like the person of evil devices, to cut corners, to reward myself with what I think I deserve, to meet my needs for power and comfort the way he does.

There is every chance that I will get angry about all this with God and with those who represent His way, but I must know that this path leads to destruction and only those who follow Yahweh get the real prize.  The success of the wicked will be short-lived.  The meek, those who delight themselves in Yahweh and who trust Him to be their provision, will receive the reward of abundant peace.  With them will be no anxiety or envy, but real joy.

 

The wicked plots against the righteous and gnashes his teeth at him, but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he sees that his day is coming.

The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose way is upright; their sword shall enter their own heart, and their bows shall be broken.

 

It is true that this kind of life might attract the ire of the wicked.  They will seek to use my commitment to righteousness as a lever against me.  But God knows what they are doing and will not let them get away with it.  The very thing they plot against me will be their own undoing.

 

Better is the little that the righteous has than the abundance of many wicked.  For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but the LORD upholds the righteous.

The LORD knows the days of the blameless, and their heritage will remain forever; they are not put to shame in evil times; in the days of famine they have abundance.

 

I may not have the riches that the wicked do, but I will have the security of knowing that God will reward my righteousness and punish their wickedness.  The inheritance He has for me will last forever and when times of judgment come and all around me are affected and afflicted with want, I will have more than enough.

 

But the wicked will perish; the enemies of the LORD are like the glory of the pastures; they vanish—like smoke they vanish away.

The wicked borrows but does not pay back, but the righteous is generous and gives; for those blessed by the LORD shall inherit the land, but those cursed by him shall be cut off.

The steps of a man are established by the LORD, when he delights in his way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the LORD upholds his hand.

 

There is only a temporary flourishing for the wicked.  That is not what I want.  So I must not greedily take from others but be generous with what Yahweh has given me.  And even if I experience a fall on God’s pathway, I know that God is planning each step of mine and I won’t land on my head and perish, because I delight in His way and He is holding my hand.

 

I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread.  He is ever lending generously, and his children become a blessing.

Turn away from evil and do good; so shall you dwell forever.  For the LORD loves justice; he will not forsake his saints. They are preserved forever, but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.  The righteous shall inherit the land and dwell upon it forever.

The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice.  The law of his God is in his heart; his steps do not slip.

 

I am thankful for David’s walking ahead of me and being able to give testimony to God’s faithfulness.  The generosity God is challenging me to, He is modeling in my life.  So I want to heed David’s challenge to turn from evil and do good, and so experience God’s blessing and reward.  Because God loves justice, and I am doing justice, He will not forsake me.  I will speak with wisdom and uphold the cause of the needy and God will give me a path that has sure footing.

 

The wicked watches for the righteous and seeks to put him to death.  The LORD will not abandon him to his power or let him be condemned when he is brought to trial.

Wait for the LORD and keep his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land; you will look on when the wicked are cut off.

I have seen a wicked, ruthless man, spreading himself like a green laurel tree.  But he passed away, and behold, he was no more; though I sought him, he could not be found.

Mark the blameless and behold the upright, for there is a future for the man of peace.  But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed; the future of the wicked shall be cut off.

The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; he is their stronghold in the 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.

 

Even though the wicked will look for opportunities to kill me, Yahweh will be working behind the scenes to protect me.  So I will wait for Him and obey Him and will eventually see what David saw, the wicked perishing when he thought he had it all.  And David saw the results of living blamelessly and uprightly – peace.  He saw God rescue the righteous and be their fortress against the enemy.  I will take refuge in Him.

(Psalm 37 ESV)