Psalm 37

This Psalm is a long one. We thought it would be fitting on a Friday. You can carry it into your weekend and take on a little bit at a time! Here David comforts those who have chosen a life of walking in holiness with God, and who are finding that road to be difficult. Often seeking the Lord means a loss of some comfort. There are times when lying is just easier. Cheating does get you ahead. Dismissing the feelings of others and doing whatever you want feels good. There are times when crime seems to pay. Here David contemplates these two roads. The first kind of life does not take into account God and His will, but rather does whatever promotes personal gain. The second kind of life acknowledges God and walks in holiness before Him, even when it does not appear to be accompanied by immediate gratification. This second life can be difficult, but there are promises and comforts along this road that David will highlight. As you read, consider writing out the two kinds of lives, then ask yourself, “which kind of life will mine be?”

37 Of David.
¹Fret not yourself because of evildoers;
be not envious of wrongdoers!
²For they will soon fade like the grass
and wither like the green herb.
³Trust in the Lord, and do good;
 dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
⁴Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
⁵Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.
⁶He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
and your justice as the noonday.

⁷Be 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!
⁸Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!
 Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.
⁹For the evildoers shall be cut off,
but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.
¹⁰In just a little while, the wicked will be no more;
though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there.
¹¹But the meek shall inherit the land
and delight themselves in abundant peace.

¹²The wicked plots against the righteous
and gnashes his teeth at him,
¹³but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
for he sees that his day is coming.
¹⁴The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows
to bring down the poor and needy,
to slay those whose way is upright;
¹⁵their sword shall enter their own heart,
and their bows shall be broken.

¹⁶Better is the little that the righteous has
than the abundance of many wicked.
¹⁷For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
but the Lord upholds the righteous.
¹⁸The Lord knows the days of the blameless,
and their heritage will remain forever;
¹⁹they are not put to shame in evil times;
in the days of famine they have abundance.
²⁰But the wicked will perish;
the enemies of the Lord are like the glory of the pastures;
they vanish—like smoke they vanish away.
²¹The wicked borrows but does not pay back,
but the righteous is generous and gives;
²²for those blessed by the Lord shall inherit the land,
but those cursed by him shall be cut off.

²³The steps of a man are established by the Lord,
when he delights in his way;
²⁴though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong,
for the Lord upholds his hand.
²⁵I have been young, and now am old,
yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken
or his children begging for bread.
²⁶He is ever lending generously,
and his children become a blessing.

^27Turn away from evil and do good;
so shall you dwell forever.
²⁸For the Lord loves justice;
he will not forsake his saints.
They are preserved forever,
but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.
²⁹The righteous shall inherit the land
and dwell upon it forever.
³⁰The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom,
and his tongue speaks justice.
³¹The law of his God is in his heart;
his steps do not slip.
³²The wicked watches for the righteous
and seeks to put him to death.
³³The Lord will not abandon him to his power
or let him be condemned when he is brought to trial.
³⁴Wait 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.

³⁵I have seen a wicked, ruthless man,
spreading himself like a green laurel tree.
³⁶But he passed away, and behold, he was no more;
though I sought him, he could not be found.
³⁷Mark the blameless and behold the upright,
for there is a future for the man of peace.
³⁸But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed;
the future of the wicked shall be cut off.
³⁹The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
he is their stronghold in the time of trouble.
⁴⁰The Lord helps them and delivers them;
he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in him.