Episode Transcript
Psalm 37 (NIV)
1 Do not fret because of those who are evil
or be envious of those who do wrong;
2 for like the grass they will soon wither,
like green plants they will soon die away.
3 Trust in the Lord and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
4 Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him and he will do this:
6 He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
your vindication like the noonday sun.
...
34 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.
35 I have seen a wicked and ruthless man
flourishing like a luxuriant native tree,
36 but he soon passed away and was no more;
though I looked for him, he could not be found.
37 Consider the blameless, observe the upright;
a future awaits those who seek peace.
38 But all sinners will be destroyed;
there will be no future for the wicked.
39 The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord;
he is their stronghold in time of trouble.
40 The Lord helps them and delivers them;
he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in him.
CONSIDER THIS
Today’s post is from A Meditative Journey Through the Psalms by Timothy and Julie Tennent. He holds the Methodist Chair of Divinity at Beeson Divinity School and served as president of Asbury Theological Seminary for fifteen years. She is a gifted musician and was one of the driving forces that helped bring to fruition the Seedbed hymnal, Our Great Redeemer’s Praise. We will share some of their writing on the Psalms on Sundays.
Psalm 37 is an acrostic psalm and thus constructed so that children could easily memorize it. The psalm contains no prayers or petitions to God in the way we often think about psalms as prayers. Instead, the psalm seeks to lay out a pattern or blueprint for life. It actually functions as a wisdom psalm. The psalm highlights the great chasm that exists between the way of the righteous and the way of the wicked. The psalm spares no words in describing the wicked as those who oppress the poor (v. 14), amass wealth for themselves (v. 16), fail to repay their loans (v. 21), and lie in wait to crush the righteous (v. 32). In contrast, the righteous trust in the Lord (v. 3), give generously to those in need (v. 21), inherit land (v. 29), and promote peace (v. 37). The Lord promises to vindicate his children. In fact, this psalm contains some of the most beautiful promises in the Bible. It is here that we are told to “delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart” (v. 4) and “I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread” (v. 25). Such is the great inheritance that is ours if we follow his path and live a life of daily trust in the Lord!
Nevertheless, these promises should not be plucked out of the psalms in isolation from the very troubling context of the psalm as a whole. These promises are interwoven with the daily, stark reminder that “the wicked plot against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them” (v. 12). The wicked “draw the sword . . . to bring down the poor and needy” (v. 14). “The wicked borrow and do not repay” (v. 21) and “lie in wait for the righteous” (v. 32). All of the promises of God, which we noted above, are interwoven in the midst of this real-world analysis of the day-to-day experiences of what it is like to walk righteously in the midst of a wicked world. If the promises were given without these realities, they might come across as otherworldly or disconnected from reality. However, in the context of the psalm, these promises shine forth with great vibrancy and power! These are promises for the world we actually live in. Five times this psalm promises God’s people that they will inherit the land (vv. 9, 11, 27, 29, 34), revealing the earthiness of God’s promises. Jesus renewed this for us in the Sermon on the Mount when he said, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” (Matt. 5:5, cf. Ps. 37:11). If we orient ourselves toward God’s purposes, he will bless us. But we must be patient and learn to daily “take refuge in him” (v. 40).
For the Awakening,
Timothy and Julie Tennent
THE HYMN
Sing Psalm 37 with the Seedbed Psalter today. We suggest the tune GUIDANCE ("He Leadeth Me"). You can hear the tune played online by Julie here. If you listen to the podcast audio version, we will sing the psalm in this same tune. For your convenience, the words from the Psalter are printed below.
1 Don’t fret because of evil men—of wicked ones, don’t envious be;
2 For they, like grass, will fade away; like plants they’ll wilt and die quickly.
3 But trust the Lord and do what’s good; dwell in the land, safe days transpire.
4 Delight yourself in God the Lord, and He will give your heart’s desire.
5 Commit your way unto the Lord; put trust in Him for all you do;
6 “He’ll make your righteousness shine bright, your justice like the sun at noon.
7 Be still before the Lord and wait; don’t fret when evil ones succeed;
8 Refrain from anger, turn from wrath; to fret will just to evil lead.
9 For evil ones will be cut off, but not those who hope in the Lord;
They will the land inherit while the wicked soon will be no more.
10 You’ll look for them—they won’t be found, though you may search and never cease;
11 Instead, the meek will find great joy, inherit land and know great peace.
12 The wicked against righteous plot, in anger gnash their teeth at them;
13 The Lord just laughs, at wicked scoffs; He knows the sureness of their end.
14 The wicked draw the sword and bow, to bring the poor and needy down;
To slay all those whose ways are true, the upright who God’s ways have found.
15 The swords the wicked hold will turn, and pierce their own hearts craftily.
Their bows will all to pieces break, for God the end of all does see.
16 It’s better to be poor, but just, than have the wealth of wicked ways.
17 The pow-er of the wicked fades; the Lord the righteous will upraise.
18 The just ones’ days are known to Him; their heritage will long endure;
19 In times of crisis, they’ll not fade; in famine their food will be sure.
20 But wicked ones will perish and the Lord’s vast enemies will fall;
Like beauty of the fields, they’ll fade; like vanished smoke, no trace at all.
21 The wicked borrow—don’t repay; but righteous ones give gen’rously.
22 The Lord will bless with promised land; those cursed of God cut off will be.
23 If God delights in a man’s way, He makes his steps to firmly stand.
24 E’en if he stumbles, he’ll not fall; the Lord upholds him with His hand.
25 I once was young and now am old, but this is what I’ve never seen—
The righteous ones forsaken, or their children begging, poor and lean.
26 The righteous lend and give away, their children will be bless’d by God.
27 So turn from evil and do good; you’ll dwell forever with your God.
28 The Lord loves justice and the just; He won’t forsake those faithful pure;
They’ll be protected evermore, but wicked offspring won’t endure.
29 The righteous will inherit land, and dwell in it forevermore.
30 Their mouths speak wisdom and their tongues speak what is just and right and sure.
31 The law of God is in their heart; their feet don’t slip from off the way;
32 But wicked ones—they lie in wait to take the righteous lives away.
33 The Lord won’t leave them in their pow’r; and He won’t let them be condemned.
34 Wait for the Lord, and keep His way; He’ll lift you up to see their end.
34 For righteous will inherit land while wicked ones will be cut off;
And you will see it in your day—the end of all who boast and scoff.
35 I’ve seen the wicked, ruthless man who briefly flourished like a tree,
36 But soon he perished, passed away; I looked for him, but gone was he.
37 Consider blameless, upright ones—they have a future, full of peace,
38 But sinners all will be destroyed; their future cut off, soon to cease.
39 Salvation comes from God the Lord; in troubled times, a refuge sure.
40 The Lord delivers righteous ones from wicked hands, safe evermore.
