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Psalm 37 We may “stumble” - may sin or fail or

How long, Lord, must I call for help and you do not listen or cry out to you about violence and you do not save? Why do you force me to look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrongdoing? Oppression and violence are right in front of me. Strife is ongoing, and conflict escalates (Habakkuk 1:2-3). The cry of the prophet could easily be the cry of our own hearts. With approximately 50 million people enslaved, around 73 million abortions each year, religious and ethnic persecution, and hostility between nations, our world can seem like a place where the guilty evade justice, the wicked prosper, and the fraudulent gain wealth and influence. In Psalm 37, David acknowledges that such persons may appear “well-rooted, like a flourishing native tree” (v. 35). Then and now, the tempting response is frustration, envy, and anger (v. 1, 8). Yet David calls us to “not be agitated by evildoers [or] envy those who do wrong” (v. 1). He encourages us to “refrain from anger and give up your rage” (v. 8). In contrast, we are to “be silent before the Lord and wait expectantly for him” (v. 7). This is not an idle response that ignores injustice. Because we trust in the Lord to act, we do what is good, we are gracious and giving, we speak wisdom and justice (v. 3, 5, 21, 30). In many ways, Psalm 37 is presenting a more detailed description of the two paths which open the Psalter. Psalm 1:6 informs us that “the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to ruin.” David reiterates the destruction awaiting those who carry out evil plans, scheme against the righteous, seek to bring down the poor and needy, borrow without repaying, and intend to kill the righteous (v 7, 12, 14, 21, 32). For the time they may seem to prosper, but “they wither quickly like grass and wilt like tender green plants” (v 35, 1). In fact, “the Lord laughs at [them] because he sees that [their] day is coming” (v 13, also Psalm 2:4). In that day, they will face destruction, receive their own treatment, be broken and eliminated (v. 9, 15, 17, 38). By contrast, the righteous are assured a secure, eternal inheritance (v. 3, 18). At least half a dozen times, reference is made to the righteous inheriting the land, permanently settling in safety (v. 3, 9, 11, 22, 27, 29, 34). Through God’s covenant with Abraham, the promised land of Canaan was given to Israel as an inheritance. There they could dwell securely and experience abundance, as long as they continued to walk in the Lord’s way (Deuteronomy 30:11 20, 33:27-29). The abundance and security of Canaan serves as a signpost for the ultimate inheritance of the righteous, those who find their salvation in the Lord (v. 39). By resisting the way of the wicked, trusting the Lord and delighting in the Lord, we are guaranteed our heart’s desires (v. 4). If our delight is truly in the Lord, what could be more desirous than Revelation 21:1-8, more a fulfillment of Psalm 37?

suffer calamity - but God won’t let us go into free fall. He will use these troubles, if we trust him, to turn us into something great and beautiful. Timothy Keller