Search:
Commentaries Illustrations Blog

More Psalms commentaries

Psalms 34:1-8
David Determines to Serve The Lord No Matter What Happens

Psalms 34:9-14
Respect The Lord And Do Good Instead of Evil

Psalms 34:15-22
The Lord is Close to The Broken Hearted

Psalms 35:1-10
A Prayer for Protection from Enemies

Psalms 35:11-21
David Pleads For Deliverence From Those Who Hated Him

Psalms 35:22-28
Prayer That The Wicked Won’t Triumph

Psalms 36:1-4

Psalms 36:5-12

Psalms 37:1-8

Psalms 37:9-17

Psalms 37:18-29

Psalms 37:30-40

Psalms 38:1-22

Psalms 39:1-13

Psalms 40:1-8

Psalms 40:9-13

Psalms 40:14-17

Email this commentaryPrint this commentary

Psalms 37:1–8
» View this passage in NIV (Bible Gateway)

Circumstances may make things look different than they really are. Many years ago A.J. Gordon went to the World’s Fair. From a distance he saw a man pumping water with one of those old hand pumps. The water was pouring out and he said as he looked, “That man is really pumpin … More

Circumstances

David wrote this psalm in his old age (v. 25) and reflects upon his years of experience. He deals with an age old question of “Why do the wicked prosper, when the righteous are afflicted?” Both  Psalm 37 and Psalm 49 wrestle with this same problem. This passage covers the lessons we need to learn:

  1. Fret not thyself because of evildoers for they shall soon be cut down as the grass (vv. 1-2). The triumphing of the wicked is short and the joy of the hypocrite for a moment (Job 20:5).
  2. Trust in the Lord and do good (v. 3). The cure for fretting is faith. True faith always produces good works. Regardless of the circumstances around us, we must always trust the Lord.
  3. Delight thyself also in the Lord and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart (v. 4). If we make the Lord the object of our affection, our meditation and our activity we will find ourselves rejoicing in Him.
  4. Commit thy way unto the Lord and He shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light (vv. 5-6). As long as we look at our problems, we will become increasingly depressed, but if we look at the Lord we shall rise above our circumstances. There is no better medicine to dispel envy and fretting than casting ourselves unreservedly upon the Lord and yielding ourselves wholly to Him.
  5. Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him (v. 7). This means that we are to synchronize our life with His timetable. We must recognize that God is fully in control of the situation and simply wait for Him to work it out for our good and His glory.

Application

How do I rate myself?

____ 1. Fret a lot         ____ 2. Fret some       3. ____ Don’t fret at all

Psalms 37:1-8 (English Standard Version)

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. 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. 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.

View this passage in NIV (Bible Gateway) »

Do you have any questions or thoughts about this?
Post your comment or question below.
*Screen Name:
Question or
comment:
* denotes required field

subscribe to family-times.net

© Family Times | About Us  |  Donate  |  Contact Us

Search for sermons by: Commentaries | Scripture search | Topics