The Wicked Will be Justly Punished
August 12, 2020
Commentary
We should never fear about the plotting of the wicked because God knows the end from the beginning. He knows the day is coming when He will destroy the strength of the strong. He has a sword for those who have committed crimes against humanity. We can be sure that God has a sword for them that will enter their souls and twist and turn for all eternity. The wicked will kill with swords and arrows (v. 14), but they will be killed by their own weapons (v. 15). In the materialistic society in which we live we often put the emphasis in the wrong place. We think that money can buy happiness (vv. 16-17). The Bible says that “godliness with contentment is great gain.”
The wicked man has no protection. The psalmist likens his future to smoke that soon disperses and vanishes. God has His winds which can soon blow away the defenses of the wicked man. On the other hand, no calamity can befall the righteous that God is unaware of (v. 18). They won’t be in trouble when times are bad, and they will have plenty when food is scarce (v. 19). Wicked people are enemies of the Lord and will vanish like smoke (v. 20). One of the characteristics of a wicked man is that he borrows having no intention of repaying (v. 21). CharÂacteristic of the righteous person is that he freely gives of himself and all that he has. The people the Lord blesses will receive the land and the ones He curses will be destroyed (v. 22). David was now an old man and yet he had never seen the righteous abandoned by God. The Lord protects the way of the righteous (vv. 23-24) and provides them with food (vv. 25-26).
Application
I never want to be content with the things this life has to offer. This life is so short in comparison to all eternity. It is so easy to waste this life doing things that are not bad in themselves, but just a waste of time when it comes to things that will count for all eternity.
Psalms 37:14–26 (NET)
14 Evil men draw their swords and prepare their bows, to bring down the oppressed and needy, and to slaughter those who are godly.
15 Their swords will pierce their own hearts, and their bows will be broken.
16 The little bit that a godly man owns is better than the wealth of many evil men,
17 for evil men will lose their power, but the Lord sustains the godly.
18 The Lord watches over the innocent day by day, and they possess a permanent inheritance.
19 They will not be ashamed when hard times come; when famine comes they will have enough to eat.
20 But evil men will die; the Lord’s enemies will be incinerated — they will go up in smoke.
21 Evil men borrow, but do not repay their debt, but the godly show compassion and are generous.
22 Surely those favored by the Lord will possess the land, but those rejected by him will be wiped out.
23 The Lord grants success to the one whose behavior he finds commendable.
24 Even if he trips, he will not fall headlong, for the Lord holds his hand.
25 I was once young, now I am old. I have never seen the godly abandoned, or their children forced to search for food.
26 All day long they show compassion and lend to others, and their children are blessed.
Fisherman Sitting Beside His Boat
Philip Parham tells the story of a rich industrialist who was disturbed to find a fisherman sitting lazily beside his boat. “Why aren’t you out there fishing?” he asked. “Because I’ve caught enough fish for today,” said the fisherman. … Continue