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psalm 37
Haystack bible commentary"Stacks and stacks of commentary...."
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==psalm 37:1:
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Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.
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Envy in the modern world masquerades as virtue and cloaks itself with demands for equality, but the cry of equality is simply a sophistication of the sin of envy. Envy is clearly forbidden in scripture.
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July 10, 2023: Pastor Colin Smith wrote: Psalm 37 presents commands “Fret not yourself because of evil doers” (verse 1), “Trust in the Lord and do good” (verse 3), and “Delight yourself in the Lord” (verse 4) and also provides the results of following the commands: “fret not yourself” because the wicked will “soon fade like the grass” (verse 2), “Delight yourself in the Lord” and “he will give you the desires of your heart” (verse 4). The Psalm repeatedly contrasts the fate of the righteous (they shall inherit the land) with that of the wicked (they will be no more). Martyn Lloyd-Jones pointed to this Psalm as a key reason why he did not fear Hitler during World War II. Lloyd-Jones knew that even as a wicked man spread himself like a green laurel tree, he would pass away and be no more (verses 35–36). |
==psalm 37:4:
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“Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.”
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Delighting yourself in God is fruit of this relationship you have with God.
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To keep our spiritual affection for Christ from falling away, or being choked off, we must keep fresh in the forefront of our minds, “Jesus is better.” When this flesh we live in is tempted to sin, hold this to be true, “Jesus is better.” With us abiding in Him, and He dwelling within us, we can and will overcome any other competing temptation, desire or love. Psalm 37:4, “Delight yourself also in the Lord; and He shall give you the desires of your heart. If we delight ourselves in Him, He becomes the desire of our heart! He alone, our “First Love,” our greatest treasure, our most fervent passion, our soul mate. -George Randall Jr; Rocky Ford Christian Church
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Do formulate your plans by committing them to the Lord. Often our planning and strategizing fails to take into account what God’s intentions might be. King David of Israel, no stranger to severe opposition and formidable challenges, understood this. That is why he could write, “Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. 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 do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun” (Psalm 37:3-5). -Robert Tamasy
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Most situations that demand patience aren't in regard to specific promises of God. Although he has told us he will meet all our needs, he hasn't guaranteed that all of our desires, even significant ones, will be satisfied. Here, someone might note the biblical promise that if you "delight yourself in the Lord … he will give you the desires of your heart" (Ps. 37:4). This, however, is not a promise that all of our present desires will be fulfilled the way we want them to be. Sometimes they are, but often God keeps this promise by adjusting our desires to bring them into line with his will. If this is disappointing, keep in mind that even if God does change our desires, they are still our sincere desires! -- How to Be Good in a World Gone Bad by James S. Spiegel © 2004. Published by Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids, MI.
There is satisfaction in serving the Lord Jesus; sweetness in suffering for His Name; blessing in bearing His reproach; pleasure in becoming a pilgrim; delight in doing His bidding. To have every natural delight: face, form, education, erudition, personality, position, achievement, and acclaim of others is to need the discipline of delight, that every gift be acknowledged as from the Giver, that every talent become a sacred trust, that every honor become a humbling of heart before Him, in order that He have all the glory. Then, like Moses of old, with lowly heart and veiled face, we shall walk where he leads, shall be thankful for daily manna, shall endure as seeing Him who is invisible, shall believe Him when every other friend fails. Then comes to pass the word, "Delight thyself also in the Lord, and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart" Psalm 37:4). --V. R. Edman, former president of Wheaton College, The Disciplines of Life, 89
==psalm 37:7:
Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him;
Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,
Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.
Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,
Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.
==psalm 37:12-13:
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The wicked plots against the just,
And gnashes at him with his teeth. 13 The Lord laughs at him, For He sees that his day is coming. |
God is a mocker. God does more than rage against arrogance; he plans on humiliating it.
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==psalm 37:14-21:
The wicked have drawn the sword
And have bent their bow,
To cast down the poor and needy,
To slay those who are of upright conduct.
15 Their sword shall enter their own heart,
And their bows shall be broken.
16 A little that a righteous man has
Is better than the riches of many wicked.
17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
But the Lord upholds the righteous.
18 The Lord knows the days of the upright,
And their inheritance shall be forever.
19 They shall not be ashamed in the evil time,
And in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.
20 But the wicked shall perish;
And the enemies of the Lord,
Like the splendor of the meadows, shall vanish.
Into smoke they shall vanish away.
21 The wicked borrows and does not repay,
But the righteous shows mercy and gives.
And have bent their bow,
To cast down the poor and needy,
To slay those who are of upright conduct.
15 Their sword shall enter their own heart,
And their bows shall be broken.
16 A little that a righteous man has
Is better than the riches of many wicked.
17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
But the Lord upholds the righteous.
18 The Lord knows the days of the upright,
And their inheritance shall be forever.
19 They shall not be ashamed in the evil time,
And in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.
20 But the wicked shall perish;
And the enemies of the Lord,
Like the splendor of the meadows, shall vanish.
Into smoke they shall vanish away.
21 The wicked borrows and does not repay,
But the righteous shows mercy and gives.
==psalm 37:22-24:
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For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth; and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off.
23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, And He delights in his way. 24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the Lord upholds him with His hand. |
The relationship between blessing and inheritance cannot be mistaken. The word of God affirms that the godly stumble. YET, God still holds them by hand...and He STILL delights in them...in US! Notice what it DOESN'T say: that God delights in us only when we do right; only when we've read our Bible faithfully for 14 hours a day, or only when we've prayed for the other 10. No, He loved and saved us EVEN WHILE WE WERE STILL SINNERS, so what do you think you could ever do to change his mind or opinion about you?
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==psalm 37:25-40:
I have been young, and now am old;
Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken,
Nor his descendants begging bread.
26 He is ever merciful, and lends;
And his descendants are blessed.
27 Depart from evil, and do good;
And dwell forevermore.
28 For the Lord loves justice,
And does not forsake His saints;
They are preserved forever,
But the descendants of the wicked shall be cut off.
29 The righteous shall inherit the land,
And dwell in it forever.
30 The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom,
And his tongue talks of justice.
31 The law of his God is in his heart;
None of his steps shall slide.
32 The wicked watches the righteous,
And seeks to slay him.
33 The Lord will not leave him in his hand,
Nor condemn him when he is judged.
34 Wait on the Lord,
And keep His way,
And He shall exalt you to inherit the land;
When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it.
35 I have seen the wicked in great power,
And spreading himself like a native green tree.
36 Yet he passed away, and behold, he was no more;
Indeed I sought him, but he could not be found.
37 Mark the blameless man, and observe the upright;
For the future of that man is peace.
38 But the transgressors shall be destroyed together;
The future of the wicked shall be cut off.
39 But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
He is their strength in the time of trouble.
40 And the Lord shall help them and deliver them;
He shall deliver them from the wicked,
And save them,
Because they trust in Him.
Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken,
Nor his descendants begging bread.
26 He is ever merciful, and lends;
And his descendants are blessed.
27 Depart from evil, and do good;
And dwell forevermore.
28 For the Lord loves justice,
And does not forsake His saints;
They are preserved forever,
But the descendants of the wicked shall be cut off.
29 The righteous shall inherit the land,
And dwell in it forever.
30 The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom,
And his tongue talks of justice.
31 The law of his God is in his heart;
None of his steps shall slide.
32 The wicked watches the righteous,
And seeks to slay him.
33 The Lord will not leave him in his hand,
Nor condemn him when he is judged.
34 Wait on the Lord,
And keep His way,
And He shall exalt you to inherit the land;
When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it.
35 I have seen the wicked in great power,
And spreading himself like a native green tree.
36 Yet he passed away, and behold, he was no more;
Indeed I sought him, but he could not be found.
37 Mark the blameless man, and observe the upright;
For the future of that man is peace.
38 But the transgressors shall be destroyed together;
The future of the wicked shall be cut off.
39 But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
He is their strength in the time of trouble.
40 And the Lord shall help them and deliver them;
He shall deliver them from the wicked,
And save them,
Because they trust in Him.