what it is; how it is the medium by which we see other light. The
experience here described, and the duty here hinted at.
_Verse 10._—I. _The character of the righteous_—he knows God, and is
upright in heart. II. _His privilege_—lovingkindness and righteousness.
III. _His prayer_, continue, etc.
_Verse 10._—The need of daily supplies of grace.
_Verse 12._—A view of the overthrow of evil powers, principles, and men.
PSALM XXXVII.
TITLE.—Of David.—_There is but this word to denote the authorship;
whether it was a song or a meditation we are not told. It was written by
David in his old age (verse 25), and is the more valuable as the record
of so varied an experience._
SUBJECT.—_The great riddle of the prosperity of the wicked and the
affliction of the righteous, which has perplexed so many, is here dealt
with in the light of the future; and fretfulness and repining are most
impressively forbidden. It is a Psalm in which the Lord hushes most
sweetly the too common repinings of his people, and calms their minds as
to his present dealings with his own chosen flock, and the wolves by
whom they are surrounded. It contains eight great precepts, is twice
illustrated by autobiographical statements, and abounds in remarkable
contrasts._
DIVISION.—_The Psalm can scarcely be divided into considerable sections.
It resembles a chapter of the book of Proverbs, most of the verses being
complete in themselves. It is an alphabetical Psalm: in somewhat broken
order, the first letters of the verses follow the Hebrew alphabet. This
may have been not only a poetical invention, but a help to memory. The
reader is requested to read the Psalm through without comment before he
turns to our exposition._
EXPOSITION.
Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious
against the workers of iniquity.
2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the
green herb.
1. The Psalm opens with the first precept. It is alas! too common for
believers in their hours of adversity to think themselves harshly dealt
with when they see persons utterly destitute of religion and honesty,
rejoicing in abundant prosperity. Much needed is the command, “_Fret not
thyself because of evildoers._” To fret is to worry, to have the
heart-burn, to fume, to become vexed. Nature is very apt to kindle a
fire of jealousy when it sees law-breakers riding on horses, and
obedient subjects walking in the mire: it is a lesson learned only in
the school of grace, when one comes to view the most paradoxical
providences with the devout complacency of one who is sure that the Lord
is righteous in all his acts. It seems hard to carnal judgments that the
best meat should go to the dogs, while loving children pine for want of
it. “_Neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity._” The
same advice under another shape. When one is poor, despised, and in deep
trial, our old Adam naturally becomes envious of the rich and great; and
when we are conscious that we have been more righteous than they, the
devil is sure to be at hand with blasphemous reasonings. Stormy weather
may curdle even the cream of humanity. Evil men instead of being envied,
are to be viewed with horror and aversion; yet their loaded tables, and
gilded trappings, are too apt to fascinate our poor half-opened eyes.
Who envies the fat bullock the ribbons and garlands which decorate him
as he is led to the shambles? Yet the case is a parallel one; for
ungodly rich men are but as beasts fattened for the slaughter.
2. “_For they shall soon be cut down like the grass._” The scythe of
death is sharpening. Green grows the grass, but quick comes the scythe.
The destruction of the ungodly will be speedy, sudden, sure,
overwhelming, irretrievable. The grass cannot resist or escape the
mower. “_And wither as the green herb._” The beauty of the herb dries up
at once in the heat of the sun, and so all the glory of the wicked shall
disappear at the hour of death. Death kills the ungodly man like grass,
and wrath withers him like hay; he dies, and his name rots. How complete
an end is made of the man whose boasts had no end! Is it worth while to
waste ourselves in fretting about the insect of an hour, an ephemera
which in the same day is born and dies? Within believers there is a
living and incorruptible seed which liveth and abideth for ever; why
should they envy mere flesh, and the glory of it, which are but as
grass, and the flower thereof?
3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; _so_ shalt thou dwell in the land,
and verily shalt be fed.
3. “_Trust in the Lord._” Here is the second precept, and one
appropriate to the occasion. Faith cures fretting. Sight is cross-eyed,
and views things only as they seem, hence her envy; faith has clearer
optics to behold things as they really are, hence her peace. “_And do
good._” True faith is actively obedient. Doing good is a fine remedy for
fretting. There is a joy in holy activity which drives away the rust of
discontent. “_So shalt thou dwell in the land._” In “the land” which
floweth with milk and honey; the Canaan of the covenant. Thou shalt not
wander in the wilderness of murmuring, but abide in the promised land of
content and rest. “We which have believed do enter into rest.” Very much
of our outward depends upon the inward; where there is heaven in the
heart there will be heaven in the house. “_And verily thou shalt be
fed_,” or _shepherded_. To integrity and faith necessaries are
guaranteed. The good shepherd will exercise his pastoral care over all
believers. In truth they shall be fed, and fed on truth. The promise of
God shall be their perpetual banquet; they shall neither lack in
spirituals nor in temporals. Some read this as an exhortation, “_Feed on
truth_;” certainly this is good cheer, and banishes for ever the hungry
heart-burnings of envy.
4 Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the
desires of thine heart.
4. There is an ascent in this third precept. He who was first bidden not
to fret, was then commanded actively to trust, and now is told with holy
desire to delight in God. “_Delight thyself also in the Lord._” Make
Jehovah the joy and rejoicing of thy spirit. Bad men delight in carnal
objects; do not envy them if they are allowed to take their fill in such
vain idols; look thou to thy better delight, and fill thyself to the
full with thy sublimer portion. In a certain sense imitate the wicked;
they delight in their portion—take care to delight in yours, and so far
from envying you will pity them. There is no room for fretting if we
remember that God is ours, but there is every incentive to sacred
enjoyment of the most elevated and ecstatic kind. Every name, attribute,
word, or deed of Jehovah, should be delightful to us, and in meditating
thereon our soul should be as glad as is the epicure who feeds
delicately with a profound relish for his dainties. “_And he shall give
thee the desires of thine heart._” A pleasant duty is here rewarded with
another pleasure. Men who delight in God desire or ask for nothing but
what will please God; hence it is safe to give them _carte blanche_.
Their will is subdued to God’s will, and now they may have what they
will. Our innermost desires are here meant, not our casual wishes; there
are many things which nature might desire which grace would never permit
us to ask for; these deep, prayerful, _asking_ desires are those to
which the promise is made.
5 Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall
bring _it_ to pass.
6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy
judgment as the noonday.
5. “_Commit thy way unto the Lord._” Roll the whole burden of life upon
the Lord. Leave with Jehovah not thy present fretfulness merely, but all
thy cares; in fact, submit the whole tenor of thy way to him. Cast away
anxiety, resign thy will, submit thy judgment, leave all with the God of
all. What a medicine is this for expelling envy! What a high attainment
does this fourth precept indicate! How blessed must he be who lives
every day in obedience to it! “_Trust also in him; and he shall bring it
to pass._” Our destiny shall be joyfully accomplished if we confidently
entrust all to our Lord. We may serenely sing—
“Thy way, not mine, O Lord,
However dark it be;
O lead me by thine own right hand.
Choose out the path for me.
Smooth let it be or rough,
It will be still the best;
Winding or straight, it matters not,
It leads me to thy rest.
I dare not choose my lot,
I would not if I might;
But choose Thou for me, O my God.
So shall I walk aright.
Take thou my cup, and it
With joy or sorrow fill;
As ever best to thee may seem,
Choose thou my good and ill.”
The ploughman sows and harrows, and then leaves the harvest to God. What
can he do else? He cannot cover the heavens with clouds, or command the
rain, or bring forth the sun or create the dew. He does well to leave
the whole matter with God; and so to all of us it is truest wisdom,
having obediently trusted in God, to leave results in his hands, and
expect a blessed issue.
6. “_And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light._” In the
matter of personal reputation we may especially be content to be quiet,
and leave our vindication with the Judge of all the earth. The more we
fret in this case, the worse for us. Our strength is to sit still. The
Lord will clear the slandered. If we look to his honour, he will see to
ours. It is wonderful how, when faith learns to endure calumny with
composure, the filth does not defile her, but falls off like snow-balls
from a wall of granite. Even in the worst cases, where a good name is
for awhile darkened, Providence will send a clearing like the dawning
light, which shall increase until the man once censured shall be
universally admired. “_And thy judgment as the noonday._” No shade of
reproach shall remain. The man shall be in his meridian of splendour.
The darkness of his sorrow and his ill-repute shall both flee away.
7 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself
because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who
bringeth wicked devices to pass.
7. “_Rest in the Lord._” This fifth is a most divine precept, and
requires much grace to carry it out. To hush the spirit, to be silent
before the Lord, to wait in holy patience the time for clearing up the
difficulties of Providence—this is what every gracious heart should aim
at. “Aaron held his peace:” “I opened not my mouth, because thou didst
it.” A silent tongue in many cases not only shows a wise head, but a
holy heart. “_And wait patiently for him._” Time is nothing to him; let
it be nothing to thee. God is worth waiting for. “He never is before his
time, he never is too late.” In a story we wait for the end to clear up
the plot; we ought not to prejudge the great drama of life, but stay
till the closing scene, and see to what a finis the whole arrives.
“_Fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of
the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass._” There is no good, but
much evil, in worrying your heart about the present success of graceless
plotters: be not enticed into premature judgments—they dishonour God,
they weary yourself. Determine, let the wicked succeed as they may, that
you will treat the matter with indifference, and never allow a question
to be raised as to the righteousness and goodness of the Lord. What if
wicked devices succeed and your own plans are defeated! there is more of
the love of God in your defeats than in the successes of the wicked.
8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise
to do evil.
9 For evil doers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the
LORD, they shall inherit the earth.
10 For yet a little while, and the wicked _shall_ not _be_: yea,
thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it _shall_ not _be_.
11 But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight
themselves in the abundance of peace.
8. “_Cease from anger and forsake wrath._” Especially anger against the
arrangements of Providence, and jealousies of the temporary pleasures of
those who are so soon to be banished from all comfort. Anger anywhere is
madness, here it is aggravated insanity. Yet since anger will try to
keep us company, we must resolvedly forsake it. “_Fret not thyself in
any wise to do evil._” By no reasonings and under no circumstances be
led into such a course. Fretfulness lies upon the verge of great sin.
Many who have indulged a murmuring disposition have at last come to sin,
in order to gain their fancied rights. Beware of carping at others,
study to be yourself found in the right way; and as you would dread
outward sin, tremble at inward repining.
9. “_For evil doers shall be cut off._” Their death shall be a penal
judgment; not a gentle removal to a better state, but an execution in
which the axe of justice shall be used. “_But those that wait upon the
Lord_”—those who in patient faith expect their portion in another
life—“_they shall inherit the earth_.” Even in this life they have the
most of real enjoyment, and in the ages to come theirs shall be the
glory and the triumph. Passion, according to Bunyan’s parable, has his
good things first, and they are soon over; Patience has his good things
last, and they last for ever.
10. “_For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be._” When bad
men reach to greatness, the judgments of God frequently sweep them away;
their riches melt, their powers decay, their happiness turns to
wretchedness; they themselves cease any longer to be numbered with the
living. The shortness of life makes us see that the glitter of the
wicked great is not true gold. O wherefore, tried believer, dost thou
envy one who in a little while will lie lower than the dust? “_Yea, thou
shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be._” His house
shall be empty, his chair of office vacant, his estate without an owner;
he shall be utterly blotted out, perhaps cut off by his own debauchery,
or brought to a deathbed of penury by his own extravagance. Gone like a
passing cloud—forgotten as a dream—where are his boastings and
hectorings, and where the pomp which made poor mortals think the sinner
blest?
11. “_But the meek shall inherit the earth._” Above all others they
shall enjoy life. Even if they suffer, their consolations shall overtop
their tribulations. By inheriting the land is meant obtaining covenant
privileges and the salvation of God. Such as are truly humble shall take
their lot with the rest of the heirs of grace, to whom all good things
come by a sacred birthright. “_And shall delight themselves in the
abundance of peace._” Peace they love and peace they shall have. If they
find not abundance of gold, abundance of peace will serve their turn far
better. Others find joy in strife, and thence arises their misery in due
time, but peace leads on to peace, and the more a man loves it the more
shall it come to him. In the halcyon period of the latter days, when
universal peace shall make glad the earth, the full prophetic meaning of
words like these will be made plain.
12 The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with
his teeth.
13 The Lord shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming.
14 The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to
cast down the poor and needy, _and_ to slay such as be of upright
conversation.
15 Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows
shall be broken.
Here is the portrait of a proud oppressor armed to the teeth.
12. “_The wicked plotteth against the just._” Why can he not let the
good man alone? Because there is enmity between the serpent’s seed and
the seed of the woman. Why not attack him fairly? Why plot and scheme?
Because it is according to the serpent’s nature to be very subtle. Plain
sailing does not suit those who are on board of “The Apollyon.” “_And
gnasheth upon him with his teeth._” The wicked show by their gestures
what they would do if they could; if they cannot gnaw they will gnash:
if they may not bite they will at least bark. This is precisely what the
graceless world did with “that just One,” the Prince of Peace. Yet he
took no vengeance upon them, but like a silent lamb received injuries in
patience.
13. “_The Lord shall laugh at him._” The godly man needs not trouble
himself, but leave well-deserved vengeance to be dealt out by the Lord,
who will utterly deride the malice of the good man’s enemies. Let the
proud scorner gnash his teeth and foam at the mouth; he has one to deal
with who will look down upon him and his ravings with serene contempt.
“_For he seeth that his day is coming._” The evil man does not see how
close his destruction is upon his heels; he boasts of crushing others
when the foot of justice is already uplifted to trample him as the mire
of the streets. Sinners, in the hand of an angry God, and yet plotting
against his children! Poor souls, thus to run upon the point of
Jehovah’s spear.
14. “_The wicked have drawn out the sword._” They hold their weapon out
of its sheath, and watch for a time to use it. “_And have bent their
bow._” One weapon is not enough, they carry another ready for action.
They carry so strong a bow that they have trodden upon it to bend
it—they will lose nothing for want of force or readiness. “_To cast down
the poor and needy._” These are their game, the objects of their
accursed malice. These cowards attack not their equals, but seek out
those excellent ones who, from the gentleness of their spirits and the
poverty of their estates, are not able to defend themselves. Note how
our meek and lowly Lord was beset by cruel foes, armed with all manner
of weapons to slay him. “_And to slay such as be of upright
conversation._” Nothing short of the overthrow and death of the just
will content the wicked. The sincere and straightforward are hated by
the crafty schemers who delight in unrighteousness. See, then, the
enemies of the godly doubly armed, and learn how true were our Lord’s
words, “If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but
because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world,
therefore the world hateth you.”
15. “_Their sword shall enter into their own heart._” Like Haman they
shall be hanged upon the gallows built by themselves for Mordecai.
Hundreds of times has this been the case. Saul, who sought to slay
David, fell on his own sword; and the bow, his favourite weapon, the use
of which he taught the children of Israel, was not able to deliver him
on Gilboa. “_And their bows shall be broken._” Their inventions of evil
shall be rendered useless. Malice outwits itself. It drinks the poisoned
cup which it mixed for another, and burns itself in the fire which it
kindled for its neighbour. Why need we fret at the prosperity of the
wicked when they are so industriously ruining themselves while they
fancy they are injuring the saints?
The next nine verses mainly describe the character and blessedness of
the godly, and the light is brought out with a few black touches
descriptive of the wicked and their doom.
16 A little that a righteous man hath _is_ better than the riches of
many wicked.
17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken: but the LORD
upholdeth the righteous.
18 The LORD knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance
shall be for ever.
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 _shall
be_ as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they
consume away.
21 The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again: but the righteous
sheweth mercy, and giveth.
22 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
delighteth in his way.
24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD
upholdeth _him with_ his hand.
16. “_A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of
many wicked._” This is a fine proverb. The little of one good man is
contrasted with the riches of many wicked, and so the expression is
rendered the more forcible. There is more happiness in the godly dinner
of herbs than in the stalled ox of profane rioters. In the original
there is an allusion to the noise of a multitude, as if to hint at the
turmoil and hurly-burly of riotous wealth, and to contrast it with the
quiet of the humbler portion of the godly. We would sooner hunger with
John than feast with Herod; better feed on scant fare with the prophets
in Obadiah’s cave than riot with the priests of Baal. A man’s happiness
consists not in the heaps of gold which he has in store. Content finds
_multum in parvo_, while for a wicked heart the whole world is too
little.
17. “_For the arms of the wicked shall be broken._” Their power to do
mischief shall be effectually taken away, for the arms which they lifted
up against God shall be crushed even to the bone. God often makes
implacable men incapable men. What is a more contemptible sight than
toothless malice, armless malevolence! “_But the Lord upholdeth the
righteous._” Their cause and course shall be safe, for they are in good
keeping. The sword of two edges smites the wicked and defends the just.
18. “_The Lord knoweth the days of the upright._” His foreknowledge made
him laugh at the proud, but in the case of the upright he sees a
brighter future, and treats them as heirs of salvation. Ever is this our
comfort, that all events are known to our God, and that nothing in our
future can take him at unawares. No arrow can pierce us by accident, no
dagger smite us by stealth; neither in time nor in eternity can any
unforeseen ill occur to us. Futurity shall be but a continual
development of the good things which the Lord has laid up in store for
us. “_And their inheritance shall be for ever._” Their inheritance fades
not away. It is entailed, so that none can deprive them of it, and
preserved, so that none shall destroy it. Eternity is the peculiar
attribute of the believer’s portion: what they have on earth is safe
enough, but what they shall have in heaven is theirs without end.
19. “_They shall not be ashamed in the evil time._” Calamities will
come, but deliverances will come also. As the righteous never reckoned
upon immunity from trouble, they will not be disappointed when they are
called to take their share of it, but the rather they will cast
themselves anew upon their God, and prove again his faithfulness and
love. God is not a friend in the sunshine only, he is a friend indeed
and a friend in need. “_And in the days of famine they shall be
satisfied._” Their barrel of meal and cruse of oil shall last out the
day of distress, and if ravens do not bring them bread and meat, the
supply of their needs shall come in some other way, for their bread
shall be given them. Our Lord stayed himself upon this when he hungered
in the wilderness, and by faith he repelled the tempter; we too may be
enabled not to fret ourselves in any wise to do evil by the same
consideration. If God’s providence is our inheritance, we need not worry
about the price of wheat. Mildew, and smut, and bent, are all in the
Lord’s hands. Unbelief cannot save a single ear from being blasted, but
faith, if it do not preserve the crop, can do what is better, namely,
preserve our joy in the Lord.
20. “_But the wicked shall perish._” Whatever phantom light may mock
their present their future is black with dark, substantial night.
Judgment has been given against them, they are but reserved for
execution. Let them flaunt their scarlet and fine linen, and fare
sumptuously every day; the sword of Damocles is above their heads, and
if their wits were a little more awake, their mirth would turn to
misery. “_The enemies of the Lord shall be as the fat of lambs._” As the
sacrificial fat was all consumed upon the altar, so shall the ungodly
utterly vanish from the place of their honour and pride. How can it be
otherwise? If the stubble dares to contend with the flame, to what end
can it hope to come? “_They shall consume._” As dry wood, as heaps of
leaves, as burning coals, they shall soon be gone, and gone altogether,
for “_into smoke shall they consume away_.” _Sic transit gloria mundi._
A puff is the end of all their puffing. There fuming ends in smoke. They
made themselves fat, and perished in their own grease. Consumers of the
good they tried to be, and consumed they shall be.