Psalms 37
Big idea: An acrostic about patience, written by someone old. Its subject is the specific corrosion of watching the wrong people win: don't fret, don't be envious, don't fret — three times in eight verses, because once is never enough for anyone actually feeling it. Its argument is time. Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for his place, he isn't there. And its most quoted line is offered as testimony rather than doctrine: I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken.
Psalm 37 counsels patience across forty verses. Psalm 38 is a man who has run out of it.
37:1–11 — Don't fret because of evildoers
An acrostic answering one feeling: the resentment of watching bad people do well. Its method is not argument but time — the wicked are grass, and grass is not evil, it is brief. Then a run of imperatives that are gentler than they look: trust, delight, commit, rest, wait. And the line Jesus takes into the Beatitudes almost unchanged sits at verse 11.
1 By David. Don’t fret because of evildoers, neither be envious against those who work unrighteousness. 2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither like the green herb. 3 Trust in Yahweh, and do good. Dwell in the land, and enjoy safe pasture. 4 Also delight yourself in Yahweh, and he will give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to Yahweh. Trust also in him, and he will do this: 6 he will make your righteousness shine out like light, and your justice as the noon day sun. 7 Rest in Yahweh, and wait patiently for him. Don’t fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who makes wicked plots happen. 8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath. Don’t fret; it leads only to evildoing. 9 For evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for Yahweh shall inherit the land. 10 For yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more. Yes, though you look for his place, he isn’t there. 11 But the humble shall inherit the land, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
37:12–26 — Better is a little that the righteous has
The middle of the acrostic works by comparison, and its most quotable line concedes the premise: a little IS little. The psalm does not claim the righteous have more, only that what they have is better held. Then the two verses that have comforted and troubled readers in equal measure — a man stumbles but does not fall, and an old man says he has never seen the righteous forsaken. That is testimony about one long life, not a guarantee.
12 The wicked plots against the just, and gnashes at him with his teeth. 13 The Lord will laugh at him, for he sees 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, to kill those who are upright on the path. 15 Their sword shall enter into their own heart. Their bows shall be broken. 16 Better is a little that the righteous has, than the abundance of many wicked. 17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but Yahweh upholds the righteous. 18 Yahweh knows the days of the perfect. Their inheritance shall be forever. 19 They shall not be disappointed in the time of evil. In the days of famine they shall be satisfied. 20 But the wicked shall perish. The enemies of Yahweh shall be like the beauty of the fields. They will vanish— vanish like smoke. 21 The wicked borrow, and don’t pay back, but the righteous give generously. 22 For such as are blessed by him shall inherit the land. Those who are cursed by him shall be cut off. 23 A man’s steps are established by Yahweh. He delights in his way. 24 Though he stumble, he shall not fall, for Yahweh holds him up with his hand. 25 I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his children begging for bread. 26 All day long he deals graciously, and lends. His offspring is blessed.
37:27–40 — I sought him, but he could not be found
The acrostic finishes on a scene rather than a maxim. He watched a man in great power, spreading like a native tree — the image is of something rooted, not transplanted — and then went looking for him and could not find him. That is the psalm's whole argument delivered as an anecdote, and it explains why the closing word is 'future': what the righteous have is not immunity but an after.
27 Depart from evil, and do good. Live securely forever. 28 For Yahweh loves justice, and doesn’t forsake his saints. They are preserved forever, but the children of the wicked shall be cut off. 29 The righteous shall inherit the land, and live in it forever. 30 The mouth of the righteous talks of wisdom. His tongue speaks justice. 31 The law of his God is in his heart. None of his steps shall slide. 32 The wicked watch the righteous, and seek to kill him. 33 Yahweh will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged. 34 Wait for Yahweh, and keep his way, and he will 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, spreading himself like a green tree in its native soil. 36 But he passed away, and behold, he was not. Yes, I sought him, but he could not be found. 37 Mark the perfect man, and see the upright, for there is a future for the man of peace. 38 As for transgressors, they shall be destroyed together. The future of the wicked shall be cut off. 39 But the salvation of the righteous is from Yahweh. He is their stronghold in the time of trouble. 40 Yahweh helps them and rescues them. He rescues them from the wicked and saves them, because they have taken refuge in him.
Scripture text: World English Bible (public domain).