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PSALM 37 COMMETARYEDITED BY GLE PEASE
ITRODUCTIO
SPURGEO, "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 Psalms 37:25, 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.
ELLICOTT, "This psalm is mainly composed of quotations and
adaptations from older writings, especially the Book of Proverbs
(see notes passim), which are strung together with no other art
than that suggested by the alphabetical arrangement, all having one
end, to comfort the pious Israelite under the spectacle of
successful wickedness, confirming him in his trust in Jehovah, and
warning him neither to envy the prospects of the impious, nor to
despair of his own state. It is by no means a speculative poem. It
does not treat the perplexing problems of life philosophically. The
poet has one answer, and only one, for the questions handled so
pathetically and profoundly in the Book of Job. The happiness of
the wicked cannot endure, and the justice of Jehovah will assuredly
re-establish the right, punishing the godless and recompensing the
patience and fidelity of the godly. This one convictionsincere
expression of the religious faith of Israel at any period before
the captivityis repeated many times, but never departs from the
form of simple assertion. o argument is used, for none is felt to
be required. Such conviction as the poets only needs affirmation.
The time of the exile when the hope of regaining the Promised Land
was the consolation of the pious, probably produced the psalm.
COSTABLE, "This wisdom psalm advances the thought of Psalm 36.
ote the
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mention of doers of iniquity in Psalm 36:12 and the reference to
evildoers in Psalm 37:1. Here David urged the righteous not to let
the prosperity of the wicked upset them but to continue to trust in
God"s justice. Similar encouragements characterize Psalm 49 , 73.
Here the psalmist used several proverbial expressions to convey his
exhortation.
"In a moving way the psalmist deals with the issues of life and
death, wisdom and folly, and reward and punishment. He is most
sensitive to the question of the future and its rewards and
sufferings. The psalmist affirms that the Lord will sustain the
righteous and that they will fully enjoy the blessings promised to
them. The sage sets before the reader or hearer the highway of
Wisdom of Solomon , even as our Lord called on his followers to
learn from him the way that pleases our Father in heaven ( Matthew
5:2-10)." [ote: VanGemeren, p297.]
This is also an acrostic Psalm , but in this case each strophe
(every other verse) begins with the succeeding letter of the Hebrew
alphabet. A strophe is a logical unit determined by either the
subject matter or the structure of the poem.
"This is the most obviously sapiential [having, providing, or
expounding wisdom] of all the psalms. Indeed it is a collection of
sayings that might easily be found in the book of Proverbs. It
appears to be a rather random collection of sayings without any
order or development. However, there is an important qualification
to that statement, for this psalm is acrostic and so is crafted
with pedagogical purpose. That carefully ordered arrangement
corresponds to the claim made for the substance of the psalm; that
Isaiah , the world is exceedingly well ordered, and virtue is
indeed rewarded." [ote: Brueggemann, p42.]
1 Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of
those who do wrong;
BARES, "Fret not thyself - The Hebrew word here means properly
to burn, to be kindled, to be inflamed, and is often applied to
anger, as if under its influence we become heated: Gen_31:36;
Gen_34:7; 1Sa_15:11; 2Sa_19:43. Hence, it means to fret oneself, to
be angry, or indignant. Compare Pro_24:19. We should perhaps
express the same idea by the word worrying or chafing. The state of
mind is that where we are worried, or envious, because others are
prosperous and successful, and we are not. The idea is, therefore,
closely allied with that in the other part of the verse, neither be
thou envious.
Because of evil-doers - Wicked men:
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(a) at the fact that there are wicked men, or that God suffers
them to live;
(b) at their numbers;
(c) at their success and prosperity.
Neither be thou envious - Envy is pain, mortification,
discontent, at the superior excellence or prosperity of others,
accompanied often with some degree of malignant feeling, and with a
disposition to detract from their merit. It is the result of a
comparison of ourselves with others who are more highly gifted or
favored, or who are more successful than we are ourselves. The
feeling referred to here is that which springs up in the mind when
we see persons of corrupt or wicked character prospered, while we,
endeavoring to do right, are left to poverty, to disappointment,
and to tears.
CLARKE, "Fret not thyself because of evil doers - It is as
foolish as it is wicked to repine or be envious at the prosperity
of others. Whether they are godly or ungodly, it is God who is the
dispenser of the bounty they enjoy; and, most assuredly, he has a
right to do what he will with his own. To be envious in such a
case, is to arraign the providence of God. And it is no small
condescension in the Almighty to reason with such persons as he
does in this Psalm.
GILL, "Fret not thyself because of evildoers,.... The saints may
be grieved at them and for them, because of their evil doings, and
may be angry with them for them; yet are not to show any undue
warmth, at least in an indecent way, by calling them opprobrious
names; for the words may be rendered, "do not show thyself warm" or
"angry" (i): in a sinful way; or fret not at their outward
prosperity, as it is explained Psa_37:7. The Targum adds, "to be
like them", which agrees with Psa_37:8;
neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity; that
is, at their present temporal happiness; see Psa_73:3. The Targum
adds, as before, to be joined with them; which sense some parallel
places seem to incline to, Pro_3:31.
HERY 1-2, "The instructions here given are very plain; much need
not be said for the exposition of them, but there is a great deal
to be done for the reducing of them to practice, and there they
will look best.
I. We are here cautioned against discontent at the prosperity
and success of evil-doers (Psa_37:1, Psa_37:2): Fret not thyself,
neither be thou envious. We may suppose that David speaks this to
himself first, and preaches it to his own heart (in his communing
with that upon his bed), for the suppressing of those corrupt
passions which he found working there, and then leaves it in
writing for instruction to others that might be in similar
temptation. That is preached best, and with most probability of
success, to others, which is first preached to ourselves. Now, 1.
When we look abroad we see the world full of evil-doers and workers
of iniquity, that flourish and prosper, that have what they will
and do what they will, that live in ease and pomp themselves and
have power in their hands to do mischief to those about them. So it
was in David's time; and therefore, if it is so still, let us not
marvel at the matter, as though it were some new or strange thing.
2. When we look within we find ourselves tempted to fret at this,
and to be envious against these scandals and burdens, these
blemishes and common nuisances, of this earth. We are apt to fret
at God, as if he were unkind to the world and unkind to his church
in permitting such men to live, and prosper, and prevail, as they
do. We are apt
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to fret ourselves with vexation at their success in their evil
projects. We are apt to envy them the liberty they take in getting
wealth, and perhaps by unlawful means, and in the indulgence of
their lusts, and to wish that we could shake off the restraints of
conscience and do so too. We are tempted to think them the only
happy people, and to incline to imitate them, and to join ourselves
with them, that we may share in their gains and eat of their
dainties; and this is that which we are warned against: Fret not
thyself, neither be thou envious. Fretfulness and envy are sins
that are their own punishments; they are the uneasiness of the
spirit and the rottenness of the bones; it is therefore in kindness
to ourselves that we are warned against them. Yet that is not all;
for, 3. When we look forward with an eye of faith we shall see no
reason to envy wicked people their prosperity, for their ruin is at
the door and they are ripening apace for it, Psa_37:2. They
flourish, but as the grass, and as the green herb, which nobody
envies nor frets at. The flourishing of a godly man is like that of
a fruitful tree (Psa_1:3), but that of the wicked man is like grass
and herbs, which are very short-lived. (1.) They will soon wither
of themselves. Outward prosperity is a fading thing, and so is the
life itself to which it is confined. (2.) They will sooner be cut
down by the judgments of God. Their triumphing is short, but their
weeping and wailing will be everlasting.
JAMISO, "Psa_37:1-40. A composed and uniform trust in God and a
constant course of integrity are urged in view of the blessedness
of the truly pious, contrasted in various aspects with the final
ruin of the wicked. Thus the wisdom and justice of Gods providence
are vindicated, and its seeming inequalities, which excite the
cavils of the wicked and the distrust of the pious, are explained.
Davids personal history abundantly illustrates the Psalm.
The general sentiment of the whole Psalm is expressed. The
righteous need not be vexed by the prosperity of the wicked; for it
is transient, and their destiny undesirable.
K&D, "Olshausen observes, The poet keeps entirely to the
standpoint of the old Hebrew doctrine of recompense, which the Book
of Job so powerfully refutes. But, viewed in the light of the final
issue, all God's government is really in a word righteous
recompense; and the Old Testament theodicy is only inadequate in so
far as the future, which adjusts all present inconsistencies, is
still veiled. Meanwhile the punitive justice of God does make
itself manifest, as a rule, in the case of the ungodly even in the
present world; even their dying is usually a fearful end to their
life's prosperity. This it is which the poet means here, and which
is also expressed by Job himself in the Book of Job,
Job_27:1. With , to grow hot or angry (distinct from , to
emulate, Jer_12:5;
Jer_22:15), alternates , to get into a glow, excandescentia,
whether it be the restrained heat of sullen envy, or the
incontrollable heat of impetuous zeal which would gladly call down
fire from heaven. This first distich has been transferred to the
Book of Proverbs, Pro_24:19, cf. Pro_23:17; Pro_24:1; Pro_3:31; and
in general we may remark that this Psalm is one of the Davidic
patterns for the Salomonic gnome system. The form
they , cognate , is, according to Gesenius, Olshausen, and
Hitzig, fut. Kal of
wither away, pausal form for like , Psa_102:28; but the
signification to cut off
also is secured to the verb by the Niph. , Gen_17:11, whence
fut. = ; vid.,
on Job_14:2; Job_18:16. is a genitival combination: the green
(viror) of young vigorous vegetation.
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SBC, "I. None who can honestly say they are trying to serve
Christ will make such a mistake as to hold up before their own eyes
earthly reward as the fit end of spiritual work, and to look upon
it as an unheard-of and monstrous thing that a good man should be
less successful in this world than a worldly man. The danger is,
not that we shall turn atheists or unbelievers, but that we shall
be disheartened, not that we shall lose all faith, but that we
shall find our faith weakened.
II. The fact is that even when we have learnt what it is that
Christ puts before us, there still remains the hope that He will
give more than He promises, and that we shall get the best of both
worlds. There are men, no doubt, who utterly fail of success in
both worlds, for while their want of faith, and truth, and love
makes them no servants of Christ, their want of self-control and of
common-sense robs them of all chance in this world. But, on the
other hand, the thorough-going servant of this world will succeed
in this world better than the Christian. And the Christian cannot
learn it too soon.
III. What then follows? This follows: that the service of Christ
demands a generous devotion. Christians who wish to serve God shall
be rewarded, not by His loveno, for that they have always hadbut by
being enabled to love Him, for that is the highest of all
blessings.
Bishop Temple, Rugby Sermons, 2nd series, p. 267.
Psalms 37:1-2
We need words of soothing such as are breathed in the text.
There is enough in society, both profane and professedly religious,
to vex the spirit and trouble it with bitterest grief. The
slanderers foul tongue is ever ready to attack a holy character.
Envys cruel hand is continually outstretched to purloin the crown
and the sceptre which would never rightfully fall to its lot. The
Psalmist teaches us:
I. That there has ever been a generation of evil-doers. He
refers to this generation with the utmost familiarity. All ages
have been blackened with the shadow of evil-doers. Notice the
terrible energy implied in the designation "workers of iniquity."
Reference is not made to men who make a pastime of iniquity, or who
occasionally commit themselves to its service, but to those who
toil at it as a business.
II. That the servants of God are not to be moved from their
course by the generation of the unrighteous. The meaning which the
Psalmist conveys is this, that however obscure or trying may be the
secular position of the godly, they are not to murmur against the
social government of God because the unrighteous are surrounded
with all the luxuries which the most extravagant ambition can
desire.
III. That a terrible doom awaits the generation of evil-doers.
There are three facts which call for the attention of Christians:
(1) Your fretfulness is an imputation on the Divine government. (2)
Your fretfulness falsifies your attachment to Christian principles.
(3) Your fretfulness gives society an erroneous idea of the
Gospel.
Parker, The Cavendish Pulpit, p. 193.
CALVI, "1.Fret not thyself because of the wicked. David lays
down this as a general principle, that the prosperity of the
wicked, in which they greatly rejoice,
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should on no account vex or disquiet the children of God,
because it will soon fade away. On the other hand, although the
people of God are afflicted for a time, yet the issue of their
afflictions shall be such, that they have every reason to be
contented with their lot. ow all this depends upon the providence
of God; for unless we are persuaded that the world is governed by
him in righteousness and truth, our minds will soon stagger, and at
length entirely fail us. David then condemns two sinful affections
of the mind, which are indeed closely allied, and the one of which
is generated by the other. He first enjoins the faithful not to
fret on account of the wicked; and, secondly, that they should not
indulge an envious spirit towards them. For, in the first place,
when they see the wicked enjoying prosperity, from which it might
naturally be supposed that God regards not the affairs of men,
there is a danger lest they should shake off the fear of God, and
apostatise from the faith. Then another temptation follows, namely,
that the influence of the example of the wicked excites in them a
desire to involve themselves in the same wickedness with them. This
is the natural sense. The Hebrew words, - , al-tithechar, which we
have rendered, Fret not thyself, are by some translated, Do not
mingle thyself with. (16) But this interpretation is too forced,
and may be disproved by the context; for in the eighth verse, where
mention is expressly made of wrath and anger, it would surely be
absurd to interpret in another sense the same verb which
immediately follows these two words, and which is there used in the
same sense and for the same end as in this first verse. In the
second place, the order which David observes is very natural; for
when the prosperity of the wicked has irritated our minds, we very
soon begin to envy them their happiness and ease. First, then, he
exhorts us to be on our guard, lest a happiness which is only
transitory, or rather imaginary, should vex or disquiet us; and,
secondly, lest envy should lead us to commit sin. The reason by
which he enforces this exhortation is added in the following verse:
for if the wicked flourish to-day like the grass of the field,
to-morrow they shall be cut down and wither. We need not wonder
that this similitude is often to be met with in the sacred
writings, since it is so very appropriate; for we see how soon the
strength of the grass decays, and that when cast down by a blast of
wind, or parched with the heat of the sun, even without being cut
by the hand of man, it withers away. (17) In like manner, David
tells us that the judgment of God, like a scythe in the hand of
man, shall cut down the wicked, so that they shall suddenly
perish.
SPURGEO, "Ver. 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 heartburn, to fume, to
become vexed. ature is very apt to kindle a fire of jealousy when
it sees lawbreakers 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.
either 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
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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.EXPLAATORY OTES AD QUAIT SAYIGSWhole
Psalm. The righteous are preserved in Christ with a special
preservation, and in a peculiar safety. In the thirty-seventh Psalm
this point is excellently and largely handled, both by direct
proof, and by answer to all the usual objections against their
safety. That they shall be preserved is affirmed, Psalms 37:3;
Psalms 37:17; Psalms 37:23; Psalms 37:25; Psalms 37:32. The
objections answered are many.Objection 1. Wicked men flourish.
Solution. A righteous man should never grieve at that, for "they
shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green
herb." Psalms 37:2.Objection 2. Righteous men are in distress.
Solution Psalms 37:6. The night of their adversity will be turned
into the light of prosperity; and as surely as they can believe
when it is night that it shall be day, so surely may they be
persuaded when crosses are upon them, that comfort and deliverance
shall come.Objection 3. But there are great plots laid against the
righteous, and they are pursued with great malice, and their
intended ruin is come almost to the very issue. Solution Psalms
37:12-15. The Lord sees all the plots of wicked men, and laughs at
their spiteful and foolish malice; while they are busy to destroy
the righteous, and hope to have a day against them, "The Lord seeth
that their own day is coming upon them, even a day of destruction,
a day of great judgment and eternal misery; "their bow shall be
broken, and the sword that they have drawn shall enter into their
own heart.Objection 4. But the just have but small means. Solution
Psalms 37:16-17. "A little that a righteous man hath is better than
the riches of many wicked. For the arms of the wicked shall be
broken: but the Lord upholdeth the righteous."Objection 5. Heavy
times are like to befall them. Solution Psalms 37:19. "They shall
not be ashamed in the evil time, and in the days of famine they
shall have enough."Objection 6. But the wicked wax fatter and
fatter, and they prevail in vexing the righteous. Solution Psalms
37:20. Indeed the wicked are fat, but it is but "the fat of lambs,
"their prosperity shall soon melt; and as they be like smoke in
vexing the godly, so shall they be like smoke in vanishing
away.Objection 7. But the righteous do fall. Solution Psalms 37:24.
Though he do fall, yet he falls not finally, nor totally, for he
"is not utterly cast down; "and besides, there is an upholding
providence of God in all the falls of the righteous.Objection 8. We
see some wicked men that do not so fall into adversity, but rather
are in prosperity to their dying days. Solution Psalms 37:28.
Though they do, yet, "their seed shall be cut off."Objection 9. But
some wicked men are strong yet, and in their seed spread also.
Solution Psalms 37:35-36. ote also that these "spreading bay trees"
many times
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"soon pass away; "and they and their houses are sometimes
"utterly cut off."Objection 10. But upright men are under many and
long crosses. Solution Psalms 37:37. Yet "his end is
peace."Objection 11. But nobody stands for the godly when they come
into question. Solution Psalms 37:39-40. "Their salvation is of the
Lord; "he is their strength, he will help them and deliver them,
etc.But if we would be thus delivered, observe: 1. That we must not
unthankfully fret at God's providence Ps 37:1. 2. We must "trust in
the Lord and do good" Ps 37:3. 3. We must "delight ourselves in the
Lord, "and not place our contentment on earthly things Ps 37:4. 4.
We must "commit our ways to God" Ps 37:5. 5. We must get patience
and humble affections Ps 37:7-11. 6. We must be of upright
conversation Ps 37:14. 7. We must be merciful Ps 37:25-26. 8. We
must "speak righteous things, "and get "the law into our hearts" Ps
37:30-31. 9. We must "keep our way, "and "wait on God" and not use
ill means. icolas Byfield.Whole Psalm. This Psalm may well be
styled, The good man's cordial in bad times; a sovereign plaister
for the plague of discontent; or, a choice antidote against the
poison of impatience. athaniel Hardy, in a Funeral Sermon,
1649.Whole Psalm. This Psalm very much reminds one in its
construction of the sententious and pithy conciseness of the Book
of Proverbs. It does not contain any prayer, nor any direct
allusion to David's own circumstances of persecution or distress.
It is rather the utterance of sound practical wisdom and godliness
from the lips of experience and age, such as we might suppose an
elder of the church, or a father of a family, to let fall as he sat
with his household gathered around him, and listening to his
earnest and affectionate admonitions. Barton Bouchier.Whole Psalm.
The present Psalm is one of the alphabetical Psalms, it is called
"Providentiae speculum, "by Tertullian; "Potio contra murmur, "by
Isidore; "Vestis piorum, "by Luther. Christopher Wordsworth.Ver. 1.
Fret, or, inflame not, burn not thyself with anger or grief. John
Diodati.Ver. 1. either be thou envious, etc. Queen Elizabeth envied
the milkmaid when she was in prison; but if she had known what a
glorious reign she should have had afterwards for forty-four years,
she would not have envied her. And as little needeth a godly man,
though in misery, to envy a wicked man in the ruff of all his
prosperity and jollity, considering what he hath in hand, much more
what he hath in hope. John Trapp.Ver. 1. Would it not be accounted
folly in a man that is heir to many thousands per annum that he
should envy a stage player, clothed in the habit of a king, and yet
not heir to one foot of land? who, though he have the form,
respect, and apparel of a king or nobleman, yet he is, at the same
time, a very beggar, and worth nothing? Thus, wicked men, though
they are arrayed gorgeously, and fare deliciously, wanting nothing,
and having more that heart can wish, yet they are but only
possessors: the godly Christian is the heir. What good doth all
their prosperity do them? It does but hasten their ruin, not their
reward. The ox that is the labouring ox is the longer lived than
the ox that is in the pasture; the very putting of him there doth
but hasten his slaughter; and when God puts the wicked men into fat
pastures, into places of honour and power, it is but to hasten
their ruin. Let no man, therefore, fret himself because of evil
doers, nor be envious at the prosperity of the wicked; for the
candle of the wicked shall be put into everlasting darkness;
they
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shall soon be cut off, and wither as a green herb. Ludovic de
Carbone, quoted by John Spencer.
COFFMA, "RIGHTEOUS REWARDED; WICKED PUISHED
This interesting acrostic psalm has long been a popular
reservoir for the selection of memory verses. Hymns have been
written on some of the statements here, notably, the one, "John
Wesley translated from the German, `Commit Thou All Thy Griefs,' or
(in some hymnals) `Put Thou Thy Trust in God.'"[1] Also Felix
Mendelssohn's "O Rest in the Lord" (in the Oratorio `Elijah') is
based upon this chapter.
There is no sufficient grounds for setting aside the assignment
of the psalm to David in the superscription; and, if indeed, he
wrote it, it seems likely that it is one of the psalms from his old
age, based upon Psalms 37:25.
"The theme of the Psalm is stated in the very first line, `Fret
not thyself because of the wicked.' This is repeated in Psalms
37:7b and Psalms 37:8."[2]
The design or the purpose of the psalm was described by
Rawlinson:
"The object of this poem is to reassure men whose minds are
disturbed by the fact of the frequent prosperity of the wicked, and
to convince them that in every case retribution will overtake the
ungodly man at the last, and to impress upon men that the condition
of the righteous, even when they suffer, is far preferable to that
of the wicked, what ever prosperity they may enjoy."[3]For purposes
of this study, we shall break the forty verses of this chapter down
into these paragraphs, as suggested by Leupold.[4]
(1) Counsel against irritation over evil-doers (Psalms 37:1-2).
(2) The need of trust in the Lord (Psalms 37:3-7). (3) Further
reasons for avoiding irritation (Psalms 37:8-11). (4) The futility
of the wrongdoers' activity (Psalms 37:12-15). (5) The righteous
and the wicked contrasted (Psalms 37:16-22). (6). The blessings
enjoyed by the righteous (Psalms 37:23-28). (7) Further marks of
the righteous (Psalms 37:29-34). (8). Final contrast between the
righteous and the wicked (Psalms 37:35-40).
FRET OT THYSELF OVER EVIL-DOERS
Psalms 37:1-2
"Fret not thyself because of evil-doers.
either be thou envious against them that work
unrighteousness.
For they shall soon be cut down like the grass,
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And wither as the green herb."
"Fret not thyself, etc." (Psalms 37:1). This entire verse is
quoted almost verbatim in Proverbs 24:19; and there's also an
obvious reference to it in Proverbs 23:17.
Some have deplored the fact that David in his dealings with the
problem of the prosperity of the wicked did not have the advantage
of the ew Testament teaching regarding the ultimate rewards of the
righteous in heaven and the eternal punishment of the wicked
following the Final Judgment.
Of course, it must be admitted that Old Testament writers indeed
had much less information than Christians about such things; but
the psalmist's words as they appear in this chapter are fully
adequate. "His faith that infinite love rules the universe, that
righteousness is always gain, and that wickedness is always loss is
grandly and eternally true."[5]
Also, it should be pointed out that faith in the resurrection of
the dead belonged to "all the Old Testament saints." The writer of
Hebrews noted all of the things that so many of those saints
suffered, and `Why did they do it'? The answer is, "That they might
obtain a better resurrection"! (Hebrews 11:35).
DeHoff's commentary on this is that, "This psalm teaches that
the prosperity of the wicked is superficial and temporary, and that
those who trust in God may be certain that, finally, they will be
the ones who are blessed,"[6]
COKE, "David persuadeth to patience and confidence in God, by
the different estate of the godly and the wicked.
A Psalm of David.
Title. ledavid. This Psalm was made by David in his old age; and
it is an excellent hymn on the equal providence of God, at that
time exercised towards the Jews; see the note on Psalms 1:4. It
contains an exhortation to good men to persevere in a religious
course of life: and David assured them, that if they did so, they
should see, as he himself had done, that the prosperity of the
wicked should not last long; and that God would certainly reward
those who with meekness and patience would continue to trust in,
and rely upon him. Dr. Delaney conjectures upon this Psalm, that
when Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, perceived, upon David's
return after the rebellion of Absalom, that the king had conceived
an ill opinion of him, through the false suggestions of his servant
Ziba, (2 Samuel 16:1-4; 2 Samuel 19:24-30.) it is natural to
suppose the generous and upright heart of Mephibosheth to be
distressed, dejected, and uneasy to the last degree, and taking
rash and repining resolutions to banish himself from a country
where he had found such treacherous treatment, &c. And what
could be more natural, and more consoling under these
circumstances, than for the good king to entreat him to forego
those rash resolutions; to admonish him, that if he bore his
present low estate with
-
patience and resignation to the divine will, he should soon see
it bettered; to remind him that the prosperity of the wicked was
short, &c. And in what words could all this have been conveyed
more strongly, than in those of this Psalm? See Life of David, b.
i. c. 14, &c. It should be observed, that this Psalm is
alphabetical at every other verse; or, more properly, they are made
two verses, which should be but one long one; as Lamentations
1:2.
PETT, "This Psalm is another one that is based on the Hebrew
alphabet, with each stanza beginning with a different letter
commencing at aleph, and follows a 6 6 5 5 pattern (22 letters).
Exceptions are Psalms 37:28 b and 39 where in the MT a Lamed
precedes the Ayin and a Waw precedes the Tau.
In the Psalm the Psalmist speaks almost as a wisdom teacher as
he encourages Gods people to have full trust in YHWH in the
confidence that all will then finally turn out for good. If they
find themselves in the midst of puzzlement and despair because the
unrighteous appear to triumph let that not turn them aside from
themselves trusting in YHWH and doing good. For if they do trust
Him and continue to do good then they will enjoy His blessing
indeed.
The Psalm split up into a number of sections:
1) The Wise Man Does ot Fret When The Unrighteous Appear To
Prosper, But Rather Trusts in YHWH, Rolls His Way On Him And Rests
in Him (Aleph to Waw - Psalms 37:1-11).2) The Triumphs Of The
Unrighteous Are Temporary, And For Them Retribution Will Come,
While In Contrast The Righteous Have An Eternal Inheritance To Be
Enjoyed Both ow And In The Future (Zayin to Lamed - Psalms
37:12-22).3) The Reward Of The Righteous Is Sure And Abiding (Mem
to Pe -Psalms 37:23-31).4) The Contrast Between The Behaviour And
Destinies Of The Righteous and The Unrighteous (Tsade to Tau -
Psalms 37:32-40).Verses 1-91). The Wise Thing To Do Is ot To Fret
When The Wicked Appear To Prosper, But Rather To Trust And Rest In
YHWH (Aleph to Waw -Psalms 37:1-9).
Those who are wise will not allow fretting or anger to possess
them in the face of the behaviour of the unrighteous, but will
instead trust in
-
YHWH, commit their way to Him, and then confidently rest in Him,
for they can know that what they have is permanent, while what the
unrighteous have is temporary and will pass away (compare Matthew
6:19-20).
Psalms 37:1-2
A Do not fret yourself because of evildoers,or be you envious
against those who work unrighteousness.For they will soon be cut
down like the grass,And wither as the green herb.It is often so
easy to look around at the prosperity of evildoers and find it a
great burden on the heart. It all seems so strange. Why do the
wicked prosper, and the good suffer? Why does evil appear to
triumph? However, the Psalmist tells us not to fret at such things,
nor to be envious of those who work unrighteousness. Rather than
fretting we are to turn to trusting prayer, rather than being
envious we are to consider all the blessings that are ours in
God.
For he reminds us that the unrighteous are not really to be
envied. We should remember that their time is but short in the
light of eternity. They may appear to be prospering, but the truth
is that they will soon be cut down like mown grass, and will wither
like the green herb subjected to the burning sun. For them there is
no future, and their blessings are but temporary. After that before
them lies only darkness and
BI 1-12, "Fret not thyself because of evil-doers.
Fret not
There are many who suppose that it is well-nigh impossible to
pass the time of our sojourning here without some degree of anxiety
and depression of spirit. I grant you these feelings will come to
us, but we are not obliged to welcome them. Luther quaintly said
that, whereas we cannot prevent the birds from hovering over and
flying round about our heads, we can prevent them from building
their nests in our hair. The Lord will net hold us accountable for
the suggestions that the devil makes, or our own evil hearts
produce, but He does hold us responsible for yielding to those
suggestions, and nourishing them.
I. A description of the complaint. Worrying, murmuring, or
fretting, is certainly a malady. It must not be regarded as a mere
circumstance that afflicts us from without. It is a deep-seated
complaint that reigns within. One of the old Puritans says, of one
who was always complaining, that he was sick of the frets. He
recognized that it was an inward ailment, affecting both soul and
body. The root of the mischief was in the
-
rebellious heart.
1. What is the nature of this complaint? It is of the nature of
a fever. Fret not thyself, or as it might be read, Do not grow hot,
inflame net thyself, because of evil-doers. Leave to the sea to
fret, and fume, and rage, and roar. Leave to the wicked, of whom
the troubled sea is so apt an emblem, to toss to and fro, and cast
up mire and dirt. Leave to the caged bird, that has no wisdom, to
beat itself against the bars and make its incarceration still more
unendurable; but for you who are already Gods, who have such a
Father and Friend, and such a home, to which you are each moment
coming nearer, for you to fret is clean contrary to the spirit of
the Gospel; and to the grace which is in Christ Jesus.
2. What are the causes of this complaint?
(1) The prosperity of the wicked. I do not know of anything more
likely to contribute to envywhich is nearly always an accompaniment
of frettingthan a view of the prosperity of the wicked, that is if
that view is a one-sided and short-sided one, as it generally is.
The wicked spreads himself like a green bay tree, everything seems
to go well with him. But he is a stranger to the one thing needful.
He is altogether unacquainted with the joys we know, and what shall
his end be? Have you ever found it in your heart to envy the
apparent riches of the stage king, who struts his little hour
behind the footlights with crown, and robes, and sceptre, and I
know not what?
(2) The care that seems inseparable from daily life. So long as
we dwell in the land there must be the question of being fed and
clothed. I had almost said that religion is a farce and a fraud
unless it stoops with me to such matters as these. It does so.
(3) There is another matter that mightily troubles some people,
viz. the safeguarding of their reputation. Well, but let not this
give rise to fretting and to distrust of God (Psa_37:5-6). What
reputation we have is due to Gods grace. If He has made it, He will
keep it. Your reputation is not of half so much account as are Gods
cause, etc.
3. What are the symptoms of this disease.
(1) It is generally accompanied by envyneither be thou envious
against the workers of iniquity. Be on the look-out against that
green-eyed monster jealousy, for it works havoc in the heart, and
havoc everywhere.
(2) It is accompanied also by loss of appetite that is, for the
things of God. If we give way to repining, we shall not care for
Gods Word, prayer will become almost impossible, the Gospel itself
will lose its zest.
(3) Accompanying this fever there is, of course, a very high
temperature. It is very easy, when you are in this state of mind,
to get angry, and very difficult to cease from wrath.
(4) There is a consuming thirst with this fretting fever, a
longing for something one has not got, a parching of the tongue and
a drying of the lip, almost unbearable.
(5) The vision is impaired; we do not see things clearly.
(6) There is loss of memory, for we forget the mercies which
have gone before, a recollection of which would help us to bear the
troubles of the present.
-
II. The prescription.
1. The first item is trust in the Lord. Faith cures fretting. I
believe in the faith curenot as some administer it, but as God
administers it. It is the only cure for worrying. If thou trustest
all shall be well.
2. Do good. This is the second ingredient in the prescription.
Do not give up, do not yield to fear. Do good; get to some
practical work for God; continue in the path of daily duty, take
spiritual exercise.
8. Diet is a very important matter in fever cases. It reads in
the original, Thou shelf be fed with truth. Oh, the patient begins
to get better at once, if he is fed on faithfulness. If you eat
Gods truth and live on His Word, and drink in His promises,
recovery is sure.
4. Delight thyself also in the Lord. Joy is one of the fruits of
the Spirit. God writes straight on crooked lines; delight in Him if
you cannot delight in anybody else; delight in Him if you find no
joy in yourself.
5. Commit thy way unto the Lord. Not merely petition the King
and then go on worrying, but roll the burden upon the Lord. Then
the matter becomes His rather than yours; He accepts the
responsibility which is too heavy for you. Too often we shoulder
the load again.
6. Rest in the Lord. Any doctor will prescribe rest in a case of
fever; without it the patient is not likely to pull through. You
must have rest; be still and see the salvation of the Lord, sit
silent before God. Rubbing the eye is not likely to bring the mote
out. Even if it does it will only inflame the optic more, and
fretting is something like rubbing the eyesit only increases the
inflammation. Do not strive and struggle.
7. Wait patiently for Him. The buds of His purposes must not be
torn rudely open. They will unfold of themselves if you will let
them. If you try to expedite matters you will spoil the whole
business. Gods time is the best time.
8. Cease from anger and forsake wrath. Ah, I have heard of some
people down with the fever who have been foolish enough to do
things and to take things which are only calculated to add fuel to
the fire. You cannot give up fretting until you begin to forgive.
(T. Spurgeon.)
Fretting
1. Fretting in many cases supposes envy. Fret not thyself
because of evil-doers, neither be thou envious, etc. Asaph did
this, and ha forcibly describes this painful and injurious process
in the seventy-third psalm. It became too painful for him. He
questioned the rectitude of Providence and the wisdom of God. Just
then he was stopped; like Job, he said, Once have I spoken, but I
will proceed no further; he fell on his face, confessing, I am
foolish, I was envious! and soon the scene changed from darkness to
light, from complaining to communion, from fretting to rest in
God.
2. While the fretting mood lasts, while we are troubled because
God withholds certain things from us which He gives so abundantly
to others, expectation from God is excluded. Hope pines when the
heart frets, and peace flutters outside that soul which care
corrodes, and which complainings fill with discord.
-
3. Yet many excuses are often made for this line of conduct; and
the more it is indulged in, the more it is justified. Wherefore
should a living man complain? If a sinner, he has no right to do
so; if a saint, no reason: for a sinner deserves hell at any
moment, and a saint, though most unworthy, is on his way to a
glorious heaven; and his very trials and deprivations are a means
of preparing and training him for that better world. (John
Cox.)
Fretting
I. The sin. Fretfulness is a sin against,
1. Ourselves. Destroys peace of mind; the mother of bitterness,
harshness, fault-finding.
2. Others. Robs homes of their happiness.
3. God. John Wesley once said, I dare no more fret than curse
and swear. To have persons at my ears murmuring and fretting at
everything, is like tearing the flesh from my bones. By the grace
of God I am discontented at nothing. I see God sitting on His
throne, and ruling all things.
II. The causes.
1. Envy.
2. Covetousness.
3. Want of faith in God. I have read that one of Cromwells
friends was a fretting Christian, to whom everything went wrong. On
a certain occasion, when unusually fretful, his sensible servant
said, Master, dont you think that God governed the world very well
before you came into it? Yes; but why do you ask? Master, dont you
think God will govern the world very well after you go out of it?
Of course I do. Well, then, cant you trust Him to govern it for the
little time you are in it?
III. The cure.
1. Look on the bright side of things.
2. Look not merely at the present, but think of the future.
3. Have faith in God. Then you will welcome whatever comes,
knowing that He can help, even by adverse circumstances. (J.
Scilley.)
The cure for care
1. Fret not thyself. Do not get into a perilous heat about
things. Keep cool! Even in a good cause fretfulness is not a wise
helpmeet. Fretting only heats the bearings, it does not generate
the steam. It is no help to a train for the axles to get hot; their
heat is only a hindrance; the best contributions which the axles
can make to the progress of the train is to keep cool.
2. How, then, is fretfulness to be cured? The psalmist brings in
the heavenly to correct the earthly. The Lord is the refrain of
almost every verse, as though it were only in the power of the
heavenly that this dangerous fire could be subdued.
(1) Trust in the Lord. Trust! It is, perhaps, helpful to
remember that the word
-
which is here translated trust is elsewhere in the Old Testament
translated careless. Be careless in the Lord! Instead of carrying a
load of care let care be absent t It is the carelessness of little
children running about the house in the assurance of their fathers
providence and love.
(2) Delight thyself in the Lord. How beautiful the phrase! The
literal significance is this, Seek for delicacies in the Lord. Yes,
and if we only set about with ardent purpose to discover the
delicacies of the Lords table, we should have no time and no
inclination to fret. But this is just what the majority of us do
not do. The delicacies of music are not found in the first
half-dozen lessons; it is only in the later stages that we come to
the exquisite. And so it is in art, and so it is in literature, and
so it is with the things of the Lord. Eye hath not seen nor ear
heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive
the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him. Let us
be ambitious for the excellent! God has not yet given to us of His
best. He always keeps the best wine until the last. When we sit at
the table of the Lord, tasting of His delicacies, fretfulness will
be unable to breathe.
(3) Commit thy way unto the Lord. Thy way! What is that? Any
pure purpose, any worthy ambition, any duty, anything we have got
to do, any road we have got to tread, all our outgoings. Commit thy
way unto the Lord. Let us commit our beginnings unto Him, before we
have gone wrong., let us have His companionship from the very
outset of the journey. If I am going out alone, fretfulness will
encounter me before I have gone many steps in the way; if I go out
in the company of Jesus I shall have the peace that passeth
understanding, and the heat of my life will be the ardour of an
intense devotion:
(4) Rest in the Lord. Having done all this, and doing it all,
trusting in the Lord, delighting in the Lord, committing my way
unto the Lord, let me now just rest. Dont worry. Whatever happens,
just refer it to the Lord! If it be anything injurious he will
suppress it. If it be anything containing helpful ministry He will
adapt it to our need. This is the cure for care. (J. H. Jowett, M.
A.)
Discontent
David was peculiarly qualified to admonish the righteous as to
their demeanour in relation to the ungodly. Never, perhaps, had man
hotter conflicts with evil-doers and workers of iniquity, and never
were more signal triumphs gained over malignant hosts. We need
words of soothing such as are breathed in the text. There is enough
in society, both profane and professedly religious, to vex the
spirit and trouble it with bitterest grief.
I. That there has ever been a generation of evil-doers. All ages
have been blackened with the shadow of evil-doers. Not a single
century has been permitted to complete its revolution without being
marred by their deadly presence! I ask you to mark the terrible
energy implied in the designation workers of iniquity. Reference is
not made to men who make a pastime of iniquity, or who occasionally
commit themselves to its service, but to those who toil at it as a
business. As the merchantman is industrious in commerce, as the
philosopher is assiduous in study, as the artist is indefatigable
in elaboration, so those slaves of iniquity toil in their diabolic
pursuits with an ardour which the most powerful remonstrance seldom
abates! They are always ready to serve their master.
-
II. That the servants of God are not to be moved from their
course by the generation of the unrighteous. Fret not thyself
because of evil-doers, etc. This language does not sanction
carelessness as to the moral condition and destiny of the parties
indicated. We need to mourn over it. But we are not to fret over
evil-doers, though it be natural to do so, when we think of the
terrible harm they do. You punish such men more severely by taking
no notice of their malignitythey would rejoice in provoking
retaliation. And these evil-doers are often prosperous in their
way, whilst the good are often exposed to social hardships. Imagine
not that secular prosperity is a pledge of Divine favour.
III. That a terrible doom awaits the generation of evildoers.
For they shall soon be cut down, etc. Know ye of any such miserable
spectacle as that of a human being cut down? As travellers have
wandered over the ruins of classic temples, they have mourned their
departed glory, but what are such ruins compared to the ruins of
manhood? The heart that might have expanded with holiest
emotionwasted! The image of God an irrecoverable wreck! Imagination
can paint no horrors so appalling. Though God uses not our
chronometers in the measurement of time, yet the wicked themselves
will have occasion to exclaim, We are soon cut down! You wrong your
own souls in reasoning that to-morrow shall be as this day and more
abundant. The hour of your fullest joy is the hour of highest
danger. (J. Parker, D. D.)
Neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.
Fretful envy
I. A painful passion. There may be fretfulness where there is no
envy. One may fret because of the tardy advancement of a cause dear
to his heart, or because of the troubles of those in whom he is
interested. There is a great deal of fretfulness that is almost
constitutional, and therefore innocent and free from all envy; but
there can be no envy where there is not fretfulness. What is envy?
It is not merely a desire to possess that good which another has:
that is emulation. To crave after that which gives power, and
worth, and happiness is a laudable ambition. We are commanded to
covet earnestly the best gifts. But envy is a malicious desire to
possess what others have: it means their deprivation. Jealousy is a
dread lest another shall possess what we wish for ourselves; envy
is a dislike for another because he actually possesses the good
desired; and because it is so impregnated with the malign it is
always fretful. It is a grudging, growling passion; it is never at
rest.
II. It is a foolish passion. It is directed against the most
unenviable of characters. The workers of iniquity will be cut down
like the grass.
III. Envying the wicked. Shall the imperial eagle, whose
undazzled eye drinks in the splendours of a cloudless sun, envy the
worm that never rose an inch beyond its native dust? Shall the sun
itself envy the flickering rush-light which the feeblest breeze can
extinguish? Shall the heaving ocean, bearing on its bosom the
richest merchandise, and reflecting from its deep blue eye the
glories of the firmament, envy the little summer pool, which a
passing cloud has poured into a foot-print? Sooner shall such envy
be called into existence than the true child of God envy the
workers of iniquity. (Homilist.)
-
2 for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants
they will soon die away.
BARES, "For they shall soon be cut down like the grass - As the
grass in the field is cut down by the mower; that is, however
prosperous they may seem to be now, they are like the grass in the
meadow which is so green and luxuriant, but which is soon to fall
under the scythe of the mower. Their prosperity is only temporary,
for they will
soon pass away. The idea in the word rendered soon - mehrh - is
that of haste or speed: Psa_147:15; Num_16:46; Deu_11:17. The
thought is not that it will be done immediately, but that when it
occurs it will be a quick and rapid operation - as the grass falls
rapidly before the mower.
And wither as the green herb - When it is cut down. That is, not
as the dry and stinted shrub that grows in the desert of sand, but
like the herb that grows in a garden, or in a marsh, or by the
river, that is full of juices, and that needs abundant water to
sustain it - like the flag or rush (compare Job_8:11) - and that
withers almost instantly when it is cut down. The rapidity with
which things wilt is in proportion to the rapidity of their growth,
so the prosperity of a sinner is suddenly blasted, and he passes
away. Compare Psa_90:5-6.
CLARKE, "For they shall soon be cut down - They have their
portion in this life; and their enjoyment of it cannot be long, for
their breath is but a vapor that speedily vanishes away. They fall
before death, as the greensward does before the scythe of the
mower.
GILL, "For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and
wither as the green herb. Which in the morning looks green, pretty,
and flourishing, and in the evening is cut down, and then fades
away; see Psa_90:5; and so the wicked prosper and flourish for a
while, and then they perish with all their honour, riches, and
wealth; so that their happiness is a very short lived one, and
therefore need not be envied and fretted at.
CALVI, "SPURGEO, "Ver. 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 ephemeral 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?EXPLAATORY OTES
AD QUAIT SAYIGSVer. 2. Cut down like the grass, with a scythe, and
even at one blow. Thomas Wilcocks.Ver. 2. Wither. O bitter word,
which will make the ears of them that hear it to tingle! O sentence
intolerable, which deprives sinners of all good things, and
bringeth them to all woe! The Lord sometime accursed the fig tree,
and immediately, not only the leaves, but also the body and root
were wholly withered: even so, that fearful curse of the last day
shall be no less effectual; for on whomsoever it falleth is shall
so scorch them, and shall so make them destitute of God's grace,
that they shall never more be able to do, to speak, think, or to
hope for any good thing. Thomas Tymme.Ver. 2. Green herb. We cannot
gather riper fruit of patience from any tree than is found upon the
low shrubs of man's short life; for if that fretting canker of envy
at the prosperity of the wicked have overrun thy mind, a malady
from which the saints have no shelter to be freed, out of this
apothecary's shop take antidote; either thy time is short to behold
it, or theirs shorter to enjoy is; "they are set in slippery
places, and are suddenly destroyed, "Psalms 73:18; "They spend
their days in wealth, and in a moment go down to the grave, " Job
21:13; They shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as
the green herb. Edmund Layfield's Sermon, entitled "The Mappe of
Man's Mortality and Vanity", 1630.Ver. 2. Sometimes the wicked,
like the green herb, wither in their spring, they fall in their
rise, they perish in the beginnings of their mischievous designs;
but if they do come to a full growth, they grow but to harvest, the
fit season of their cutting off. Robert Mossom.
EXPOSITORS DICTIOARY OF TEXTS, "Unto All ations
Psalm 37:2
A Church which is in no sense a Missionary Church is really
dead.
I. The spiritual prosperity of the Church at home becomes a
fountain to feed missions abroad. The Gospel in its essence is
remedial. It claims to be the one means of healing for the common
malady of human nature. We may say that all missions are medical
missions. The Gospel contemplates the whole world as one vast
hospital full of sick souls and wounded hearts, and warped and
diseased wills.
II. And therefore this Catholic evangel claims all nations and
kindreds and people and tongues for its inheritance. Too often
indeed, we hamper its energies and retard its conquests because we
assume that pure Christianity necessarily involves any of the
external features of our own civilization. Yet surely Asiatics and
Africans can
-
find "saving health" in the ew Testament, without being
inoculated with the restless fever which we call "progress".
III. Those who look forward in faith to the fulfilment of God"s
missionary promises and the victory of Christ"s Cross, anticipate a
Church of the future which will certainly be no mere copy of the
Church of the present. It is a strange and marvellous thing that
"Christianity has for so long a period been confined mainly to the
white people, but its mission is to mankind, and mankind is not in
any large proportion white. And surely there are great neglected
Christian ideas, ignored and forgotten truths and graces which will
be recovered and come to their own in the fullness of time, when
Hindu theologies and Chinese mystics and negro saints bring their
own characteristic gifts to the Church"s common treasury.
T. H. Darlow, The Upward Galling, p321.
3 Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy
safe pasture.
BARES, "Trust in the Lord - Confide in him; rest on him. Instead
of allowing the mind to be disturbed and sad, because there are
wicked men upon the earth; because they are prosperous and
apparently happy; because they may injure you in your person or
reputation Psa_37:6, calmly confide in God. Leave all this in his
hands. Feel that he rules, and that what he permits is wisely
permitted; and that whatever may occur, it will all be overruled
for his own glory and the good of the universe.
And do good - Be engaged always in some work of benevolence.
(a) If there are wicked men in the world, if wickedness abounds
around us, there is the more reason for our endeavoring to do good.
If others are doing evil, we should do good; if they are wicked, we
cannot do a better work than to do good to them, for the best way
of meeting the wickedness of the world is to do it good.
(b) The best way to keep the mind from complaining, chafing, and
fretting, is to be always engaged in doing good; to have the mind
always occupied in something valuable and useful. Each one should
have so much of his own to do that he will have no thee to murmur
and complain, to allow the mind to prey on itself, or to corrode
for lack of employment.
So shalt thou dwell in the land - This would be more correctly
translated as a command: Dwell in the land. That is, abide safely
or securely in the land - referring, perhaps, to the land as the
land of promise - the country given to the people of God. The idea
is, that they should abide there calmly and securely; that they
should not worry
-
themselves because there were wicked men upon the earth, and
because they were successful, but that they should be thankful for
their inheritance, and partake gratefully of the bounties which
they receive from the hand of God. Compare the notes at
Mat_5:5.
And verily thou shalt be fed - Margin, in truth or stableness.
The literal meaning would be, Feed on truth. The word rendered fed
is here in the imperative mood. It properly means to feed, as a
flock; and then, to feed upon anything in the sense of delighting
in, or taking pleasure in anything, as if we found our support or
sustenance in it; and here it means, doubtless, Feed on truth; that
is, seek after truth; find delight in it; let it be the food of
your souls. The word here rendered verily means, as in the margin,
truth: and the meaning is, that they should seek after truth, and
find their support and comfort in that. There are, then, in this
verse, four things prescribed as duty, in order to keep the mind
calm in view of the fact that wickedness abounds in the world:
(1) to confide in God;
(2) to be actively employed in doing good;
(3) to abide calmly and gratefully in the land which God has
given us;
(4) to seek after truth, or a true view of the character and
government of God as the great Ruler.
If people would do these things, there would be little
complaining and fretting in the world.
CLARKE, "Dwell in the land - Do not flee to foreign climes to
escape from that providence which, for thy own good, denies thee
affluence in thy own country.
And verily thou shalt be fed - God will provide for thee the
necessaries of life: its conveniences might damp thy intellect in
its inventions, and lead thee into idleness; and its superfluities
would induce thee to pamper thy passions till the concerns of thy
soul would be absorbed in those of the flesh and, after having
lived an animal life, thou mightest die without God, and perish
everlastingly.
The original, ureehemunah, might be translated, and feed by
faith. The
Septuagint has 144, and thou shalt feed upon its riches. The
Vulgate Ethiopic, and Arabic, are the same. The Syriac, seek faith.
The Chaldee, be strong in the faith. The Anglo-Saxon, and feeded
thou shalt be in its welfare. Old Psalter,
and thu sal be fed in ryches of it. But it is probable that
emunah here signifies security. And thou shalt be fed in
security.
Dr. Delaney supposed that the Psalm might have been written by
David in the behalf of Mephibosheth, who, being falsely aecused by
his servant Ziba, had formed the resolution to leave a land where
he had met with such bad treatment. David, being convinced of his
innocence, entreats him to dwell in the land, with the assurance of
plenty and protection. It is more likely that it is addressed to
the captives in Babylon; and contains the promise that they shall
return to their own land, and again enjoy peace and plenty.
GILL, "Trust in the Lord,.... Not in men, who are fading and
perishing like the green grass and tender herb; nor in riches,
which are very uncertain things; but in the Lord, in
-
whom is everlasting strength; and with whom are riches and
honour, yea, durable riches and righteousness; trust in him both
for things temporal and spiritual, for soul and body, for time and
eternity; the way to have peace and quietness of mind under all
dispensations is to exercise faith on a promising God. The Targum
is, "trust in the Word of the Lord", in the essential Word of God,
the promised Messiah;
and do good; in general, all good actions, in faith, and as the
fruits and effects of it, without trusting to them, but in the
Lord; doing them in his strength, and with a view to his glory; or
in particular, acts of beneficence to the poor, to which the
encouragement follows;
so shalt thou dwell in the land; either in the land of Canaan, a
continuance in which depended upon the obedience of the people of
the Jews to the commands of God; see Isa_1:19; or rather in the
good land which is afar off, the heavenly and better country, which
those that trust in the Lord, and have that faith in Christ which
works by love, shall dwell in to all eternity;
and verily thou shalt be fed; either temporally, shall have food
and raiment, even all the necessaries of life; or spiritually, with
the word and ordinances, and with Christ the bread of life now; and
hereafter shall be fed by him, the Lamb in the midst of the throne,
and by him led to fountains of living water: some read the words as
an exhortation, and render them, "feed truth" (k), that is, teach
it, as Abraham taught his household, and as faithful pastors feed
with knowledge and understanding; or "feed by faith" (l), as the
just live by it; or, as the Targum renders it, "be strong in
faith", as Abraham was, Rom_4:20; or rather, "feed upon truth" (m),
the word of truth, the Gospel of salvation, and the several truths
and doctrines of it, which are food for faith, and nourish up to
everlasting life.
HERY, "II. We are here counselled to live a life on confidence
and complacency in God, and that will keep us from fretting at the
prosperity of evil-doers; if we do well for our own souls, we shall
see little reason to envy those that do so ill for theirs. Here are
three excellent precepts, which we are to be ruled by, and, to
enforce them, three precious promises, which we may rely upon.
1. We must make God our hope in the way of duty and then we
shall have a comfortable subsistence in this world, Psa_37:3. (1.)
It is required that we trust in the Lord and do good, that we
confide in God and conform to him. The life of religion lies much
in a believing reliance on God, his favour, his providence, his
promise, his grace, and a diligent care to serve him and our
generation, according to his will. We must not think to trust in
God and then live as we list. No; it is not trusting God, but
tempting him, if we do not make conscience of our duty to him. Nor
must we think to do good, and then to trust to ourselves, and our
own righteousness and strength. No; we must both trust in the Lord
and do good. And then, (2.) It is promised that we shall be well
provided for in this world: So shalt thou dwell in the land, and
verily thou shalt be fed.He does not say, So shalt thou get
preferment, dwell in a palace, and be feasted. This is not
necessary; a man's life consists not in the abundance of these
things; but, Thou shalt have a place to live in, and that in the
land, in Canaan, the valley of vision, and thou shalt have food
convenient for thee. This is more than we deserve; it is as much as
a good man will stipulate for (Gen_28:20) and it is enough for one
that is going to heaven. Thou shalt have a settlement, a quiet
settlement, and a maintenance, a comfortable maintenance: Verily
thou shalt be fed. Some read it, Thou shalt be fed by faith, as the
just are said to live by faith, and it is good living, good
feeding, upon the promises.
-
Verily thou shalt be fed, as Elijah in the famine, with what is
needful for thee. God himself is a shepherd, a feeder, to all those
that trust in him, Psa_23:1.
JAMISO, "Trust sure of safety.
shalt thou dwell or, dwell thou; repose quietly.
verily ... fed or, feed on truth, Gods promise (Psa_36:5;
compare Hos_12:1).
K&D 3-4, "The land is throughout this Psalm the promised
possession (Heilsgut), viz., the land of Jahve's presence, which
has not merely a glorious past, but also a future rich in promises;
and will finally, ore perfectly than under Joshua, become the
inheritance of the true Israel. It is therefore to be explained:
enjoy the quiet sure habitation which God gives thee, and
diligently cultivate the virtue of faithfulness. The two
imperatives in Psa_37:3, since there are two of them (cf.
Psa_37:27) and the first is without any conjunctive Waw, have the
appearance of being continued admonitions, not
promises; and consequently is not an adverbial accusative as in
Psa_119:75
(Ewald), but the object to , to pasture, to pursue, to practise
(Syriac , Hos_12:2);
cf. ,, one who interests himself in any one, or anything; Beduin
r = ;
-
contradictory to the express commands of God, the Christian man
should always be found. "Dwell in the land." As the Christian is on
the Lords Day, so must he be in the week: a God-fearing citizen as
well as a God-fearing Christian, consistent, and at unity with
himself.
IV. "Verily thou shalt be fed." Words cannot be plainer than
these. The Psalmist himself evidently understood them literally.
And to confirm us in this view, we have even a more express command
and promise of our Lord Himself: "Seek ye first the kingdom of God
and His righteousness, and all these things" (meat, drink, and
raiment) "shall be added to you."
H. Alford, Sermons, p. 213.
Psalms 37:3
I. There is something very significant in the order of thought
in the text. It is, "Trust in the Lord, and do good," not Do good,
and trust in the Lord. The Psalmist had his eye on the living root
out of which all living goodness springs. Good deeds will have a
living greenness and a boundless fertility when the root out of
which they spring is planted by the river of the grace and the love
of God.
II. But what is good? What are good deeds? The Churches are
ready enough with their "Do this and live." But God goes at once to
the root of the matter: Be good if you would do good. Good,
beautiful, Christlike deeds are the effluence of a good, beautiful,
Christlike life.
III. The promise, "So shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily
thou shalt be fed." The Psalmist has no ideal meanings here; he
means home and bread. Let a man live out fearlessly the Divine
rule, and daily his life will grow richer in love, in honour, and
in the supply of all his needs.
J. Baldwin Brown, The Sunday Afternoon, p. 344.
Reference: Psa_37:3-8.H. W. Beecher, Christian World Pulpit,
vol. xxvii., p. 93.
Psalms 37:3-9
God is building up a kingdom that is invisiblea kingdom of holy
thoughts, of pure feelings, of faith, of hope, of righteousness.
Gods kingdom is advancing surely, though it advances slowly, and
though it is invisible to us. Here then is the foundation of our
faith, our hope, our patient waiting. We are to rest on the fact
that God is carrying on a work in this world; that He never forgets
that work; that He never lets it lag or linger; that it is ever
going forward, though we may not see it advance, and though it may
seem to be receding.
I. Consider the folly of the discouragement which many feel
because men are so imperfect, particularly those who go from a
higher to a lower state of society. To such men the word is, Wait
on the Lord, wait patiently, and by-and-bye He shall give you the
desire of your heart.
-
II. Consider the folly of envying wicked men when they are in
power, and thinking that perhaps it is worth while to be as wicked
as they are. Their prosperity, says the Psalm in effect, is at the
beginning, and not at the end. Wicked men do prosper for a little
while; but in the end they shall have their just reward.
III. There is an application of the subject to those that are in
trouble. We have no need to hurry. Wait patiently. Trust in God. Do
not give up your faith.
H. W. Beecher, Sermons, 1870, p. 334.
CALVI, "3.Put thy trust in Jehovah, and do good. The inspired
writer now goes on, in the second place, to say, that every thing
in the end shall be well with the righteous, because they are under
the protection of God. But as there is nothing better or more
desirable than to enjoy the fostering and protecting care of God,
he exhorts them to put their trust in him, and at the same time to
follow after goodness and truth. It is not without good reason that
he begins with the doctrine of faith, or trust in God; for there is
nothing more difficult for men than to preserve their minds in a
state of peace and tranquillity, undisturbed by any disquieting
fears, whilst they are in this world, which is subject to so many
changes. On the other hand, while they see the wicked becoming rich
by unjust means, extending their influence, and acquiring power by
unrestrained indulgence in sin, it is no less difficult for them
steadily to persevere in a life of piety and virtue. or is it
sufficient merely to disregard those things that are commonly
sought after with the greatest eagerness. Some of the philosophers
of antiquity were so noble-minded, that they despised riches
unjustly acquired, and abstained from fraud and robbery; nay, they
held up to ridicule the vain pomp and splendor of the wicked, which
the common people look upon with such high admiration. But as they
were destitute of faith, they defrauded God of his honor, and so it
happened that they never knew what it was to be truly happy. ow, as
David places faith first in order, to show that God is the author
of all good, and that by his blessing alone prosperity is to be
looked for; so it ought to be observed that he connects this with a
holy life: for the man who places his whole confidence in God, and
gives himself up to be governed by him, will live uprightly and
innocently, and will devote himself to doing good.
Dwell in the land This language is much more expressive than if
he had promised that the righteous should dwell securely in the
land. (18) It is just as if he had led them to the place, and put
them in possession of it. Moreover, by these words he declares that
they shall long enjoy it. They are, it is true, only strangers or
sojourners in this world, yet the hand of the Lord is stretched
forth to protect them, so that they live in security and peace.
This David again confirms by the following clause, Thou shalt be
fed in truth Assured of the protection of God, he exhorts them to
place entire and unsuspecting confidence in him. It is surprising
to find how interpreters have wrested, and as it were mangled this
clause, by the different meanings they have put upon it. Some take
the verb to feed in an active signification; and others understand
the expression to feed on faith as denoting to cherish within the
heart the promises of God. Others are of opinion that David exhorts
us to feed our brethren with faith by ministering to them the pure
word of God, which is the spiritual food of the soul. Others render
the term for faith in the
-
sense of sincerity, so that the expression to feed on faith
would signify to behave in an upright and honest manner among men.
But the scope and connection of the passage necessarily require,
and it is quite in accordance with the nature of the Hebrew
language, that the verb , re-eh, should be taken in a passive
signification, Be fed This, too, is the opinion of the greater part
of commentators, who, notwithstanding, afterwards differ in
explaining its meaning. Some of them adopt the interpretation, that
we are fed with faith, when the promises of God suffice us, and we
are satisfied with them. Others give this explanation, Feed thyself
with the fruit of faith, because God will indeed show that we have
not believed his word in vain. Others explain it in this way, Let
truth be thy food, and let nothing give thee greater pleasure than
to converse sincerely and frankly with thy neighbors. There is
still another interpretation which, although in some respects
different, is similar to the preceding, namely, Live not upon
spoil, but be content with lawful sustenance; that is to say, with
that which is lawfully acquired. (19) It is certainly a shameful
and disgraceful thing that so many learned men should have erred in
a matter so plain and obvious. (20) Had not every one been led by
his own ambition to seek for something new, the true and natural
meaning of the prophet would have occurred at once, which is this,
Dwell in the land, that thou mayest enjoy it in sure and lasting
repose. The Hebrew word , emunah, not only signifies truth or
faith, but also secure continuance for a long period. And who does
not see that since the possession of the land was given to the
righteous, this latter clause was added by way of exposition?
SPURGEO, "Ver. 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.EXPLAATORY OTES AD QUAIT
SAYIGSVer. 3. ote well the double precept trust and do. This is the
true order, the two must go together, the one produces, the other
proves; the promise is to both. C. H. S.Ver. 3. So shall thou dwell
in the land, etc. Thou shalt have a settlement, a quiet settlement,
and a maintenance, a comfortable maintenance: Verily thou shalt be
fed; some read it, Thou shalt be fed by faith, as the just are said
to live by faith, and it is good living, good feeding upon the
promises. Verily thou shalt be fed, as Elijah in the famine, with
what is needful for thee. God himself is a shepherd, a feeder to
all
-
those that trust in him, Psalms 23:1. Matthew Henry.Ver. 3. So
shalt thou dwell in the land, etc. The land of Canaan was
considered as the sum of earthly, and the type of heavenly
felicity: to be provided for in the Lord's land, and there to dwell
under his protection, near his ordinances, and among his people,
was all that the genuine Israelite could desire. Thomas Scott
(1744-1821) in loc.Ver. 3. Thou shalt be fed. A manner of speech
taken from cattle feeding securely, under the conduct and keeping
of a good shepherd. Henry Ainsworth.Ver. 3. Thou shalt be fed. Fed
in plenty. Thomas Secker (Archbishop), 1768.Ver. 3. Fed in
security. John Parkhurst.
BESO, "Psalms 37:3. Trust in the Lord Depend upon Gods promise
for thy protection and support, for their infidelity is the root of
their wickedness. And do good Continue in the practice of that
which is good and well- pleasing to God. So shalt thou dwell in the
land That is, upon this condition thou shalt dwell in safety and
quietness in Canaan, as God had often promised. Hebrew, , dwell in
the land, as if it were a command to abide in Canaan when troubles
came, and not to flee to the Philistines or other heathen for
shelter, as he had foolishly done. But it is rather a promise, as
appears by comparing this with Psalms 37:27 ; Psalms 37:29, such
promises being often expressed by imperative verbs put for futures.
And verily thou shalt be fed Hebrew, , feed, or, thou shalt be fed,
(that is, every way provided for,) in truth, that is, truly or
assuredly; or with, or by faith, as this word signifies; that is,
by thy trusting in the Lord: thou shalt live by faith, as is said
Habakkuk 2:4 .
ELLICOTT, "(3) The alphabetic structure helps the poet to make
an emphatic threefold exhortation to piety. Trust in Jehovah;
commit thy way to Jehovah; rest in Jehovah.
So shalt thou dwell . . .The Authorised Version is quite right
in taking the verbs in this clause as futures. (Comp. Psalms 37:11;
Psalms 37:18; Psalms 37:22.) Emigration, when referred to by the
prophets (Jeremiah 25:5; Jeremiah 35:15), is always represented as
compulsory, and it was a promise of preservation from it, not a
warning against it, that the pious Israelite needed.
And verily thou shalt be fed.Taken literally this promise may be
addressed to the Levites, and may contain allusion to their
precarious condition, dependent as they were on offerings and
tithes, but the Hebrew may also have the meanings: (1) Thou shalt
feed on (or enjoy) stability (or security). (Comp. Isaiah 33:6 :
and wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times.) (2)
Thou shalt pasture on faithfulness, i.e., be supported by Gods
truth and righteousness as by a rich pasture. (Comp. Psalms 23:1,
and, for the expression, Proverbs 15:14, feedeth on foolishness.)
Possibly both were combined in the psalmists thought, for the
faithfulness of God is the security of man.
COFFMA, "Verse 3
-
EED OF TRUST I THE LORD
"Trust in Jehovah, and do good;
Dwell in the land and feed on his faithfulness.
Delight thyself also in Jehovah;
And he will give thee the desires of thy heart.
Commit thy way unto Jehovah;
Trust also in him, and he will bring it to pass.
And he will make thy righteousness go forth as the light,
And the justice as the noonday.
Rest in Jehovah, and wait patiently for him:
Fret not thyself because of him that prospereth in his way,
Because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass."
That marvelous aria from Mendelssohn's Elijah, gives Psalms 37:7
here, along with Psalms 37:1, as the scriptural basis of the words
of the aria, which are as follows:
"O rest in the Lord; wait patiently for Him.And He shall give
thee thy heart's desires.
Commit thy ways unto Him, and trust in Him,
And fret not thyself because of evil-doers."SIZE>
Every Christian, at one time or another, has marvelled at the
success and prosperity of men who are openly profane and wicked;
and it is that problem with which the psalmist is dealing.
God's people are repeatedly warned not to "fret." That means not
to become irritated, angry, disturbed, or upset by what must appear
to many as an injustice. The caution is that we should, `wait,'
`trust in the Lord,' `commit our way unto God,' and `rest' in Him.
And what will God do? He will continue his `faithfulness' toward
us; he will give us the desires of our hearts (according to the
margin, this means the things we have prayed for); he will `bring
it to pass'; and he will `make the righteous go forth as the light'
and the justice of his saints to shine as the noon sun."
-
These are among the most magnificent promises in the Bible, and
God's people can afford to trust them.
SIMEO, "COFIDECE I GOD RECOMMEDED
Psalms 37:3-6. Trust in the Lord, and do good: so shalt thou
dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself
also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine
heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him, and he
shall bring it to pass: and he shall bring forth thy righteousness
as the light, and thy judgment as the noon-day.
IT might be supposed that God, the righteous Governor of the
universe, would in this world distinguish his people from his
enemies by his visible dispensations towards them: but he does not:
he suffers all things to come alike to all; so that none can
discern either love or hatred by all that is before them [ote:
Ecclesiastes 9:1-2.]. This is often a stumbling-block to the
righteous, who are apt to be discouraged, when they see the
prosperity of the wicked, and are themselves suffering all manner
of adversity. David was at one time greatly dejected, or rather, I
should say, offended, at this very thing; and was led to imagine
that he had served God for nought [ote: Psalms 73:1-14.]. To guard
us against such mistaken views of providence, and against the
feelings which they are wont to excite in the breast, he wrote this
psalm. That we may not repine at the success of evil-doers, he
teaches us to consider, how short their triumph is, and how awful
will be their end. He then, in the words of our text, instructs
us,
I. What we are to do for God
It is here taken for granted that we have many difficulties to
contend with. But instead of being discouraged by them, our duty to
God is,
1. To go on steadily in his service
[Trust thou in the Lord, and do good. It should be an
established principle in our hearts, that duty is ours, and events
are Gods; and that we should attend to our own concerns, and leave
God to his. ow beyond all doubt our great concern is, to prosecute
and finish the work which God has given us to do. We should not
merely attend to good works in general, but consider what is that
particular good which God is calling us to do: perhaps it is to
exercise meekness and patience; or perhaps to put forth fortitude
and firmness. In the event of persecution for righteousness sake,
these graces must be cultivated with more than ordinary attention,
and be called into action in a more than ordinary degree. We are
not to be perplexing our minds with inquiries how we may avert the
storm which is gathering around us, but be solely careful not to be
shaken either in our principles or conduct, or in any respect to
dishonour that God whom we profess to serve. Without this fidelity
in the path of duty, all trust in God will be a delusion: but,
combined with it, our trust in him is a most pleasing and
acceptable service.]
-
2. To seek our happiness in his presence
[Fidelity itself would not be acceptable, if it proceeded from a
principle of slavish fear: we must regard God as a Father, and
delight ourselves in him. It is not a low measure of spirituality
that we should aim at: we should aspire after such an enjoyment of
God as David himself spake of, when he said, I will go unto God, my
exceeding joy [ote: Psalms 43:4.]. In order to this, we should
meditate upon all his glorious perfections, and especially on those
perfections as displayed and magnified in the work of redemption.
O! what wonders of love and mercy may we see in our incarnate, our
redeeming God! In the contemplation of these we should exercise
ourselves day and night, till the fire kindle in our bosoms, and we
burst forth in acclamations and hosannahs to our adorable Emmanuel.
Say, ye who have ever been so occupied, whether such meditations be
not sweet; and whether your souls have not been satisfied as with
marrow and fatness, when you have been so employed?]
3. To commit our every concern to his disposal
[Our duty in this respect may not unfitly be illustrated by the
confidence which passengers in a ship place in a skilful pilot and
an able commander. They trust their persons and their property to
the pilot without any anxious cares or painful apprehensions.
Conscious of their own incapacity to navigate the ship, they
presume not to interfere in the management of the vessel, but leave
the whole concern to those whose province it is to conduct it.
Whatever storms may arise, they look to him who is at the helm to
steer the vessel to its destined port. Thus does the believer
commit his way unto the Lord. To God he looks as ordering every
thing for his good, yea, as having, if we may so speak, a community
of interest with him, and as pledged to bring him in safety to the
harbour where he would be. If any anxious thought arise, he checks
it; and casts all his care on Him, who careth for him. This we
should do in reference to every concern whatever. In relation to
temporal things, we should have no more anxiety than the fowls of
the air, which subsist from day to day on the bounty of their
Creator [ote: Matthew 6:25-34.]: and even in reference to the soul,
the same entire confidence must be placed in God, who has engaged
to carry on and perfect in his people the work he has begun [ote:
Philippians 1:6.]. Let us not however be misunderstood to say, that
we are to put away a jealous fear of ourselves: that we must retain
even to the end of our lives: but an unbelieving fear of God, as
either unable or unwilling to save us, we must cast it off with
abhorrence, and be strong in faith, giving glory to God.]
The promises annexed to these several injunctions shew,
II. What God will do for us
Truly he will do exceeding abundantly for us above all that we
can ask or think
1. He will supply our wants
-
[Great and urgent they may be, even like those with which Israel
was oppressed on different occasions in the land of Canaan: but God
will interpose for us in the hour of need, so that verily we shall
be fed. Under the pressure of their troubles, many Jews deserted
their own land, and sought for security or plenty among their
heathen neighbours: thus they rather fled from trouble, than looked
to God, as they should have done, to relieve them from it. We must
not act thus: we must not desert our post because of difficulties
which we meet with in it; but must expect from God all those
supplies of grace and strength which we stand in need of. He that
believeth, will not make haste: he will not presently despond,
because he sees not how his wants are to be supplied; but will
remember, that, as the earth, and the fulness thereof, is the
Lords, so there is all fulness of spiritual blessings also
treasured up for him in Christ, and he will look to Christ for
daily communications, according as his necessities may require. The
Lord did not give to Elijah a store of provision that should s