“The Song of God’s Faithfulness—Psalm 37″ (Part One)

Introduction: We began last week to consider a trilogy of psalms that deal with the OT “Doctrine of Retribution,” and again, Derek Kidner’s commentary on psalms has been a great help in this study.

Last week, in Psalm 34, we saw the doctrine flatly stated

Next week, in Psalm 73, we will see the psalmist himself as the sufferer, challenged to take comfort in these powerful truths.

This week, we see Psalm 37, and it has a very different tone than Psalm 34 did. Here, the psalmist is not stating facts, he is answering questions. He will affirm the doctrine, but from the more personal perspective of giving third-party instruction to a person who, though righteous, is suffering.

The words of a counselor to a person in pain are often poignant, and so it is here as well. In a sense, he is explaining how the third Beatitude works (“the meek shall inherit”), when it doesn’t seem to work here. Again, his goal is to wrestle with the question, “Why do the righteous suffer, when the wicked seem to prosper?”

Structure- Three issues of structure are worth noting…

• Like Psalm 34, this is an acrostic psalm. The difference in structure, however, is seen in a fresh letter of the alphabet for every “double verse” (vv.1-2, 3-4, etc.) instead of every verse.
• The psalm bears a distinct resemblance in style to the book of Proverbs.
• There seems to be a chiastic design, with the point of the chiasm being the contrast of the wicked and the righteous in vv.12-26.

I. Declaration of the Doctrine of Retribution (v.6)

The basic concept of the doctrine is summarized in v.6, but is found in its fullness in v.9. Notice…

• And He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your judgment as the noonday. (Ps 37:6).
• For evildoers will be cut off, But those who wait for the LORD, they will inherit the land. (Ps 37:9).

It is also found in the book of Proverbs in two key passages…

• Do not let your heart envy sinners, But live in the fear of the LORD always. Surely there is a future, And your hope will not be cut off. (Pr 23:17-18).
• Do not fret because of evildoers, Or be envious of the wicked; For there will be no future for the evil man; The lamp of the wicked will be put out. (Pr 24:19-20).

Notice that Proverbs 24:19 is almost a verbatim repetition of Psalm 37:1. As we saw last week, this doctrine (law) of retribution was one of the basic tenets of Jewish thought and OT teaching—expressing the confidence of the Jewish people in the ultimate justice of God being expressed.

We’ll pick up here tomorrow…