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

This week we are considering the theme of God’s justice in an unjust world by looking at the second in a trilogy of psalms on that subject. Last week we saw Psalm 34, and this week we are looking at Psalm 37. We began yesterday, and pick up the song today…

II. Support for the Doctrine of Retribution (in Psalm 37)

Notice the psalmist’s strong statements on retribution and reward…

A. Retribution for the Wicked

• For evildoers will be cut off, But those who wait for the LORD, they will inherit the land. Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more; And you will look carefully for his place, and he will not be there. (Ps 37:9,10).
• The Lord laughs at him; For He sees his day is coming. (Ps 37:13).
• Their sword will enter their own heart, And their bows will be broken. (Ps 37:15).
• For the arms of the wicked will be broken; But the LORD sustains the righteous. (Ps 37:17).
• But the wicked will perish; And the enemies of the LORD will be like the glory of the pastures, They vanish–like smoke they vanish away. (Ps 37:20).
• For the LORD loves justice, And does not forsake His godly ones; They are preserved forever; But the descendants of the wicked will be cut off. (Ps 37:28).
• Wait for the LORD, and keep His way, And He will exalt you to inherit the land; When the wicked are cut off, you will see it. (Ps 37:34).
• Then he passed away, and lo, he was no more; I sought for him, but he could not be found. (Ps 37:36).
• But transgressors will be altogether destroyed; The posterity of the wicked will be cut off. (Ps 37:38).

B. Reward for the Righteous

• For evildoers will be cut off, But those who wait for the LORD, they will inherit the land. (Ps 37:9).
• But the humble will inherit the land, And will delight themselves in abundant prosperity. (Ps 37:11).
• For the arms of the wicked will be broken; But the LORD sustains the righteous. The LORD knows the days of the blameless; And their inheritance will be forever. They will not be ashamed in the time of evil; And in the days of famine they will have abundance. (Ps 37:17-19).
• For those blessed by Him will inherit the land; But those cursed by Him will be cut off. (Ps 37:22).
• I have been young, and now I am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, Or his descendants begging bread. All day long he is gracious and lends; And his descendants are a blessing. (Ps 37:25-26).
• For the LORD loves justice, And does not forsake His godly ones; They are preserved forever; But the descendants of the wicked will be cut off. The righteous will inherit the land, And dwell in it forever. (Ps 37:28-29).
• The LORD will not leave him in his hand, Or let him be condemned when he is judged. Wait for the LORD, and keep His way, And He will exalt you to inherit the land; When the wicked are cut off, you will see it. (Ps 37:33-34).
• Mark the blameless man, and behold the upright; For the man of peace will have a posterity. (Ps 37:37).

III. Pattern of the Doctrine of Retribution

Once you understand how completely the OT is committed to this spiritual principle, you can begin to apply its essential lessons to the way we live. This is not an abstract concept that has no direct relationship to life- it is a critical spiritual truth that MUST be a factor in our choices, decisions, and actions. To that end, in the main body of the psalm, the author gives us three overarching principles to consider as we look at life…

A. Trust in the Lord is the Primary Need of the Righteous (vv.1-11)

This is the absolutely critical starting point! We must understand from the outset that the battlefield here is the MIND of the believer! In our minds, we can become frustrated and even exasperated by the prosperity of the wicked—but David counsels us well. He reminds us that the apparent prosperity of the wicked is NOT our concern—our focus is to be on trust in the Lord, and a corresponding faithfulness to Him in our lives.

B. Reversal of Fortunes for the Wicked is Inevitable, Ultimate Blessing of the Righteous is Inevitable (vv.12-26)-

Here, in the main stanza of the song, the two types of people (wicked, righteous) are looked at from the outside, and the fortunes and ways are compared. On the basis of the affirmations of vv.9-11, the psalmist offers us five significant contrasts…

1. The wicked devise evil against the righteous, but the Lord laughs at them (vv.12-13)
2. The wicked attack the meek, but their own violence shall destroy them (vv.14-15)
3. It is better to have little, than to be wicked and have much (vv.16-17)
4. The Lord knows and protects the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked shall perish (vv.18-20)
5. The wicked selfishly take and keep, but the Lord will reward the generosity of the righteous (vv.21-22)

C. Viability of the Doctrine of Retribution is Affirmed (vv.27-40)

The psalm closes with the reminder (v.40) of our need for patient trust, which strongly contrasts the impatient frustration of the first verse.

Psalm 37 recognizes that there may be delays in the accomplishment of retribution, but challenges us to see that God protects the righteous along the way (vv.12-13, 25-26), and it assures us of final retribution (again, you “reap what you sow”, see v.13). So how do we deal with this? How do we respond to this apparent contradiction? We see that as we close tomorrow with Psalm 34…