This document provides commentary on Psalm 37 from multiple scholars. It discusses the overall message of the psalm, which is to not fret or be envious of wicked people despite their present prosperity, as their ruin is coming. It provides analysis on specific verses and terms used. The commentators explain that the psalm uses repetition to affirm God's justice and reward of the righteous despite current inequalities. It was written to comfort God's people and warn against sinful attitudes.

1. PSALM 37 COMME TARY
EDITED BY GLE PEASE
I TRODUCTIO
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 conviction—
sincere expression of the religious faith of Israel at any period before the captivity—
is 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 poet’s 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.
CO STABLE, "This wisdom psalm advances the thought of Psalm 36. ote the

2. 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;
BAR ES, "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:

3. (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.
HE RY 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

4. 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 God’s
providence are vindicated, and its seeming inequalities, which excite the cavils of the
wicked and the distrust of the pious, are explained. David’s 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 ‫ה‬ ָ‫ר‬ ָ‫ח‬ ְ‫ת‬ ִ‫,ה‬ to grow hot or angry (distinct from ‫ה‬ ָ‫ר‬ ֱ‫ֽח‬ ֶ , to emulate, Jer_12:5;
Jer_22:15), alternates ‫א‬ֵ ִ‫,ק‬ 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
‫לוּ‬ ָ ִ‫י‬ is, according to Gesenius, Olshausen, and Hitzig, fut. Kal of ‫ל‬ ֵ‫ל‬ ָ‫,מ‬ cognate ‫ל‬ ַ‫מ‬ፎ, they
wither away, pausal form for ‫לוּ‬ ְ ִ‫י‬ like ‫ממוּ‬ ָ ִ‫,י‬ Psa_102:28; but the signification to cut off
also is secured to the verb ‫ל‬ ַ‫ל‬ ָ‫מ‬ by the Niph. ‫ל‬ ַ‫מ‬ָ‫,נ‬ Gen_17:11, whence fut. ‫לוּ‬ ָ ִ‫י‬ = ‫וּ‬ ַ ִ‫;י‬ vid.,
on Job_14:2; Job_18:16. ‫א‬ ֶ‫שׁ‬ ֶ ‫ק‬ ֶ‫ר‬ֶ‫י‬ is a genitival combination: the green (viror) of young
vigorous vegetation.

5. 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 love—no, for
that they have always had—but 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 slanderer’s foul tongue is ever ready to attack a holy character. Envy’s 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,

6. 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, ‫אל‬-‫תתחר‬ , 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

7. 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.
EXPLA ATORY OTES A D QUAI T SAYI GS
Whole 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

8. "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

9. shall soon be cut off, and wither as a green herb. Ludovic de Carbone, quoted by
John Spencer.
COFFMA , "RIGHTEOUS REWARDED; WICKED PU ISHED
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,

10. 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. ‫לדוד‬ 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

11. 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 God’s 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 1-9
1). 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

12. 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

13. 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 God’s,
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 envy—which is nearly always an accompaniment of fretting—than 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 God’s grace. If
He has made it, He will keep it. Your reputation is not of half so much account as
are God’s cause, etc.
3. What are the symptoms of this disease.
(1) It is generally accompanied by envy—“neither 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 God’s 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.

14. II. The prescription.
1. The first item is trust in the Lord. Faith cures fretting. I believe in the “faith
cure”—not 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 God’s 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 eyes—it 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. God’s 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.

15. 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 Cromwell’s friends was a fretting
Christian, to whom everything went wrong. On a certain occasion, when unusually
fretful, his sensible servant said, “Master, don’t you think that God governed the
world very well before you came into it? Yes; but why do you ask? Master, don’t you
think God will govern the world very well after you go out of it?” “Of course I do.”
“Well, then, can’t 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

16. 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 father’s 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 Lord’s 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.”
Don’t 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.

17. 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 malignity—they 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 emotion—wasted! 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.)

18. 2 for like the grass they will soon wither,
like green plants they will soon die away.
BAR ES, "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” - ‫מהרה‬ me
hêrâh - 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,

19. 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?
EXPLA ATORY OTES A D QUAI T SAYI GS
Ver. 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 DICTIO ARY 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

20. 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.
BAR ES, "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

21. 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, ‫אמונה‬ ‫ורעה‬ ureeh emunah, might be translated, “and feed by faith.” The
Septuagint has και ποιµανθησᇽ επι τሩ πλουτሩ αυτης, 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 ‫אמונה‬ 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

22. 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.
HE RY, "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.

23. “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,” God’s 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 ‫ה‬ָ‫מוּנ‬ ֱ‫א‬ is not an adverbial accusative as in Psa_119:75
(Ewald), but the object to ‫ה‬ ָ‫ע‬ ָ‫,ר‬ to pasture, to pursue, to practise (Syriac ‫ף‬ ַ‫ד‬ ָ‫,ר‬ Hos_12:2);
cf. ‫ה‬ ֶ‫ע‬ ֵ‫,ר‬ ַ‫ע‬ ֵ‫,ר‬ one who interests himself in any one, or anything; Beduin râ‛â = ᑑâᐓb, of every
kind of closer relationship (Deutsch. Morgenländ. Zeitschr. v. 9). In Psa_37:4, ‫ן‬ ֵ‫ת‬ִ‫י‬ְ‫ו‬ is an
apodosis: delight in Jahve (cf. Job_22:26; Psa_27:10; Isa_58:14), so will He grant thee
the desire (‫,משׁאלת‬ as in Psa_20:5) of thy heart; for he who, entirely severed from the
creature, finds his highest delight in God, cannot desire anything that is at enmity with
God, but he also can desire nothing that God, with whose will his own is thoroughly
blended in love, would refuse him.
SBC, "Our text contains three precepts and a promise.
I. The first precept is "Put thou thy trust in the Lord." Here comes in a most important
question: Who is the Lord, that I may trust Him? The word here rendered "the Lord" is
in Hebrew "Jehovah," which was God’s covenant name to His people Israel. In this
name, "Jehovah," was bound up the promise made to Abraham that in his seed should
all the families of the earth be blessed. So that when it was said to the Jew of old, "Put
thou thy trust in Jehovah," it was said, Trust in thy covenant God, the God of Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob, the God of His people Israel. The covenant has been now enlarged
from the members of one human family to the whole family in heaven and earth. What
the Jew saw in shadow, and type, and prophecy we see in its blessed fulfilment. The
Desire of all nations is come. Whatever reason there may have been for the Jew to put
his trust in the Lord, that reason is now for us very much stronger and more urgent.
God, who appeared to them but in the dim and gradual dawn of His merciful purposes to
mankind, has risen on us with His full life-giving and cheering power, the Sun of
righteousness, with healing on His wings.
II. The second precept has reference to the kind of life which he who puts his trust in the
Lord must lead. He is not to be an idle member of society, a burden to the land, but
active and useful in the relations of life. "Be doing good." Christian activity is a necessary
condition of the fulfilment of the promise with which the text concludes.
III. Our next precept is of a different kind, and regards that quietness and
conformableness to the laws and usages of human society in which, provided they be not

24. contradictory to the express commands of God, the Christian man should always be
found. "Dwell in the land." As the Christian is on the Lord’s 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 invisible—a kingdom of holy thoughts, of pure
feelings, of faith, of hope, of righteousness. God’s 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.

25. 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

26. 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 ‫,רעה‬ 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 ‫,אמונה‬ 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.
EXPLA ATORY OTES A D QUAI T SAYI GS
Ver. 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

27. 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.
BE SO , "Psalms 37:3. Trust in the Lord — Depend upon God’s 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, ‫ארצ‬ ‫,שׁכן‬ 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, ‫אמונה‬ ‫,רעה‬ 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 God’s 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 psalmist’s thought, for the
faithfulness of God is the security of man.
COFFMA , "Verse 3

28. 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."

29. These are among the most magnificent promises in the Bible, and God's people can
afford to trust them.
SIMEO , "CO FIDE CE I GOD RECOMME DED
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 God’s; 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.]

30. 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—

31. [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 Lord’s,” 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 suffice for months to come, but sent him bread and meat twice a day by the
ministration of ravens, and afterwards a daily supply from the widow’s cruse. In the
same manner will he impart a sufficiency of temporal and spiritual blessings to all
who trust in him; and “according to their day, so their strength shall be.” “The soul
that trusts in Him shall want no manner of thing that is good.”]
2. He will fulfil our desires—
[If our desires were after the things of time and sense, we might expect to have them
withheld from us: but if they be, as the believer’s are, after God himself, we shall
never be disappointed: on the contrary, the more earnest and enlarged our desire is,
the more certain we are that God will fulfil and satisfy it. The more “wide we open
our mouth,” the more assured we are that “he will fill it.” “He will fulfil the desire
of them that fear him; he also will hear their cry, and will help them.” Do we desire
increasing “views of his glory? He will put us into the cleft of the rock, and make all
his goodness to pass before our eyes [ ote: Exodus 33:18-23.].” Do we desire a more
intimate and abiding communion with him? He will “come and dwell in us, and
walk in us, and be altogether our God [ ote: 2 Corinthians 6:16.].” Do we desire a
more entire conformity to him? He will “transform us into his image from glory to
glory,” by the sanctifying influence of his Holy Spirit [ ote: 2 Corinthians 3:18.].
There shall not be a thing that we can ask, but he will give it us, if only it will be
conducive to our spiritual and eternal welfare [ ote: John 15:7 and 1 John 5:14-15.
with Psalms 21:1-2.].]
3. He will give a happy issue to all our concerns—
[There may be many difficulties in our way, and such as shall be to all appearance
insurmountable; but He who made a path through the Red Sea, will remove them
all in due time. Whatever in his wisdom he sees to be best for us, “he will bring it to
pass.” We may labour under many discouragements by reason of calumnies which
are circulated respecting us: the world may represent us as enthusiasts that “turn
the world upside down,” as deceivers that are seeking some base ends of our own, as
abettors of sedition, and enemies to civil government; in a word, they may speak of
us as “the filth of the earth, and the off-scouring of all things;” but God will not

32. leave us to sink under these reproaches: he will sooner or later appear for us, and
“make our righteousness to shine forth as the noon-day.” We shall have “good
report to pass through, as well as evil report;” and our very demeanour under our
persecutions shall carry conviction to the minds of many, that we are indeed the
sons of God [ ote: Matthew 27:54.]. At all events, if not before, at least at the day of
judgment, our reproach shall be rolled away, and “we shall shine forth as the sun in
the kingdom of our Father [ ote: Matthew 13:43].”]
Reflections. See from hence,
1. What they lose who are ignorant of God—.
[All that is implied either in the precepts or the promises of our text is altogether
unknown to those who experience not the power of religion in their hearts.
Whatever burthens they have, are borne upon their own shoulders: they know not
what it is to cast them upon the Lord. Hence, when oppressed with heavy trials, they
faint and sink under them; and for want of the consolations and supports of
religion, they not unfrequently meditate, and sometimes also carry into execution,
the awful act of suicide. O that men did but know what provision there is made for
them in the Gospel of Christ! In, and with Christ, there is all that we can want, for
body or for soul, for time or for eternity — — — Only let us seek to be washed in
his blood, to be renewed by his Spirit, and to live altogether by faith on him; and we
shall find such rich supplies, such heavenly consolations, such a fulness of all
spiritual and eternal blessings, as shall far surpass all that the carnal eye has ever
seen, and all that the carnal imagination has ever conceived [ ote: 1 Corinthians
2:9.].]
2. What they enjoy who live nigh to God—
[Contemplate the state of those who are now in heaven; how free from care, and
how completely happy in the fruition of their God! Such in a measure may our state
be even in this present world. Those who believe in Christ are privileged to rejoice
in him, yea, and many do “rejoice in him, with joy unspeakable and glorified.” By
committing themselves, and all their concerns, to him, “their very thoughts, which
are naturally as fluctuating as the wind, are established [ ote: Proverbs 16:3.].” O
Believers, live not below your privileges: carry every thing to your adorable
Saviour, and expect from him all that infinite love can give, and all that
Omnipotence can effect. “All things are yours, if ye are Christ’s;” even “death itself,
as well as life, is among your treasures [ ote: 1 Corinthians 3:21-23.]:” and soon
shall all the glory and felicity of heaven be your unalienable and everlasting
possession.]
ISBET, "REMEDIES FOR DESPO DE CY
‘Trust in the Lord, and do good: dwell in the land and follow after faithfulness.’
Psalms 37:3 (R.V.)
One of the many dangers that we have to guard against in the spiritual life is the
danger of despondency. This depression of soul is no new thing in the history of