Psalm 37: Chill

Psalm 37 is long. Forty verses makes it the eighth longest of all the psalms by my count and the second longest of all of the psalms ascribed to David. (Psalm 18 is David’s longest.) So did you get through it all? If you did, did you learn its message?

Yes, yes? Yes, no? No, no? Oh, no?

Here is my attempt to help.

Let’s start with an observation that is pretty cool. The first line of psalm 37 gives a command to the reader: "Do not fret because of evil men." The Hebrew word for "fret" literally means "to burn." When it is active, it refers to a person’s anger, but when it is passive, as it is in Psalm 37, it refers to a person’s anxiety. It literally means "to heat oneself in vexation." Of course, in this verse the negative particle is also thrown in there. So it means "Do not heat yourself with vexation." I told you this observation was cool.

Now, that’s a pretty descriptive idiom. King David is saying, "Cool it!" Surf-King Dave would say, "Look, bro, don’t sweat the evil dudes. Simmer down, man. Just chill out." See? We have lots of modern English idioms that are based on the same concept. Realizations like this help us to see that those old Hebrew guys were not so different from us. Their foreheads got hot when they worried just like ours, but David says not to let that happen.

This exact phrase occurs three times in psalm 37. It is in verses 1, 7, and 8. It only occurs one other time in the Old Testament. Therefore, I consider this particular command as central to this psalm’s message. And, by the way, if you check The Message translation, you will see that Peterson is right-on in verse 8. It took him a couple misses in verses 1 and 7, but the third time was the charm: "Cool your pipes." Nice.

So to help you get this big psalm into your head, I suggest that the entire thing can be boiled down to one simple imperative verb: "Chill."

Of course, David wants you to know why you should chill, and he wants you to understand how you should chill. The rest of this piece is simply an attempt to organize David’s thoughts categorically in order to help you see the power behind his command.

Why you should chill.

Reason 1, David wants you to understand that the days of the wicked are numbered. He finds comfort in the temporary status of evil doers. This is the main thing that he wants to get across to you concerning wicked men. David says it over and over. You should chill because the wicked will soon perish.

v. 2 - for like the grass they will soon wither,
v. 2 - like green plants they will soon die away.
v. 9 - For evil men will be cut off,
v. 10 - A little while, and the wicked will be no more;
v. 10 - though you look for them, they will not be found.
v. 13 - but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he knows their day is coming.
v. 15 - But their swords will pierce their own hearts, (This one reminds me of King Saul.)
v. 15 - and their bows will be broken.
v. 17 - for the power of the wicked will be broken,
v. 20 - But the wicked will perish:
v. 20 - The LORD's enemies will be like the beauty of the fields, they will vanish-- vanish like smoke.
v. 22 - but those he curses will be cut off.
v. 28 - but the offspring of the wicked will be cut off;
v. 35-36 - I have seen a wicked and ruthless man flourishing like a green tree in its native soil, but he soon passed away and was no more; though I looked for him, he could not be found.
v. 38 - But all sinners will be destroyed;
v. 38 - the future of the wicked will be cut off.

Reason 2, David wants you to understand that the days of the righteous are not numbered. They will be filled with security and joy. For as many times as the wicked are promised quick destruction in this psalm, the righteous are promised eternal blessing. You should chill because God will fulfill your deepest desires.

v. 4 - and he will give you the desires of your heart.
v. 5 - and he will do this:
v. 6 - He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.
v. 9 - but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.
v. 11 - But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace.
v. 16 - Better the little that the righteous have than the wealth of many wicked;
v. 17 - but the LORD upholds the righteous.
v. 18 - The days of the blameless are known to the LORD,
v. 18 - and their inheritance will endure forever.
v. 19 - In times of disaster they will not wither;
v. 19 - in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.
v. 22 - those the LORD blesses will inherit the land,
v. 23 - If the LORD delights in a man's way, he makes his steps firm;
v. 24 - though he stumble, he will not fall,
v. 24 - for the LORD upholds him with his hand.
v. 25 - I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.
v. 26 - their children will be blessed.
v. 27 - then you will dwell in the land forever.
v. 28 - For the LORD loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones.
v. 28 - They will be protected forever,
v. 29 - the righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever.
v. 33 - but the LORD will not leave them in their power or let them be condemned when brought to trial.
v. 34 - He will exalt you to inherit the land;
v. 34 - when the wicked are cut off, you will see it.
v. 37 - there is a future for the man of peace.
v. 39 - The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD;
v. 39 - he is their stronghold in time of trouble.
v. 40 - The LORD helps them and delivers them;
v. 40 - he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,

How you should chill.

David explains how you should respond to these promises in two basic ways, descriptively and prescriptively. In other words, he describes the behavior of the righteous as opposed to that of the wicked, and he gives lots and lots of commands for living. If you like personal application, this is your psalm.

Descriptively, David gives glimpses of both the righteous and the wicked in order for you to understand the contrasting nature of the two lifestyles. He wants you to observe what is pleasing and unpleasing to God.

Consider how he describes the righteous.

v. 21 - but the righteous give generously;
v. 30 - The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom,
v. 30 - and his tongue speaks what is just.
v. 31 - The law of his God is in his heart;
v. 31 - his feet do not slip.
v. 26 - They are always generous and lend freely;
v. 40 - because they take refuge in him.

Now consider how he describes the wicked.

v. 12 - The wicked plot against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them;
v. 14 - The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright.
v. 21 - The wicked borrow and do not repay,
v. 32 - The wicked lie in wait for the righteous, seeking their very lives;

Prescriptively, David has tons to say. In these statements, he wants you to feel the weight of your own responsibility to please God. Get ready for some commands.

v. 1 - Do not fret because of evil men
v. 1 - or be envious of those who do wrong;
v. 3 - Trust in the LORD
v. 3 - and do good;
v. 3 - dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
v. 4 - Delight yourself in the LORD
v. 5 - Commit your way to the LORD;
v. 5 - trust in him
v. 7 - Be still before the LORD
v. 7 - and wait patiently for him;
v. 7 - do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.
v. 8 - Refrain from anger
v. 8 - and turn from wrath;
v. 8 - do not fret-- it leads only to evil.
v. 27 - Turn from evil
v. 27 - and do good;
v. 34 - Wait for the LORD
v. 34 - and keep his way.
v. 37 - Consider the blameless,
v. 37 - observe the upright;

So there you go. David’s second longest psalm is extremely full yet amazingly simple. David takes forty verses to basically say, "Chill because the wicked will soon perish and you will not. In the mean time, here’s how you should live."

Now I have to ask. Did I help you with those two questions I asked you at the beginning?

Well, if you made it this far, at least the answer to the first question is "yes" because you just read the entire psalm. Every word is categorized above.

As far as the second question, "Did you learn its message?" You will find out the answer the next time you are tempted to "heat yourself with vexation" over our fallen environment.

I hope I have been an aid to your meditation. If not, you may be tempted to get frustrated at me over the length of this piece. Well, in that case, I have just one word for you: "Chill."

Soli Deo Gloria,
Glenn

If you would like to view The Message version of psalm 37, Click Here