PSALM 37

The happy state of the godly, and the short-lived prosperity of the wicked Psalm 1.1-40

²For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.

³Trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) in the Lord and do good; so shall you dwell in the land and feed surely on His faithfulness, and truly you shall be fed.

⁴Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart.

⁵Commit your way to the Lord [roll and repose each care of your load on Him]; trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) also in Him and He will bring it to pass.

⁶And He will make your upright and right standing with God go forth as the light, and your justice and right as [the shining sun of].

⁷Be still and rest in the Lord; wait for Him and patiently lean yourself upon Him; fret not yourself because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked devices to pass.

⁸Cease from anger and forsake wrath; fret not yourself - it tends only to evildoing.

⁹For evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait and hope and look for the Lord [in the end] shall inherit the earth. [Isa 57.13c]

¹⁰For yet a little while, and the evildoers will be no more; though you look with care where they used to be, they will not be found. [Heb 10.36,37; Rev 21.7,8]

¹¹But the meek [in the end] shall inherit the earth and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. [Ps 37.29; Matt 5.5]

¹²The wicked plot against the [uncompromisingly] righteous (the upright in right standing with God); they gnash at them with their teeth.

¹³The Lord laughs at [the wicked], for He sees that their own day [of defeat] is coming.

¹⁴The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows to cast down the poor and needy, to slay those who walk uprightly (blameless in conduct and in conversation).

¹⁵The swords [of the wicked] shall enter their own hearts, and their bows shall be broken.

¹⁶Better is the little that the [uncompromisingly] righteous have than the abundance [of possessions] of many who are wrong and wicked. [1Tim 6.6,7]

¹⁷For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but the Lord upholds the [consistently] righteous.

¹⁸The Lord knows the days of the upright and blameless, and their heritage will abide forever.

¹⁹They shall not be put to shame in the time of evil; and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.

²⁰But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the Lord shall be as the fat of lambs [that is consumed in smoke] and as the glory of the pastures. They shall vanish; like smoke shall they consume away.

²¹The wicked borrow and pay not again [for they may be unable], but the [uncompromisingly] righteous deal kindly and give [for they are able].

²²For such as are blessed of God shall [in the end] inherit the earth, but they that are cursed of Him shall be cut off. [Isa 57.13c]

²³The steps of a [good] man are directed and established by the Lord when He delights in his way [and He busies Himself with his every step].

²⁴Though he falls, he shall not be utterly cast down, for the Lord grasps his hand in support and upholds him.

²⁵I have been young and now am old, yet have I not seen the [uncompromisingly] righteous forsaken or their seed begging bread.

²⁶All day long they are merciful and deal graciously; they lend, and their offspring are blessed.

²⁷Depart from evil and do good; and you will dwell forever [securely].

²⁸For the Lord delights in justice and forsakes not His saints.

They are preserved forever, but the offspring of the wicked [in time] shall be cut off.

²⁹[Then] the [consistently] righteous shall inherit the land and dwell upon it forever.

³⁰The mouth of the [uncompromisingly] righteous utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks with justice.

³¹The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.

³²The wicked lie in wait for the [uncompromisingly] righteous and seek to put them to death.

³³The Lord will not leave them in their hands, or [suffer them to] condemn them when they are judged.

³⁴Wait for and expect the Lord and keep and heed His say, and He will exalt you to inherit the land; [in the end] when the wicked are cut off, you shall see it.

³⁵I have seen a wicked man in great power and spreading himself like a green tree in its native soil,

³⁶yet he passed away, and behold, he was not; yes, I sought and inquired for him, but he could not be found.

³⁷Mark the blameless man and behold the upright, for there is a happy end for the man of peace.

³⁸As for transgressors, they shall be destroyed together; in the end the wicked shall be cut off.

³⁹But the salvation of the [consistently] righteous is of the Lord; He is their Refuge and secure Stronghold in the time of trouble.

⁴⁰And the Lord helps them and delivers them; He delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they trust and take refuge in Him.

David moves God to take compassion of his pitiful case, confessing his sins to be the cause thereof Psalm 38.1-22

²For Your arrows have sunk into me and stick fast, and Your hand has come down upon me and pressed me sorely.

³There is no soundness in my flesh because of Your indignation; neither is there any health or rest in my bones because of my sin.

⁴For my iniquities have gone over my head [like waves of a flood]; as a heavy burden they weigh too much for me.

⁵My wounds are loathsome and corrupt because of my foolishness.

⁶I am bent and bowed down greatly; I go about mourning all the day long.

⁷For my loins are filled with burning; and there is no soundness in my flesh.

⁸I am faint and sorely bruised [deadly cold and quite worn out]; I groan be reason of the disquiet and moaning of my heart.

⁹Lord, all my desire is before You; and my sighing is not hidden from You.

¹⁰My heart throbs, my strength fails me; as for the light of my eyes, it also is gone from me.

¹¹My lovers and my friends stand aloof from my plague; and my neighbors and my near ones stand afar off. [Luke 23.49]

¹²They also that seek and demand my life lay snares for me, and they that seek and require my hurt speak crafty and mischievous things; they meditate treachery and deceit all the day long.

¹³But I, like a deaf man, hear not; and I am like a dumb man who opens not his mouth.

¹⁴Yes, I have become like a man who hears not, in whose mouth are no arguments or replies.

¹⁵For in You, O Lord, do I hope; You will answer, O Lord my God.

¹⁶For I pray, "Let them not rejoice over me, who when my foot slips boast against me."

¹⁷For I am ready to halt and fall; my pain and sorrow are continually before me.

¹⁸For I do confess my guilt and iniquity; I am filled with sorrow for my sin. [2Cor 7.9,10]

¹⁹But my enemies are vigorous and strong, and those who hate me wrongfully are multiplied.

²⁰They also that render evil for good are adversaries to me, because I follow the thing that is good.

²¹Forsake me not, O Lord; O my God, be not far from me.

²²Make haste to help me, O Lord, my Salvation.

David's care of his thoughts Psalm 39.1-3

²I was dumb with silence, I held my peace without profit and had no comfort away from good, while my distress was renewed.

³My heart was hot within me. While I was musing, the fire burned; then I spoke with my tongue:

The brevity and vanity of life Psalm 39.4-13

⁵Behold, You have made my days as [short as] handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing in Your sight. Truly every man at his best is merely a breath!

Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!

⁶Surely every man walks to and fro - like a shadow in a pantomime; sorely for futility and emptiness he is in turmoil; each one heaps up riches, not knowing who will gather them. [1Cor 7.31; James 4.14]

⁷"And now, Lord, what do I wait for and expect? My hope and expectation are in You.

⁸Deliver me from all my transgressions; make me not the scorn and reproach of the [self-confident] fool!

⁹I am dumb, I open not my mouth, for it is You Who has done it.

¹⁰Remove Your stroke away from me; I am consumed by the conflict and the blow of Your hand.

¹¹"When with rebukes You correct and chasten men for sin, You waste his beauty like a moth and what is dear to him consumes away; surely every man is a mere breath.

Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!

¹²Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear to my cry; hold not Your peace at my tears! For I am Your passing guest, a temporary resident, as all my fathers were.

¹³O look away from me and spare me, that I may recover cheerfulness and encouraging strength and know gladness before I go and am no more!"