Psalms 37
1    Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.
2    For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.
3    Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
4    Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
5    Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
6    And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.
7    Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.
8    Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.
9    For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.
10    For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.
11    But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
12    The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth.
13    The Lord shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming.
14    The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as be of upright conversation.
15    Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken.
16    A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked.
17    For the arms of the wicked shall be broken: but the LORD upholdeth the righteous.
18    The LORD knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever.
19    They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.
20    But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the LORD shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.
21    The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again: but the righteous sheweth mercy, and giveth.
22    For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth; and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off.
23    The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.
24    Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.
25    I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.
26    He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed.
27    Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore.
28    For the LORD loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.
29    The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever.
30    The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment.
31    The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.
32    The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him.
33    The LORD will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged.
34    Wait on the LORD, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.
35    I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree.
36    Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.
37    Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace.
38    But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off.
39    But the salvation of the righteous is of the LORD: he is their strength in the time of trouble.
40    And the LORD shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him.


The following was written by Nicholas Byfield regarding Psalms 37.

     Whole Psalm.  The righteous are preserved in Christ with a special preservation and in a peculiar safety.  In the 37th Psalm this point is excellently and at large handled, both by direct proof, and by answer to all the usual objections against their safety.  That they shall be preserved is affirmed, verses 3, 17, 23, 25, 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.” Verse 2.

     Objection 2.  Righteous men are in distress.
     Solution. - Verse 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. - Verses 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. - Verses 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. - Verse 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. - Verse 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. - Verse 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. - Verse 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. - Verses 35-36.  Note also that these “spreading bay-trees” many times “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. - Verse 37.  Yet, “his end is peace.”

     Objection 11.  But nobody stands for the godly when they come into question.
     Solution. - Verses 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 (verse 1). 
     2.  We must “trust in the Lord and do good” (verse 3).  
     3.  We must “delight ourselves in the Lord,” and not place our contentment on earthly things (verse 4). 
     4.  We must “commit our ways to God” (verse 5). 
     5.  We must get patience and humble affections (verses 7-11).
     6.  We must be of upright conversation (verse 14). 
     7.  We must be merciful (verses 25-26). 
     8.  We must “speak righteous things,” and get “the law into our hearts” (verses 30-31). 
     9.  We must “keep our way,”and “wait on God,” and not use ill means. 
                                                                                                                                      Nicholas Byfield