Psalms 37
A PSALM OF DAVID

[Psalms 37:1] FRET NOT THYSELF BECAUSE OF EVILDOERS, NEITHER BE THOU ENVIOUS AGAINST THE WORKERS OF INIQUITY. " INIQUITY": Hebrew "avlah" (with an "ayin") meaning "evil". There is a similar word "avil" (with an "aleph") meaning "criminal irresponsibility". Both these words give rise to the English word "evil" and have related meanings.

[Psalms 37:2] FOR THEY SHALL SOON BE CUT DOWN LIKE THE GRASS, AND WITHER AS THE GREEN HERB.

[Psalms 37:3] TRUST IN THE LORD, AND DO GOOD; SO SHALT THOU DWELL IN THE LAND, AND VERILY THOU SHALT BE FED.
The second section of this verse is also translatable as saying: Live in the Land (i.e. live normally) and you shall be shepherded through your faith. Be good and good shall you be.

[Psalms 37:4] DELIGHT THYSELF ALSO IN THE LORD: AND HE SHALL GIVE THEE THE DESIRES OF THINE HEART.

[Psalms 37:5] COMMIT THY WAY UNTO THE LORD; TRUST ALSO IN HIM; AND HE SHALL BRING IT TO PASS.

[Psalms 37:6] AND HE SHALL BRING FORTH THY RIGHTEOUSNESS AS THE LIGHT, AND THY JUDGMENT AS THE NOONDAY.
It may be that people misunderstand you or say bad things about you or that you yourself not be certain of the righteousness of your own path. Trust in God and do as well as you can and the end result will include your vindication.

[Psalms 37:7] 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. "REST": Hebrew "DOM" denoting quiet and silence. The English word "dumb" probably derives from this source. Do not be envious of those who act wrongly and appear to succeed. Do not be tempted to imitate the evil-doers.

[Psalms 37:8] CEASE FROM ANGER, AND FORSAKE WRATH: FRET NOT THYSELF IN ANY WISE TO DO EVIL.
Scripture speaks often about the evils of anger. Anger is in general strictly forbidden. Our present society however often seems to encourage anger. Someone who is not prepared to get angry quickly is led to feel that he is too soft and that people are not treating him as they should. This is not so. You can make a point quite well without getting in a rage and later needing to regret it. I know someone who used to get angry all the time. He now says, "Maybe a few times some good would come out of it but in general out of thousands of occasions you could count the positive ones on the fingers of one hand and even then not be certain." The Mairi points out that the verse is warning us that if we get angry we are liable to act badly and regret it later.

[Psalms 37:9] FOR EVILDOERS SHALL BE CUT OFF: BUT THOSE THAT WAIT UPON THE LORD, THEY SHALL INHERIT THE EARTH. "WAIT UPON": Hebrew "kovey" also translatable as "hope for".

[Psalms 37:10] FOR YET A LITTLE WHILE, AND THE WICKED SHALL NOT BE: YEA, THOU SHALT DILIGENTLY CONSIDER HIS PLACE, AND IT SHALL NOT BE.

[Psalms 37:11] BUT THE MEEK SHALL INHERIT THE EARTH; AND SHALL DELIGHT THEMSELVES IN THE ABUNDANCE OF PEACE.
"MEEK": Hebrew "anovim" meaning those who are humble.
"PEACE": In Hebrew "Shalom" also connoting "wholeness" from the root "shalem".

[Psalms 37:12] THE WICKED PLOTTETH AGAINST THE JUST, AND GNASHETH UPON HIM WITH HIS TEETH.
See how the anti-Semites rage against the Jewish people and the State of Israel. Look how certain groups plot against the USA which has only done good for them, if anything.

[Psalms 37:13] THE LORD SHALL LAUGH AT HIM: FOR HE SEETH THAT HIS DAY IS COMING.

[Psalms 37:14] 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.

[Psalms 37:15] THEIR SWORD SHALL ENTER INTO THEIR OWN HEART, AND THEIR BOWS SHALL BE BROKEN.
We can also see this in the international sphere. For all its many faults and imperfections the State of Israel relatively speaking is a just entity and right is on its side. The enemies of Israel are evildoers laying in wait to devour the helpless. God will punish them.

[Psalms 37:16] A LITTLE THAT A RIGHTEOUS MAN HATH IS BETTER THAN THE RICHES OF MANY WICKED.

[Psalms 37:17] FOR THE ARMS OF THE WICKED SHALL BE BROKEN: BUT THE LORD UPHOLDETH THE RIGHTEOUS.

[Psalms 37:18] THE LORD KNOWETH THE DAYS OF THE UPRIGHT: AND THEIR INHERITANCE SHALL BE FOR EVER.
God will reward you for the good you have done. Your reward will be an everlasting one both in this world and the next.

[Psalms 37:19] THEY SHALL NOT BE ASHAMED IN THE EVIL TIME: AND IN THE DAYS OF FAMINE THEY SHALL BE SATISFIED.

[Psalms 37:20] 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.

[Psalms 37:21] THE WICKED BORROWETH, AND PAYETH NOT AGAIN: BUT THE RIGHTEOUS SHEWETH MERCY, AND GIVETH.
A good person lends money to those who need it. He also repays his debts. The repaying of debt is not only the fulfillment of an obligation. It also has an element of mercy since usually the person who is being repaid really needs the money and more often than not he has neither the means nor the will to enforce repayment.

[Psalms 37:22] FOR SUCH AS BE BLESSED OF HIM SHALL INHERIT THE EARTH; AND THEY THAT BE CURSED OF HIM SHALL BE CUT OFF. " BLESSED OF HIM" of God.
"CURSED OF HIM" of God.
God is the Decision Maker and HE has the means and the intention to reward and to punish.

[Psalms 37:23] THE STEPS OF A GOOD MAN ARE ORDERED BY THE LORD: AND HE DELIGHTETH IN HIS WAY.

[Psalms 37:24] THOUGH HE FALL, HE SHALL NOT BE UTTERLY CAST DOWN: FOR THE LORD UPHOLDETH HIM WITH HIS HAND.

[Psalms 37:25] I HAVE BEEN YOUNG, AND NOW AM OLD; YET HAVE I NOT SEEN THE RIGHTEOUS FORSAKEN, NOR HIS SEED BEGGING BREAD.
Let us take this verse backwards:
"NOR HIS SEED BEGGING BREAD": Not his seed but he himself in some cases may have been in sorry straits upon occasion.
"NOT SEEN THE RIGHTEOUS FORSAKEN": Even though he may have undergone some trials God was always with him and help came through in the end.

[Psalms 37:26] HE IS EVER MERCIFUL, AND LENDETH; AND HIS SEED IS BLESSED.
Somewhere I once saw a Commentary that said that a good person in his lifetime may suffer from tribulations and sorrows despite his good deeds. Nevertheless somewhere along the line he will be rewarded in this world (as well as the next) in a way that he would most want if given the choice. The reward may come after several generations and he will not necessarily see it BUT if he could he would agree that the repayment was done in the way hre would have chosen if he had have known the options.

[Psalms 37:27] DEPART FROM EVIL, AND DO GOOD; AND DWELL FOR EVERMORE.
Good is always rewarded. The reward may come much later than we would have thought but it always comes. Neverthless ideally we should take the attitude of our forefather Abraham.

Abraham was promised:
To be blessed and through his seed to bring a blessing upon all the peoples of the earth (Genesis 12:2-3, 18:18-19, 22:18 cf. 24:4);
that his seed would be extremely numerous (Genesis 15:5, 22:17).
He was assured that he would inherit the Land of Canaan (15:7, 17:8) from the Nile to the Euphrates (Genesis 15:8).
Nations and Kings would emerge from Abraham (17:6).
Sarah the wife of Abraham was blessed that she would become a mother of nations and kings of peoples would come from her (Genesis 17:16, 21).
One of the purposes of the promises was that through the blessings the descendants of Abraham would be enabled to do justice and judgment (Genesis 18:19).
Only Isaac the son of Abraham would inherit the covenant of Abraham (Genesis 17:19, 21:12).
As far as fulfilling the promises and inheriting the blessings were concerned Isaac was the ONLY SON (Genesis 22:2) of Abraham.
Abraham was told to sacrifice his son, Isaac. He proceeded to do so but at the last moment an angel stopped him (Genesis chapter 22).
Abraham had passed a test after which the blessings became unconditional (Genesis 22:16), apart from inheriting the land that remained contingent upon Monotheism and obedience.
It appears that in order to inherit the blessings and ensure their UNCONDITIONAL FULFILLMENT Abraham had to be prepared to do without them. He had to be prepared to obey the ALMIGHTY EVEN IF HE WOULD NOT BE REWARDED! Abraham was told that his seed would inherit the gate of his enemies (22:17 cf. 24:60).

Brit-Am has explained on numerous occasions that all the above promises to Abraham were to be fulfilled in the English-speaking peoples and their kin and only in them and that they are the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They are the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel.

[Psalms 37:28] 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.

[Psalms 37:29] THE RIGHTEOUS SHALL INHERIT THE LAND, AND DWELL THEREIN FOR EVER.

[Psalms 37:30] THE MOUTH OF THE RIGHTEOUS SPEAKETH WISDOM, AND HIS TONGUE TALKETH OF JUDGMENT.

[Psalms 37:31] THE LAW OF HIS GOD IS IN HIS HEART; NONE OF HIS STEPS SHALL SLIDE.
Every now and again we come across someone who appears to be a naturally good person with a good heart. We should try to emulate such people. Someone with a good heart and a cheerful positive attitude is more liable to succeed than those who look on the negative side of things. Even if he does not succeed so much on a material level he himself can become a definition of success in the more important aspects of life.

[Psalms 37:32] THE WICKED WATCHETH THE RIGHTEOUS, AND SEEKETH TO SLAY HIM.

[Psalms 37:33] THE LORD WILL NOT LEAVE HIM IN HIS HAND, NOR CONDEMN HIM WHEN HE IS JUDGED.

[Psalms 37:34] 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.

[Psalms 37:35] I HAVE SEEN THE WICKED IN GREAT POWER, AND SPREADING HIMSELF LIKE A GREEN BAY TREE.

[Psalms 37:36] YET HE PASSED AWAY, AND, LO, HE WAS NOT: YEA, I SOUGHT HIM, BUT HE COULD NOT BE FOUND.

[Psalms 37:37] MARK THE PERFECT MAN, AND BEHOLD THE UPRIGHT: FOR THE END OF THAT MAN IS PEACE.

[Psalms 37:38] BUT THE TRANSGRESSORS SHALL BE DESTROYED TOGETHER: THE END OF THE WICKED SHALL BE CUT OFF.

[Psalms 37:39] BUT THE SALVATION OF THE RIGHTEOUS IS OF THE LORD: HE IS THEIR STRENGTH IN THE TIME OF TROUBLE.

[Psalms 37:40] AND THE LORD SHALL HELP THEM, AND DELIVER THEM: HE SHALL DELIVER THEM FROM THE WICKED, AND SAVE THEM, BECAUSE THEY TRUST IN HIM.


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