Psalm 37

Notes
Transcript
Introduction...
Prayer...
Psalm 37:1–2 ESV
Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb.
Psalm 37:3–4 ESV
Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Psalm 37:5–6 ESV
Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.
Psalm 37:7 ESV
Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!
Psalm 37:8–9 ESV
Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil. For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.
Psalm 37:10–11 ESV
In just a little while, the wicked will be no more; though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there. But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace.
Psalm 37:12–13 ESV
The wicked plots against the righteous and gnashes his teeth at him, but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he sees that his day is coming.
Psalm 37:14–15 ESV
The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose way is upright; their sword shall enter their own heart, and their bows shall be broken.
Psalm 37:16–17 ESV
Better is the little that the righteous has than the abundance of many wicked. For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous.
Psalm 37:18–19 ESV
The Lord knows the days of the blameless, and their heritage will remain forever; they are not put to shame in evil times; in the days of famine they have abundance.
Psalm 37:20 ESV
But the wicked will perish; the enemies of the Lord are like the glory of the pastures; they vanish—like smoke they vanish away.
Psalm 37:21–22 ESV
The wicked borrows but does not pay back, but the righteous is generous and gives; for those blessed by the Lord shall inherit the land, but those cursed by him shall be cut off.
Psalm 37:23–24 ESV
The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand.
Psalm 37:25–26 ESV
I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread. He is ever lending generously, and his children become a blessing.
Psalm 37:27–29 ESV
Turn away from evil and do good; so shall you dwell forever. For the Lord loves justice; he will not forsake his saints. They are preserved forever, but the children of the wicked shall be cut off. The righteous shall inherit the land and dwell upon it forever.
Psalm 37:30–31 ESV
The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice. The law of his God is in his heart; his steps do not slip.
Psalm 37:32–33 ESV
The wicked watches for the righteous and seeks to put him to death. The Lord will not abandon him to his power or let him be condemned when he is brought to trial.
Psalm 37:34 ESV
Wait for the Lord and keep his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land; you will look on when the wicked are cut off.
Psalm 37:35–36 ESV
I have seen a wicked, ruthless man, spreading himself like a green laurel tree. But he passed away, and behold, he was no more; though I sought him, he could not be found.
Psalm 37:37–38 ESV
Mark the blameless and behold the upright, for there is a future for the man of peace. But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed; the future of the wicked shall be cut off.
Psalm 37:39–40 ESV
The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; he is their stronghold in the time of trouble. The Lord helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him.
Psalm 37:1–2 ESV
Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb.
Fret = to be anxious or worry
Envious = to want what others have
Have an eternal perspective
This verse opens up the Psalm.
Psalm 37:3–4 ESV
Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
The opposite of fretting and anxiety is to trust in the Lord
Do good; do become wicked because you see what the wicked have out of envy
Dwell could also be translated “settle down,” CHILL
Befriend faithfulness could also be translated feed on faithfulness (sheep imagery)
So, the whole verse might say, “Trust God, do good, chill out and just be faithful.”
This is a great message for the anxious Christian today.
God knows the human heart. He designed it.
Our heart was designed to delight in God, then we will be filled up and find meaning and purpose.
A lot of thing things work this way:
Alchohol
Sex
Work
Psalm 37:5–6 ESV
Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.
We get to decide what we give our life to (spend time, think about, work toward, worship…)
Again, we are called to “trust God” (we are an anxious generation and cannot hear this enough)
GOD WILL ACT
God brings forth righteousness and justice, in his timing, but it is sure.
5. God does righteousness and justice better than you.
Psalm 37:7 ESV
Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!
Be still, chill out, wait for God, God will act...
Stop worrying about other people, especially evil doers!
Psalm 37:8–9 ESV
Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil. For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.
Don’t be angry. I believe the root of all anger is the belief that something isn’t as it should be
Much unrighteous anger is something isn’t as it should be in regards to your condition...
Cut me off...
Didn’t get that promotion...
My friend shouldn’t have spoken to me that way...
I deserve better...
Don’t Fret, don’t be anxious, it tends only to evil...
Jesus says who by worrying can add a single day to his life? What does worry accomplish?
Here’s the kicker… Step back and take a look at the larger perspective...
Evildoers will be cut off...
Those who wait for the Lord will inherit the land...
The Land:
Hebrews 11:8–10 ESV
By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.
Psalm 37:10–11 ESV
In just a little while, the wicked will be no more; though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there. But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace.
Time is shorter than you think...
James 4:14 (ESV)
What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.
Psalm 37:12–13 ESV
The wicked plots against the righteous and gnashes his teeth at him, but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he sees that his day is coming.
God laughs at the plight of the wicked...
God knows how this all ends up...
God is pleading with his children, don’t be anxious, don’t worry about them, trust me, delight in me, do good, you are the ones who will inherit the land...
Psalm 37:14–15 ESV
The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose way is upright; their sword shall enter their own heart, and their bows shall be broken.
A true mark of the wicked truly is to think you a better than everyone and that you can trample over others to get ahead...
Their sword shall enter their own heart… It’s their own wickedness that leads them to distruction...
Psalm 37:16–17 ESV
Better is the little that the righteous has than the abundance of many wicked. For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous.
Do we really believe this as Christians?
Do we really trust God to uphold us, to provide for us, to sustain us?
Not just physically, but with joy?
Psalm 37:18–19 ESV
The Lord knows the days of the blameless, and their heritage will remain forever; they are not put to shame in evil times; in the days of famine they have abundance.
When things get bad, it is the blameless (another word for righteous, that will endure)
Psalm 37:20 ESV
But the wicked will perish; the enemies of the Lord are like the glory of the pastures; they vanish—like smoke they vanish away.
The wicked will not endure...
Psalm 37:21–22 ESV
The wicked borrows but does not pay back, but the righteous is generous and gives; for those blessed by the Lord shall inherit the land, but those cursed by him shall be cut off.
Psalm 37:23–24 ESV
The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand.
When we are delighting in God, when we put him up in our high place of worship, God establishes our steps...
2. A clearer translation would be though he stumble, he shall not completely fall, because the Lord has got ya.
Psalm 37:25–26 ESV
I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread. He is ever lending generously, and his children become a blessing.
Psalm 37:27–29 ESV
Turn away from evil and do good; so shall you dwell forever. For the Lord loves justice; he will not forsake his saints. They are preserved forever, but the children of the wicked shall be cut off. The righteous shall inherit the land and dwell upon it forever.
Psalm 37:30–31 ESV
The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice. The law of his God is in his heart; his steps do not slip.
Psalm 37:32–33 ESV
The wicked watches for the righteous and seeks to put him to death. The Lord will not abandon him to his power or let him be condemned when he is brought to trial.
Are you the wicked or the righteous?
We will all be brought to trial.
We will all be found guilty.
Only those who have King Jesus step in on our behalf, only those will be free from condemnation.
Psalm 37:34 ESV
Wait for the Lord and keep his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land; you will look on when the wicked are cut off.
Wait for God… Do what he says!
You will be watching when the wicked are cut off....
Psalm 37:35–36 ESV
I have seen a wicked, ruthless man, spreading himself like a green laurel tree. But he passed away, and behold, he was no more; though I sought him, he could not be found.
Psalm 37:37–38 ESV
Mark the blameless and behold the upright, for there is a future for the man of peace. But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed; the future of the wicked shall be cut off.
Psalm 37:39–40 ESV
The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; he is their stronghold in the time of trouble. The Lord helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him.
The salvation is from the LORD. God provides.
Why, because we take refuge, seek protection, in God.
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