Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible
Psalms 37:23-31
3). The Reward And Ways Of The Righteous Are Sure And Abiding (Mem to Pe - Psalms 37:23).
The Psalmist goes on to point out God's care for those who are truly His. All their ways are in His hands, and He upholds tham and keeps them and provides for them all that they need.
M ‘A man's goings are established of YHWH,
And he delights in his way.
Though he fall, he will not be utterly cast down,
For YHWH upholds him with his hand.'
The ways of a righteous man (a true believer) are in the hands of YHWH, and God establishes all his goings. Indeed He delights in his way. He watches over him and cares for him, He strengthens him and upholds him, He has great joy of heart when His people walk in obedience to Him, and delights in their desire to do His will. And though sometimes they may stumble, and even fall, His promise is that they will never be utterly cast down. For He will uphold them with His hand. He will lift the fallen, carry His lambs in His arms, and gently lead His troubled and burdened sheep (Isaiah 40:11; compare John 10:27).
Alternately we may see it as ‘he (the believer) delights in His way'. The true Christian rejoices in all the ways of God. Both are of course true.
N ‘I have been young,
And now am old,
Yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken,
Nor his seed begging bread.'
All the day long he deals graciously, and lends,
And his seed is blessed.'
The Psalmist thinks back to his own experience, and what he has seen of life. And he declares that although he has lived long years, he has never seen the truly righteous forsaken by God, he has never seen their children begging bread. Rather the righteous have been able to deal bountifully with others, have been able to lend to them when they were in need, and his offspring, far from having to beg, have been blessed.
Of course, exceptional circumstances do arise in life when all without exception do go in hunger and experience the privations of life. War and natural disasters do not pick and choose. But His promise is that even in such times He will watch over His own and proved for them in accordance with their need, and many a Christian has experienced deliverance in such circumstances.
S ‘Depart from evil, and do good,
And dwell for evermore.
For YHWH loves justice,
And does not forsake his saints,
GH They are preserved for ever,
But the seed of the wicked will be cut off.
The righteous will inherit the land,
And dwell in it for ever.'
In response to God's love for them, the Psalmist calls on believers, and indeed on all men, to depart from evil and do good, and God's promise is that if they do so they will ‘dwell for evermore'. That is, they will enjoy long life and security through Him. The departure from evil and doing of good is necessary because God loves justice and righteousness, and the dwelling for evermore results because God never forsakes His ‘holy ones' (saints, the true people of God). Rather He preserves them for ever. It is only the seed of the wicked which will be cut off. In contrast the righteous will inherit all God's promises (as typified in ‘the land') and will dwell in the place of His blessing for ever. Their everlasting future is certain.
P ‘The mouth of the righteous talks of wisdom,
And his tongue speaks justice.
The law of his God is in his heart,
None of his steps will slide.'
The Psalmist closes this section with a positive statement about those who truly love God and trust in His Name, describing the kind of people that they are. Their mouths speak wisdom (compare Proverbs 10:31), the true wisdom; their tongue speaks what is right and true. In their hearts they hold firm to God's Instruction, and the result is that none of their steps will slide. These are promises and ideas that we must each one take for ourselves, and ensure that they are true of us. It is because of this that man will be judged by his ‘idle words' (Matthew 12:36). For those who are truly Christ's speak words which are glorifying to Him, while those who are not soon reveal their folly in what they say.