Psalms 37:1-18

Let us read tonight part of the thirty-seventh Psalm. David here first of all dissuades himself and us from falling into a very common evil, that of envying the wicked because of their prosperity, and murmuring against God because we, perhaps, are not so highly favored in our earthly affairs.

Psalms 37:1. Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of inequity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.

No one envies the grass, let it be never so green; no one envies flowers, let them be never so fragrant, for we know that grass must be cut, and that flowers must wither. Let us look upon the wicked in the same light; their time of perishing shall soon come, their end hasteth on apace; therefore, let all envying be out of the question, since they are such short-lived beings.

Psalms 37:3. Trust in the LORD, and do good;

There you have the secret of the active life of the Christian. The root of his activity lies in his faith: «Trust in the Lord.» The outward manifestation of his inner life is in the good that he does; and where there is this faith, proved to be living faith by good works, there follows the promise,

Psalms 37:3. So shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.

It does not say, «Young man, verily thou shalt prosper in business.» It does not say, «O ambitious man, thou shalt dwell in a palace, or revel in luxuries, «but it does say to thee, O humble-minded Christian, trusting in God, «Verily thou shalt be fed.» You know, when the word «Verily» is used, there is something upon which God sets his seal as being true: «Verily thou shalt be fed.» God's «Verilys» are better than men's oaths. Believe, then, Christians and let there be no more fretting about your temporal trials. I know you have come in here tonight very anxious, and vexed with care and grief; take this «Verily», and lay it, like Isaiah's lump of figs, upon the boil, and «Verily» you shall soon be healed.

Psalms 37:4. Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

Delight is a Christian's duty. To sorrow, to mourn, to despair, these belong not to the believer: «Delight thyself in the Lord.» Here is a river to swim in, Christians, plunge into it. Here is a bottomless abyss of delights, the person, the grace, the works, the attributes of our covenant God; and here is a promise given to each one of those who carry on this excellent duty, «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.

Put the helm of your ship into the hand of the Almighty Pilot. Leave the guidance of your pilgrimage to him who has led many caravans across the desert aforetime, and who has never suffered any to perish. What an easy way this is; and yet how hard do we find it to carry it out! It is to unload ourselves, and put our burden on our God. Oh, that we had the sanctified common-sense to make us fulfill this duty!

Psalms 37:6. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.

Leave your character with God; it is safe there. Men may throw mud at it, but it will never stick long on a true believer; it shall soon come off, and you shall be the more glorious for men's slander.

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. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil. For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth. For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be. But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

This is now a gospel blessing, for Christ pronounced it upon the mount among his other benedictions: «Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.» Somehow or other, the only persons who truly enjoy life, and get happiness out of this present vale of tears, are the meek spirits, the men who can say, «Mine are the valleys, and the mountains mine; my father made them all.» Even the possessions of other men make these people glad. They are like the man we have heard of in China, who met a mandarin covered with jewels, and, bowing to him, said, «Thank you for those jewels.» Doing this many times, at last the mandarin asked the cause of his gratitude. «Well,» said the poor but wise man, «I thank you that you have those jewels, for I have as good a sight of them as you have; but I have not the trouble of wearing them, putting them on in the morning, taking them off at night, and having a watchman keeping guard over them when I am asleep. I thank you for them; they are as much use to me as they are to you.» This meek man can walk along the broad acres of a rich man's farm, he can see his noble oaks and other forest trees, and he can say, «Thank God for them all! I have as much enjoyment from these as the rich man himself has, for they are mine to enjoy as truly as they are his.» «The meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace, «not in the abundance of wealth, but in the abundance of peace. To a meek man, peace is his wealth, and holy quietness and calm his true riches.

Psalms 37:12. The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth. The Lord shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming. 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. Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken. 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. The LORD knoweth the way of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever.

He knows their dark days, and he will be their light; he knows their sunny days, and he will be their shelter; he knows their last day, and he will be their confidence; he knows their resurrection-day, and he will be their glory: «Their inheritance shall be for ever.»

«Go, you that boast in all your stores,

And tell how bright they shine;

Your heaps of glittering dust are yours,

But my Redeemer's mine.»