Context No. 2900 of 4322 · Psalms

Psalms 37:1-16: in context

1Don’t fret because of evildoers, neither be envious against those who work unrighteousness. 2For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither like the green herb. 3Trust in the LORD, and do good. Dwell in the land, and enjoy safe pasture. 4Also delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. 5Commit your way to the LORD. Trust also in him, and he will do this: 6he will make your righteousness shine out like light, and your justice as the noon day sun. 7Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him. Don’t fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who makes wicked plots happen. 8Cease from anger, and forsake wrath. Don’t fret; it leads only to evildoing. 9For evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the LORD shall inherit the land. 10For yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more. Yes, though you look for his place, he isn’t there. 11But the humble shall inherit the land, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. 12The wicked plots against the just, and gnashes at him with his teeth. 13The Lord will laugh at him, for he sees that his day is coming. 14The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, to kill those who are upright on the path. 15Their sword shall enter into their own heart. Their bows shall be broken. 16Better is a little that the righteous has, than the abundance of many wicked.

This wisdom psalm keeps circling one command: do not fret. Do not fret over evildoers or envy the wicked, for they will soon wither like grass. Instead, trust in the LORD and do good; delight in him and he will give you the desires of your heart; commit your way to him; be still and wait patiently. Do not fret, it only leads to evil. The meek will inherit the land.

Three times the psalm says do not fret, and each time it pairs the warning with something active: trust, do good, delight, commit, rest, wait. Fretting over the success of the wicked is not merely unpleasant; it corrodes the heart and pulls it toward evil of its own. The remedy is not to pretend injustice does not exist, but to hand it to God and keep doing good, trusting that the wicked's apparent triumph is as short-lived as grass in the sun.

When I see the wicked prosper, do I let it eat at me, or hand it to God, keep doing good, and trust his slower but surer justice?

Sources

Psalm 37:7: "Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him. Don't fret because of him who prospers in his way."
Psalm 37:11: "But the humble shall inherit the land, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace."
Matthew 5:5: "Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth."