In part one of my study of Psalm 37, King David tells me not to fret, get worked up, or envious when evil people seem to succeed because they will certainly perish. Rather than fret, explode in anger, and do something evil, David tells me what I can and should do instead.

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I should act like a righteous person, David says. In contrast to the wicked person, the righteous (or godly¹) person (12, 17, 21, 25, 30, 32, 39) is blameless (18, 37), upright (14, 37), meek, or humble (11). They are the faithful ones (28) and the persons of peace (37). I can identify with this person because Jesus declared me righteous when I believed in him (Phil 3:9). As such I seek to live righteously and not as the wicked do.

Then David tells me to how to posture my attitude and my heart.

Two times David tells me to trust in the Lord (3, 5). This word, batach means “placing one’s full weight upon someone or something with calm assurance.”²

Twice he instructs me to delight in the Lord (4, 23), which means to find my joy in him. Finding him delightful puts my heart back in a place of being content and not all twisted up with rage. This idea is repeated in the apostle Paul’s command to “rejoice in the Lord” (Phil 4:4).

Next I can also be still (silent/rest) before the Lord (7). In Hebrew, this is damam, the inward calm of faith. “The vocabulary of silence here is not passive resignation but confident expectancy. It instructs believers to lay down anxious striving and entrust the outcome to God’s timing.”³

In being still, I wait patiently (expectantly) for him (7). This verb is interesting. It’s chuwl, to twist, whirl, writhe, or be in anguish. It “expresses the inner churn of waiting. The vocabulary suggests not a passive resignation but an internal, almost visceral, turning—anticipation so intense it feels like muscle spasms. The believer is invited to embrace the tension: longing that trusts.”⁴ This is the same thought the apostle Paul had in mind when he spoke of creation groaning as in the pains of childbirth (Rom 8:22).

All the while, I hope in the Lord (34) which is sometimes translated as trust or wait on the Lord. “The verb qavah portrays deliberate, tension-filled waiting that binds the heart to the expected intervention of Yahweh. Waiting in Scripture is never passive resignation; it is faith stretched toward the sure character of God. In every context qavah calls the people of God to place confident expectation in the Lord who has proven Himself faithful from creation’s dawn to the unfolding of eternity.”⁵

Lastly, I take refuge in him (40). Chacah “consistently expresses a conscious movement toward God—or occasionally toward a God-given refuge—for protection, deliverance, or hope. The action is never passive; it is the deliberate choice of faith in the face of threat, guilt, or uncertainty.”⁶

Rather than fill my head and heart with worry, getting all worked up, I instead intentionally place my assurance in the Lord. I deliberately choose to set aside my anxious thoughts and even rejoice while also inwardly pleading for him to act. I wait expectantly for him to destroy evil—for he will. I take refuge in him knowing he will care for me more than any government, bank account, or court of law. These are active choices I must make, involving my heart, mind and will.

Lastly David gets practical and addresses my hands.

After instructing me to align my heart and attitude into a posture of trusting expectation that God will, in fact, take care of evildoers, David tells me what to do with my hands.

I can commit my way to the Lord (5), which literally means to roll my journey and direction onto him. It’s “a change of place or state brought about by decisive action.”⁷ I deliberately choose to go God’s way and not the same way as evildoers. Then I keep his way (34) by guarding, heeding, and maintaining my course⁸ of righteousness.

Twice the king instructs me to do good—the opposite of evil (3, 27). And he offers two ways to do good: Give generously and lend freely (21, 26). David actually says, “be gracious and giving.” Gracious (chanan) is showing favor in dealing with the poor, needy, and orphans (Ps 112:5).⁹ Giving “expresses the free, heartfelt inclination of a superior to show favor, compassion, or generosity to one in need. The emphasis lies on unearned mercy, not contractual obligation.”¹⁰

I choose to be blameless, righteous, just, upright, meek, faithful—a good woman doing good. I am convicted that the first act of goodness David points to is caring for those less fortunate than me.

Acting righteously and doing good is not something we can do in our own strength. If we are to delight in the Lord and trust him, we must know who he is and how he acts. Hang with me because the next study will focus on God’s involvement for he is not absent. For now, walk confidently that Christ’s death has made you righteous.

What can you do instead of fretting? How can you trust in the Lord and do good?

PRAYER

Lord, help me to keep trusting in you. Thank you for showing me that this tension I feel between calm assurance and churning expectation is normal and okay. Longing for you to deal with evil with inward churning doesn’t mean I don’t trust you. You have declared me righteous. Help me to live like it. I confess I still have much to learn about being gracious and giving. Show me how to do good in my corner of the world.

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1. Some versions, such as NET, uses the word “godly.” ↩︎
2. https://biblehub.com/hebrew/982.htm ↩︎
3. https://biblehub.com/hebrew/1826.htm ↩︎
4. https://biblehub.com/hebrew/2342.htm ↩︎
5. https://biblehub.com/hebrew/6960.htm ↩︎
6. https://biblehub.com/hebrew/2620.htm ↩︎
7. https://biblehub.com/hebrew/1556.htm ↩︎
8. https://biblehub.com/hebrew/8104.htm ↩︎
9. https://biblehub.com/hebrew/2603.htm ↩︎
10. https://biblehub.com/hebrew/5414.htm ↩︎