In Psalm 37 King David instructs me to not fret when evil people seem to succeed (part 1) for they will vanish like the wind. Instead of getting all worked up, he tells me to trust in the Lord and do good (part 2). But I can’t do this in all by myself. I need to know the One in whom I place my confident assurance. I need to know what he is doing about evildoers. David assures me, God is actively involved and he is for me.

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God deals with the wicked

I noted in the first part of my study of this psalm that the success of the wicked is temporary. In fact “the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he knows their day is coming” (13). This confirms that God is aware of their corruption and and is not disturbed or wringing his hands. He sees their folly and scoffs.

Furthermore, God’s “enemies will be consumed” (20). David also says that those God curses will be destroyed (22), literally cut off, wiped out, or die. This is “God ‘cutting off’ enemy peoples, demonstrating His sovereign rule over history and His commitment to protect the covenant line.”¹

Above all, the Lord loves justice (28). This word, mispat “is the word most often used when Scripture speaks of the LORD’s own just character and of the standards by which human society is to be ordered.”² Justice is God’s promise that he will judge the word rightly (Ps 96:13).

Sometimes it’s obvious who the wicked ones are but it’s also possible I might misidentify those against the Lord. (I must be willing to examine myself and my tribe). But I can rest assured that my God does in fact see the deeds of wicked and he is not alarmed. I don’t know how and when, but they will be utterly destroyed and justice will prevail for God is at work. That said, I know justice often doesn’t come immediately and must be fought for. But I’m glad it isn’t all up to me.

God takes care of the righteous

In part two, I saw that God wants me, being righteous,³ to trust in, commit to, take delight in, and wait for him (3, 4, 5). In turn, God gives me the desires of my hearts (4). As I learn to find my joy in him (and stop obsessing about the actions of evil people), I end up wanting what he wants.

The Lord also establishes my steps (23). Other translations say he makes my way firm, guides me, orders, or directs my steps.⁴ With God at the helm, I can go forward with confident dependance on him. In addition, God delights in my way (23). As I delight in him, he delights in me!

God “upholds the righteous” (17) with his hand (24). He sustains me. This word means “placing weight, bestowing authority, and receiving sustaining power. The repeated pattern is God’s faithfulness to bear the full weight of His servants’ lives—body, soul, and future—just as surely as the altar once bore their substitutes.”⁵

God cares for the blameless (18). Other translations say, “God knows our days” (NKJV). In other words, he is intimately acquainted with me. He sees everything about me and around me and closely watches over me. “Divine ‘knowledge’ here implies affectionate selection, bringing both privilege and responsibility.”⁶

He “will not forsake his faithful ones” (28). God will not abandon, let go, or leave us as we are reminded in Hebrews 13:5. Romans 8:39 also clearly states that nothing can separate me from him.

The Lord blesses and exalts the meek (11, 22, 34). “Blessing entails fruitfulness, dominion, wholeness, and fellowship with God—elements later echoed in New Covenant promises” (Eph 1:3).⁷ God lifts up (exalts) the humble (Jam 4:10).

How comforted I am to know that God knows me intimately, sustains me, won’t ever leave me, and gives me all the blessings of his kingdom. Not only does he care for me, he delights in me. What a thought! I don’t often feel delight-worthy. These verses encourage me to act more like it.

God vindicates, saves, and delivers

When I trust in the Lord, “He will make [my] righteous reward shine like the dawn, [my] vindication like the noonday sun” (6). While I know that vindication is not always immediate or even in my lifetime, it will come. Ultimately my righteousness will be evident to all.

God won’t leave me in the power of the wicked or let me be condemned when brought to trial (33). This is hard to believe because we know that sometimes people are falsely condemned and remain under the thumb of corruption. But I find comfort in the truth that before God in the final judgment, the righteous will not be condemned. But I cannot glibly say that I’ll be exempt here on earth. That said, God is at work. and he wants me trust and wait for him.

“The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord” (39). Salvation “speaks of rescue, victory, or safety granted by the covenant God. Each setting stresses that decisive help comes from the LORD, not from human strength.”⁸

“He is our stronghold in time of trouble” (39). This “conveys the idea of a place or means of safety—an impregnable stronghold, refuge, or source of strength. Whether literal (a fortified city) or figurative (divine protection), the word consistently points to what can be relied upon when danger threatens.”⁹

The Lord helps me (40). Sixteen times in the Old Testament God is called a helper, ezer. He comes to my aid even before I cry out for he knows what I need before I know it.

He delivers me (40). “The root (palat) gathers around it the idea of being made spaciously safe—rescued from threat, extricated from distress, and set in a place of freedom. The verb consistently presents the LORD as the decisive agent of escape. Every usage presumes both danger and divine intervention; no context allows room for self-salvation.¹⁰

He saves from the wicked (40). “The verb yasha appears about two hundred six times across the Hebrew Scriptures, testifying to the Lord’s repeated action of rescuing, delivering, or bringing salvation to His people.”¹¹

While God promises to deal with wickedness and save the righteous, I don’t sit around and expect God to just magically change my situation. Nor do I rush about trying to accomplish everything by myself. I need his help and he chooses to work through me. I act while expecting him to act on my behalf (Rom 12:1–2). As I do my part, God does his part. Like the illustration of the “chicken or the egg” I don’t think one always precedes the other. Rather, we cooperate and work together. Some times God’s response comes after my faith, other times he acts and I respond. The Christian life is one of cooperation.

God is my salvation and refuge. He is the vindicator of the righteous. He can be trusted to deal with evil. God also blesses the righteous person who trusts in him. Stay tuned. I’ll wrap up my study with that.

How does knowing God is actively involved in the plight of the righteous encourage you today?

PRAYER

Father God, Thank you for dealing with the wicked justly. I praise you for saving, rescuing, and caring for me. You know me intimately and swiftly come to my aid. As I trust and wait for you, you will answer, rescue, and vindicate. Come quickly, Lord Jesus, to help your righteous ones.¹²

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1. https://biblehub.com/hebrew/3772.htm ↩︎
2. https://biblehub.com/hebrew/4941.htm ↩︎
3. I am righteous because Jesus has declared me to be so. “and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith” (Phil 3:9). ↩︎
4. https://biblehub.com/hebrew/3559.htm ↩︎
5. https://biblehub.com/hebrew/5564.htm ↩︎
6. https://biblehub.com/hebrew/3045.htm ↩︎
7. https://biblehub.com/hebrew/1288.htm ↩︎
8. https://biblehub.com/hebrew/8668.htm ↩︎
9. https://biblehub.com/hebrew/4581.htm ↩︎
10. https://biblehub.com/hebrew/6403.htm ↩︎
11. https://biblehub.com/hebrew/3467.htm ↩︎
12. For prayers to end violence against women and girls, check out these Liturgical Resources from the Anglican Commission. ↩︎