EXPOSITION OF PSALM 37 (3)
Verses 16-26

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This psalm is divided into three divisions: 1. a warning to the righteous regarding the wicked (vv.1f); 2. the antidote for fretting over the wicked and envying their prosperity (vv.3-8); 3. the contrast between the righteous and the wicked (vv.9-40). We expounded the first two divisions in the first message of this series. We expounded in the preceding message verses 9-15 of the last division. We will expound verses 16-26 in this message, continuing our observation of the contrast between the righteous and the wicked.

37:16 "A little that a righteous man has ..." A "righteous man" forsakes all personal and self righteousness (see Isaiah 64:6), and owns as his only righteousness that of Jesus Christ graciously imputed to him through faith in Christ (Romans 3:10-12, 21-31). Some such righteous men may be wealthy (e.g., Abraham). But if such a righteous man is poor, the little that he has in this world's riches ...

"... Is better than the riches of many wicked." For example, the beggar Lazarus in the end proved to be infinitely and eternally better off than the rich man Dives (Luke 16:19-31). The saint would rather live in poverty, even if his only possession is Christ and His righteousness, than to own all the riches of all the wicked. Why?

37:17 "For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, ..." The "arms" are the instruments with which the wicked obtain their wealth and with which they persecute the righteous (as in v.14). Jehovah will in justice break them (as to Pharaoh in Ezekiel 30:20ff), so that all their endeavors will be defeated.

"... But the LORD upholds the righteous." The arms of the righteous are "the everlasting arms" of "the eternal God" (Deuteronomy 33:27), which will eternally uphold them, and from which they will never be separated (John 10:29).

37:18 "The LORD knows the days of the upright, ..." He has predestined the number of days the righteous will live – "Since his days are determined, the number of his months is with You; You have appointed his limits, so that he cannot pass" (Job 14:5). And He has predestined what each day will hold for them, so that no one will rob them of the blessings He has predestined for them.

"... And their inheritance shall be forever." This is true because the inheritance of the righteous, like their days on earth, is also predestined by an eternal and immutable decree (Ephesians 1:11): "In [Christ] also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will." The saint acknowledges to Christ, "O LORD, You are the portion of my inheritance" (Psalm 16:5) - "forever"!

37:19 "They shall not be ashamed in the evil time, ..." An "evil time" is a day of calamity and trouble. Such are all days in this present life for saints, for this is a "time" in which "the days are evil" (Ephesians 5:16). To be "ashamed" is to be disappointed, as when one looks for water in an oasis and finds none (Job 6:19f). Saints will never be disappointed because "God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19). This is true not only of physical water, but also of spiritual, for Christ gives to believers "a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life" (John 4:10-14).

"... And in the days of famine they shall be satisfied." All who "Trust in the LORD" will also "dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness" (v.3). The psalmist adds that "I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread" (v.25). This is true not only of physical bread, but also of spiritual, for Christ says, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst" (John 6:35).

37:20 "But the wicked shall perish; ..." This will occur "when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, when He comes, in that Day" (2 Thessalonians 1:7-10).

"... And the enemies of the LORD, ..." Jehovah divides all mankind into two camps: His friends and His enemies – those whom Christ says are "with Me" and those who are "against Me" (Matthew 12:30), and those whom He says "do whatever I command you" and those who disobey Him (John 15:14). And His "enemies" are also the perishing wicked of the first part of this verse. The psalmist will now describe the manner in which they shall perish:

"... Like the splendor of the meadows, shall vanish. ..." The King James Version reads "shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume". According to the former, the wicked in their pride and beauty and wealth shall wither away like the grass in the summer sun, or be cut down by the scythe of the mower (as in Psalm 90:5b-6; Isaiah 40:6f). According to the latter, the wicked will be like a sacrifice consumed in the fire of God's wrath (as in Isaiah 34:4), their material fatness making them all the more fit to burn.

"... Into smoke they shall vanish away." "And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever" (Revelation 14:11).

37:21 "The wicked borrows and does not repay, / But the righteous shows mercy and gives." This verse deals less with willingness than with ability. It is grounded on the promise of Deuteronomy 15:6: "For the LORD your God will bless you just as He promised you; you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow; you shall reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over you" (Deuteronomy 15:6). The wicked will be unable to repay what he has borrowed, while the righteous will be able to give to those in need. The reason is found in the next verse:

37:22 "For those blessed by Him shall inherit the earth, ..." All who trust in Christ are blessed by and in Him with more than they need. They in turn share with the needy what they have received – both their earthly gain and Christ.

" ... But those cursed by Him shall be cut off." All who live wickedly against Christ will be cursed by Him, and in the day of judgment will be so much in debt to Him that they will never be able to repay.

37:23 "The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, ..." The adjective "good" is added by the translators, but with good reason: The Hebrew word translated "man" is used of one who is "valiant for the truth" (Jeremiah 9:3). Not only are this man's days predestined (v.18), but also all the steps he takes in them (cp. 40:2). His life is under divine guidance and control, and his every step fulfills God's eternal decree.

"... And He delights in his way." If God delights in the way He predestined for His people, surely they should do so also. And they will do so when they see that way in Jesus Christ, who is Himself "The Way" (John 14:6) "foreordained before the foundation of the world" (1 Peter 1:20).

37:24 "Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; / For the LORD upholds him with His hand." The believer may fall through temporary unbelief in time of trouble, as did Peter in the storm (Matthew 14:30). But Christ will catch and save him (v.31), so that he will never be cast away from the love of God that is in Christ (Romans 8:35-39). He may be cast down by the world, but never cast away from Christ (2 Corinthians 4:9).

37:25 "I have been young, and now am old; ..." This statement is our only evidence as to the time when David wrote this psalm - in his latter years.

"... Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, ..." The righteous may be forsaken by friends, but never by Christ. "For He Himself has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you'" (Hebrews 13:5), and "I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:20).

"... Nor his descendants begging bread." This is not a universal rule, as there are rare exceptions. Even David had occasion when he requested bread of others (e.g., 1 Samuel 21:1-4; 25:2-9). But begging is not the tenor of life for the righteous. Rather, this is found among the unrighteous, such as those who have sinfully wasted their substance. And saints do not beg for spiritual bread because Christ is ever-satisfying Bread (John 6:35).

37:26 "He is ever merciful, and lends; ..." Rather than being mercy-needing beggars, the righteous are merciful lenders. They are in this regard imitators of God their Father (Luke 6:35).

"... And his descendants are blessed." What a blessing it is to be a faithful descendant of righteous parents!

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