April 7 / Psalm 37:35-40

Just a few thoughts on this entire psalm…

“Fret not yourself…”
“…because of evildoers” (v. 1)
“…over the one who prospers in his way” (v. 7)
“…it tends only to evil” (v. 8)

As Scripture says many times, we are not to be anxious (“to fret”) about anything, but should instead trust the Lord to work things out. (For example, see Matthew 6:25-34 and Phil. 4:6,7.) And we are not to seek vengeance by ourselves, but again trust the Lord. (See Lev. 19:18; Deut. 32:35; Romans 12:19.) But this does not mean that we are to be apathetic about evil, to sit idly by while people are abused or oppressed, for Scripture also tells us that we are to “seek justice, correct oppression, bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.” (Is. 1:17) So, the answer is not apathy or simple passivity, but actively aligning ourselves with God and putting our whole faith and trust in Him — not in ourselves. (And so, for example, I believe we should do what we can to support Ukraine, but we need to recognize that ultimate deliverance will come from the Lord, not from us.)

“[T]hose who wait for the LORD shall inherit the land.” (v. 9)
“[T]he meek shall inherit the land.” (v. 11)
“[T]hose blessed by the LORD shall inherit the land.”
“[T]he righteous shall inherit the land.” (v. 29)
“Wait for the LORD and keep His way, and He will exalt you to inherit the land.” (v.34)

And then, of course, Jesus says, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” (Mt. 5:5) Using “inherit the land/earth” to tie all these verses together, we can see that “those who wait for the LORD“, “the meek“, “those blessed by the LORD“, and “the righteous” are synonymous. I find that helpful in understanding “meekness”, which can otherwise be wildly misunderstood. Meekness is not weakness, nor passivity, nor being a doormat; rather, it is quiet, confident strength founded on trust in the Lord.

I honestly do not do too well with regard to conforming to this psalm. I tend to get pretty riled up over various evils as any number of people seem to consistently “get away with it” with blatant support from “the system”. I am slow to remind myself that the LORD is still in control, that He will ensure that justice is indeed done. So it has been very good for me to repeatedly recall this psalm’s admonition to “fret not yourself…”. Yet we must be careful not to misapply this psalm or to quote verses in isolation, apart from the wider context of Scripture. As we saw in Job, circumstances in this life do not always (or even frequently?) line up with what this psalm says. How would this psalm sound to the people of Mariupol or Bucha, those lying dead in the street or whose homes have been utterly destroyed? How would it sound in Auschwitz? And yet 21st-century western evangelicals will blithely quote these verses with a “Don’t worry; be happy!” triteness with a version of “faith” that is closer to “wishful thinking”, disregarding the reality of the Cross. No, to hold to this psalm requires a much deeper faith that trusts in the Lord despite all evidence to the contrary.

Though the fig tree should not blossom,
nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
and there be no herd in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the LORD;
I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
Habakkuk 3:17,18