For those who may wish to ‘study’ this chapter, the following simple resources are provided for you. Each passage has a four-Part approach to help you take in and think further about what you have read.

Passage: Psalm 37:1-11

1 Do not fret because of those who are evil
    or be envious of those who do wrong;
2 for like the grass they will soon wither,
    like green plants they will soon die away.

3 Trust in the Lord and do good;
    dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
4 Take delight in the Lord,
    and he will give you the desires of your heart.

5 Commit your way to the Lord;
    trust in him and he will do this:
6 he will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
    your vindication like the noonday sun.

7 Be still before the Lord
    and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
    when they carry out their wicked schemes.

8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
    do not fret – it leads only to evil.
9 For those who are evil will be destroyed,
    but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.

10 A little while, and the wicked will be no more;
    though you look for them, they will not be found.
11 But the meek will inherit the land
    and enjoy peace and prosperity.

A. Find Out:

1. What are we NOT to do? v.1,7,8
2. What will happen to the wicked? v.1,2,9
3. Who will “possess the land”? v.3,9,11
4. What happens when we “delight in the Lord”? v.4
5. What happens when we commit our way to Him? v.5,6
6. What are we to do in adversity? v.7a

B. Think:

1. What problem in life is being dealt with in these verses?
2. How is it to be overcome – negatively?
3. How is it to be overcome – positively?

C. Comment:

     A problem or an obstruction that many believers have is how to cope with other people who are not godly, not righteous, who are, in fact, downright wicked and who hinder their quiet enjoyment of life. This problem David addresses here. First he speaks negatively (v.1), DON’T FRET (WORRY or be UPSET) over them. The tendency may be to get angry over them, but don’t!

     Then he speaks positively (v.5-), instead DO various things. First TRUST in the Lord, second TAKE DELIGHT in the Lord, third COMMIT YOUR WAY to the Lord, fourth, BE STILL AND WAIT for Him to move. You can only be still and wait when you have committed your way to Him, when you have given the situation over to Him and said, “I trust you to deal with it!” But while you are waiting DELIGHT in Him, enjoy knowing Him, and as you do this He will transform you and give you new desires in your heart. No longer desires to deal with the enemy but desires to bless Him (Romans 12:20 ). The Lord, when we delight in Him, will give us new desires, new purpose, new hopes, new direction, while HE gets on and deals with the situation in His time and in His way! What a wonderfully transformed situation!

D. Application?

1. We need to face the worries that we have and share them with Him (Philippians 4:6,7)
2. Are we trusting, taking delight, committing, waiting????

Passage: Psalm 37:12-40

12 The wicked plot against the righteous
    and gnash their teeth at them;
13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
    for he knows their day is coming.

14 The wicked draw the sword
    and bend the bow
to bring down the poor and needy,
    to slay those whose ways are upright.
15 But their swords will pierce their own hearts,
    and their bows will be broken.

16 Better the little that the righteous have
    than the wealth of many wicked;
17 for the power of the wicked will be broken,
    but the Lord upholds the righteous.

18 The blameless spend their days under the Lord’s care,
    and their inheritance will endure for ever.
19 In times of disaster they will not wither;
    in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.

20 But the wicked will perish:
    though the Lord’s enemies are like the flowers of the field,
    they will be consumed, they will go up in smoke.

21 The wicked borrow and do not repay,
    but the righteous give generously;
22 those the Lord blesses will inherit the land,
    but those he curses will be destroyed.

23 The Lord makes firm the steps
    of the one who delights in him;
24 though he may stumble, he will not fall,
    for the Lord upholds him with his hand.

25 I was young and now I am old,
    yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken
    or their children begging bread.
26 They are always generous and lend freely;
    their children will be a blessing.

27 Turn from evil and do good;
    then you will dwell in the land for ever.
28 For the Lord loves the just
    and will not forsake his faithful ones.

Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed;
    the offspring of the wicked will perish.
29 The righteous will inherit the land
    and dwell in it for ever.

30 The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom,
    and their tongues speak what is just.
31 The law of their God is in their hearts;
    their feet do not slip.

32 The wicked lie in wait for the righteous,
    intent on putting them to death;
33 but the Lord will not leave them in the power of the wicked
    or let them be condemned when brought to trial.

34 Hope in the Lord
    and keep his way.
He will exalt you to inherit the land;
    when the wicked are destroyed, you will see it.

35 I have seen a wicked and ruthless man
    flourishing like a luxuriant native tree,
36 but he soon passed away and was no more;
    though I looked for him, he could not be found.

37 Consider the blameless, observe the upright;
    a future awaits those who seek peace.
38 But all sinners will be destroyed;
    there will be no future for the wicked.

39 The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord;
    he is their stronghold in time of trouble.
40 The Lord helps them and delivers them;
    he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
    because they take refuge in him.

A. Find Out:

1. What do the wicked do? v.12,14,21,32
2. But what will happen to them? v.13,15,17,20,28b,34b,38
3. How are God’s people described? v.12a,18,28,37,39
4. What do they do? v.21b,26a,30,31a
5. What does the Lord do for them? v.17b-19,22a,23-29,33,34,39,40
6. What instructions does David give? v.27,34

B. Think:

1. How would you summarise the wicked and what will happen to them?
2. How would you summarise “the good” and what will happen to them?

C. Comment:

     In the first part of the psalm David had exhorted us not to worry about wicked men. Now he distinguishes between the wicked and the righteous.

    Observe first the nature of the wicked : the wicked plan bad things, do bad things against the weak and the good (v.12). They borrow money and don’t repay it showing their unrighteous lack of concern for others (v.21). They plot against those who are good, wanting to destroy them (v.14).

    Second, note what will happen to them: they may apparently flourish for a while but the Lord will destroy them! Their end is decreed, for the Lord sees and knows and will act in His time (v.13,15,20).

    Third, observe the righteous , the blameless, the just, the good. These people may not have much of the world’s possessions (v.16) but they have the Lord on their side. They have generous hearts (v.21b), they speak well because God’s word is in their hearts.

     Fourth, observe how God is with them: He will uphold them (v.17), provide for them (v.19), give them enjoyment of the land (v.22), make them secure (v.23,24), protect them (v.28), redeem them (v.33,40). The Lord is for them!

D. Application:

1. The wicked are God’s enemies and he will deal with them. Watch for their  activities described in this psalm.
2. The righteous are God’s children and He will bless them.