Psalm 37

"The meek shall inherit the earth” (vs. 1-40)—This isn’t an easy psalm to outline; there doesn’t seem to be any organization that I can see. There are a couple of themes that run constantly throughout it, however. “The meek (or some such) shall inherit the earth” is one of them (vs. 9, 11, 22. 29, 34). The other theme is a constant contrast between the righteous and the wicked. There are some special poetic devices used in a place or two which shall be duly noted.

David starts the psalm by encouraging us not to worry about “evildoers” (v. 1). “They shall soon be cut down like the grass, And wither as the green herb.”  Rather—and here we have the palilogical poetical device— “trust…dwell…delight…commit…trust…rest…do not fret…cease…” (vs. 3-8). All of these things have attendant blessings attached. Once again, “evildoers shall be cut off” (v. 9), but “those who wait on the LORD, they shall inherit the earth” (v. 9). This “inherit the earth” concept needs a little exploring.

In Matthew 5:5, Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” The last part is borrowed from the 37th Psalm (and a couple other locations) and is a proverbial, poetic statement for reception of the highest blessings. The “land” promise was very important to the Jews, of course, so any reference to it would be a comfort to them. But, keep in mind, we are dealing with poetry here. The Jehovah’s Witnesses like to apply Matthew 5:5 as literal—the “meek” will live forever here on earth, taking the poetic statement and trying to turn it into reality. There are several problems with that. First of all, who are they going to inherit the earth from? Somebody has to die before there can be an inheritance. Who dies so that the “meek” can inherit the earth from them? Plus, Psalm 25:13 says of the man who fears the Lord, “his descendants shall inherit the earth.” Who gets the earth, the meek (righteous, he who fears the Lord), or their descendants? The error here by the JW’s is grievous. NEVER take poetic language and build a doctrine on it. It’s poetry, it’s emotive, it’s flowery, it’s not prose and not intended to be taken with exact literalness. Many, many people, and not just the JW’s, are guilty of that interpretive faux pas.

Back to Psalm 37. The futility of the wicked is noted in verses 12-15. He “plots against the just,” but “the Lord laughs at him” (vs. 12-13). I don’t think I want Jehovah laughing at me, at least not in this sort of context. The efforts of the wicked will eventually turn back upon them (vs. 14-15). It is much better to have only a little, and be righteous, than to be rich and evil (v. 16), for “the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but the LORD upholds the righteous” (v. 17). The Lord knows His people “and their inheritance shall be forever” (v. 18). That’s the true “inheritance” we are looking for—the eternal one. The righteous will be taken care of in times of peril, but not the wicked (vs. 19-20); “into smoke they shall vanish away” (v. 20). The Lord leads the “good man” (v. 23) and “delights in his way.” The righteous may stumble from time to time, but the Lord will “uphold him” (v. 24), and always take care of him: “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread” (v. 25). The righteous are merciful, and do good (vs. 26-27), and because of that righteousness (“justice”), the Lord never forsakes “His saints; they are preserved forever” (v. 28). Not so the wicked (v. 28). His descendants “shall be cut off.” The idea of “descendants” is an important one as well. A man who had none was considered incomplete or cursed by God. A huge family was a necessity in an agricultural, and warrior, society. Thus, “children are a heritage from the Lord” (Psalm 127:3), and a barren woman was shamed, as was a man whose descendants were “cut off.” There were few blights worse than that. Then we have some characteristics of the righteous. He speaks wisdom, and keeps the “law of his God in his heart,” thus “none of his steps shall slide” (vs. 30-31). Indeed, keeping God’s word in our hearts is the only way to avoid sin (Psalm 119:11). The wicked are ever pursuing the righteous (v. 32), but the Lord knows that (v. 33) and will protect His saints. Thus, “wait on the Lord and keep His way” (v. 34). The wicked may appear strong for a season (v. 35), “yet he passed away, and behold, he was no more; indeed, I sought him, but he could not be found” (v. 36). Total obliteration for the evil ones. Keep your eyes on the blameless man; “the end of that man is peace” (v. 37). Or as the NKJV says, “the future of that man is peace.” In contrast, “the future of the wicked shall be cut off” (v. 38). Our salvation is “from the Lord,” and He is our “strength in the time of trouble” (v. 39). He will help the righteous, deliver them from the wicked, and save them (v. 40). Why? “Because they trust in Him.” This is one of my favorite psalm. It is very comforting and speaks forthrightly of God’s care for His people and hatred of wickedness.