34 Look unto Jehovah, and keep His way, And He doth exalt thee to possess the land, In the wicked being cut off -- thou seest!
Look unto Jehovah -- be strong, And He doth strengthen thy heart, Yea, look unto Jehovah!
But with thine eyes thou lookest, And the reward of the wicked thou seest,
For evil doers are cut off, As to those waiting on Jehovah, they possess the land.
Do not say, `I recompense evil,' Wait for Jehovah, and He delivereth thee.
that the proof of your faith -- much more precious than of gold that is perishing, and through fire being approved -- may be found to praise, and honour, and glory, in the revelation of Jesus Christ,
because every one who is exalting himself shall be humbled, and he who is humbling himself shall be exalted.'
And the righteous layeth hold `on' his way, And the clean of hands addeth strength, And -- dumb are they all.
A highway of the upright `is', `Turn from evil,' Whoso is preserving his soul is watching his way.
He hath scattered -- hath given to the needy, His righteousness is standing for ever, His horn is exalted with honour.
And Thou exaltest as a reem my horn, I have been anointed with fresh oil. And mine eye looketh on mine enemies, Of those rising up against me, The evil doers, do mine ears hear.
Trust in Jehovah, and do good, Dwell `in' the land, and enjoy faithfulness,
For He hath known the way with me, He hath tried me -- as gold I go forth. On His step hath my foot laid hold, His way I have kept, and turn not aside, The command of His lips, and I depart not. Above my allotted portion I have laid up The sayings of His mouth.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Psalms 37
Commentary on Psalms 37 Matthew Henry Commentary
Psalm 37
This psalm is a sermon, and an excellent useful sermon it is, calculated not (as most of the psalms) for our devotion, but for our conversation; there is nothing in it of prayer or praise, but it is all instruction; it is "Maschil-a teaching psalm;' it is an exposition of some of the hardest chapters in the book of Providence, the advancement of the wicked and the disgrace of the righteous, a solution of the difficulties that arise thereupon, and an exhortation to conduct ourselves as becomes us under such dark dispensations. The work of the prophets (and David was one) was to explain the law. Now the law of Moses had promised temporal blessings to the obedient, and denounced temporal miseries against the disobedient, which principally referred to the body of the people, the nation as a nation; for, when they came to be applied to particular persons, many instances occurred of sinners in prosperity and saints in adversity; to reconcile those instances with the word that God had spoken is the scope of the prophet in this psalm, in which,
In singing this psalm we must teach and admonish one another rightly to understand the providence of God and to accommodate ourselves to it, at all times carefully to do our duty and then patiently to leave the event with God and to believe that, how black soever things may look for the present, it shall be "well with those that fear God, that fear before him.'
A psalm of David.
Psa 37:1-6
The instructions here given are very plain; much need not be said for the exposition of them, but there is a great deal to be done for the reducing of them to practice, and there they will look best.
Psa 37:7-20
In these verses we have,
Psa 37:21-33
These verses are much to the same purport with the foregoing verses of this psalm, for it is a subject worthy to be dwelt upon. Observe here,
Psa 37:34-40
The psalmist's conclusion of this sermon (for that is the nature of this poem) is of the same purport with the whole, and inculcates the same things.