Psalm 37 - The LORD Holds You Up

You will certainly stumble, but the LORD keeps you from falling.

Photo: Jake Mills, via Unsplash

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CONTEXT: Psalm 37 is a collection of proverbs, each set in two line couplets that form an acrostic, in which each set of couplets begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alefbet. Although each couplet stands on its own, the overall theme of Psalm 37 is clear: to answer the age old question of how it is that the wicked prosper, while the righteous so often seem to languish.

Today we'll just be reading a few couplets that capture the gist of this long psalm.

Psalm 37

Of David.

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.

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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.

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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.

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²⁷ Turn from evil and do good;

then you will dwell in the land forever.

²⁸ For the LORD loves the just

and will not forsake his faithful ones.

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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.

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Canons of Dordt

Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election

Point 2 - Limited Atonement

Point 3 - Total Depravity

Point 4 - Irresistible Grace

Point 5 - Perseverance of the Saints

Article 8: The Certainty of This Preservation

• It is

  • not by our own merits or strength

  • but by God’s undeserved mercy

  • that we

    • neither forfeit faith and grace totally

    • nor remain in our downfalls to the end and are lost.
      

• With respect to ourselves

  • this not only easily could happen,

  • but also undoubtedly would happen;
    

• but with respect to God

  • it cannot possibly happen,

  • since

    • his plan cannot be changed,

    • his promise cannot fail,

    • the calling according to his purpose cannot be revoked,

    • the merit of Christ as well as his interceding and preserving cannot be nullified,

    • and the sealing of the Holy Spirit can neither be invalidated nor wiped out.

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Summary

One of the most frustrating aspects of the Christian life is the fact that so many people who have little to no regard for the way of the LORD seem to be doing so much better than those who earnestly desire to live a godly life. Seeing people succeed in their ways when they carry out their wicked schemes can cause one to wonder if the sacrifices the LORD calls us to make to follow His law are really worth it.

Notice that throughout this psalm, David doesn't call you to deny the reality that you see around you. He doesn't try to convince his readers that the prosperity we see godless people enjoying is just an illusion or something other that what it seems to be, or that the suffering God's people endure isn't real.

Rather, David - inspired by the Holy Spirit - calls you to reorient your perspective. Don't be so preoccupied with the way things are now. Instead, see things from the vantage point of eternity. The success the wicked enjoy now will not last: it will soon die away. David reminds you that even as they revel in their prosperity, the LORD laughs at the wicked, for He knows their day is coming.

So do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong. Instead, cling to the rock solid promises that Psalm 37 reminds you of:

• The LORD will give you the desires of your heart;

• He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn;

• The LORD loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones.

• The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD ;

  he is their stronghold in time of trouble.

  Dig Deeper  

In Hebrew poetry, the primary meaning of a poem or narrative often comes right in the middle, rather than in the end as we would often expect it to. Verses 23-24 come right smack in the middle, and therefore the primary point of Psalm 37:

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.

It's passages like this that form the foundation for the doctrines of the Canons of Dordt. If you needed to rely upon your own stumbling strength to get you across the heavenly finish line, not only could you fall, forfeiting faith and grace totally, but you undoubtedly would. David here reminds you that you will stumble through life. But he also reminds you that, like a loving Father, the LORD upholds you with His hand so that you will not fall.

So put your hope in the LORD, who helps and delivers you as you take refuge in Him.

AAA Prayer (About)

• ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who upholds us with His hand even as we stumble;

• ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you would be still before the LORD

  and wait patiently for him; and that you would not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes;

• ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:

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