Notes on the Book of Psalms, Psalm 37
The xxxvii. PSALM.
David grounding much upon his own experience and observation of Gods dealing with himself, presseth many excellent exhortations upon the people of God, advising them to patience, faith, and comfort in God, promising them in so doing a happie issue to themselves, and an unhappie to their wicked adversaries, which exhortations and promises doubled and redoubled, the better to take impression, and beget incouragement, is the substance of this whole Psalm.Psalm xxxvii. A Psalm of David.
A Psalm made by David.
1FRet not thy self because of evil doers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquitie.1 BE not thou that belongest to God angrie or agrieved to see wicked men to prosper, and to go unpunished in the world, neither envie thou the happiness of sinners in their affluence of worldly felicitie, nor be moved by it to step out of thy way, into theirs.
2 For it is but for a very little while that they do so,2For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. their happines is short-lived, commonly God by some unexpected judgement and untimely end snatches them from it, or if not, yet at best its mortal like themselves, and dieth with them.
3 But whilest they trust in their strength or store,3Trust in the Lord, and do good, so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. do thou trust in God, and whilest they go on in sinning, do thou go on in serving the Lord, so shalt thou and thy posteritie inherit the promise of life and blessing to survive the wicked, maugre their power and malice that at present Lord it, as if life and inheritances were not the gifts of God, but theirs by an indeleble proprietie, whom yet God will extirpate; and doubt not but trusting in him, and being careful to do thy dutie to him, he will provide what is needful for thee, and will bless thee with convenient food and raiment, as much as a gracious heart, and contented mind desires; for Godliness hath the promise of this life, and that which is to come, they shall not hinder it.
4 Also the whilest they make riches and pleasures their God and greatest good,4 Delight thy self also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. do thou make God and his good grace, thy riches and chief delight, and so God will give thee what shall be for thy good, and withhold from thee what may do thee hurt, which is the desire of every gracious heart.
5 Be not over solicitous and careful in and about thine affairs,5Commit thy way unto the Lord: trust also in him, and he shall bring it to pass. but ease thy mind on God when thou art engaged in his cause, or by his providence, pass them over to him to manage for thee, trusting withall, that according to his goodness and faithfulness he will order and dispose them, and thou shalt find every thing to prosper better in his hands than in thine, and a good success to follow upon it.
6And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgement as the noon-day.6 And though thy pietie and innocencie may be rewarded with obloquy and oppression, yet be sure the time will come, and be comforted in it, when God shall right all thy wrongs, and vindicate thine uprightness (if thou trust in him to do it) to thy full satisfaction, and the worlds conviction, as certainly as light springs out of darkness, and day out of night, and as clearly as the sun shines in his greatest brightness, for all eyes to see it.
7Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thy self because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.7 How ever things frame, relie thou upon God with a stedfast unwavering faith, and a quiet contented mind, be not hastie nor impatient of the end, but stay Gods leasure submissively to his will, and believingly in his promise to the very uttermost period of his pleasure. And though thou in a good cause go by the worse, and others in a bad one succeed and prosper; yet let it not unsettle thy faith, or distemper thy spirit to see wicked men fortunate, in wicked ways and evil designs.
Cease from anger, … forsake wrath: …et not thy self in any wise to do evil.8 At any rate suppress passionate misprisions of God his truth or righteousness, and beware of casting off a meek spirit, and entertaining a wrathful envious disposition incident in such temptations, let not distemper seize upon thee however matters go, but specially not so far as to move thee to forgo thy faith and and obedience, and to fall to sinful shifts and practises.
9For evil doers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the land.9 For so thou and they shall fare alike, even both be cut off in Gods displeasure, whereas if thou hold on in patient and faithful waiting on the Lord, thou shalt at last find it to be the most successeful and prosperous course, and that in so doing God will bless and provide for thee, when as they and their hopes shall perish.
10For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be▪ ye…, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and i… shall not be.10 For if thou wilt but have a little patience, and stay Gods leasure, it shall not be long before the wicked have their reward, though God may let them prosper for a while, yet the time will come when either their happiness shall be taken from them, or they from it; yea, thou or thine shall see an end of him and his, to your admiration, and God his exaltation.
11 But on the contrarie,11But the meek shal inherit the earth: & shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. they that wait patiently and bear meekly, they shall find it the best and happiest way, for that God will preserve them, and at last bless them with rest and safetie, when the wicked shall perish.
12 The malice of the wicked indeed is every way very provoking,12The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth. both in real wrongs, causelesly working against the righteous; & in irritating deportments, manifesting his inward rancor and imbittered mind against him, when he cannot prevail.
13 But theres no danger,13The Lord shall laugh at him, for he seeth that his day is coming. for God laughs to see his folly, so to fret himself, and labour in vain to root out the faithful and Godly man, when as all that while he is but digging his own grave, and hastening his own destruction, for the more he endangers him, and hath him at a lift, the speedier shall be his own ruin, to make way for his preservation.
14 The wicked do all they can by wit or power to overthrow the poor opressed innocent man,14The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow to cast down the poor and needie, and to slay such as be of upright conversation. and set themselves with all their might to slay without cause the good, even because they are good.
15 But God shall make use of their power and violence against themselves,15Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall he broken. for they shall work their own destruction, and the aim they have at the Godly shall be defeated, and they preserved, spite of all their power and malice.
16A little that a righteous man hath, is is better than the riches of many wicked.16 The righteous man that trusts in God and serves him is happier and richer in a little that God gives him, than the wicked are with much ill gotten goods, wherein they put great confidence.
17For the arms of the wicked shall be broken: but the Lord upholdeth the righteous.17 For the carnal confidences and strength of the wicked wherein they trust, shall be weakened, & made ineffectual, against the Godly and their faith; but them will God sustain, be they never so despicable and void of secundarie helps, spite of all adverse power.
18The Lord knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever.18 The Lord hath decreed to a minute how long the righteous shall suffer, and remembers his promise touching their surviving happiness after their miseries, and their enemies oppressions, to keep it: which he will certainly do, to their well-being here, or if not, for ever hereafter in heaven.
19They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famin they shall be satisfied.19 Which confidence of theirs shall make them hold up their heads when others droop, in times of distress. Yea, their hope and trust in God shall yield them their bellies full of content even in death.
20But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the Lord shall be as the fat of lambs, they shall consume: into smoak shall they consume away.20 When as the wicked for want of it shall comfortlesly pine away, and the ungodly ones for whose sake those judgements are sent, together with all their substance, shall in the Lords anger be consumed by them, as the fire melts lambs grease; yea, they shall be quite consumed.
21The wicked borroweth and payeth not again: but the righteous sheweth merciemercy and giveth.21 The wicked for all his abundance, and abundant confidence therein, by Gods just judgements are oft times impoverished and put to borrow, and disabled to pay again, whereas the righteous whose confidence is in God, and can find in his heart, in obedience to him to be charitable with that he hath, is blessed of God with enough for his own comfortable subsistence, and the relief of the needie.
22 For he hath temporal blessings in store for them on whom he hath bestowed his favour and grace,22For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth; and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off. and they shall have a comfortable subsistence, when as others far greater and of more account in the world, living in sin, and being in hatred with God, shall unexspectedly be undone and destroyed.
23 God prospers him that is good,23The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. and gives a good issue to his undertakings, because he takes pleasure in, and receives honour from his conscionable and serviceable walking.
24 He may be low brought and hard set,24Though he fall, he shall not utterly be cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand. but he shall never be quite forsaken of God, nor rendred to the will of his enemies to his utter undoing. For the Lord hath an eye to him, and an hand on him, to keep him from drowning though he let him sink, they may be cast down, but not destroyed.
25 All my life long (which is no short one) I have ever taken notice of Gods dealing with his people,25I have been young, and now am old: yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. and have always observed his faithfulness to the faithful, how that they that have trusted in him, and walked with him have never been quite forsaken of him, though they have oft and many a time been put soar to it, yet hath he never falsified his word of promise and providence, but whereas I have seen the wicked turned naked out of all, and glad to be beholden to to the righteous (as Esau was to Jacob for a mess of pottage) the Lord on the contrarie hath always provided so competently and contentedly for them, that they have never needed to crave relief from the ungodly.
26 The righteous mans propertie is still to be doing good,26He is ever merciful and lendeth: and his seed is blessed. trusting in the Lord more than in riches, and therefore whereas others hoard up all they can get, he lends & gives as there is cause to them that want, and hopes to be never the poorer for it, (counting it his riches to lay out, not to lay up;) nor is he, for God rewards his good deeds upon his posteritie after him, and blesseth them for his sake.
27Depart from evil, and do good: & dwell for evermore.27 Wouldst thou then have a blessing upon thy self, and derive it to thy posteritie? take the course the godly do, forsake sin, and serve God, and thou shalt find that thats the onelyonly way for thee and thine to be happie from generation to generation.
28For the Lord loveth judgement, and forsaketh not his saints, they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.28 For the righteous Lord loveth righteousness, and will bless them that love and practise it, they that are holy and practise holiness, heel stick as close to them as they do to him, and will never fail them of his promises that he hath made to them and theirs, but the wicked shall find he as much hates them, as he loves the godly, either they or their posteritie shall smart for their wickedness, and be rooted out by it.
29The righteous, shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever.29 The righteous liver shall by the blessing of God subsist, and derive a subsistence from himself to his children of peace and happiness, and the favour of God, generation after generation.
30The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom; & his tongue talketh of judgement.30 The righteous man as he himself is good, so he loves to be doing good, and to instruct others as oportunitie serves, specially his own, like as God hath instructed him with the knowledge of his wayes of holiness and righteousness, wherein he is conversant both in walking and talking.
31The Law of his God is in his heart, none of his steps shall slide.31 The Law of God (whom he loves, and who he knows loves him) is written in his heart, and naturalized therein, which shall keep him from sin, and for which God will prosper and preserve him from evil, maugre Satan and the World.
32 Yea,32The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him. though the wicked watch him never so narrowly by power or policie to ruine him.
33 For the Lord will not forget his promise,33The Lord will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged. nor withdraw his providence, so as to expose him without support or supply, nor will God judge him, as they do, nor condemn him upon their accusations, but will defend him, acquit his innocencie, and revenge his wrong.
34 Trust stedfastly in the Lord,34Wait on the Lord, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off thou shalt see it. patiently waiting upon him in his own time to fulfil his own promise, and shew forth his merciemercy to thee in thy trouble; and keep a good conscience by walking unweariedly and with a constant course in and after his commandments, and he will at last do great things for thee, thou shalt certainly be a top of the wheel, and shall see the wicked under thee, how ever they at present over-top thee.
35 I speak what I have seen,35I have seen the wicked in great power: and spreading himself like a green bay-tree. and what others shall see if they wait and observe, to wit, The wicked most formidably powerful, and priding themselves in great prosperitie, flourishing like a bay-tree in earthly felicitie.
36 Yet have I lived to see him quite blasted and withered,36Yet he passed away, and so he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found. so, as if he never had been such a man; and all this in my time.
37 So likewise have I marked the righteous man,37Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace. and so I would have others to do; to prevent rash judgement, and that they may see what I say to be true, to wit, That though he that is faithful and sincere towards God, may have a time of sadness and suffering, yet its most certain his end shall be most comfortable, for either he shall out-live his miseries here, as oft they do, or leave them behind him with a peaceable and joyful departure out of this life from them to the Lord his God, who will receive him into everlasting happiness.
38But the transgressours shall be destroyed together, the end of the wicked shall be cut off.38 Whereas on the contrarie, well may the wicked fare for a while, but in the end judgement shall devour them, and as they have been brethren in evil, so shall they be fellows in punishment, none shall escape; The end of the wicked shall not be death, but destruction, wrath shall slay them, happines forsake them, and confusion receive them.
39But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord, he is their strength in time of trouble.39 So it is with them, but so shall it not be with the righteous, whose salvation is not placed in false refuges, as is wicked mens, but in the power and faithfulness of the Lord, he is their strength and trust in time of trouble.
40And the Lord shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them because they trust in him.40 Who will not deceive them, but will certainly relieve and release them, he both must and will do it, for he is bound by his grace and truth to save them that trust in him, and destroy the wicked enemies of his Church, and that bond hee'l never break.