Psalm 37 — 38
knows that their own weapons will turn against them (v. 15; 7:15ff.; 9:15ff.). God upholds the righteous (vv. 16–17) and sees to it they have what they need (Prov. 15:16; 16:8). Just as Jesus met a great need with a few loaves and fishes, so the Lord can "make a little go a long way." "Know" in verse 18 refers to much more than intellectual understanding—"God knows what's going on"—but indicates that He is involved and caring for us daily (see 1:6; 31:7, 15). "Give us this day our daily bread" (Matt. 6:11).
the heart is the secret of a holy life (1:1–3; 40:8; 119:9–16; Deut. 6:6).
The Lord Judges the Wicked (vv. 32–40) Three images illustrate God's judgment of those who reject Him and rebel against His law: the court trial (vv. 32–34), the tree (vv. 35–36), and the rescue (vv. 37–40). The wicked watched the godly and tried to find some reason for accusing them. In spite of David's integrity and Solomon's great wisdom, the judicial system in Israel was far from efficient, and it was easy for the rich to oppress the poor and take what little they possessed (Amos 2:4–8; 4:1–3). But the Lord is the highest judge, and He knows how to deliver the righteous from lying witnesses and judges who have been bribed.
There is in verse 18 the suggestion of something beyond the needs of this life. The emphasis in Psalm 34 is on Israel's national life in the land, and the ancient Jew saw his "immortality" in his posterity, but occasionally in The Psalms you catch a glimpse of the eternal. (See 16:11, 17:15 and the "forever" statements in 37:18, 27–29.) The wicked will perish like smoke at the altar (102:3; Hos. 13:3; the New International Version reads "like the beauty of the fields," an image used in v. 2). If the punishment of the wicked involves more than suffering and death in this life, will not the blessing of the righteous go beyond this life as well?
The godly are pictured by the fruitful tree (1:3) and the ungodly by a luxurious ("overbearing and towering") shrub or tree, planted in its native soil where its roots can go down deep (vv. 35–36). Not only did the tree die and fall, but there was no evidence left behind that there had ever been a tree there at all! So God will do to the wicked, who appear to be successful and permanent but are destined for judgment. God not only judges the wicked but He also rescues the righteous from their clutches (vv. 37–40). The key question isn't what people look like or what they possess, but what is their final end? (See Prov. 5:4; 14:12–13; 16:25; 24:20.) "There is a future for the man of peace … but the future of the wicked will be cut off" (vv. 37–38 niv). Some see this as referring to posterity, and that may be included, but certainly it describes the final destiny of the righteous and the wicked. The Lord delivers the righteous from eternal judgment, but He also delivers them from the attacks and accusations of the wicked in this world today. Why? "Because they trust in him" (v. 40). Fretting and fear cannot stand before faith in the living God.
The Lord Blesses His People (vv. 21–31) He blesses them first of all with provision of their daily needs (vv. 21–22). The wicked may succeed for a time, but eventually they have to borrow in order to survive; while the godly have what they need and can lend to others (Deut. 15:6; 28:12, 44). This isn't a promise for every believer at all times in all places, for many believers have died in poverty and hunger. Like the statements in the book of Proverbs, it's a generalization that proves true in so many cases that we can safely apply it to life.
God not only gives provision, but He also gives protection (vv. 23–24). "Ordered" means "secured, established" (119:133), and even if believers stumble, God will pick them up and get them going again. He can keep us from stumbling (Jude 24), and He can restore us if we do stumble. Why? Because the Father delights in His children and wants them to learn to walk.