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Commentary on Psalms 37 verses 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,
I. What is required of us as the way to our happiness, which we may learn both from the characters here laid down and from the directions here given. If we would be blessed of God, 1. We must make conscience of giving every body his own; for the wicked borrows and pays not again, Psa 37:21. It is the first thing which the Lord our God requires of us, that we do justly, and render to all their due. It is not only a shameful paltry thing, but a sinful wicked thing, not to repay what we have borrowed. Some make this an instance, not so much of the wickedness of the wicked as of the misery and poverty to which they are reduced by the just judgment of God, that they shall be necessitated to borrow for their supply and then be in no capacity to repay it again, and so lie at the mercy of their creditors. Whatever some men seem to think of it, as it is a great sin for those that are able to deny the payment of their just debts, so it is a great misery not to be able to pay them. 2. We must be ready to all acts of charity and beneficence; for, as it is an instance of God's goodness to the righteous that he puts it into the power of his hand to be kind and to do good (and so some understand it, God's blessing increases his little to such a degree that he has abundance to spare for the relief of others), so it is an instance of the goodness of the righteous man that he has a heart proportionable to his estate: He shows mercy, and gives, Psa 37:21. He is ever merciful, or every day, or all the day, merciful, and lends, and sometimes there is as true charity in lending as in giving; and giving and lending are acceptable to God when they proceed from a merciful disposition in the heart, which, if it be sincere, will be constant, and will keep us from being weary of well-doing. he that is truly merciful will be ever merciful. 3. We must leave our sins, and engage in the practice of serious godliness (Psa 37:27): Depart from evil and do good. Cease to do evil and abhor it; learn to do well and cleave to it; this is true religion. 4. We must abound in good discourse, and with our tongues must glorify God and edify others. It is part of the character of a righteous man (Psa 37:30) that his mouth speaketh wisdom; not only he speaks wisely, but he speaks wisdom, like Solomon himself, for the instruction of those about him. His tongue talks not of things idle and impertinent, but of judgment, that is, of the word and providence of God and the rules of wisdom for the right ordering of the conversation. Out of the abundance of a good heart will the mouth speak that which is good and to the use of edifying. 5. We must have our wills brought into an entire subjection to the will and word of God (Psa 37:31): The law of God, of his God, is in his heart; and in vain do we pretend that God is our God if we do not receive his law into our hearts and resign ourselves to the government of it. It is but a jest and a mockery to speak wisdom, and to talk of judgment (Psa 37:30), unless we have the law in our hearts, and we think as we speak. The law of God must be a commanding ruling principle in the heart; it must be a light there, a spring there, and then the conversation will be regular and uniform: None of his steps will slide; it will effectually prevent backsliding into sin, and the uneasiness that follows from it.
II. What is assured to us, as instances of our happiness and comfort, upon these conditions.
1.That we shall have the blessing of God, and that blessing shall be the spring, and sweetness, and security of all our temporal comforts and enjoyments (Psa 37:22): Such as are blessed of God, as all the righteous are, with a Father's blessing, by virtue of that shall inherit the earth, or the land (for so the same word is translated, Psa 37:29), the land of Canaan, that glory of all lands. Our creature-comforts are comforts indeed to us when we see them flowing from the blessing of God, we are sure not to want any thing that is good for us in this world. The earth shall yield us her increase if God, as our own God, give us his blessing, Psa 67:6. And as those whom God blesses are thus blessed indeed (for they shall inherit the land), so those whom he curses are cursed indeed; they shall be cut off and rooted out, and their extirpation by the divine curse will set off the establishment of the righteous by the divine blessing and be a foil to it.
2.That God will direct and dispose of our actions and affairs so as may be most for his glory (Psa 37:23): The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord. By his grace and Holy Spirit he directs the thoughts, affections, and designs of good men. He has all hearts in his hand, but theirs by their own consent. By his providence he overrules the events that concern them, so as to make their way plain before them, both what they should do and what they may expect. Observe, God orders the steps of a good man; not only his way in general, by his written word, but his particular steps, by the whispers of conscience, saying, This is the way, walk in it. He does not always show him his way at a distance, but leads him step by step, as children are led, and so keeps him in a continual dependence upon his guidance; and this, (1.) Because he delights in his way, and is well pleased with the paths of righteousness wherein he walks. The Lord knows the way of the righteous (Psa 1:6), knows it with favour, and therefore directs it. (2.) That he may delight in his way. Because God orders his way according to his own will, therefore he delights in it; for, as he loves his own image upon us, so he is well pleased with what we do under his guidance.
3.That God will keep us from being ruined by our falls either into sin or into trouble (Psa 37:24): Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down. (1.) A good man may be overtaken in a fault, but the grace of God shall recover him to repentance, so that he shall not be utterly cast down. Though he may, for a time, lose the joys of God's salvation, yet they shall be restored to him; for God shall uphold him with his hand, uphold him with his free Spirit. The root shall be kept alive, though the leaf wither; and there will come a spring after the winter. (2.) A good man may be in distress, his affairs embarrassed, his spirits sunk, but he shall not be utterly cast down; God will be the strength of his heart when his flesh and heart fail, and will uphold him with his comforts, so that the spirit he has made shall not fail before him.
4.That we shall not want the necessary supports of this life (Psa 37:25): "I have been young and now am old, and, among all the changes I have seen in men's outward condition and the observations I have made upon them, I never saw the righteous forsaken of God and man, as I have sometimes seen wicked people abandoned both by heaven and earth; nor do I ever remember to have seen the seed of the righteous reduced to such an extremity as to beg their bread." David had himself begged his bread of Abimelech the priest, but it was when Saul hunted him; and our Saviour has taught us to except the case of persecution for righteousness' sake out of all the temporal promises (Mar 10:30), because that has such peculiar honours and comforts attending it as make it rather a gift (as the apostle reckons it, Phi 1:29) than a loss or grievance. But there are very few instances of good men, or their families, that are reduced to such extreme poverty as many wicked people bring themselves to by their wickedness. He had not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging their bread. Forsaken (so some expound it); if they do want God will raise them up friends to supply them, without a scandalous exposing of themselves to the reproach of common beggars; or, if they go from door to door for meat, it shall not be with despair, as the wicked man that wanders abroad for bread, saying, Where is it? Job 15:23. Nor shall he be denied, as the prodigal, that would fain have filled his belly, but no man gave unto him, Luk 15:16. Nor shall he grudge if he be not satisfied, as David's enemies, when they wandered up and down for meat, Psa 59:15. Some make this promise relate especially to those that are charitable and liberal to the poor, and to intimate that David never observed any that brought themselves to poverty by their charity. It is withholding more than is meet that tends to poverty, Pro 11:24.
5.That God will not desert us, but graciously protect us in our difficulties and straits (Psa 37:28): The Lord loves judgment; he delights in doing justice himself and he delights in those that do justice; and therefore he forsakes not his saints in affliction when others make themselves strange to them and become shy of them, but he takes care that they be preserved for ever, that is, that the saint in every age be taken under his protection, that the succession be preserved to the end of time, and that particular saints be preserved from all the temptations and through all the trials of this present time, to that happiness which shall be for ever. He will preserve them to his heavenly kingdom; that is a preservation for ever, Ti2 4:18; Psa 12:7.
6.That we shall have a comfortable settlement in this world, and in a better when we leave this. That we shall dwell for evermore (Psa 37:27), and not be cut off as the seed of the wicked, Psa 37:28. Those shall not be tossed that make God their rest and are at home in him. But on this earth there is no dwelling for ever, no continuing city; it is in heaven only, that city which has foundations, that the righteous shall dwell for ever; that will be their everlasting habitation.
7.That we shall not become a prey to our adversaries, who seek our ruin, Psa 37:32, Psa 37:33. There is an adversary that takes all opportunities to do us a mischief, a wicked one that watches the righteous (as a roaring lion watches his prey) and seeks to slay him. There are wicked men that do so, that are very subtle (they watch the righteous, that they may have an opportunity to do them a mischief effectually and may have a pretence wherewith to justify themselves in the doing of it), and very spiteful, for they seek to slay him. But it may very well be applied to the wicked one, the devil, that old serpent, who has his wiles to entrap the righteous, his devices which we should not be ignorant of, - that great red dragon, who seeks to slay them, - that roaring lion, who goes about continually, restless and raging, and seeking whom he may devour. But it is here promised that he shall not prevail, neither Satan nor his instruments. (1.) He shall not prevail as a field-adversary: The Lord will not leave him in his hand; he will not permit Satan to do what he would, nor will he withdraw his strength and grace from his people, but will enable them to resist and overcome him, and their faith shall not fail, Luk 22:31, Luk 22:32. A good man may fall into the hands of a messenger of Satan, and be sorely buffeted, but God will not leave him in his hands, Co1 10:13. (2.) He shall not prevail as a law-adversary: God will not condemn him when he is judged, though urged to do it by the accuser of the brethren, who accuses them before our God day and night. His false accusations will be thrown out, as those exhibited against Joshua (Zac 3:1, Zac 3:2), The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan! It is God that justifies, and then who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect?
The sinner cannot stand the just person who speaks wisdom with his mouth and meditates on it in his heart. He sees this one keeping the law of the Lord in his heart, and he does all in his power to make him sin mortally. But the Lord watches over the just. We need not fear the snares laid for us by the sinner, because God is for us.
(Vers. 32, 33.) The more righteous someone is, the more their enemy plots against them; and therefore Scripture says: The sinner considers the just person and seeks to destroy them. But the Lord will not abandon them into their hands, nor will He condemn them when He judges. Therefore, when the sinner sees that the just person speaks in their mouth and meditates on wisdom in their heart, because they speak judgment on their tongue, because they keep the law of the Lord in their heart; the sinner tries to bring death of sin upon them, but the Lord protects them. And therefore we do not fear the snares of the sinner, for God is for us. If God is for us, who is against us? Therefore, God will not abandon his just one, nor will he condemn him when he is judged. For he is a true judge, and therefore justice cannot be in jeopardy. Hence, Aquila said: He will not condemn him when he is judged. Symmachus: He will not condemn when the just one is being judged.
But because the Seventy men have thus set forth: When he shall be judged; we think that he refers to something else, because it is written: For the Lord himself shall come to judgment (Isaiah 3:14). But to what judgment? Hear him saying: Against you, you alone have I sinned, and done evil in your sight; that you may be justified in your words, and overcome when you are judged (Psalm 50:6). Therefore the Lord offers himself to be heard, that he may be judged by himself, so that he may overcome even more. How have I treated you? Hear, my people, what have I done to you? Or how have I made you weary? Answer me! For I brought you up from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery (Micah 6:3-4). And elsewhere: I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins; but you, remember me, and let us argue our case together (Isaiah 43:25-26).
It is a serious judgement when the Lord demands to be judged by man. For what can you answer to Him, who has given you everything, who has placed you in charge of everything; who subjected the Egyptians to you, to whom you came as a guest, and afterwards drowned them in the sea. He destroyed your enemies and overthrew them, He created and established you, He redeemed you with His own blood; and yet you betray yourself to serve His enemy! He has forgiven you all your sins, and yet you commit even worse ones! He calls you, you will come to judgment, what will you answer to him, who unless he gives to you again, you are lost? And so, seeing this, the holy David, with this certain moral teaching, avoids judgment, and pleads for mercy, saying: And do not enter into judgment with your servant; for no one who lives will be justified in your sight (Ps. CXLII, 2). He confesses that he is placed in darkness like one dead of the world. Carefully, he said like one dead of the world, not dead; for those who die in Christ are not dead of the world; but those are dead of the world, who place their entire life that they lived in the world in destruction and death. And so, as if desperate for a remedy, he turns to saying: 'Hear me quickly, Lord; for my spirit has failed' (Ibid., 7). For such a judgment has failed in the offering presented to it, in which the truth should be examined rather than mercy conferred.
However, the Lord is so merciful that even though no one is justified in His sight while living (for even the most righteous person is not free from sin; or whose life is such that it is deemed worthy of God's likeness?), nevertheless, one must be made in the image and likeness of God, just as God, who is without sin, is so too the one who is in His image, must be without sin. Therefore, what punishment is worthy for someone who has lost such great grace of the Lord's work and the likeness of divine beauty? But because he is merciful, even if he subjects himself to judgment; he does not judge the just, but the unjust. He spares the just, as if they were sinning due to the fragility of their condition: he punishes the unjust, as if he detests the ungrateful. Furthermore, even if you have many works of justice, do not be impatient and arrogant, so that you do not consider the rewards of justice in this age to be demanded, or lament that any adversity has befallen you undeservedly. For as long as you live, the struggle is owed to you, not the reward.
"The wicked watches the righteous, and seeks to slay him" [Psalm 37:32]. For he says, what it was foretold in the book of Wisdom that he should say, "He is grievous unto us, even to behold; for his life is not like other men's." [Wisdom 2:15] Therefore he "seeks to slay him." What? Does the Lord, who keeps him, who dwells with him, who departs not from his lips, from his heart, does He forsake him? What then becomes of what was said before: "And He forsakes not His Saints"?
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SUMMARY
Psalms 37:32 offers a stark and sobering observation of the spiritual conflict inherent in a fallen world: the wicked actively and malevolently observe the righteous with the destructive intent to eliminate them. This verse encapsulates the persistent hostility and deliberate designs often directed towards those who walk in alignment with God's ways, serving as a poignant reminder of the pervasive opposition faced by the upright and setting the stage for the psalm's broader message of divine justice and ultimate vindication.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Psalms 37:32 powerfully conveys its message through several effective literary devices. Antithesis is foundational, immediately establishing a stark contrast between "the wicked" and "the righteous," thereby highlighting the fundamental opposition between these two ways of life and their adherents. The verse also employs Personification by attributing active, malicious intent ("watcheth," "seeketh to slay") to the abstract concept of "the wicked," making their hostility tangible and immediate, almost as if evil itself is a predatory agent. Furthermore, the phrase "seeketh to slay him" provides Vivid Imagery, painting a chilling picture of determined, destructive intent, which evokes a sense of danger and urgency for the righteous, emphasizing the severity of the threat they face.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
This verse profoundly articulates the reality of spiritual warfare and the inherent, irreconcilable conflict between light and darkness in the world. It serves as a stark reminder that walking in righteousness frequently provokes hostility from those aligned with evil, who perceive the upright as a direct challenge to their own ungodly ways and a condemnation of their actions. However, the psalm's broader, overarching message is one of divine sovereignty and ultimate justice, assuring believers that while the wicked may plot and scheme, their designs will ultimately fail. God is the ultimate protector and vindicator of His people, and their apparent vulnerability is never beyond His watchful eye and powerful intervention. This theme resonates throughout Scripture, affirming God's unwavering commitment to His covenant people and His righteous judgment against those who oppose Him, ensuring that the righteous will endure and inherit what is promised.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Psalms 37:32 serves as a timeless and sobering reminder that living righteously in a fallen world does not exempt us from opposition; rather, it often invites it. The "watching" and "seeking to slay" of the wicked can manifest in myriad contemporary ways: through slander, social ostracization, professional sabotage, legal battles, or even direct persecution. This verse calls us to a sober awareness of the spiritual realities at play, urging us not to be naive about the pervasive nature of evil and its active malice. However, it also implicitly calls us to unwavering steadfastness. Knowing that the wicked are actively plotting should not lead to fear, despair, or a desire for retaliation, but rather to a deeper, more profound reliance on God's sovereign protection and a renewed commitment to living righteously. Our faithful response to such malice is not to fret or retaliate, but to continue to trust in the Lord, to do good, and to commit our way to Him, confident that He will ultimately vindicate us and bring His perfect justice to bear. This steadfastness, rooted in trust, becomes a powerful testimony to the enduring power of God in the face of human wickedness.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why does God allow the wicked to seemingly prosper and persecute the righteous, as implied in this verse?
Answer: Psalms 37, in its entirety, is dedicated to addressing this profound and ancient question. While Psalms 37:32 highlights the immediate reality of the wicked's malice and apparent success, the psalm's overarching message is that this prosperity and persecution are temporary and ultimately futile. God, in His sovereign wisdom and perfect timing, allows a season for the wicked to act, but their ultimate end is destruction and oblivion, while the righteous, though tested and tried, will inherit the earth and be eternally vindicated. This delay is not indifference on God's part but often serves divine purposes, such as testing and refining the faith of the righteous, demonstrating God's immense patience, and allowing time for the wicked to repent. The very next verse, Psalms 37:33, immediately reassures us that "The LORD will not leave him, nor condemn him when he is judged," indicating God's constant watchfulness and ultimate, decisive intervention.
How should the righteous respond when they feel "watched" or targeted by the wicked?
Answer: The psalm provides clear and repeated guidance for the righteous in the face of such opposition: "Fret not thyself because of evildoers" (Psalms 37:1). Instead of yielding to fear, anxiety, or a desire for retaliation, the righteous are called to actively trust in the Lord (Psalms 37:3), to delight themselves in Him (Psalms 37:4), to commit their way to Him (Psalms 37:5), and to wait patiently for Him (Psalms 37:7). This active trust involves continuing to do good, speaking truth, and living righteously, knowing with certainty that God Himself will ultimately bring forth their righteousness as the light and their judgment as the noonday (Psalms 37:6).
Is the "slaying" mentioned in this verse always literal death, or can it have a broader meaning?
Answer: While "slay" (Hebrew: hamit) can certainly refer to literal physical death, in the context of wisdom literature and the broader biblical narrative, it often encompasses a broader range of destructive intentions and actions. The wicked may seek to destroy a person's reputation through slander, ruin their livelihood through economic oppression, undermine their influence through false accusations, or even break their spirit and faith through psychological torment. For instance, the religious leaders frequently sought to "destroy" Jesus's influence and credibility long before they literally sought His physical death (Mark 3:6). Similarly, the wicked may attempt to "slay" the righteous through any means aimed at nullifying their impact, silencing their testimony, or breaking their spirit. The ultimate goal is to eliminate the righteous presence or testimony that stands in opposition to their ungodly ways.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Psalms 37:32 finds its most profound and ultimate fulfillment in the person and redemptive work of Jesus Christ. He was the perfectly righteous one, the only truly blameless individual to walk the earth, yet He was relentlessly "watched" by the wicked—the religious leaders, the Roman authorities, and even segments of the crowd—who consistently "sought to slay Him." From the moment of His birth, King Herod's murderous intent was clear (Matthew 2:13), and throughout His earthly ministry, the Pharisees and Sadducees continually plotted His demise, seeking opportunities to accuse and condemn Him (John 5:18, John 7:1). Their watching was not for admiration or learning, but for accusation and ultimately, His crucifixion. Yet, in His "slaying" on the cross, Jesus did not succumb to the wicked's power but triumphed over it, disarming principalities and powers and making a public spectacle of them (Colossians 2:15). His glorious resurrection is the ultimate vindication of the righteous one, demonstrating unequivocally that the wicked's plots, even when seemingly successful, are ultimately futile against God's sovereign plan and purpose. Believers, as those united with Christ through faith, are called to share in His sufferings (Philippians 3:10), knowing that just as He was vindicated and exalted, so too will they be, through Him, ultimately inheriting the eternal kingdom where the wicked have no place and all injustice is finally undone (Revelation 21:8).