Highlights
- Very comforting chapter to the righteous. In a nutshell, God will protect and take good care of them vs 25 – 28, 39 – 40;
- To the wicked, do not be envious of their success; it is temporary like a green tree in its native soil, but it will soon passed away and was no more, 35 – 36 NIV, vs 1 – 2;
- Vs 28, NIV…but the offspring of the wicked will be cut off;
Psalms 37:1-3,25-40
[1]Don’t be worried on account of the wicked; don’t be jealous of those who do wrong.
[2]They will soon disappear like grass that dries up; they will die like plants that wither.
[3]Trust in the Lord and do good; live in the land and be safe.
[25]I am old now; I have lived a long time, but I have never seen good people abandoned by the Lord or their children begging for food.
[26]At all times they give freely and lend to others, and their children are a blessing.
[27]Turn away from evil and do good, and your descendants will always live in the land;
[28]for the Lord loves what is right and does not abandon his faithful people. He protects them for ever, but the descendants of the wicked will be driven out.
[29]The righteous will possess the land and live in it for ever.
[30]The words of good people are wise, and they are always fair.
[31]They keep the law of their God in their hearts and never depart from it.
[32]Wicked people watch good people and try to kill them;
[33]but the Lord will not abandon them to their enemy’s power or let them be condemned when they are on trial.
[34]Put your hope in the Lord and obey his commands; he will honour you by giving you the land, and you will see the wicked driven out.
[35]I once knew a wicked and ruthless person; he towered over everyone like a cedar of Lebanon;
[36]but later I passed by, and he wasn’t there; I looked for him, but couldn’t find him.
[37]Notice good people, observe the righteous; peaceful people have descendants,
[38]but sinners are completely destroyed, and their descendants are wiped out.
[39]The Lord saves the righteous and protects them in times of trouble.
[40]He helps them and rescues them; he saves them from the wicked, because they go to him for protection.