I had a different post topic in mind for this week, but I keep thinking about Charlie Kirk’s murder on September 10. I didn’t follow any of his work, and wasn’t even sure if his name sounded familiar when I saw the news of his assassination. But I immediately thought of how much other political violence I’ve been hearing about lately, and how much more prevalent it seems than ever before in my lifetime (“Charlie Kirk killing deepens America’s violent spiral,” Zachary Basu, Axios.com).
“With Charlie Kirk’s slaying, we’ve witnessed more high-profile assassinations or assassination attempts in the past 14 months — including two assassination attempts on President Trump, the killing of a Democratic Minnesota lawmaker and an arson attack on the residence of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) — than at any point since 1968, when the nation lost the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., then Robert F. Kennedy just two months later.”
“Behind the Curtain: Four ominous trends,” Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen, Axios.com
It’s sobering to realize that my feeling that political violence (in my country at least) is the highest it’s ever been in my life is based on facts (King and Kennedy were killed more than 20 years before I was born). And while I do see people struggling to encourage unity and condemn political violence as a bi-partisan issue, it seems like many are becoming even more extremely polarized. It’s a frightening and uncertain time.
In the midst of all this, I happened to read Psalm 37 this past week. It’s one of David’s longer psalms, but I found it helpful to read through it slowly this week, and I want to quite it in it’s entirety for today’s post. This is a different format than we’ve done before, so quick word of explanation. If you’re on a computer, you’ll see Psalm 37 (WEB translation) in the column on the left and my commentary is in the column on the right. If you’re on mobile, you’ll see all of Psalm 37 first, then my comments underneath the psalm with numbers next to the comments to indicate which verse I’m reflecting on.
Psalm 37
1 Don’t fret because of evildoers,
neither be envious against those who work unrighteousness.
2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass,
and wither like the green herb.
3 Trust in Yahweh, and do good.
Dwell in the land, and enjoy safe pasture.
4 Also delight yourself in Yahweh,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to Yahweh.
Trust also in him, and he will do this:
6 he will make your righteousness shine out like light,
and your justice as the noon day sun.
7 Rest in Yahweh, and wait patiently for him.
Don’t fret because of him who prospers in his way,
because of the man who makes wicked plots happen.
8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath.
Don’t fret; it leads only to evildoing.
9 For evildoers shall be cut off,
but those who wait for Yahweh shall inherit the land.
10 For yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more.
Yes, though you look for his place, he isn’t there.
11 But the humble shall inherit the land,
and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
12 The wicked plots against the just,
and gnashes at him with his teeth.
13 The Lord will laugh at him,
for he sees that his day is coming.
14 The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow,
to cast down the poor and needy,
to kill those who are upright on the path.
15 Their sword shall enter into their own heart.
Their bows shall be broken.
16 Better is a little that the righteous has,
than the abundance of many wicked.
17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
but Yahweh upholds the righteous.
18 Yahweh knows the days of the perfect.
Their inheritance shall be forever.
19 They shall not be disappointed in the time of evil.
In the days of famine they shall be satisfied.
20 But the wicked shall perish.
The enemies of Yahweh shall be like the beauty of the fields.
They will vanish—
vanish like smoke.
21 The wicked borrow, and don’t pay back,
but the righteous give generously.
22 For such as are blessed by him shall inherit the land.
Those who are cursed by him shall be cut off.
23 A man’s steps are established by Yahweh.
He delights in his way.
24 Though he stumble, he shall not fall,
for Yahweh holds him up with his hand.
25 I have been young, and now am old,
yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken,
nor his children begging for bread.
26 All day long he deals graciously, and lends.
His offspring is blessed.
27 Depart from evil, and do good.
Live securely forever.
28 For Yahweh loves justice,
and doesn’t forsake his saints.
They are preserved forever,
but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.
29 The righteous shall inherit the land,
and live in it forever.
30 The mouth of the righteous talks of wisdom.
His tongue speaks justice.
31 The law of his God is in his heart.
None of his steps shall slide.
32 The wicked watch the righteous,
and seek to kill him.
33 Yahweh will not leave him in his hand,
nor condemn him when he is judged.
34 Wait for Yahweh, and keep his way,
and he will exalt you to inherit the land.
When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it.
35 I have seen the wicked in great power,
spreading himself like a green tree in its native soil.
36 But he passed away, and behold, he was not.
Yes, I sought him, but he could not be found.
37 Mark the perfect man, and see the upright,
for there is a future for the man of peace.
38 As for transgressors, they shall be destroyed together.
The future of the wicked shall be cut off.
39 But the salvation of the righteous is from Yahweh.
He is their stronghold in the time of trouble.
40 Yahweh helps them and rescues them.
He rescues them from the wicked and saves them,
because they have taken refuge in him.
Commentary
1. Much easier to say “don’t fret” than to do it. I often find myself battling anxiety about things that might happen, which is the type of fretting I though of first. Here, though, David seems more focused on the temptation to envy those who seem like they’re “getting away with” unrighteousness.
4. This is one of my favorite verses. I prayed it for years before God granted my desire for a family of my own, and I always smile now when I read it, thinking of my husband and daughter.
5-6. There are so many verses in the Bible reminding us that our focus should be on trusting God and following Him. It’s so much simpler than we often make it.
7. Here is where the psalm starts to feel particularly relevant today. It feels almost impossible not to fret over those “who make wicked plots happen.”
8-11. A key set of verses for times like this, when it’s so easy to react with anger to things we see around us. We must remember that wrath leads to evildoing and evildoers, no matter how well-intentioned they think they are, will be stopped by God. We must wait humbly for God to act. See also Romans 12:14-21.
12-15. Further assurance from the Psalmist that no matter how much wickedness seems to run rampant, even to the point of killing upright people, we can be assured that the Lord will act to put an end to the evil that they do and repay their deeds.
17-19. “Yahweh upholds the righteous” is a recurring motif in the psalms and Isaiah. Here, we also start to get hints that David understand the cosmic timescale where God’s justice plays out: “their inheritance shall be forever.” Not all of God’s promised blessings on the righteous are fully realized in this life, but they will certainly come to pass.
20. Likewise, God’s justice on the wicked doesn’t always happen as quickly as we might like, but it will happen. He is victorious in the end, and what seems like delay to us is actually mercy (2 Pet. 3:9-10; 1 Tim. 2:1-4).
25. Here’s one of the spots that pops up frequently in the psalms where we see the writer’s personal experience rather than a general rule that applies to all time. This is what David has seen; it is not a promise that righteous people will never go hungry. Even earlier in this same psalm, David acknowledges that sometimes the wicked kill the righteous (v. 14). It is possible to hold both truths in our minds: that God is always faithful to His people, and that sometimes He allows bad things to happen.
28. The fact that “Yahweh loves justice” is very reassuring to me. The Hebrew word is mishpâṭ (H4941), and I’ve written about it before. The word encompasses all the functions of a proper government and reflects God’s desire and ability to set things right.
33-34. These are hard verses to reconcile when it does seem as if the wicked might be triumphing over the righteous. Once again, we must remember the timescale that God operates on. In the last days when the righteous are resurrected and stand before God in judgement, He will not condemn them. Those who wait on God and keep His way will be there to see Him bring justice to earth.
Often during times of great stress, we feel like we ought to do something. That is true, but it’s not always the sort of thing we think. Two of the most powerful, and the most counterintuitive, things we can do is lament and pray. Lament is something I don’t think we talk about nearly enough in society today. It’s a Biblical model for talking to God about anguish, pain, grief, and confusion. All too often, we get angry or afraid when we ought to be sighing and crying (see Ezk. 9:4). We want to lash out or take action externally when the Biblical answer is to start with lament and prayer. That doesn’t mean we won’t say anything to take any action, but what we do and say must spring from godly motives rather than human impulses if we want to walk uprightly. I want to close with two more verses that I think are important to keep in mind right now, no matter which side of the intellectual/political divide you lean towards.
First of all, then, I urge that requests, prayers, intercessions, and thanks be offered on behalf of all people, even for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. Such prayer for all is good and welcomed before God our Savior, since he wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.
2 Timothy 2:1-4, NET
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor’ and ‘hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be like your Father in heaven, since he causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Even the tax collectors do the same, don’t they? And if you only greet your brothers, what more do you do? Even the Gentiles do the same, don’t they? So then, be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
Matthew 5:43-48, NET
Song Recommendation: “Fear Is Easy, Love Is Hard” by Jason Gray
Like An Anchor 