Read the Psalm here.
Maia Mikhaluk is a dear friend who lives in Kyiv, where her husband
Nick pastors a church. I first met Maia shortly after she graduated
from university some 30 years ago. She had just become a Christian
and was concerned about her husband who did not know Jesus. (The
woman on my right is Vika. Became an CCX staff worker and married
a Danish missionary to the student work in Ukraine who became the
pastor of the Lutheran church in Jerusalem.)
Nick (behind Vika and Maia) came to know Jesus and eventually
became a pastor. To date they have helped plant some 22 churches
in Ukraine and continue to be involved providing humanitarian aid to
communities on the front lines of Russia’s brutal and criminal war
against Ukraine. Maia is a photographer and writer—a digital creator
in her words. And she has kept a daily FB journal of the war since
2022—yesterday being day number 968.
Her journal for day #968 begins:
After 968 days I often feel that I am running out of words.
Our realities include almost daily drone/missile attacks – I don’t write
about each of those strikes because it would be so reparative! Today
130+ drones were attacking Ukraine. On Sat, it was also 130+. With
extensively damaged infrastructure, we will have a tough winter. Having
struggled with lengthy blackouts in the summer, it doesn’t take much
imagination to picture winter challenges. Russians continue to push on
the front lines in the East of Ukraine. Their progress is slow, but they
continue destroying everything when they occupy a territory. The
concerns and challenges we are dealing with (air raids, blackouts,
occupation of our land) are not a part of any normal life, but that’s what
our life consists of for a while now.
A few general observations about the Psalm before we dive in. In form it
resembles the book of Proverbs—An old man sharing his wisdom with the young
as in vs. 25: “I have been young and am now old…” There are exhortations and
advice paired with reasons and descriptions of wicked behaviours paired with
consequences. The foundational conviction of the Psalm is very clear: Yhwh
looks after the faithful, while the faithless perish—in spite of any appearances to
the contrary.
Interestingly, it is an acrostic with 22 four-line poems based on each letter of the
Hebrew alphabet. We unfortunately lose this in the English translation—but it
reinforces the Psalm’s core point that there is an order to the world that reflects
God’s rule and character.
And with that, let’s jump in, looking at the first two stanzas which in many ways
sum up what the rest of the Psalm explores and amplifies.
The wicked in this world seem often to do very well. They have power and
prestige. They get their way at the expense of those weaker or more principled
than themselves. Depending on the context and circumstances, we may fret (be
anxious, worried, afraid) or be envious (seeing their comfort and apparent
prosperity). But their power and prosperity are fragile and temporary. They will
SOON fade—wither and die. In effect, the Psalmist is widening the scope of our
perspective, lengthening our horizon.
The antidote for fretting and envying is to trust in the Lord and (on the basis of
that trust) do good. To trust in the Lord is to rest in his power and promise that he
is at work in bringing about his good order in the world, that the world and its
future belongs wholly to him. And, as we trust him now, even in the face of
apparent difficulties and pain, our future is secure in him—we will have a safe
place to dwell in. (Jesus: I go to prepare a place for you).
V4 is often misunderstood and misused. If I am delighting in the Lord, what is is
the desire of my heart? The desire of my heart is to know the Lord, to love him
and be loved by him in intimate fellowship. The Psalmist is saying that if I delight
in the Lord he will, in effect, fulfill my desires to know him, to belong to him, to
have a future secure in him.
Pressing on (and don’t worry—we will only touch on most of these
verses with the hope that you will be prompted to spend time with
this Psalm on your own)…
These verses add texture.
Commit your way to the Lord—determine to honour God with my life.
Again, trust him, confident that he will carry out his good purposes.
He will uphold his moral order.
Which is the point of vv 6 and 7. The ultimate outcomes of life belong
to God, not to us. Whatever it may look like at the present moment,
the battle, as we say, belongs to the Lord.
To be still is to rest. To let go of our anxiety. It ultimately does not
matter who wins any election–God will accomplish his purposes of
justice and righteousness.
So do not give in to the temptation to take matters into our own
hands—to give in to anger and wrath as if the future depends upon
us, depends upon the good guys winning. This easily leads to evil—
like Peter taking up a sword to defend Jesus in the Garden of
Gethsemane when Jesus was betrayed. NO! Jesus told him. This is
not the way of the Kingdom of God.
Again the promises. The wicked WILL be cut off. Indeed, in only a little
while they will be gone. A little while. That said, to us it often seems like a
very long time indeed. So far almost 1000 days of Putin’s brutal war in
Ukraine. And the long list of faithful people in Hebrews 11 describes many
who died while they waited for God’s promises.
So how can the Psalmist say ”Yet a little while”? To which I answer, how
long is eternity? I have a vivid memory of watching the clock on the last
day of school for my grade 5. It was June 6 and the clock said 2:59. At
three o’clock summer vacation would begin. So I was watching the
second hand go around—and it seemed to take an eternity.
Our lives on this earth are like the second hand going around for one
minute before this life ends and we enter God’s summer vacation. It
seems like forever in the moment, but will seem like nothing at all looking
back from the place that Jesus is preparing for us.
And this of course is what v11 is about—though we know much more
than the original readers. The land and the prosperity that we inherit is
described in Revelation—the New Jerusalem and the Kingdom of God.
And it is the Meek who inherit—the weak and powerless. I.e., we do not
come to this promised land by virtue of how strong we are. It is not seized
by dint of will and determination, but by mercy and grace.
Matthew 5:5: 5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth
Indeed, this inheritance was secured for us not by a warrior king, but by a
dying lamb—the Lamb of God on the cross.
Moving along, we see some irony and humour here. And God
laughing. From the perspective of eternity, and the perspective of
God’s unimaginable power, the machinations of the wicked, the
presumption of those who pursue evil agendas must indeed
seem humorous.
I read vv 14 and 15 and think of the warlords of Sudan and the
Congo, brutalizing the weak and helpless. I think of the war
crimes of Russia in Ukraine, the ethnic genocide of China against
the ethnic Uighurs, the oppression of the Taliban again women in
Afghanistan. V15 is not a hope but a promise. They will one day
(soon!) answer to the Lord for their crimes.
These verses are about being content, trusting that the Lord is
paying attention and accomplishing his good purposes, providing
an eternal heritage for those who look to him and trust him.
Mind you, those Christian Sudanese who face starvation as we
meet here this morning might struggle with v19. They most
certainly do not have abundance now. And this is hard. The text
acknowledges that there will be evil times. There will be days of
famine.
I don’t know how the Psalmist would address this question, but
we have the lens of Jesus’ life and teaching. And again the list of
faithful men and women in Hebrews 11 who, “…though they were
commended for their faith, did not receive what was promised.”
This promise finally finds its fulfilment in Jesus, “the pioneer and
perfecter of faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before
him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his
seat at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Heb 12:2)
So we may not have abundance in this life-–many in this world do
not—but we have a sure hope in the resurrected and ruling King
Jesus.
These verses continue to build on the theme of the precarious
fate of the wicked who are like smoke that vanishes—but add
one more contrast between the wicked and the righteous: The
wicked take ad hoard what is not theirs. The righteous are
generous.
And they can be generous because they know their lives and
futures belong to the Lord. They have, in the words of 1 Pet 4:
“…an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading,
kept in heaven for you.”
Note how these vv become personal—Our steps, our way, we
stumble, we shall not fall headlong. The writer brings himself to
the text. And he speaks of stumbling. He knows his own struggles
and there is a humility here. But also a confidence.
We do stumble by times. We lose sight of the steps, we get
confused—but by God’s grace we do ‘not fall headlong’.
I am reminded of Isaiah 43: When we pass through the fires we
will not be consumed. When we pass through the floods, we will
not be overwhelmed. For the Lord holds us by the hand.
V25 is perhaps challenging. It makes sense to me in light of
Jesus’ resurrection and promises—but how did it make sense to
the Psalmist, writing before Jesus? Perhaps it is best understood
exactly as it is written—an old man looking back over his life and
declaring that he has seen God be faithful, caring for those who
put their trust in him.
And once again the generosity of the righteous is re-emphasized
here. In NT terms, they are salt and light, a blessing to their
communities and families.
There is an invitation here to the wicked. They can turn
from evil and do good.
And by such turning they will secure a future, secure
an everlasting inheritance.
(Ezek. 33:11 ”As I live, says the Lord GOD, I have no
pleasure in the death of the wicked but that the
wicked turn from their ways and live; turn back, turn
back from your evil ways, for why will you die?”)
More dimensions are added to the descriptions of the
righteous—
They speak with wisdom and justice. How does this come
about? Because their hearts are full of the Law of God. I.e.,
the Word of God indwells their hearts.
They are paying attention to God’s Word, to know it, honour
it, and obey it. It is their guide and their point of reference for
making sense of the world—and so they do not slip. They do
not fall into the traps and snares of the wicked.
The wicked who are genuinely out to get them. Looking for
them, offended by them. And the wicked seem to have real
power.
But the righteous will not be abandoned by God. John 16:33
“In the world you face persecution, but take courage: I have
conquered the world!”
The Psalmist re-emphasizes the core messages of the
Psalm.
Waiting implies just that—something not yet arrived, but
coming. What is coming is exaltation and inheritance. What
is coming is the utter destruction of the wicked, the
cleansing of creation from every hint of evil.
And another ‘I have seen’ statement—in this case of very
powerful evil, powerful like the great cedar trees of Lebanon,
oppressing the righteous—even as apparently powerful
wicked people oppress and harass and murder today.
But, like a puff of smoke, they are no more. There power is
illusory.
And once again we come to the conclusion of the
Psalm, the Psalmist drawing home his main points…
1. The righteous can rest in God’s care and protection.
They do not depend upon their own power or might.
They can be peaceable because they trust in God
as their refuge in times of trouble.
“The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord.”
2. The wicked have no security and no hope for the
future. And no ultimate power over the righteous.
Concluding points:
1. We may be tempted to fret and be anxious
about the apparent power and worldly success
of the faithless who seem to do better in all sorts
of ways than the faithful. And indeed, the
faithless are a threat to the faithful and often
scheme against them. The faithless are the
strong, the faithful are the weak.
2. In the face of those realities, the Psalmist
exhorts the faithful to let go of anger and
rather trust the LORD, committing their lives
and futures to the LORD, to be still before the
LORD and to wait for the LORD.
3. Beyond simply wasting energy fretting, the
faithful might be tempted to join the faithless—
to resort to doing wrong to achieve what God
promises to provide—doing whatever it takes
to win. The Psalmist seeks to reinforce our
determination to do good and to trust God.
4. Even if we have very little now (indeed, if we
are suffering now), the Psalmist assures us that
our ‘very little’ is more secure than the
apparent abundance of the wicked which is
fleeting and illusory. We have an inheritance
that is genuinely prosperous.
5. While the present prosperity and success of the
wicked may make it look like there is no moral
order in the world, the Psalmist assures us that
there very much is a moral order. There is an
inbuilt link between acts and consequences.
The sword of the faithless finds its way into their
own heart.
6. But our trust is not in a moral order, but in the
LORD himself. The LORD is faithful. Note the
verbs—He gives, acts, brings out, supports,
acknowledges, exalts, helps, rescues, delivers.
What we describe as the Moral Order is God
working out his purposes according to his
character. He laughs because he knows what
is going to happen.
7. The motif of ‘Land’ is very important. The
faithful will enjoy permanent possession of the
land, enjoying such abundance of well-being
that they are able to share with others. The
fate of the faithless is to be cut off from the
land which means being cut off—separated
from God and his goodness.
8. The Psalmist knows that the faithful do stumble
and do fall into the hands of the faithless. But it
promises that the Lord sees that they are raised
back up and do not stay down.
There is nothing new in Psalm 37. There are no points
or truths that are not made many times and in many
ways across the pages of scripture. But for me it is a
comforting reminder that God is in control of the
world. That I do not need to worry about who wins an
election. Or even who wins a war. This is not in any
way indifference to outcomes. But it is a reminder of
where my hope ultimately rests.
As is often the case when I dive into scripture and
think about what God is doing, I am reminded of the
end of the story.
“The story is told of a group of seminary students and a
janitor. The students were, for a season, playing basketball
in a nearby high school gym. While they played, the janitor, who
graciously allowed the seminarians to use the gym after hours,
would borrow one of their Bibles and spend the hour reading it.
One day, one of the young men asked the janitor, “What have
you been reading in the Bible?” “Revelation,” he replied. The
seminarian chuckled, “Yeah, right.” “No, really,” said the janitor.
Having heard one of his professors say that no one really
understands the strange book, the seminarian asked, “Do you
understand what you have been reading?” “Oh, yes,” replied the
now smiling janitor. Chuckling again, the seminarian asked, almost
sarcastically, “Well then, tell me what it means.” The janitor looked
to his right and then to his left, leaned into the seminarian’s ear
and whispered, “It means that Jesus is gonna win.”
Amen. Psalm 37 is likewise affirming through its Old
Testament lens that Jesus is going to win.
Whatever happens in Ukraine or Israel, in the USA or
Sudan, in Ottawa or in Whitehorse, in your life or in
mine, Jesus is going to win.
Which is what we are reminded of when we take the
Lord’s Supper. Indeed, Jesus has already won.