Main Point Summary
Do not be envious of wrong doers, but trust in the LORD by delighting in him, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
I. Do Not Be Envious, Trust In The LORD(Psalm 37:1-7)
A. Negative : Do Not Be Envious of Evil Doers(Psalm 37:1-2)
1. Ground : They will not last(Psalm 37:2)
B. Positive : Trust In The LORD(Psalm 37:3-4)
1. Trust in the LORD that results in doing good(Psalm 37:3)
i. Promised Result : You will dwell in the land and feed on the LORD’s faithfulness
2. Manner : By delighting in the LORD(Psalm 37:4)
i. Promised Result : The LORD will give you the desires of your heart
When we envy the wicked, the problem is not that we want things too much. Our eyes wander away from God, and we try to find our joy in cheap substitutes. We are jealous of the wicked because we do not delight in the Lord. Instead we delight in a car or a promotion or a phone call from a boyfriend or a bigger bank account – James Johnston, Preaching The Word
It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased. – C. S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory (New York: Harper Collins, repr. 2001), 26.
C. Explanation : Commit Your Way, Do Not Fret(Psalm 37:5-7)
1. Positive : Commit your way to the LORD, trust in him(Psalm 37:5)
i. Promised Result : The LORD will act, that is, he will vindicate you(Psalm 37:5-6)
ii. Manner : By being still and waiting patiently for the LORD(Psalm 37:7)
2. Fret not(Psalm 37:7)
II. Expansion(Psalm 37:8-40)
A. Negative : Refrain from Anger, Forsake Wrath, and Fret Not(Psalm 37:8-26)
1. Ground : Evil doers shall be cut-off, but those who wait for the LORD shall inherit the land(Psalm 37:9)
2. Expansion(Psalm 37:10-26)
i. Relative to eternity, in just a little while, the wicked will not last, but the righteous will inherit the land(Psalm 37:10-11)
ii. The LORD will judge the wicked and they will not prevail(Psalm 37:12-15)
iii. Better is the little that the righteous has than the riches of the wicked(Psalm 37:16-20)
iv. Since the righteous is generous, he will inherit the land(Psalm 37:21-22)
v. The LORD establishes the steps of the righteous(Psalm 37:23-24)
vi. Based on the experience of the aged psalmist, he observed that the LORD does not forsake the righteous(Psalm 37:25-26)
B. Positive: Do Good While Waiting For The LORD(Psalm 37:27-40)
1. Turn away from evil and do good(Psalm 37:27-33)
i. Promised Result : You shall dwell forever(Psalm 37:27, 29)
ii. Ground 1: The LORD loves justice(Psalm 37:28)
iii. Ground 2: The LORD will not abandon the righteous to the wicked(Psalm 37:30-33)
2. Wait for the LORD, keep his ways(Psalm 37:34-40)
i. Promised Result : You will inherit the land and the wicked will be cut-off(Psalm 37:34)
ii. Ground : The righteous has a future, while the wicked will not have a future(Psalm 37:35-40)
III. Christ Connection
A. Psalm 37 Finds Fulfillment In The Beatitudes(Matthew 5:3-12)
B. Jesus, The Righteous Joyful Sufferer(Hebrews 12:2)
1. Jesus is the righteous man who perfectly mediated on and obeyed the law of the LORD
2. Jesus is the righteous man who for the joy that was set before him, endured all trials, including the cross, and yet without sin
IV. Application
A. Forsake Envy but Trust in the LORD
1. To forsake envy, one must have a bitter taste for wicked
2. We can only have a bitter taste of wickedness by always reminding ourselves of the final destiny of the wicked and the warnings against the sin of envy
B. Trust in the LORD
1. Envy is a form of unbelief, hence to fight it one must cultivate trust in the LORD
2. How? By delighting in the LORD, tasting more of his goodness
3. How do we delight in the LORD? By feeding on the promises of God in scripture