Psalms 37

The design of this Psalm, is to de... end the Providence of God, and to satisfie the minds of Men, in that great question, concerning the seeming inequality of God's dispensations, in afflicting good Men, and giving Prosperity to the worst of Men, and to instruct God's People, how to demean themselves in their present Condition, and what supports and Comforts they have in it.

FRet not thy self, because of evil doers Because they prosper in their wicked Enterprizes, whilst thou art sorely afflicted., neither be thou envious Esteeming them Happy, and secretly wishing that thou wert in their Condition., against the workers of iniquity. Give not way to immoderate Grief or Anger, or impatience.

For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb For their Happiness, the matter of thy Envy, is but short-lived..

Trust in the LORD Depend upon God's Providence, and Promise for thy Protection and Sustentation: or their Infidelity is the Root of their wickedness., and do good Continue in the Practise of that which is good and well-pleasing to God., so shalt thou dwell in the land (i. e.) Upon this Condition, shalt dwell safely and quietly in Canaan; as God had oft Promised. In the Hebrew it is, dwell in the Land, as if it were a Command, to abide in Canaan when Troubles come, and not to flee to the Philistins, or other Heathens for shelter, as he had foolishly done. But it is rather a Promise, by Comp. this with v. 27. 29. such Promises being oft expressed by Imperative Verbs put for Futures, as Gen. 12. 2. and 42. 18. Psal. 128. 6. Amos 5. 4., and verily thou shalt be fed Heb. Thou shalt be... ed (i. e. every way provided for) in Truth, (i. e.) Truly or assuredly; Or, with, or by Faith, as this Word signifies. (i. e.) By thy trusting in the Lord, thou shalt Live by thy Faith, as is said, Habak. 2. 4..

Delight thy self also in the LORD In his Favour and Service, and in the study of his Word and Promises.; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart (i. e.) Thy just Desires, or whatsoever is truly desirable and good for thee. Which Limitation is necessarily to be understood, both from divers places of Scripture, and from the Nature of the things; for it is unreasonable to imagine that God would engage himself to grant their sinful and inordinate Desires, and it would also be a Curse to them, to have them granted.

Commit thy way (i. e.) All thy Cares and Business, thy Desires and Necessities. Commend them to God by fervent Prayer, referring them to his good Will, and expecting an Happy issue of all from him. unto the LORD: trust also in him, and he shall bring it to pass Heb. He shall do, or work, to wit, for thee, or what is fit to be done, or what thou desirest, in the Sense given on v. 4..

And he shall bring forth To the view of the World; from which it has hitherto seemed to be hid, or Eclipsed by Reproaches, and by grievous Calamities, which most men are apt to mistake for Tokens, and Punishments of great Wickedness. thy righteousness as the light It shall be as visible to Men, as the Light of the Sun, and that at Noonday, as it is in the next Branch. So effectually will I plead thy Cause., and thy judgment The same thing with Righteousness, as this Word is used here below, v. 28. and 99. 4. and oft elsewhere. as the noon-day.

Rest in the LORD p, and wait patiently for him: fret not thy self Heb. Be silent unto, Or, for, Or, because of the Lord; (i. e.) Do not murmur nor repine at his dealings, bur silently and quietly submit to his Will, and adore his Judgmentss, and as it follows, Wait for his Help. This Advice and Command is pressed again and again, to teach us how hard it is, to Learn and practise this Lesson. because of him who prospereth in his way (i. e.) In his Evil way, as it is limited in the following Words., because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

Cease from anger s, and forsake wrath: fret not thy self in any wise, to do evil Or, at least so far as to do Evil. If any such Anger, or Grief, do secretly arise in thee, take Care that it do not Transport thee; Either, to Reproach, or distrust God's Providence, or to the dislike of his ways, or to an Approbation, or Imitation of the wicked Practices of those Men, in Hopes of the same success.. t Either against the sinner for his Success; Or against God, for so disposing of things, as Ionah was, Ch. 4. 1.

For evil doers shall be cut off To wit, from the Earth, by Comparing this with the next Clause, and with Psal. 34. 16. Their end shall certainly be most miserable.: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the Earth According to God's Promise, oft made to such; which also for the most part was literally fulfilled in that state of the Church; and if it was not, it was fulfilled with far greater Advantage, in spiritual and Eternal Blessings..

For yet a little while Their Time and Prosperity is very short, and therefore no matter of Envy. and the wicked shall not be To wit, in the Land of the Living. He shall be dead and gone, as this Phrase is commonly taken.: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place Industriously seeking to find him., and it shall not be (i. e.) His place and Estate, and Glory shall be goue. Or, he shall not be, as before..

But the meek (i. e.) The Godly, who are frequently thus called, as Psal. 22. 26. and 149. 4. those who Patiently bear God's afflicting hand, and meekly pass by injuries from ungodly men., shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace Partly, of outward Peace and Prosperity, which God in his due time will give them: and principally of inward Peace, and satisfaction of Mind, in the Sense of God's Favour, and the assurance of his own endless Happiness..

The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth Out of Malice and Rage. See on Psal. 35. 16..

The LORD shall laugh at him (i. e.) Shall despise and deride all their Hopes, and indeavours against the good, as most vain and foolish., for he seeth that his day Either, 1. God's day, which is an usual Phrase, as Isa. 2. 12. and 13. 9. or 2. His own day, as 1 Sam. 26. 10. Ezik. 21. 25. 29. Both signifie the same thing, the day appointed by God, for his Punishment or Destruction, as Isa. 9. 4. Ier. 50. 27. is coming.

The wicked, have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow They are furnished with all sorts of Arms, and are ready to give the deadly blow. to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as be of upright conversation Such against whom they have no Quarrel, for any injury they have done them, but only for their Integrity and Righteousness, or because they are better than themselves, and will not comply with their wicked Counsels and Courses..

Their sword shall enter into their own heart God will not only defend the upright from their Mischievous De... igns, but will make them to fall upon their own Heads., and their bows shall be broken.

A little that a righteous man has, is better than the riches of many wicked Because he has it with many great and glorious Advantages, with God's Favour and Blessings, with great Serenity and Satisfaction of his own Mind. which is infinitely more Desirable and Comfortable than all Earthly Possessions, with the Consolations of God's Spirit, and the assurance of everlasting Felicity: whilst wicked mens Riches are loaded with many Incumbrances, with the Wrath and Curse of God, the Torment of their own Consciences and Passions, and the dreadful Expectation of an after-reckoning, and of endless Miseries..

For the arms of the wicked shall be broken: but the LORD upholdeth the righteous This is a Proof of what he said, v. 16: For what the wicked have, shall suddenly be lost and gone, but God will maintain the righteous in their happy Estate..

The LORD knoweth Observeth with singular Care and Affection. the days of the upright (i. e.) Their Condition and all things, which do or may besal them, their Dangers and Fears, and suffering from ungodly men; and therefore will watch over them, and preserve them from all the Designs and Attempts of their Enemies. Days or Years, or Times, are oft put for things done, or Events happening in them, as Deut. 32. 7. Psal. 31. 15. and 77. 5. and 143. 5. Isa. 63. 11.: and their inheritance shall be for ever To them and to their seed for ever: Comp. v. 29. And when they dye their inheritance is not lost, but exchanged for one infinitely better..

They shall not be ashamed For the disappointment of their Hopes, but their Hopes and Desires shall be satisfied, as it follows. in the evil time: and in the days of famine, they shall be satisfied.

But the wicked shall perish, and the Enemies of the LORD shall be as the fat of lambs Which in an instant melteth before the Fire., they shall consume: into smoke (i. e. Utterly and irrecoverably. shall they consume away.

The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again Either through Covetousness and injustice; Or rather, because of that great penury into which God shall bring him, whilst the righteous is not only provided sufficiently for himself, but has abundance and to spare for others. For he is here Comparing the wicked and the righteous, not so much in their Virtues or moral Qualities, as in their outward Conditions, which also appears from the following Verse, which gives the reason of this.: but the righteous shows mercy and giveth.

For such as be blessed of him (i. e.) Of the Lord, as appears both from v. 20. where he is named, and from the Nature of the thing, this being God's Prerogative to Bless or to Curse men. And this he mentions, both as the Foundation, and as the Proof of the Certainty, of their future Happiness., shall inherit the earth; and they that be cursed of him, shall be cut off.

The steps of a good man Or, of that Man, to wit, the Righteous or Blessed Man, expressed, v. 21, 22., are ordered Or, directed or disposed, (i. e.) So governed, as to attain the end and Happy issue at which he A... ms. Or, strengthned or established so as he shall not stumble nor fall into Mischief. For still he seems to be describing not their Virtue, but their Felicity. by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way Or, and he favoureth his way, (i. e.) Succeeds and prospers his Counsels and Enterprizes..

Though he fall Either, 1. Into sin, as this Word is used, Ier. 8. 4. 1. 1 Cor. 10. 12. Or rather, 2. Into Distress or Trouble, as Mic. 7. 8., he shall not be utterly cast down (i. e.) Not totally, nor irrecoverably Ruined.; for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.

I have been young, and now am old: yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread This assertion seems to be Contradicted by many Experiences: nor can it be denied, that both good Men and their Children, have sometimes been reduced to great want: Quest. How then is this true? Ans. 1. Some render the last Clause thus, nor (did I ever see) his seed (to wit, forsaken, as was now said) though begging Bread. So the Sense is, I have s... en him brought to beggery, yet even then God did not forsake him. But this Sense agrees not with the Context, nor Scope, which is to show the Plenty and Prosperity, wherewith God blesseth him. 2. This is to be understood of the seed of the Righteous, treading in their Fathers steps, from which if they degenerate, they lose all their Priviledges, as many places of Scripture witness. 3. Some few Exceptions, do not destroy the Truth of a general Proposition. 4. These temporal Promises were more express, and particular to the Iews in the times of the Old Testament, than to Christians in the New, and therefore were more literally fulfilled. 5. He speaks not of any kind of wanting or desiring, or receiving Relief from others, for so David himself did, 1 Sam. 21. 3. and 25. 8. but of the Customary Practise and Trade of begging, which was threatned as a Curse to the disobedient, Deut. 28. Psal. 109. 10. 6. Not begging, to wit, in vain, Or, so as to be forsaken, as was now expressed, and may very well be here understood, Or, so as not to be sustained or relieved by others. 7. David speaks only of his own Experience, which if since that time it be Contradicted by other mens Experiences, it is no more than what happens in all the Concernments of humane Life..

He is ever merciful, and lendeth He is so far from begging from others, that he has Ability as well as Inclination, to give or lend to others, as need requires.: and his seed is blessed Not only with Spiritual, but with Temporal blessings. So far shall he be from wasting his Estate, and undoing himself, and Family by his Bounty and Charity, as Covetous Worldings objected or feared..

Depart from evil, And do good Having therefore these glorious Promises and Priviledges, let no man do any Evil or unjust thing, to enrich or secure himself, nor abstaining from Pious and Charitable Actions, for f... ar of undoing himself by them, but let every man Live in the Conscionable discharge of all his Duties to God and Men, committing himself and all his Affairs to God's fatherly Care and Providence, and Confidently expecting his Blessing thereupon.: and dwell (i. e.) Thou shalt dwell, as before, v. 3. to wit, in the Land, as is expressed, v. 3. and afterwards in Heaven. for evermore Either Properly: Or for a long time; of which that Word is oft used..

For the LORD loveth judgment (i. e.) Just judgment, or Righteousness, as that Word is oft taken, as has been showed again and again; Either, 1. In himself, (i. e.) He loveth to execute Judgment upon the wicked, and for the Righteous; which he does in the manner expressed in this Psalm. Or, 2. In the Righteous themselves, whose Justice and Piety, and Charity he sees and Loves, and will reward it., and forsaketh not his Saints Or, his Favourites, or they to whom be has a good... ill: Or, his bountiful Ones, who exercise Benignity and Charity to others., they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.

The righteous shall inherit the land See on v. 3., and dwell therein for ever See on v. 18..

The mouth of the righteous speaketh And that Freely, and Customarily, and from his Heart, as the next Verse shows. Having showed in divers Verses, God s singular Care over, and Respect to the Righteous, he proceeds to give a Character of them, and withal to assign one Reason of the great Difference of God's dealings with them, and with other Men. wisdom Either, 1. For the manner of it, with Wisdom and Judgment. Or rather, 2. For the Matter of it, Heavenly Wisdom, and God's judgment, or Word or Law, as it follows, v. 31. When the Discourses of other Men, are either Wicked or Vain, and useless, his are serious and Edifying, and Pious concerning the Word and ways of God.; and his tongue talketh of judgment Either, 1. For the manner of it, with Wisdom and Judgment. Or rather, 2. For the Matter of it, Heavenly Wisdom, and God's judgment, or Word or Law, as it follows, v. 31. When the Discourses of other Men, are either Wicked or Vain, and useless, his are serious and Edifying, and Pious concerning the Word and ways of God..

The law of his God is in his heart According to God's Command, Deut. 6. 6. and Promise, Heb. 8. 10. His Thoughts and Meditations, and Affections are fixed upon it. He does not talk Religiously in Design, or with Ostentation, but out of the abundance of his Heart, Mat. 12. 35., none of his steps shall slide This passage describes, Either, 1. His Safety, Consequent upon his Piety; God will uphold and preserve him, from falling into that Mischief, which wicked men Plot against him. Or rather, 2. His Virtue or Piety: Which is evidenced by his Words, v. 30. by his Heart, in the former part of this Verse, and by his Actions in these Words. His steps or goings (i. e. his Actions) shall not (or rather, do not: For this Verb though Future, may and should be rendred by the present, as Futures frequently are in the Hebrew Language, and as the two foregoing Future Verbs are rendred, v. 30.) slide, or slip, or swerve, to wit, from the Rule, or from God's Law. Which is to be understood as that Passage, Psal. 119. 3. They do no iniquity; and some such Expressions, not simply and absolutely, as if all good Men were Sinless; which is abundantly Confuted, both by many Scriptures and by universal Experience but Comparatively, and in Respect of his Design and Course, or Custome. His Conversation is ordinarily Regular and unblameable. He not only begins well, but Constantly preseveres in God's ways, and will not be drawn to forsake God and Religion, upon any Terms..

The wicked watcheth To find out a fit season or occasion to destroy him. the righteous, and seeketh to slay him.

The LORD will not leave him in his hand (i. e.) Not give him up to his Power and Rage., nor condemn him (i. e.) Not give his Consent to the Sentence of Condemnation, which the wicked have pronounced against him, but will justifie him, and Vindicate his innocency and deliver him: For such Negatives do oft imply the contrary Affirmatives, as God's not holding a man Guiltless, commonly implies that he will severely punish him. when he is judged.

Wait on the LORD Seeking and trusting to him, and to him only, for Help and Deliverance., and keep his way Continue in the Practise of thy Duty, or in those ways which God has prescribed to thee in his Word, and do not use indirect and irregular means to deliver thy self., and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it Thou shalt not only escape the Destruction which they Design for thee, but shalt Live to see their Ruin..

I have seen the wicked in great power Or, Formidable: Not only himself out of Danger, as it seemed, but terrible to others., and spreading himself And therefore firmly, and deeply Rooted. like a green bay-tree Which is continually Green and flourishing, yea even in the Winter season. Or, like a Green Tree in its own Native soil; where Trees flourish much better, than when they are Transplanted into another soil..

Yet he passed away He was gone in an instant, like a Tree blasted and blown down, or cut off and Rooted out, and carried away in a Moment., and lo, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found There was no Monument nor Remainder of him left..

Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace Though he may meet with Troubles in his way, yet all shall end well with him, he shall be happy at last..

But the transgressours shall be destroyed together Or, alike, one as well as another, all without any Exception or Respect of Persons., the end of the wicked shall be cut off (i. e.) He shall be cut off at last, or in the End. His Prosperity shall end in Destruction. Or, the Posterity (as this Word signifies, Psol. 109. 13. Ier. 31. 17. Ezek. 23. 25. Dan. 11. 4.) of the wicked, &c..

But the salvation of the righteous is of the LORD And therefore it shall certainly come to them., he is their strength in the time of trouble.

And the LORD shall help them and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them because they trust in him.