Wait for the Lord
Psalm 37:32–40
Wait for the Lord and keep his way. Psalm 37:34
In the long run the righteous will be exalted and protected, and the wicked will be brought down. Therefore, the psalmist commands us to: “Wait for the Lord and keep his way.”
In Psalm 1 the author used an attractive metaphor for the life of the person who lives by God’s Word. He said he will be “like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season” (v. 3). In Psalm 37 the same metaphor reappears. But here it is used in reverse, the wicked being compared to a green tree which flourishes for a time but soon passes away and is seen no more (vv. 35–36). This is not what we would naturally expect. Earlier in the psalm the wicked were compared to pretty flowers of the field, which do not last long. That seems right. But it is hard to think of a great tree suddenly passing away, unless perhaps it is cut down, which may be what the psalmist is thinking.
Nothing in the Bible is a mistake, of course. So in this case I imagine the image of the tree to be teaching that there are times when the wicked do so well that they seem indistinguishable from the righteous. Their security seems equally assured. They flourish. But we are taught not to judge by appearances but by the Word of God. Proverbs 3:5–6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”
This is what Psalm 37 encourages us to do and what the child of God will experience if he or she trusts in the Lord, delights in the Lord, commits his or her way to the Lord, is still before the Lord, and refrains from anger. The one who does those things will end as the psalm itself does, with meek objectivity, reiterating that the Lord helps, delivers, and saves those who trust him.
“But I can never become like that,” someone protests. “It is not my nature to be meek.”
Perhaps not. Perhaps none of us is meek by nature. But we can become meek if we will commit our way to God and learn from him, just as the psalm advises. Or to put it in New Testament terms, we are to learn from Jesus, who said, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matt. 11:28–29).
Taken from Come to the Waters by James Boice ISBN 9798887790954 used with permission from P&R Publishing, Phillipsburg NJ 08865
Scripture quotations are from the ESV (the Holy Bible English Standard Version) copyright 2001 by Crossway a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved.