vindication of the righteous psalm 37:1-40 by clyde … 1 commentary by clyde m. miller questions by...

http://www.BibleStudyWorkshop.com 1

Commentary by Clyde M. Miller Questions by John C. Sewell

Vindication of the Righteous

Psalm 37:1-40

by

Clyde M. Miller

Landmark Publications, Inc., 1045 Maynor Street, Nashville, TN 37216, U.S.A., John C. Sewell, Ph.D., Editor.

http://www.BibleStudyWorkshop.com


Vindication of the Righteous

Commentary

by

Clyde M. Miller Text: Psalm 37:1-40, 1. Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong; 2. for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. 3. Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. 4. Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. 5. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: 6. He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. 7. Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. 8. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil. 9. For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land. 10. A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found. 11. But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace.




12. The wicked plot against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them; 13. but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he knows their day is coming. 14. The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright. 15. But their swords will pierce their own hearts, and their bows will be broken. 16. Better the little that the righteous have than the wealth of many wicked; 17. for the power of the wicked will be broken, but the LORD up-holds the righteous. 18. The days of the blameless are known to the LORD, and their inheritance will endure forever. 19. In times of disaster they will not wither; in days of famine they will enjoy plenty. 20. But the wicked will perish: The LORD's enemies will be like the beauty of the fields, they will vanish—vanish like smoke. 21. The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously; 22. those the LORD blesses will inherit the land, but those he curses will be cut off. 23. If the LORD delights in a man's way, he makes his steps firm; 24. though he stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand. 25. I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the right-eous forsaken or their children begging bread. 26. They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be blessed. 27. Turn from evil and do good; then you will dwell in the land forever. 28. For the LORD loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. They will be protected forever, but the offspring of the wicked will be cut off; 29. the righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever.




30. The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks what is just. 31. The law of his God is in his heart; his feet do not slip. 32. The wicked lie in wait for the righteous, seeking their very lives; 33. but the LORD will not leave them in their power or let them be condemned when brought to trial. 34. Wait for the LORD and keep his way. He will exalt you to in-herit the land; when the wicked are cut off, you will see it. 35. I have seen a wicked and ruthless man flourishing like a green tree in its native soil, 36. but he soon passed away and was no more; though I looked for him, he could not be found. 37. Consider the blameless, observe the upright; there is a future for the man of peace. 38. But all sinners will be destroyed; the future of the wicked will be cut off. 39. The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD; he is their stronghold in time of trouble. 40. The LORD helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him. (NIV) Introduction: I. For the varied meanings of the phrase, “of David”, in the title, see the introductory notes on Psalm 19.

A. Especially in Psalm 37, it likely suggests “dedicated to David”.

B. The psalm contrasts the righteous and the wicked, as do many psalms, and sets forth the pleasures and displeasures of each.




II. Psalm 37 is a didactic psalm written to instruct the reader rather than directing its message to God in praise or petition.

A. It is also an alphabetic psalm, and the alphabetic patterns are the only discernible paragraph structure.

B. The rhythmic patterns are uneven, which makes it difficult to discern the lines of poetry in some places.

C. The RSV, NIV, and NRSV indicate the alphabetic pattern in their paragraph divisions, but most English versions do not.

III. The NIV comes closest to arranging the lines of poetry according to the standardized Hebrew text (indicated as MT, Massoretic Text).

A. Some of the lines are shorter than are others.

B. Generally, each paragraph occupies two English verses, but the letters daleth (7), kaph (20) and qoph (34) occupy only one each.

C. Verse 28 needs to be split in the middle to indicate the al-phabetic division.

1. It is the first word in each paragraph that indicates the alphabetic arrangement.

2. The other lines are neutral.

D. Most paragraphs contain four lines of poetry written in ex-ternal progressive parallelism so that each succeeding line adds something to the former.

1. Variables will be indicated in the notes.




2. The psalm is likely composed of short proverbial say-ings strung together in an alphabetic arrangement.

Commentary:

The Letter aaleph Psalm 37:1, 2, Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. (NIV) I. The letter Aaleph is couched in the phrase, “do not” (Aal).

A. These four lines are structured in external parallelism of the reason type, verse 2 stating the reason for the declaration of verse 1.

1. Internally, each of verses 1 and 2 is written in synony-mous parallelism.

2. “Fret” and “be envious” are synonyms, as are “evil men” and “those who do wrong”.

3. “Grass” and “green plants” are synonyms, as are “they will soon wither” and “they will soon die away”.

4. Hence, two thoughts are expressed in this paragraph.

5. The exhortation is to avoid the temptation to be envious of the wicked, especially in a time of hardship.

6. The momentary success of the wicked is superficial and will soon fade and wither.




The Letter beth Psalm 37:3-4, Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. (NIV) I. The letter beth is couched in the word “trust”, (bĕtach).

A. The thoughts of these two verses are antithetic to verses 1-2.

B. Verses 1-2 are stated negatively, while verses 3-4 are stated positively.

C. The thoughts of verses 3 and 4 are similar.

D. It is significant that “trust” is accompanied by the phrase, “do good”.

1. Genuine trust is more than an emotion; it is that which activates obedience.

E. “Dwell in the land” and “enjoy safe pasture” imply promises explicitly made to Israel (Deut. 28).

1. Deuteronomy 28:1-14, If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God: You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed. You will be blessed when you




come in and blessed when you go out. The LORD will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven. The LORD will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The LORD your God will bless you in the land he is giving you. The LORD will establish you as his holy people, as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the LORD your God and walk in his ways. Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they will fear you. The LORD will grant you abun-dant prosperity—in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your ground—in the land he swore to your forefathers to give you. The LORD will open the heavens, the store-house of his bounty, to send rain on your land in sea-son and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. The LORD will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the LORD your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom. Do not turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left, following other gods and serving them. (NIV)

2. That same chapter in Deuteronomy also contains threats of evil that will come upon the nation if they di-gress from God’s will.

3. Obedient trust in God will allow them to “delight” themselves “in the LORD” and to live the happy life promised.




The Letter gimel Psalm 37:5, 6, Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. (NIV) I. The alphabetic word is gowl, “commit”.

A. The exhortation of verse 5 is followed in verse 6 with a re-sultant promise.

1. “Commit” and “trust” form a word pair.

2. “Way” means “life”, and is an extension of the phrase, “do good”, in verse 3.

B. “He will do this” is explicated in verse 6.

1. “Righteousness” and “justice” form a word pair. “Righteousness” is here better rendered “vindication”.

2. “Of your cause” is an explanatory interpolation.

3. “Like the dawn” and “like the noonday sun” are syn-onymous expressions, referring to the radiance of their lives noticed by observers.

The Letter daleth

Psalm 37:7, Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. (NIV) I. “Commit” renders dowm, the alphabetic word.




II. This paragraph is best written as a climactic triplet, as follows: Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. III. The first line is balanced in two principal clauses stating two ex-hortations of synonymous meanings.

A. The second and third lines contain two subordinate clauses of synonymous meanings.

B. “Do not fret” is meant to be applied in thought to both the second and third lines.

IV. “Wait patiently” is the key phrase in this paragraph.

A. Patience, a necessary ingredient of trust (3a), must be exer-cised when one observes the apparent success of the “wicked schemes” of evildoers.

B. This paragraph repeats the theme of verses 1-2.

The Letter h?.

Psalm 37:8-9, Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil. For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land. (NIV) I. “Refrain” translates hereph, which is the alphabetic word. II. Verses 8-9 are written in external parallelism of the reason type, verse 9 stating the reason for the exhortation in verse 8.

A. “Anger” is an outgrowth of impatience.




1. Hence, this paragraph is an extension of the previous ex-hortation to patience (7a).

2. The first line of verse 8 contains two balanced impera-tives.

a. The first implies that “anger” has not begun, and the second implies that it has already begun.

b. The second line of verse 8 reiterates the thought of 1a and 7b.

c. “It leads only to evil” probably refers to the “an-ger” and “wrath” of 8a.

d. These two terms are likely a hendiadys (the use of two independent words connected by and instead of the usual combination of an independent word and its modifier), thus meaning “wrathful anger”.

B. Not all anger is sinful, but the deeper expression of wrath usually is sinful or leads to sin.

1. The reason for the imperatives, probably in the sense of exhortations, is that the evildoers “will be cut off”.

2. By contrast, those who “hope in the LORD will inherit the land”.

a. This concept is repeated for emphasis in Psalm 37 (9,11,22,29,34).

b. Psalm 37:9, 11, 22, 29, 34, For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land. But the meek will inherit




the land and enjoy great peace. those the LORD blesses will inherit the land, but those he curses will be cut off. the righteous will in-herit the land and dwell in it forever. Wait for the LORD and keep his way. He will exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are cut off, you will see it. (NIV)

c. Not only will they inherit the land but they will retain it. Jesus enlarged this concept with the statement, “For they will inherit the earth” (Mt. 5:5).

i. Matthew 5:5, Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

The Letter waw.

Psalm 37:10, 11, A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found. But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace. (NIV) I. The letter waw, the alphabetic word, is a conjunction that can be translated many different ways depending on the context.

A. “Yet” is the rendering in ASV, KJV, NASB, et al).

B. The NIV omits the word.

C. “A little while” reiterates the thought of 2a.




The Letter zayin. Psalm 37:12-13, The wicked plot against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them; but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he knows their day is coming. (NIV) I. “Plot” renders the word zom?m, which is the alphabetic word.

A. Verse 13 is antithetic to verse 12.

B. The wicked often prosper because of their abuse of the right-eous.

1. Under such circumstances, the righteous need a broad perspective that allows them to perceive the contrast be-tween the vicious intent of the wicked and the judgment of God that will bring justice.

C. “Laughs” here carries the connotation of laughing in deri-sion (Ps. 2:4).

1. Psalm 2:4, The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them.

The Letter cheth.

Psalm 37:14-15, The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are up-right. But their swords will pierce their own hearts, and their bows will be broken. (NIV) I. This paragraph is best written as extended parallelism with five lines of poetry, as follows:




The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy,

to slay those whose ways are upright. But their swords will pierce their own hearts,

and their bows will be broken.

A. “The sword”, cherebh, is the alphabetic word.

1. This paragraph extends the thought of the former.

2. It employs the “boomerang principle” which says that the evil intent of the wicked will be returned upon them.

3. The context of the psalm implies that this will result from the action of God.

4. “The poor and needy” (14b) are defined as “those whose ways are upright”.

5. They are the defenseless that depend on God for help.

The Letter teth.

Psalm 37:16, 17, Better the little that the righteous have than the wealth of many wicked; for the power of the wicked will be bro-ken, but the LORD upholds the righteous. (NIV) I. The alphabetic word is towb, “better”.

A. Internally, verse 16 is of the comparative type, comparing the possible poverty of “the righteous” with “the wealth of the wicked”.

B. Verse 17 states the reason why the righteous should not de-spair over “the power of the wicked”.




C. Internally, verse 17 contrasts the superficial power of the wicked that “will be broken” with the security of “the right-eous” that “the LORD upholds”.

1. Obviously, spiritual security of the righteous is meant.

2. It is admitted that the righteous may have comparably little in the form of earthly goods, but he has something far more valuable, namely, spiritual security.

The Letter yodh.

Psalm 37:18-19, The days of the blameless are known to the LORD, and their inheritance will endure forever. In times of dis-aster they will not wither; in days of famine they will enjoy plenty. (NIV) I. “Known”, yowde‘a, is the alphabetic word.

A. “Days”, “days of famine” and “evil times” are parallels.

B. “Evil” here, and frequently elsewhere, means “troublesome”.

C. God will sustain the “blameless”, temimim, a synonym of “righteous” (17b).

1. Under consideration is not merely their initial “inheri-tance” but the continuance of it.

D. “Forever” here means “for a lifetime” or at least “for a long time”.

II. God’s knowledge is not merely a personality trait; it is active for blessing.




A. The thought here is that he will not lose his inheritance through economic hardship.

B. Neither “disaster”, a general term, nor “famine”, a specific trouble, will destroy the inheritance or prosperity within it.

The Letter kaph.

Psalm 37:20, But the wicked will perish: The LORD's enemies will be like the beauty of the fields, they will vanish—vanish like smoke. (NIV) I. This paragraph is best written in three lines of poetry, as follows:

“But the wicked will perish: The LORD’s enemies will be like the beauty of the fields,

they will vanish—vanish like smoke.” II. The alphabetic word is kiy, which could be interpreted as a disjunc-tive particle, “but”, or as an intensive particle, “surely”.

A. It also has several other meanings.

B. At any rate, its present position in the psalm provides a con-trast to the previous paragraph.

C. There are textual difficulties in the second line, so that the translation and meaning are uncertain.

D. The implication seems to be that the wicked will soon van-ish (1-2,10) like the withered pastures in Israel in midsummer, or like “smoke” that soon vanishes (Ps. 102:3).




1. Psalm 37:1, 2, 10, Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found. (NIV)

2. Psalm 102:3, For my days vanish like smoke; my bones burn like glowing embers. (NIV)

The Letter lamedh

Psalm 37:21, 22, The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously; those the LORD blesses will inherit the land, but those he curses will be cut off. (NIV) I. The alphabetic word is loweh, “borrow”.

A. Each verse contrasts “the wicked” with “the righteous”.

1. The contrast is sharp in verse 21.

B. “The wicked” do not pay their debts but “the righteous” go beyond lending; they “give generously” (Eph. 4:28).

1. Ephesians 4:28, He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something use-ful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need. (NIV)

The Letter mem.

Psalm 37:23, 24, If the LORD delights in a man's way, he makes his steps firm; though he stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand. (NIV)




I. The alphabetic phrase is meyĕhwah, “from Yahweh”.

A. This paragraph admits that the one in whom “the LORD de-lights” may “stumble”, that is, suffer setbacks, but “he will not fall”, that is, he will not be destroyed.

1. The reason is that God “makes his steps firm” and will “uphold him”.

2. “Steps” refers to a person’s life as a walk.

3. This paragraph, therefore, extends the thought of the for-mer.

The Letter nun

Psalm 37:25-26, I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be blessed. (NIV)

A. This paragraph is best written in five lines of poetry, as fol-lows: I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be blessed.

B. The alphabetic word is na‘ar, “young”.

C. This proverb is familiar to most of us.

1. The wisdom teacher declares the lesson to be learned from his long life of experience and observation.




2. The paragraph repeats the lesson in verses 21-22 but adds a personal touch.

a. Psalm 37:21, 22, The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously; those the LORD blesses will inherit the land, but those he curses will be cut off. (NIV)

The Letter samekh.

Psalm 37:27-28b, Turn from evil and do good; then you will dwell in the land forever. For the LORD loves the just and will not for-sake his faithful ones. They will be protected forever, but the off-spring of the wicked will be cut off; (NIV) I. The alphabetic word is sur, “turn”.

A. “Turn from evil and do good” is precisely found also in Psalm 34:14.

1. Psalm 34:14, Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. (NIV)

2. The sharp contrast shows that it is not sufficient to avoid evil; one must also fill one’s life with doing good.

3. Psalm 37:3 says, “Trust in the LORD and do good”, which shows that trust must be activated in a good life.

B. “Dwell in the land” is repeated from verse 3.

1. Here it is a promise. This paragraph is similar to verses 3-4.




a. Palm 37:3, 4, Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. (NIV)

The Letter Uayin.

Psalm 37:28c-29, but the offspring of the wicked will be cut off; the righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever. (NIV) I. The alphabetic word is leUolam, “forever”.

A. The prefixed preposition, le does not count in the alphabetic arrangement.

B. “Forever”, used as an adverb of manner, means “completely, totally”.

1. As an adverb of time, it means “one’s lifetime”.

2. The thought here is the same as in verse 9.

a. Psalm 37:9, For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land. (NIV)

C. “Inherit the land” is a familiar phrase in Psalm 37 (9,11,22,29,34).

1. Psalm 37:9, 11, 22, 29, 34, For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land. But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace. those the LORD blesses will inherit the land, but those he curses will be cut off. the righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever. Wait for




the LORD and keep his way. He will exalt you to in-herit the land; when the wicked are cut off, you will see it. (NIV)

The Letter p?.

Psalm 37:30-31, The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks what is just. The law of his God is in his heart; his feet do not slip. (NIV) I. The alphabetic word is piy, “the mouth of”.

A. This paragraph shows the intimate connection between thought (31a) and speech (30a,b), and between “wisdom” and “justice” (30b).

1. Psalm 37:30, 31, The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks what is just. The law of his God is in his heart; his feet do not slip. (NIV)

2. “Wisdom” in the Old Testament is never devoid of ethical content.

The Letter tsadhe.

Psalm 37:32-33, The wicked lie in wait for the righteous, seeking their very lives; but the LORD will not leave them in their power or let them be condemned when brought to trial. (NIV) I. The alphabetic word is tsowpeh, “watches”, in most versions.

A. The Hebrew word can also mean “spies”, NASB, hence, “lie in wait”, NIV.




B. This paragraph repeats the thought of verses 12-13.

1. Psalm 37:12, 13, The wicked plot against the right-eous and gnash their teeth at them; but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he knows their day is com-ing. (NIV)

C. “Brought to trial”, an excellent translation of hishshapheto, and “be condemned” yarshiUennu (33b) confirm that judicial slaying (32a,b) is under consideration.

1. Psalm 37: 32, 33, The wicked lie in wait for the righteous, seeking their very lives; but the LORD will not leave them in their power or let them be con-demned when brought to trial. (NIV)

D. The paragraph describes one falsely accused, the innocent or “righteous” (32a).

The Letter qoph.

Psalm 37:34, Wait for the LORD and keep his way. He will exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are cut off, you will see it. (NIV) I. The alphabetic word is qivv?h, “wait”. II. The thought of this verse has already been presented in the psalm (7,9,11,22,28c, et al).

A. Psalm 37:7, 9, 11, 22, 28, Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land. But the meek will inherit the land and




enjoy great peace. those the LORD blesses will inherit the land, but those he curses will be cut off. For the LORD loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. They will be protected forever, but the offspring of the wicked will be cut off; (NIV)

The Letter r?sh.

Psalm 37:35-36, I have seen a wicked and ruthless man flourishing like a green tree in its native soil, but he soon passed away and was no more; though I looked for him, he could not be found. (NIV) I. The alphabetic word is ra’iytiy, “I have seen”.

A. The wisdom teacher here portrays himself as a country trav-eler who sees a mighty tree by the wayside. Shortly thereafter, he passes by the way and the tree has disappeared so that no trace of it remains.

B. Such is the swift judgment and ultimate destiny of the wicked overbearing person who oppresses the defenseless (cf. 32-33).

1. Psalm 37:32, 33, The wicked lie in wait for the righteous, seeking their very lives; but the LORD will not leave them in their power or let them be con-demned when brought to trial. (NIV)

The Letter shin.

Psalm 37:37-38, Consider the blameless, observe the upright; there is a future for the man of peace. But all sinners will be de-stroyed; the future of the wicked will be cut off. (NIV)




I. The alphabetic word is shemar, “mark”. “Consider” (NIV) is a syno-nym of “mark”. II. The “blameless” and “upright” person is also a person of “peace”, that is, he is a peacemaker.

A. The “sinners” contemplated here are the opposite in charac-ter and action.

1. Their “future” will be cut short.

2. “Future” (37b, 38b) renders Aacharith, which can re-fer to one’s future days (NIV, NKJV), or his “posterity” (RSV, NASB).

3. The former refers to a person’s prospects in life, and the second refers to the legacy of children to inherit the property and to carry on the continuity of family tradi-tions.

B. The Law of Moses threatened wayward Israelites with a di-minished posterity (Deut. 28:62-63).

1. Deuteronomy 28:62, 63, You who were as numer-ous as the stars in the sky will be left but few in num-ber, because you did not obey the LORD your God. 63 Just as it pleased the LORD to make you prosper and increase in number, so it will please him to ruin and destroy you. You will be uprooted from the land you are entering to possess. (NIV)

The Letter taw.

Psalm 37:39-40, The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD; he is their stronghold in time of trouble. The LORD helps




them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him. (NIV) I. This paragraph is best written in five lines of poetry, as follows:

The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD; he is their stronghold in time of trouble.

The LORD helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,

because they take refuge in him. II. The alphabetic word is utĕshua‘t. “But the salvation of”. The first letter is a prefixed conjunction and does not count in the alphabetic ar-rangement. III. The final paragraph provides a summary conclusion to the psalm, which affirms the ultimate “salvation” (victory, 39a) of “the right-eous”, and their deliverance from “the wicked”(40a).

A. The LORD brings it to pass as a reward for their trusting ac-ceptance of Him as their “ stronghold”(39b) and “refuge”(40c).

IV. This psalm, interpreted as a collection of proverbs and arranged in alphabetic order, reveals how prominent the subject of theodicy was in Israel.

A. Theodicy is “the defense of God’s goodness and omnipo-tence in view of the existence of evil” (Webster).

B. Theodicy was a common theme in all ancient wisdom litera-ture, but Israel’s confidence was unique because it was founded on their trust in their unique relationship to their covenant God who acts within history to accomplish His purposes.




Application: I. Since Yahweh is a God of principle and does not act capriciously like heathen deities, we can trust Him eventually to bless the righteous and curse the wicked.

A. Although temporary circumstances may occasionally cloud the reality, the patient follower will discover that ultimately the divine principle is at work.

B. The long-range history of Israel and of the church confirms the truthfulness of God’s promises and threats.

II. Our obligation is to trust and obey.




Questions

Psalm 37:1-40

(Questions based on NIV text.) 1. Psalm 37 is an alphabetical psalm. List below the respective He-brew letters and their respective words as cited in this outline.

_______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________

2. Psalm 37 contrasts the _______________ and the ______________ and sets the __________________ and __________________ of each.




3. Psalm 37 is a __________________ _____________ written to _____________ the ______________ rather that _________________ its ________________ to _________________ in ________________ and ________________. 4. Most ______________________ contains ____________________ _____________ of ________________ written in ________________ _____________________ ________________ so that each ____________________ ________________ adds something to the ____________________. 5. This psalm is likely composed of ____________ _____________ ___________________ _______________ _______________ in an __________________ _________________. 6. What types of external parallelism are found in Psalm 37? Define each type. _______________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 7. Fret is a synonym of ________________ ________________. Evil men is a synonym of ________________ ________________ __________________ ________________. Green is a synonym of ___________________ ________________. They will soon die is a synonym for _____________ ________________ ________________ ________________. 8. The _____________ is to __________________ the ____________ to be ____________________ of the _____________________, espe-cially in a time of _______________. The ________________ ________________ of the ________________ is ________________ and will soon ________________ and ________________.




9. ________________ is accompanied by the phrase _____________ ________________. ________________ ________________ is more than an ______________; it is that which activates ______________. 10. _____________________ in the _____________________ and __________________ ________________ ________________ imply ______________ ________________ made to _________________. 11. What does Deuteronomy 28:1-14 say? ______________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 12. What does Deuteronomy say about those who digress from God’s will?____________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 13. ______________ means ________________. ________________ can be rendered ____________ ________________ the ___________ is ____________ the ________________ ________________. 14. What is a climactic triplet? _______________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________




15. ___________________ ____________________ is a key phrase. ________________ is a __________________ ________________ of ________________, must be _________________ when one observes the apparent success of the ________________ ________________ of ____________________. 16. _____________ is an ________________ of ________________. ____________ and ________________ lead only to _____________. 17. What is a hendiadys? Give an example of this in Psalm 37. _____ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 18. Is all anger sinful? If not when is anger sinful and when is it not sinful? __________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 19. _________________ will be ________________ _____________, but those who ________________ in the _____________________ will ______________ the ________________ and ______________ it. 20. Why do the wicked often prosper? In view of this, what are the righteous to do? __________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________




21. Why does God do and why? See Psalm 2:4. _________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 22. What is the “boomerang principle”? Where and how is it used in Psalm 37? _______________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 23. “The __________________ and _______________” are defined as “those whose ________________ are _____________________.” 24. Who are those referenced in question 23 above? ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 25. Compare the “poverty of the righteous” with “the wealth of the wicked.” ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 26. ________________, ________________ of ________________ and ______________ ______________ are parallels. _____________ in verse 19 means ______________. _________________ is a syno-




nym for ______________. ______________ means ______________ a ___________ or at least for a ______________ ________________. 27. Neither ________________ nor ________________ will destroy the _____________ or ________________ of the _______________. 28. What are disjunctive and intensive participles? Be specific. ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 29. Contrast the wicked and righteous. See verses 21 and 22. ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 30. Verses 23 and 24 admits that the one in whom the _________________ _________________ may ________________; that is, suffer ______________, but he will not __________________, that is, he will not be ________________. 31. We are to _______________ from _______________ and do ______________. It is not enough to ____________ _____________. We must also fill our _____________ with ______________ _________________. 32. Explain the intimate connection between thought and speech, wis-dom and justice. __________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________




________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 33. What is the point of the illustration regarding the country traveler and the mighty tree by the roadside? __________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 34. Mark means _______________. The ______________ and _______________ person is also a person of ___________________. Future can refer to ________________’s ________________ ________________ or his ________________. 35. The first meaning of future above refers to a ________________’s _________________ in ________________, and the second refers to the ________________ of ________________ to ________________ the __________________ and to carry on the ________________ _____________________. 36. With what did the Law of Moses threaten wayward Israelites? ___ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 37. This psalm concludes with the ______________ ______________ of the ____________ and their _____________ from the __________. 38. What would the Lord so bless these kinds of people? __________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________




________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 39. What is theodicy and why is it so important in ancient wisdom lit-erature?__________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 40. Since _____________ is a _____________ of ________________ and does not act ____________ like _____________ ____________, we can ______________ ____________________ eventually to _______________ the _______________ and ________________ the ______________. Our _______________ is to _________________ and ________________. 41. Why are we not to fret because of evil men? _________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 42. ______________ in the _____________ and do ______________. 43. Who said, “The meek will inherit the land?” How can this possi-bly happen? _____________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________




44. Why do the wicked plot against the righteous? Give examples, Biblical and secular. _______________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 45. Do you believe, “Better the little that the righteous have than the wealth of many wicked?” Give reasons for your answer. __________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 46. Give examples of the principle: “The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously.” _____________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 47. Have you ever seen the righteous forsaken or their children beg-ging bread? ______________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 48. “The ___________________ of the _______________ man utters ____________, and this ___________ speaks what is ____________.




The ____________ of his ________________ is in his ___________; his _____________ do not ______________.” 49. What applications can we make of Psalm 37 that will improve our lives? Describe the type person these teachings would produce. ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



vindication of the righteous psalm 37:1-40 by clyde … 1 commentary by clyde m. miller questions by...

Documents