The great riddle of the prosperity of the wicked and the affliction of the righteous which has perplexed so many, is here dealt with in the light of the future; and fretfulness and repining are most impressively forbidden.
C.H. Spurgeon
This Psalm may well be called the good man's cordial in bad times; or, a sovereign medicine for the plague of discontent; or, a choice antidote against the poison of impatience.
Nathaniel Hardy 1649
Verses 1 and 2. "Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb." He who allows himself time to consider how soon the fairest spring must give way to a burning summer, a blighting autumn, and a killing winter, will no longer envy, but pity, the fading verdure of the grass, and the still more transient glories of the flowers of the field.
B.P.Horne
Verse 6. "And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday." If thou should be accused as a man of evil designs, let not that trouble thee neither: for though thy name may be obscured for a time by slanders and accusations – as the sun is by mists and clouds – yet, as the light scatters them all at last so shall thine integrity appear, and shine as bright as the sun at noonday.
Symon Patrick
The Lord will clear the name of the slandered! If we look to His honour, He will see to ours. Even in the worst cases, where a good name is for a time darkened, Providence will send a clearing like the dawning light.
C.H. Spurgeon
This is full of encouragement to those whose names are clouded with unjust reproaches. Joseph was accused of incontinence, David of treason, Daniel of disobedience, Elijah of troubling Israel, Jeremiah of revolting, Amos of preaching against the king, the Apostles of sedition, rebellion, and altering laws; Christ Himself of gluttony, sorcery, blasphemy and sedition.
John Flavel
Verse 7. "Rest in the Lord …" Or, as it may read, Hold thee still; and this is the hardest precept that is given to man.
Jerome
Verse 7. "Rest in the Lord …" (1) Rest in the Will of God, for whatever He wills is for your greatest good. (2) Rest in the Love of God, and think much on those words of Jesus: "Thou hast loved them as thou has loved me." (3) Rest in the Mercy of God. (4) Rest in the Word of God. (5) Rest in the Relationship that God has established between you and Himself, so that, you are His child and He thy father. "Rest," I say, "In the Lord."
Hints to the Village Preacher
Verse 11. "The meek shall inherit the earth …" … the meek, who are thrust up and down from corner to corner, and hardly suffered to remain anywhere in the earth; this earth, which they seem most deprived of, they only shall have and enjoy. Be sure, once the Lord hath made it worth the having, then none but they shall have it.
John Pennington
Verses 14 and 15. The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as be of upright conversation. "Their sword shall enter into their won heart, and their bow shall be broken." When the wicked are most near to do mischief to the Lord's people, then is mischief most near to them.
David Dickson
Verse 16. "A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked." A little blessed is better than a great deal cursed. A pound blessed is better than a thousand cursed. A black crust blessed is better than a feast cursed. The gleanings blessed are better than the whole harvest cursed. A thin table with a blessing is better than a full table with a snare. A threadbare coat with a blessing is better than a purple robe with a curse. A hole, a cave, a den, a barn, a chimney-corner with a blessing is better than a stately palace with a curse.
Thomas Brooks
Verse 18. "The Lord knoweth the days of the upright …" in verse 13 we are told that the Lord knows all about the "day" of the sinner: "The Lord shall laugh at him," we are told, "for he seeth that his day is coming." But, the believer may rejoice in the fact that God's great foreknowledge extends to every moment of "the days of the upright." As Spurgeon puts it: "No arrow can pierce us by accident, no dagger smite us by stealth; neither in time, nor in eternity can any unforeseen ill occur to us."
(Psalm 37 will be concluded in the next edition)
This Page Title – Gleaning in the Psalms – Psalm 37 The Wicket Gate Magazine "A Continuing Witness". Internet Edition number 76 – placed on line January 2009 Magazine web address – www.wicketgate.co.uk |