Editor’s Note: Often we “swim” in a stream that is particularly natural to us, and we may not see how the other streams can be beneficial to our life with God. These reflections on the Psalms from Ken Boa help us consider how God interacts with the psalmist in multiple ways; a reminder that God’s perspective is important, and that we need to be open to other means of relating to Him. The reflection on Psalm 19 highlights how the various streams run through all of the World/Word/Way means of interacting with God. We hope that you take some time to reflect on these two psalms yourself, and consider how you’re currently relating to God, and in what ways/words/perspectives He is relating to you.
01. Psalm 37
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1 Do not fret because of those who are evil
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 Take delight 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 righteous reward shine like the dawn,
your vindication like the noonday sun.
7 Be still before the Lord
and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people 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 those who are evil will be destroyed,
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 peace and prosperity.
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 upholds the righteous.
18 The blameless spend their days under the Lord’s care,
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:
Though the Lord’s enemies are like the flowers of the field,
they will be consumed, they will go up in 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 destroyed.
23 The Lord makes firm the steps
of the one who delights in him;
24 though he may 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 righteous forsaken
or their children begging bread.
26 They are always generous and lend freely;
their children will be a blessing.
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.
Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed;
the offspring of the wicked will perish.
29 The righteous will inherit the land
and dwell in it forever.
30 The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom,
and their tongues speak what is just.
31 The law of their God is in their hearts;
their feet do not slip.
32 The wicked lie in wait for the righteous,
intent on putting them to death;
33 but the Lord will not leave them in the power of the wicked
or let them be condemned when brought to trial.
34 Hope in the Lord
and keep his way.
He will exalt you to inherit the land;
when the wicked are destroyed, you will see it.
35 I have seen a wicked and ruthless man
flourishing like a luxuriant native tree,
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;
a future awaits those who seek peace.
38 But all sinners will be destroyed;
there will be no future for the wicked.
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.
02. Reflections on Psalm 37: Laying Hold of God’s Perspective
Our perspective on life, whether temporal or eternal, will determine the set of rules by which we play, the standards and character we pursue, the source of our hope, and the difference between and obedience and disobedience to God’s precepts and principles.
In his essay, “Meditation in a Toolshed,”C. S. Lewis, “Meditation in a Toolshed,” Essay Collection, ed. Lesley Walmsley, (London: Harper Collins, 2000), 607. C. S. Lewis depicted the difference between looking at a beam of light and looking along the beam. As he entered a dark toolshed, he could see nothing but a sunbeam that came from a crack at the top of the door. At first, he looked at the shaft of light with thousands of specks of dust floating in it, but then he did something most of us have done at one time or another. He moved until the beam fell on his eyes, and at that moment, the toolshed and the sunbeam vanished. Looking along the beam, he saw green leaves moving on the branches of a tree outside, and beyond that, the sun itself. Perspective makes all the difference.
03. The Short View vs. the Long View
Psalm 37 is a wisdom psalm that instructs us on the importance of maintaining the right perspective during our brief sojourn on this planet. It is a beautifully crafted acrostic poem that begins almost every other verse with each successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Like the Book of Proverbs, this instructional poem contains wisdom sayings that encourage us to take the long view of life and see things from an eternal perspective.
The bulk of Psalm 37 contrasts the pursuits and destiny of the wicked and the righteous. It grants that in the short run, those who refuse to acknowledge God may prosper, while those who seek God often suffer at the hands of evildoers. This poem illustrates the truth of Ecclesiastes 11:8: “Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed quickly, therefore the hearts of the sons of men among them are given fully to do evil.” But this is only a temporary state of affairs, since the sentence will be executed and God will not be mocked (Gal. 6:7–8). “I have seen a violent, wicked man spreading himself like a luxuriant tree in its native soil. Then he passed away, and lo, he was no more; I sought for him, but he could not be found” (vv. 35–36). By contrast, the righteous will ultimately endure and inherit the land (vv. 3, 9, 11, 22, 29, 34; cf. Matt. 5:5).
The wisdom of this psalm is to adopt a long-run rather than a short-run perspective on life by embracing God’s purposes and ordering all of our affairs (e.g., family, work, leisure, finances, ministry) in light of them. On the negative side, the proverbs in this wisdom poem exhort us not to fret, be envious, angry, or anxious when evildoers get the upper hand. On the positive side, they tell us what we should do to sustain the proper attitudes and actions in life. Four of these positive commands involve our relationship with the Lord:
- Trust in the Lord (vv. 3, 5). While the wicked trust in themselves, the righteous are called to put their confidence and hope in the character and promises of the Lord. If we would be wise, we must cling to the goodness and sovereignty of the One who “causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8:28).
- Delight yourself in the Lord (v. 4). Let the nearness of God be your good (Ps. 73:28) and cultivate intimacy with Him. This cannot be done apart from the discipline of regular time with the Lord in the Word and prayer, but I have never heard anyone regret making this investment. When we seek Him first, He gives us the desires of our heart because our desires become conformed to His.
- Commit your way to the Lord (v. 5). Unreservedly give all your plans, your dreams, your hopes, and your desires to the Lord (cf. Prov. 16:3). The only things that will really be yours are the things you have freely given to God. In the long run, you will be unable to keep the things you have held back from Christ (Luke 9:23–24).
- Be still and wait for the Lord (vv. 7, 9, 34). God’s timing is almost never our own, and because of this, we grow impatient, anxious, and frustrated with the adversities of life. But if we trust His character, we must also trust His timing. “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you” (1 Pet. 5:6–7).
04. Psalm 19
1 The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge.
3 They have no speech, they use no words;
no sound is heard from them.
4 Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.
5 It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
6 It rises at one end of the heavens
and makes its circuit to the other;
nothing is deprived of its warmth.
7 The law of the Lord is perfect,
refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.
8 The precepts of the Lord are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.
9 The fear of the Lord is pure,
enduring forever.
The decrees of the Lord are firm,
and all of them are righteous.
10 They are more precious than gold,
than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the honeycomb.
11 By them your servant is warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.
12 But who can discern their own errors?
Forgive my hidden faults.
13 Keep your servant also from willful sins;
may they not rule over me.
Then I will be blameless,
innocent of great transgression.
14 May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.
05. Reflections on Psalm 19: The World, the Word, and the Way of God
In the opinion of C. S. Lewis, Psalm 19 is “the greatest poem in the Psalter and one of the greatest lyrics in the world.”C. S. Lewis, Reflections on the Psalms, (Glasgow: Collins, 1984), 63. This wisdom hymn weds poetic beauty with theological depth, resulting in a rich and relevant message for today.
06. The World of God (The Skies)
The psalm begins with a poetic description of God’s general revelation in the world of nature (vv. 1–6). “The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night reveals knowledge” (vv. 1–2). The brilliance of the sun by day and the wonder of the stars by night combine to communicate the glory of the One who made and rules over them. Although the sun, moon, and stars are silent, yet they are eloquent in their utterances, which extend “to the end of the world” (v. 4).
The poet describes the sudden flashing of the sun’s rays at dawn from east to west with the metaphor of a splendidly dressed bridegroom who has prepared the nuptial chamber and leaves to seek his bride (v. 5). His final portrayal of the sun anticipates the theme of the rest of the psalm: “and there is nothing hidden from its heat” (v. 6).
07. The Word of God (The Scriptures)
The second part of Psalm 19 is a hymn extolling the riches of the Lord’s special revelation in His Word (vv. 7–10). While the creation reveals God’s “eternal power and divine nature” (Rom. 1:20), the Scriptures reveal His holy and loving character.
Turning suddenly from the world to the Word, the psalmist depicts the beauty of the Torah, or law of the Lord, in a style reminiscent of the imagery of Psalm 119. Six facets of the diamond of the Torah (law, testimony, precepts, commandment, fear, judgments) refract the dazzling light of God’s goodness and grace. Those who learn and apply it discover that its perfection, purity, and truth restores the soul, makes wise the simple, rejoices the heart, enlightens the eyes, endures forever, and reflects the righteousness of God (vv. 7–9). It is more precious than fine gold and sweeter than honey because it reveals the good and acceptable and perfect will of the Lord (v. 10; Rom. 12:2).
08. The Way of God (The Soul)
Psalm 19 concludes with a personal response to God’s revelation in the world and the Word (vv. 11–14). David expresses his intention to follow the way of God in his actions and attitudes.
Just as there is nothing hidden from the heat of the sun, so no soul can hide from the penetrating rays of the law. “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Heb. 4:12). This psalm begins with the immensity of the cosmos, narrows down to God’s revelation in human history, and then focuses in on the heart of the individual. Suddenly aware of how the radiance of revelation exposes his sinfulness and unworthiness before the living God, the psalmist cries out, “Who can discern his errors? Acquit me of hidden faults. Also keep back Thy servant from presumptuous sins; let them not rule over me; then I shall be blameless, and I shall be acquitted of great transgression” (vv. 12–13).
The Word is a moral mirror that exposes the true character of the soul (James. 1:23–25). David recognized his need for forgiveness not only from obvious sins, but also for flaws too subtle for him to see. Even while we walk in the light, the blood of Jesus continues to cleanse us from all sin (1 John 1:7).
One characteristic of spiritual growth is a growing awareness of both the holiness of God and the destructiveness of sin. The maturing believer understands that regular exposure to the light of revelation, along with a commitment to respond to the illuminating and convicting ministry of the Holy Spirit, is not optional but essential to personal and spiritual vitality.
The psalmist closes by offering up the fruit of his speech and his thoughts to the One who delivers him from the penalty and power of sin. “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer” (v. 14). David’s greatest desire should be ours as well—to know and love God and to reflect His character. “Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity” (2 Pet. 3:18).
Ken Boa is president of Reflections Ministries and is engaged in a ministry of teaching, mentoring, writing, and speaking. He holds a BS from Case Institute of Technology, a ThM from Dallas Theological Seminary, a PhD from New York University, and a DPhil from the University of Oxford in England. Recent publications by Dr. Boa include Conformed to His Image, 20 Compelling Evidences that God Exists, Face to Face, Augustine to Freud, Faith Has its Reasons, Handbook to Leadership, and A Taste of the Classics. Ken Boa also writes a free monthly teaching letter called Reflections, and his website KenBoa.org has numerous free resources.