Psalm Chapter 37:

Psalm Chapter 37:

1 Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.

2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.

3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.

4 Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

5 Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.

7 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.

9 For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.

10 For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.

11 But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

This is unquestionably one of the most powerful and meaningful passages of scripture in the Bible, and with good reason. This passage of scripture is so significant because it addresses a serious issue that everyone who is steadfastly faithful encounters in their lives, often times repeatedly. It is a very difficult thing to seem to be punished for doing what is right while those who are morally corrupt appear to be rewarded for their perverse ways. If you are short-sighted and short-minded you simply cannot endure that kind of circumstance, because all you can see is the present injustice. But if you have a longer term view of God's righteous judgment, then you can know that continuing to do good will eventually put you on top. Waiting on God is usually about waiting for justice to be done where it appears that injustice reigns supreme. Those who love righteousness and trust God will not be moved off of their path by circumstances that seem to indicate that being wicked pays good dividends. Those who truly know God are fully persuaded that he is just in all things, and that he will NEVER fail to judge any and every situation where they are being misaligned. They know of a certainty that the scripture is true that says, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose" (Rom. 8:28).

But make no mistake, it is a great trial of our faith to be found in these kinds of circumstances. The greatest people of faith in the history of the world have painfully questioned God when they were caught in such situations. Many of them cross my mind, but Jeremiah is a stellar example to cite: "Righteous art thou, O LORD, when I plead with thee: yet let me talk with thee of thy judgments: Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper? wherefore are all they happy that deal very treacherously? Thou hast planted them, yea, they have taken root: they grow, yea, they bring forth fruit: thou art near in their mouth, and far from their reins. But thou, O LORD, knowest me: thou hast seen me, and tried mine heart toward thee: pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, and prepare them for the day of slaughter" (Jer. 12:1-3). Jeremiah had probably the most difficult task and message of any prophet in history, proclaiming to God's covenant people that God was sending a heathen King against them; and that they had to surrender to him and serve him, or otherwise be destroyed. All the while there was an abundance of prophets who assured the people that Jeremiah's message was false, and that God would defend them against the king of Babylon (Jer. 27:12-14). And of course the people gravitated to the seemingly more comfortable message of the misguided prophets who vastly outnumbered Jeremiah.

Jeremiah endured an almost unheard of persecution for a number of years, but in the end his words were fulfilled, and everyone who disbelieved his words were destroyed or carried away captive to Babylon (Jer. 52:1-15,24-30). Jeremiah however was rewarded by the king of Babylon, and allowed to go free at his own discretion (Jer. 40:1-6). Jeremiah was mocked, scorned, beaten, thrown in prison, and thrown even into a low dungeon pit where he sank deeply into mire; but when it was all said and done it was he who enjoyed freedom, while everyone who misaligned him either perished or went away captive into a foreign land. There was no other possible outcome in that long agonizing circumstance, because God is the Judge of all the earth; and he ALWAYS judges the affairs of men, and he always judges righteously. Jeremiah waited patiently for justice to be done in his grueling trial of faith, and justice was surely done. Patience is defined as, "the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset." That is the exact thing that David described in out text passage from Psalm 37, and that is, according to Jesus the main quality that we need in order to obtain eternal salvation: "In your patience possess ye your souls" (Lk. 21:19). So in light of these things allow me to quote the great apostle Paul on the subject: "And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith" (Gal. 6:9,10). Need I say more?