David Bahn – Reflections

Psalm 37
Fret not yourself because of evildoers;
be not envious of wrongdoers!
For they will soon fade like the grass
and wither like the green herb.
Trust in the Lord, and do good;
dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.
He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
and your justice as the noonday.

This is a more lengthy psalm – 40 verses. It offers words of admonition, encouragement, and instruction. The message is fairly simple: God can be trusted – indeed he must be trusted – any other path leads to ruin. For this reason we must not fret because of evildoers; they will not prevail.
We are also called to trust in God actively; we are not to walk through life in a supposed neutrality of faithlessness. The call here is to lean into God himself. He is the one who will see that our just cause is upheld. He is the one who will supply our needs. He is the one who will vindicate (justify!) us.
These words were surly important to David from his own personal experience. I was thinking of David’s experience when he had been named king of Israel while Saul was yet king. There were times when David could have taken advantage of his enemy but he did not. There were no doubt times when David would have been tempted to despair because of his enemies, but he chose to trust in God to make things right.
It’s easy today to draw the same conclusions: the evildoers seem to have a life of ease. They have no troubled conscience. They take the path that leads to their good with little thought of others’ feelings or pain. They ignore the law and live a life of ease. But we are not to worry. Rather, those who are God’s people are to trust him, look to him, believe in him and watch for his redemption. This is no easy path, but it is the path of faith and blessing.