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.
Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his
way, over the man who carries out evil devices!
Refrain from anger and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.
For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.
In just a little while, the wicked will be no more; though you look carefully at his place,
he will not be there.
But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace.
–Psalm 37:1-11, ESV, emphases added
Since the fall, there has always been wickedness. There have always been evildoers–in the days of Noah, the days of Lot, the time of David, in the time of Christ, in the generations since his resurrection, and certainly now.
David was often harassed, betrayed, pursued, and conspired against by evildoers. In some of his psalms he laments to God in anguish. Psalm 37 is different. It is a wisdom song, a voice of calm and reason. I respect his message and want to apply it.
At various times, during various news cycles, I have found myself needing to break my compulsion to watch and listen to news sources because they become harmful to my mental health. Attending to the swirl of words and images daily feeds anger, anxiety and outrage. And because I don’t have power to do much about troubling national and global issues, it drives me to a sense of helplessness and futility.
The never-ending chatter can be insidious and deceptive. My trust in politicians and the people who speak for and about them diminishes to a speck. How dare these so-called journalists so brazenly lie to us, I think bitterly. How dare these so-called “experts” try to manipulate us with fear and strip away our freedoms?
What can we do when we feel this way?
We can shut it all down–or at least turn down the volume and listen less often–and engage in things over which we do have some control. Sometimes I have felt like an addict who must abstain completely to cleanse my brain’s receptors from the poison.
A decision to limit intake of negative, worldy voices can immediately restore us to a better quality of life. For me, it means I spend more time in Scripture and do more writing about God’s word. As the negative energy frazzling the nervous system wanes, positive energy and creativity take its place.
Why am I telling you this? Two reasons. The first is that I know from many conversations that I am not alone. So many of us experience this need to step away from a news cycle that batters our souls and destroys our peace. If you are one, I want you to know that you are not alone.
The second is that Scripture comes to life vividly in the early verses of Psalm 37. This psalm and others validate that the pain of engaging with evil is real and show us a pathway through it that does not harm our souls.
Psalm 37 is majestic and powerfully instructive, showing us both the hazards of harboring anger and worry, and the blessings of trusting in the Lord’s steadfast love. The psalm provides an inventory of do’s and don’ts for those who desire to walk faithfully with God when surrounded by evildoers who seem to be rewarded for their sins. We’ll start with the don’ts.
DON’T: FRET, BE ANGRY, ENVIOUS, OR WRATHFUL
Psalm 37 begins with the phrase, “Fret not because of evildoers.” The word fret occurs twice more in just the first 8 verses. This indicates that the Holy Spirit really wants us to understand this point.
To most English speakers, “fretting” connotes fear or worry, but the Hebrew verb used here means to burn with anger.
Sometimes righteous anger motivates us to act to bring justice to a situation when we can. But this is not that kind of anger, because in this context, it also incorporates the unpleasant ingredient of envy or jealousy. It is a resentful spirit that can overtake us when we see wicked people prosper and get away with murder, literally or figuratively.
The Psalm tells us that fretting “tends only to evil” (v.8). The same word is used in the story of Jonah, who exemplified this attitude. Jonah despised the Ninevites and their deplorable, immoral behavior. He didn’t want God to show them mercy. But when Jonah finally obeyed and brought God’s warning to them, everyone repented, from the king to the peasants, from the cows to the dogs, cats, and parakeets. Every creature was draped in sackcloth. God always responds to true repentance with mercy.
The Lord finds Jonah perched on a hill with a view of the vast city. He asks Jonah, “Do you do well to be angry?” (Jonah 4:4). This was clearly a rhetorical question, but Jonah replied, “Yes, I do well to be angry, angry enough to die” (4:9). He wasn’t willing to let go. He wanted to burn some more. Can we relate?
It is not in our job description to run around being angry at others who are not living right and “getting away with it”. It is not part of the great commission. (Besides, nobody really gets away with anything in the end).
Ephesians 4:26-27 states, “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger and give no opportunity to the devil.” As Christians, we are not to hold onto offenses due to the actions of others. It hinders our fellowship with God, and the devil wins.
Besides that, the unrepentant wicked have no good future awaiting them, however they may appear to be flourishing now. They will perish quickly.
They will “fade like the grass and wither like the green herb.” So we don’t need to be weedwhackers.
They will be “cut off,” so we don’t need to be chainsaws.
“Like smoke they will vanish away” (v. 20), so we don’t need to use our blowers.
“In just a little while, the wicked will be no more” (v.10), so we don’t need to jackhammer them with condemnation.
(Like my power tool metaphors?)
To summarize the don’ts: We are not to be strident and angry when others defy God. There are two possible outcomes for them: 1) they will repent like the Ninevites and receive God’s mercy, or 2) they will continue to rebel, and they will perish under God’s judgment. They are God’s business.
Now, the do’s, one at a time:
TRUST IN THE LORD
Was Jesus surrounded by wicked, corrupt people? Absolutely. Did he fret over them or their works? Absolutely not. Jesus trusted his Father and taught his disciples, “Do not let your heart be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me” (Jn. 14:1).
I’ve heard a number of people say recently that there is one thing that keeps them from going out of their minds over the state of our country. God is aware, is still sovereign, and is in control. We are characters living out small parts in HIS story. He will bring good things to pass. We can trust that because he keeps his promises.
According to David, the reward for trusting God is that we will “dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.” Further, “he will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun” (v.3, 5-6). Isn’t it good to know that he will take care of us? He will execute justice at his own perfect time and in his own perfect way.
DO GOOD
Jesus, living in the very corrupt Roman Empire, “went about doing good, healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him” (Acts 10:38). We are never to do evil just because other people do evil.
The best antidote to toxic anger over the impact of evil is to do something useful and good. For example, if you’re grieved over sex trafficking or the abortion industry, spend time loving and mentoring a vulnerable young woman. If you’re angry about corrupt candidates, actively support those you believe are honest and responsible.
DELIGHT YOURSELF IN THE LORD
To delight ourselves means to be soft or pliable in the Hebrew text. The Lord is the potter, and we are the clay that he forms, sanctifies, and perfects. Delighting means staying open and soft toward him, not fighting his holy purposes in us. The reward for this is that he will fulfill the godly desires of our hearts. He makes all things beautiful and does all things well.
COMMIT YOUR WAY TO THE LORD
Commit means to roll away, remove, or trust. The psalmist exhorts us to roll our concerns to the Lord, who will always act in our best interests. I liken this to Peter’s exhortation to “cast your care” upon the Lord (1 Pet. 5:7).
This is what we do when we witness demonic forces prowling around and roaring loudly, “seeking someone to devour”. The Greek word translated cast has a similar meaning to commit in Psalm 37. We throw or roll onto the Lord the burden and distraction of the world’s wickedness. This implies that we no longer carry it as our own troubling burden. We pray and release it to him.
BE STILL BEFORE THE LORD AND WAIT PATIENTLY FOR HIM.
To be still is to wait in silent expectation of God’s deliverance. He advances his kingdom purposes in the lives of the faithful. Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Mt. 11:29).
There are wonderful rewards for being still and patiently waiting! This posture of meekness that Jesus refers to in the Beatitudes (Mt. 5:5) means that we will “inherit the land and enjoy great peace” (Ps. 37:11).
__________________
Are you catching how we are to respond when tempted to wallow in anger over the prosperity and apparent success of the wicked? Instead of fretting, and allowing our anger to control us, we are to trust, delight, commit, and rest in our relationship with God in Christ. He will reward us with blessings of eternal peace and provision.
If we have been prone to “fretting” over current events, Psalm 37 calls us to consider another way. We can roll these cares upon the Lord and trust him to deal with the injustices all around us. When we have opportunities to preach the gospel, do good to others, or promote a just cause, we do these things as godly responses to issues that rightly trouble us.
If we act in wrath, our wrath usually leads to more wrath. Instead, we can delight ourselves in God’s goodness, trusting that his love, justice, and peace will prevail in the end.
