Description

Psalm 37:1-11  |  Jonathan Harris   
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Series: Psalms

Introduction

• 00:26 | Reading of Psalm 37:1–11.
• 02:07 | The Psalms are a treasured book because they reveal the dynamics of the Christian life, including praise, sorrow, disappointments, and disillusion, portraying this experience realistically.
• 03:13 | The specific lesson this wisdom hymn teaches is what Christians are to do when wickedness is prospering, even against them.
• 03:54 | The Christian life is not one of uninterrupted peace and happiness; it is also filled with strife and disappointments.
• 04:16 | The basic answer to responding to abounding sin and evil is to put off fretting, and to put on meekness.

I. 04:34 | Put Off Fretting and Envy

• 04:49 | The Problem: Wickedness, evildoers, and wrongdoers who carry out evil devices, plot against the righteous, seek their death, borrow but do not pay back, and are called ruthless and transgressors.
• 06:13 | The Command: Fret not yourself, nor be envious (Psalm 37:1).
  • 06:13 | Fretting is described as getting hot, or "glowing with anger."
  • 06:31 | Envy is hating someone for having something you do not have.
  • 06:37 | Fretting and envy illustrate someone who is out of control and ruled by their passions.
• 06:58 | Reasons Not to Fret and Envy:
  1. 07:07 | It Tends Only to Evil (Psalm 37:8). 
     • 07:22 | It is not wrong to be angry at sin, but we are warned to be slow to anger, because the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God (James 1:19-20).
     • 08:00 | This behavior, rooted in bitter jealousy and selfish ambition, is earthly, unspiritual, and demonic.
     • 08:25 | The greatest problem is that the saints tragically sin because they are enraged at others' sin.
     • 08:59 | Fretting is fundamentally unbelief, a desire to be God and control the situation, or a temptation to grumble against God.
     • 10:21 | We have no excuse to sin against God, nor should we respond to someone else's sin with our own sin.
  2. 10:42 | The Wicked's Time is Coming (Psalm 37:2). 
     • 10:58 | The wicked will soon "fade like the grass and wither like the green herb".
     • 11:23 | Wisdom calls us to play the long game and consider the end of wickedness.
     • 11:46 | The evildoers shall be cut off, be no more, their arms shall be broken, and they will perish, vanishing like smoke.
     • 13:25 | The prosperity of the wicked is light and momentary and cannot be compared to the condemnation awaiting them.
     • 13:39 | Application to Unbelievers: Sin is suicidal and destructive, leading to eternal death; the only escape is turning to Jesus Christ, who is meek and gentle.

II. 16:36 | Put On Meekness

• 17:02 | The believer is identified in verse 11 as "the meek"; the character traits listed (vv. 1–10) describe meekness.
• 17:17 | The Behaviors of the Meek:
  1. 17:17 | The Meek Trust the Lord (Psalm 37:3, 5). 
     • 17:36 | Meekness is fundamentally faith in the Triune God; one must be a Christian to be truly meek.
     • 18:02 | The meek person trusts what the Lord says over what they feel or what appears to be true.
     • 19:05 | They commit their way to the Lord, trusting "he will act" (Psalm 37:5). If we keep a good conscience, we may leave it to God to care for our good name.
     • 20:41 | The meek person is not a "weak, passive wimp," but has a spine, courage, stability, and is steady because of their God (like Mount Zion).
  2. 21:26 | The Meek Do Good (Psalm 37:3). 
     • 21:58 | Anxiety and fury are schemes Satan uses to make Christians unfruitful and ineffective.
     • 22:39 | Instead of cynicism, the meek devote themselves to good works and overcome evil with good (Romans 12).
  3. 23:02 | The Meek are Faithful in Every Station of Their Lives (Psalm 37:3, 5). 
     • 23:18 | They are commanded to "befriend faithfulness"—to be true to God and true to one's word.
     • 24:05 | They do the next right thing without panic or fretting, casting anxieties on the Lord.
  4. 24:55 | The Meek Find Their Supreme Happiness in God (Psalm 37:4). 
     • 25:14 | They are commanded to "delight yourself in the Lord"; delight is a command, not a suggestion.
     • 25:51 | What is needed most when wickedness abounds is to behold God and thus delight in Him.
     • 26:44 | Beholding God in Christ by faith is an antidote to anxiety and fretfulness.
     • 27:20 | Christians must stir themselves up and tell themselves the truth (like the psalmist in Psalm 42). If we have God, we have everything.
  5. 29:01 | The Meek Wait Upon the Lord (Psalm 37:7). 
     • 29:13 | They are commanded to "be still" or "rest" and "wait patiently for him".
     • 29:36 | Faith trusts that God will perform His promise, no matter how long it takes, because God cannot lie.
     • 30:35 | The meek person conforms their soul to God's will and resigns everything to the care of their heavenly Father.
• 31:00 | Summary Definition of Meekness: Matthew Henry defines the meek:

The meek are those who quietly submit themselves to God, to His Word, and to His rod; who follow His directions and comply with His designs, and are gentle towards all men. They bear provocation without being inflamed by it. They can be cool when others are hot, and in their patience, keep possession of their own souls. They are meek who are rarely and only with difficulty provoked, but quickly and easily pacified, and who would rather forgive twenty injuries than avenge one, having the rule of their own spirits. 

• 32:39 | The Lord's Preservation of the Meek: The Lord preserves the meek forever, holds them fast, and will not forsake them. We make it to the end because God is strong and mighty and holds us fast.
• 35:52 | The Supreme Example of Meekness: Jesus Christ.
  • 36:31 | We can only be meek because Christ died for our sins of fretting, envy, and unbelief, and rose again. We must behold Him who is gentle and lowly in heart (Matthew 11).
• 37:05 | The Prize of the Meek:
  1. 37:29 | They shall inherit the land/earth (Psalm 37:11; Matthew 5:5). This inheritance means inheriting the universe and a restored earth and heavens.
  2. 39:12 | The fleeting pleasure of the wicked (50–70 years in a cursed world) is a joke compared to eternity in a perfected world.
  3. 40:47 | We will inherit God Himself (Revelation 22:4).
  4. 41:45 | Vindication (Psalm 37:6): God will bring forth the righteousness of the meek as light and their justice as the noonday.
  5. 43:01 | The meek do not fight for vindication now but wait upon God to do it. This calls the Christian to play the long game.
  6. 44:17 | The challenge is whether it is enough that God knows and sees our uprightness, even if others do not. The Judge of all the earth will do what is right.

45:08 | Conclusion and Final Exhortation

• 45:08 | We must take care to hear the Lord's voice in Psalm 37.
• 45:40 | Do not fret or be envious, but trust in the Lord, do good, befriend faithfulness, commit your way to him, and wait patiently for ...