Psalm 37:26 Komentář

This psalm is a sermon, and an excellent useful sermon it is, calculated not (as most of the psalms) for our devotion, but for our conversation; there is nothing in it of prayer or praise, but it is all instruction; it is "Maschil - a teaching psalm;" it is an exposition of some of the hardest chapters in the book of Providence, the advancement of the wicked and the disgrace of the righteous, a solution of the difficulties that arise thereupon, and an exhortation to conduct ourselves as becomes us under such dark dispensations. The work of the prophets (and David was one) was to explain the law. Now the law of Moses had promised temporal blessings to the obedient, and denounced temporal miseries against the disobedient, which principally referred to the body of the people, the nation as a nation; for, when they came to be applied to particular persons, many instances occurred of sinners in prosperity and saints in adversity; to reconcile those instances with the word that God had spoken is the scope of the prophet in this psalm, in which, I. He forbids us to fret at the prosperity of the wicked in their wicked ways (Psa 37:1, Psa 37:7, Psa 37:8). II. He gives very good reasons why we should not fret at it. 1. Because of the scandalous character of the wicked (Psa 37:12, Psa 37:14, Psa 37:21, Psa 37:32) notwithstanding their prosperity, and the honourable character of the righteous (Psa 37:21, Psa 37:26, Psa 37:30, Psa 37:31). 2. Because of the destruction and ruin which the wicked are nigh to (Psa 37:2, Psa 37:9, Psa 37:10, Psa 37:20, Psa 37:35, Psa 37:36, Psa 37:38) and the salvation and protection which the righteous are sure of from all the malicious designs of the wicked (Psa 37:13, Psa 37:15, Psa 37:17, Psa 37:28, Psa 37:33, Psa 37:39, Psa 37:40). 3. Because of the particular mercy God has in store for all good people and the favour he shows them (Psa 37:11, Psa 37:16, Psa 37:18, Psa 37:19, Psa 37:22-25, Psa 37:28, Psa 37:29, Psa 37:37). III. He prescribes very good remedies against this sin of envying the prosperity of the wicked, and great encouragement to use those remedies (Psa 37:3-6, Psa 37:27, Psa 37:34). In singing this psalm we must teach and admonish one another rightly to understand the providence of God and to accommodate ourselves to it, at all times carefully to do our duty and then patiently to leave the event with God and to believe that, how black soever things may look for the present, it shall be "well with those that fear God, that fear before him." A psalm of David.

INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 37 A Psalm of David. This psalm, it is very probable, was written at the same time, and upon the same occasion, with the former; and describes the different states of good and bad men; and is full of exhortations, instructions, and advice to the people of God; intermixed with various encouraging promises. A late learned writer (h) thinks it was written for Mephibosheth's consolation under Ziba's calumny. (h) Delaney's Life of King David, vol. 2. p. 219.

Depart from evil, and do good,.... Depart from evildoers, and their evil ways; join not with them, nor fret and be envious at them; but do acts of beneficence, and all good works; since righteous men, and their seed, are not forsaken, but blessed of God; See Gill on Psa 34:14; and dwell for evermore; or "thou shalt dwell for evermore" (z); see Psa 37:3; that is, in everlasting habitations, in the house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens, Luk 16:9. The Targum is, "that thou mayest dwell in everlasting life". (z) "et habitabis in seculum", Pagninus, Vatablus, Piscator; so Aben Ezra & Kimchi.

There is money lent out at interest, and there is money lent in kindness. But the Lord expects a return. Money gets interest paid in cash. The grace of kindness wins an increase of faith. Lend out your faith generously to the Gentiles, and your grace will be multiplied. Do not go about borrowing like a pauper. Act like someone really rich and lend out so as to make great profit. Peter lent; Paul lent; John the Evangelist lent; and certainly they were not in want. What they lent was Christ’s money; they were not charging high rates of interest. So lend and do not grow weary.

(Verse 26.) But how can he be in need who has mercy and lends all day? What is it that the righteous person lends? Not bronze, not iron, not lead, but silver purified by fire. He brings this to the table of the Lord, and distributes it to those who seek it: to one person, to two, to five minas daily he distributes, and it never runs out. But we have heard that lending at interest is condemned in the Law, with Moses saying: You shall not lend at interest (Deuteronomy 23:19). There is a twofold division: one of money, the other of grace. Divide both; for it is written: If you offer rightly, but do not divide rightly, you have sinned: be still (Genesis IV, 7). And you divide rightly, so as not to sin. Let Moses himself teach you to divide, who admonished to divide rightly; that you may follow what Abel did, who divided rightly: and flee from what Cain the murderer did, who did not know how to divide rightly. Therefore the Holy Spirit divides divisions, who, dividing all things, gives to each according to his will: He as He wills, you as you are able, as you are capable with your talent. Divide when the Law speaks about money, and when it speaks about grace. For it is said to you: You shall lend to nations, whose Lord demands interest: but you shall not borrow (Deuteronomy XV, 6). There is both money of interest, and grace, whose Lord demands interest; money of interest has material wealth, grace bestows faith. Lend therefore faith to nations, so that grace may abound to you: but you, do not borrow as if needy, but as if rich and wealthy, lend with interest. Peter lent, Paul lent, John the Evangelist lent, both lent, and they did not need; that is, they lent Christ's money, they did not lend money for interest. So lend, and do not cease to lend. Do you hear what Scripture says: All day long he is gracious and lends. The righteous man lends during the day, the greedy person at night; for grace is of the light, but greed is of the darkness. And therefore, the seed of the lender's faith will be in blessing, surely having the reward of blessings.

"He is always merciful, and lends" [Psalm 37:26]. "Fœneratur" is used in Latin indeed, both for him who lends, and for him who borrows. But in this passage the meaning is more plain, if we express it by "fœnerat." What matters it to us, what the grammarians please to rule? It were better for us to be guilty of a barbarism, so that you understand, than that in our propriety of speech ye be left unprovided. Therefore, that "righteous man is all day merciful, and (fœnerat) lends." Let not the lenders of money on usury, however, rejoice. For we find it is a particular kind of lender that is spoken of, as it was a particular kind of bread; that we may, in all passages, "remove the roof," and find our way to Christ. I would not have you be lenders of money on usury; and I would not have you be such for this reason, because God would not have you....Whence does it appear that God would not have it so? It is said in another place, "He that puts not out his money to usury." And how detestable, odious, and execrable a thing it is, I believe that even usurers themselves know. Again, on the other hand, I myself, nay rather our God Himself bids you be an usurer, and says to you, "Lend unto God." If you lend to man, have you hope? And shall you not have hope, if you lend to God? If you have lent your money on usury to man, that is, if you have given the loan of your money to one, from whom you expect to receive something more than you have given, not in money only, but anything, whether it be wheat, or wine, or oil, or whatever else you please, if you expect to receive more than you have given, you are an usurer, and in this particular are not deserving of praise, but of censure. "What then," you say, "am I to do, that I may 'lend' profitably?" Consider what the usurer does. He undoubtedly desires to give a less sum, and to receive a larger; do thou this also; give thou a little, receive much. See how your principal grows, and increases! Give "things temporal," receive "things eternal:" give earth, receive heaven! And perhaps you would say, "To whom shall I give them?" The self-same Lord, who bade you not lend on usury, comes forward as the Person to whom you should lend on usury! Hear from Scripture in what way you may "lend unto the Lord." "He that has pity on the poor, lends unto the Lord." [Proverbs 10:17] For the Lord wants not anything of you. But you have one who needs somewhat of you: you extend it to him; he receives it. For the poor has nothing to return to you, and yet he would himself fain requite you, and finds nothing wherewith to do it: all that remains in his power is the good-will that desires to pray for you. Now when the poor man prays for you, he, as it were, says unto God, "Lord, I have borrowed this; be Thou surety for me." Then, though you have no bond on the poor man to compel his repayment, yet you have on a sponsible security. See, God from His own Scriptures says unto you; "Give it, and fear not; I repay it. It is to Me you give it." In what way do those who make themselves sureties for others, express themselves? What is it that they say? "I repay it: I take it upon myself. It is to me you are giving it." Do we then suppose that God also says this, "I take it on Myself. It is unto me you give it"? Assuredly, if Christ be God, of which there is no doubt, He has Himself said, "I was an hungred, and you gave Me meat." [Matthew 25:35] And when they said unto Him, "When saw we You hungry?" [Matthew 25:37] that He might show Himself to be the Surety for the poor, that He answers for all His members, that He is the Head, they the members, and that when the members receive, the Head receives also; He says, "Inasmuch as you have done it to one of the least of these that belong to Me, you have done it unto Me." [Matthew 25:40] Come, thou covetous usurer, consider what you have given; consider what you are to receive. Had you given a small sum of money, and he to whom you had given it were to give you for that small sum a great villa, worth incomparably more money than you had given, how great thanks would you render, with how great joy would you be transported! Hear what possession He to whom you have been lending bestows. "Come, you blessed of My Father, receive" [Matthew 25:34] — What? The same that they have given? God forbid! What you gave were earthly things, which, if you had not given them, would have become corrupted on earth. For what could you have made of them, if you had not given them? That which on earth would have been lost, has been preserved in heaven. Therefore what we are to receive is that which has been preserved. It is your desert that has been preserved, your desert has been made your treasure. For consider what it is that you are to receive. Receive— "the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." On the other hand, what shall be their sentence, who would not "lend"? "Go ye into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels." [Matthew 25:41] And what is the kingdom which we receive called? Consider what follows: "And these shall go into everlasting burning; but the righteous into life eternal." [Matthew 25:46] Make interest for this; purchase this. Give your money on usury to earn this. You have Christ throned in heaven, begging on earth. We have discovered in what way the righteous lends. "He is always merciful, and lends."

Then when he says, "I was young," he shows by experience that the goods of the just are fruitful, but not those of the wicked. And he sets forth this long experience regarding two things. First, regarding the immunity of the good from evils. Second, regarding their progress in good, at "All day long." Regarding the first, he does two things. First, he shows their immunity from evil with respect to the just man himself. Second, with respect to his offspring, at "Nor his offspring." Regarding the first, he does two things. First, he sets forth the length of the experience. Second, the experience itself, at "I have not seen." He says therefore, "I was young." As if someone were to say to him: from where do you have all these things that you say about the goods of the just? etc. He answers: from experience, "I was young," etc. This can be expounded in two ways. First, regarding bodily age, according to which a person first flourishes in youth and afterward becomes old: Ps. 89: "In the morning let him flourish and pass away." But against this Augustine says: you, David, were always in your own land; and if in that land a just man was not forsaken, it is still not surprising if elsewhere one was forsaken. And therefore Augustine wishes that he speak in the person of the Church. And the Church has the age of childhood in Abel, of youth in the patriarchs, of maturity in the apostles, and of old age at the end of the world. He omits the two middle ages and sets forth the extremes; and thus it has been from the beginning of the world and will be until the end. And this distinction is set forth in Gal. 4. Or it can be understood of spiritual maturity, because as long as a person delights in childish and vain things, he is a child in mind; but when he delights in mature things, he becomes old. And this distinction is set forth in 1 Cor. 13: "When I was a child, I spoke," etc. "But when I became a man," etc. And therefore he says: whether in the state of childhood or in the state of old age, I judged this, namely that the just man is immune from evils, both as regards himself and as regards his offspring. Therefore he shows this, saying, "I have not seen the just man forsaken," as regards himself. If this is referred to temporal goods, it does not seem true, because of the just it is said, Heb. 11: "Destitute, afflicted," etc. I respond: it must be said that although temporal goods are withdrawn from them, they are nevertheless not deserted by God, because all of this works to their good, either for the sake of goods or to remove the cause of some evil, as Augustine says: Mt. 6: "Seek first the kingdom of God, and all these things," namely spiritual things, "will be added to you." This is true, but only if God sees it expedient for our salvation. Regarding his offspring he says, "Nor his offspring seeking bread": Ex. 20: "I am a jealous God, showing mercy to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments": Lk. 1: "His mercy is from generation to generation upon those who fear him." And therefore, just as they themselves are not forsaken, so neither is their offspring. And this can be referred to temporal bread, with respect to the old testament; but according to the spiritual understanding, this bread is understood as participation in Christ, namely truth, wisdom, and justice: Jn. 6: "I am the living bread," etc. This is the bread that gives delights to kings, Gen. 49. And he says "seeking bread," because this bread is readily available to those who seek it. But against this: Abraham was just, and Isaac; but Ishmael and Esau, who were sons of the just, do not have spiritual bread. I respond: the Apostle resolves this, that the children of the promise are counted as the children of the just. Therefore the offspring is the one who imitates him. Hence both carnal children who imitate their fathers in good, and disciples who imitate their teacher, are spiritual offspring -- namely, those who imitate their teaching in practice. "All day long." Here he shows another sign of experience, or another piece of evidence, and says that another thing he has observed about the just man is that all day long, that is, throughout his entire life, he has mercy on the miseries of others, and lends, namely spiritual and temporal things: Ps. 111: "Happy is the man who has mercy and lends," whether in act or in readiness. And therefore, "His offspring will be in blessing": Gen. 22: "I will multiply your offspring like the stars of heaven," etc.

A composed and uniform trust in God and a constant course of integrity are urged in view of the blessedness of the truly pious, contrasted in various aspects with the final ruin of the wicked. Thus the wisdom and justice of God's providence are vindicated, and its seeming inequalities, which excite the cavils of the wicked and the distrust of the pious, are explained. David's personal history abundantly illustrates the Psalm. (Psa. 37:1-40) The general sentiment of the whole Psalm is expressed. The righteous need not be vexed by the prosperity of the wicked; for it is transient, and their destiny undesirable.

his seed is blessed--literally, "for a blessing" (Gen 12:2; Psa 21:6). This position is still true as the rule of God's economy (Ti1 4:8; Ti1 6:6).