Psalm 37:22 Kommentar

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.

The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord,.... Or "of a man" (w); such a man as is blessed of the Lord; the steps which he takes in life are ordered by the Lord, both with respect to things temporal and spiritual: his good conduct is not of himself, it is a blessing of the Lord, who directs and keeps the feet of his saints, and inclines them to take such steps, and pursue such methods, which he succeeds and prospers; and he delighteth in his way; which he knows and approves of, guides and directs him in; see Psa 1:6. (w) "hominis", Pagninus, Montanus, &c.

(Verse 22.) Therefore, the righteous is good; and for this reason, Scripture adds: For those who bless him shall possess the land; but those who curse him shall be destroyed. How does the righteous possess the land, or what land, when Scripture says: Will you alone dwell on the earth? (Isaiah 5:8) And elsewhere: Woe to those who dwell on the earth (Revelation 8:13), which is a word of rebuke and curse. Therefore, whose blessed possession is the land? Not of that which is hidden in darkness and filled with bitterness: but of that which flows with honey and milk, that is, has the grace of sweetness, and the radiance of eternal light. Receive the sweetness of good honey; indeed, above honey: Pain and groaning and sadness will flee away (Isaiah 35:10); for the sweetness of grace will exclude the bitterness of human frailty. And elsewhere: And he will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and death shall be no more, nor mourning (Revelation 21:4). They will also receive the brightness of milk. And they will not need a lamp, nor the light of the sun; for the Lord himself will illuminate them, and they will reign forever and ever. Amen (Rev. XXIV, 5). There is also the mystical just one, who shows mercy and grants, who has given us all the words that He received from the Father, and has forgiven us the debt of our sins, and has paid for our debts with His own blood; so that we would not be in debt to another, but that the good creditor would have us in His own debt. And there is also that sinner who has gathered what he did not produce, and has borrowed what he did not possess, and does not want to give back what he received. Listen, for the devil has borrowed: 'To you,' he says, 'I will give all this power and their glory (because they have been given to me, and I give them to whom I want) if you will fall down and worship me' (Luke 4:6). Most wicked one, you have accepted for temptation, not for death; that is, you have accepted for the testing of God's servants, not for their annihilation; you have accepted for the worship of God, not for his denial; you have accepted secular things, why do you take away things that are eternal? you have accepted things of this world, why do you want to take away things that are of Christ? Give those things to whom you want, we do not envy. Why are the things we desire envied by you? You want to be worshipped, who are more wicked than all, and yet unworthy of service yourself.

"The sinner will borrow." Above he showed that the few goods of the just outweigh the many goods of the wicked by reason of stability; here he shows the same by reason of usefulness. And first he shows that the goods of the just are fruitful, but those of the wicked are the opposite. Second, he shows this by experience, at "I was young." Third, he draws his principal conclusion, at "Turn away." Regarding the first, he does two things, inasmuch as a twofold fruit comes to a person: one from goods possessed, another from works performed. Hence first he shows that the good are fruitful with regard to the first. Second, with regard to the second, at "Before the Lord." Regarding the first, he does two things. First, he sets forth the fruitfulness of the good and the opposite of the wicked. Second, he assigns the reason, at "Those who bless." Regarding the first, he does two things. First, he shows the unfruitfulness of the wicked. Second, the fruitfulness of the good, at "But the unjust." He says therefore, "The sinner will borrow." Let it be read first according to the surface of the text. There are two signs that someone is failing in temporal goods. One is when he needs to borrow: Deut. 28: "He will lend to you, and you will not lend to him." And therefore he says, "The sinner will borrow," that is, he will take a loan. The other sign is when someone has used up the loan and cannot repay it; hence he says, "And will not pay back": Sir. 29: "Hardly will he return half." And conversely, one sign of abundance is that one has enough to give freely; hence he says, "But the just man has mercy," that is, by mercy he freely assists those in need: Job 31: "From my infancy compassion grew with me," etc. The other sign is when a person is ready to repay what he owes; hence he says, "And will repay," namely his debt: Rom. 13: "Render to all what is due." But what is this that he says? Do the just always abound in earthly goods, and the wicked not? Indeed, the contrary seems true: Jas. 2: "Has not God chosen the poor of this world?" But God, according to this exposition, speaks according to the condition of the old testament, in which temporal goods are promised to those who keep the law, and evils to transgressors, so that at least through temporal things they might be drawn to spiritual ones. Yet in those goods certain spiritual promises are signified; and therefore it is necessary to expound it also with regard to those who in the old testament pertained to the new testament. It is therefore necessary to expound this more deeply: "He will borrow," etc. And it can be referred to a twofold loan. For a person borrows something from God, and something from the minister of God, namely from another person. Now every human being is called a sinner. He says therefore, "He will borrow," namely from God, because "What do you have that you have not received?" 1 Cor. 4. And this is like a loan, because God gives us all goods for this purpose: that through them we may grow in those things that pertain to the honor of God: Lk. 19: "And when I came, I would have exacted it with interest." And thus we repay him through thanksgiving. But God gave the sinner natural goods, and sometimes bestows temporal and spiritual goods; but the sinner does not repay through spiritual progress and thanksgiving: Is. 1: "I have nourished and raised up children, but they have despised me." From the minister of God, a person receives a loan. For prelates and teachers are like money-changers. Likewise, Lk. 19: "He called ten servants and gave them ten minas, and said to them, 'Trade until I come.'" Therefore they are merchants. The teacher therefore gives the people doctrine like money: Ps. 11: "The words of the Lord are pure words, silver tested by fire," etc. But he gives the words of the Lord, not his own. Now the good repay, because they do what they hear; but the wicked do not, because they do not fulfill by obedience: Ezek. 33: "They hear your words, and they do not do them." But the just man, whatever he has received from God, whatever it may be and in whatever way, expends it on another: 1 Pet. 4: "As each one has received grace, let him minister it to one another." And thus he will have mercy. Likewise, he gives thanks to God, and thus will repay: Ps. 115: "What shall I return to the Lord?" etc. The reason is assigned: "For those who bless." Here there are three senses according to the Gloss. Those who bless him, namely God, giving thanks in all things and following his commands, "shall inherit the land," namely of the living: 2 Cor. 9: "He who sows in blessings shall reap from blessings eternal life." Or according to the letter, "They shall inherit the land," that is, the promised land. And he speaks to the carnal people: Is. 1: "If you are willing and hear me, you shall eat the good things of the land." On the contrary, those who curse God -- not only in word, but in deed, or by giving occasion -- "shall perish": Ps. 1: "The way of the wicked shall perish." Origen expounds it differently: "Those who bless him," namely the just man, shall be blessed. For whatever is done to the just man, God accepts as done to himself: Lk. 10: "He who despises you, despises me." And Mt. 25: "What you did to one of the least of mine, you did to me." "They shall inherit the land" due to the just man: Mt. 10: "He who receives a just man in the name of a just man," etc. But "those who curse him," namely the just man, "shall perish": Gen. 27: "He who curses you, let him be cursed." But Jerome has it differently: "The sinner will fail, so as not to pay; but the just man has mercy and will repay. Those who are blessed by God shall inherit the land": Prov. 10: "The blessing of the Lord makes one rich." But the unjust, who are cursed by God, that is, punished, "shall perish"; and therefore they are barren: Gen. 3: "Cursed is the ground because of your work."

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.

cut off--opposed to "inherit the earth" (compare Lev 7:20-21).