Psalm 37 & 73: Dealing with Evil

Main Psalm we are looking at today is Psalm 37. We will also be looking at what I see as a Psalm with a parallel theme, Psalm 73, and a Psalm that helps to define what we are considering, Psalm 36.

We certainly live in a world that is full of evil.

Evil that is done by wicked people.

Psalm 36 describes these people as who have no fear, or dread of God.

Psalm 36:1–4 LSB

Transgression declares to the ungodly within his heart; There is no dread of God before his eyes. For it flatters him in his eyes For one to discover his iniquity and hate it. The words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit; He has ceased to consider to do good. He devises wickedness upon his bed; He sets himself on a path that is not good; He does not despise evil.

In Psalm 37 David further describes them this way:

Psalm 37:12 LSB

The wicked schemes against the righteous And gnashes at him with his teeth.

Psalm 37:14 LSB

The wicked have drawn the sword and bent their bow To cast down the afflicted and the needy, To slay those who are upright in conduct.

Psalm 37:32 LSB

The wicked spies upon the righteous And seeks to put him to death.

How do you and I ‘Deal with Evil’?

Who do we mean when we say the evil, the wicked?

They have no dread of God. They have done evil, but they have no fear, no regard for God’s holiness, His anger, His wrath against sin.

These are people who are flattered when people discover things they have done. They are proud of who they are and what they have done. The more someone hates their actions, the better. Bullies.

Their words are deceitful. They know how to spin things for their end goals.

They get to the point that they don’t even consider doing what is right or good.

They lie in bed thinking of how they will do these things.

They don’t despise evil, but welcome it. Make light of it.

They attack the righteous. They do what is evil, but they deflect. When you try to point out what God says, how they should act, they attack. They are master manipulators. DARVO

Have you met them?

Have you interacted with them?

Have you been their target?

How do you handle it?

Have you ever seen people like this succeed? Have you ever been jealous with how easy life goes for them? Do you ever wonder, “Why do I bother to do what is right?” “If I did what they did, I would have it easier, too.”

David wrote Psalm 36 & Psalm 37. He knew evil people. He lived among them. He worked with them. He was persecuted by them.

Asaph wrote Psalm 73. He obviously saw and interacted with these people as well.

As we look into these Psalms, we can identify with their feelings and emotions. We can learn the lessons that the Lord taught them and find the hope and peace that they, David and Asaph found as they dealt with evil.

How do we deal with evil?

With evil, wicked people?

David warned of a few ways that we can go wrong in our dealings with evil, wicked people.

Psalm 36:11 LSB

Let not the foot of pride come upon me, And let not the hand of the ungodly drive me away.

Wrong way: Pride

Story of Nabal

Wrong way: Forsake the Lord

David in the cave

David and Bathsheba

Psalm 37:1 LSB

Do not fret because of evildoers, Be not envious toward doers of unrighteousness.

Wrong way: Fret

fret - kindle, burn, get angry, become vexed

sense of doing it to yourself...

Don’t work yourself up…

Wrong way: Envious

envious - jealous

Asaph experienced this reaction and recorded it for us in Psalm 73.

Psalm 73:1–14 LSB

Surely God is good to Israel, To those who are pure in heart! But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, My steps had almost slipped. For I was envious of the boastful, I saw the peace of the wicked. For there are no pains in their death, And their body is fat. They are not in trouble as other men, And they are not stricken along with the rest of mankind. Therefore lofty pride is their necklace; The garment of violence covers them. Their eye bulges from fatness; The delusions of their heart overflow. They scoff and wickedly speak of oppression; They speak from on high. They have set their mouth against the heavens, And their tongue goes through the earth. Therefore his people return here, to his place, And waters of fullness are drunk by them. They say, “How does God know? And is there knowledge with the Most High?” Behold, these are the wicked; And always at ease, they have increased in wealth. Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure And washed my hands in innocence; For I have been stricken all day long And reproved every morning.

Asaph was giving in to pride… he was tempted to forsake the Lord.

Psalm 73:15–16 LSB

If I had said, “I will recount thus,” Behold, I would have betrayed the generation of Your children. When I gave thought to know this, It was trouble in my sight

Asaph was a worship leader.

Psalm 73:17 LSB

Until I came into the sanctuary of God; Then I understood their end.

Right way: Turn to the Lord

What is the truth? What is right?

Asaph went into the sanctuary of God. Psalm 73.17

Focus on the storm and you will be overwhelmed. Focus on the Lord and find strength and peace.

Psalm 73:18–20 LSB

Surely You set them in slippery places; You cause them to fall to destruction. How they become desolate in a moment! They are completely swept away by terrors! Like a dream when one awakes, O Lord, when aroused, You will despise their form.

Right way: Know the truth

Do not be envious—Know the truth

Right way: Recognize Pride

Psalm 73:21–22 LSB

When my heart was embittered And I was pierced within, Then I was senseless and ignorant; I was like an animal before You.

Psalm 73:23–28 LSB

Nevertheless I am continually with You; You have taken hold of my right hand. With Your counsel You will lead me, And afterward take me in glory. Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart fail, But God is the rock of my heart and my portion forever. For, behold, those who are far from You will perish; You have destroyed everyone who is unfaithful to You. But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have set Lord Yahweh as my refuge, That I may recount all Your works.

Right way: Find Refuge in the Lord

Do not be envious—Find Refuge in the Lord

Psalm 73:28 “But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have set Lord Yahweh as my refuge, That I may recount all Your works.”

Why are we envious? We want the easy life. We want peace and safety. We want security. We think that the wicked have that. So we want to find ‘refuge’ the way they have.

But did they find refuge?

David says the same thing in Pslm 37.

Psalm 37:2 LSB

For they will wither quickly like the grass And fade like the green herb.

Psalm 37:9–10 LSB

For evildoers will be cut off, But those who hope for Yahweh, they will inherit the land. Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more; You will look carefully at his place, and he will not be there.

Psalm 37:12–17 LSB

The wicked schemes against the righteous And gnashes at him with his teeth. The Lord laughs at him, For He sees that his day is coming. The wicked have drawn the sword and bent their bow To cast down the afflicted and the needy, To slay those who are upright in conduct. Their sword will enter their own heart, And their bows will be broken. Better is the little of the righteous Than the abundance of many wicked. For the arms of the wicked will be broken, But Yahweh sustains the righteous.

Psalm 37:20–22 LSB

But the wicked will perish; And the enemies of Yahweh will be like the glory of the pastures, They vanish—in smoke they vanish away. The wicked borrows and does not pay back, But the righteous is gracious and gives. For those blessed by Him will inherit the land, But those cursed by Him will be cut off.

Psalm 37:35–36 LSB

I have seen a wicked, ruthless man Spreading himself like a luxuriant tree in its native soil. Then he passed away, and behold, he was no more; I sought for him, but he could not be found.

Psalm 37:38 LSB

But transgressors will be altogether destroyed; The posterity of the wicked will be cut off.

But this is not the case for the righteous—those who do not forsake the Lord; those who find their refuge in Him.

Psalm 37:39–40 LSB

But the salvation of the righteous is from Yahweh; He is their strength in time of distress. Yahweh helps them and protects them; He protects them from the wicked and saves them, Because they take refuge in Him.

Right way: Trust and do Good

Do not fret—Trust and do Good

Psalm 37:1–4 LSB

Do not fret because of evildoers, Be not envious toward doers of unrighteousness. For they will wither quickly like the grass And fade like the green herb. Trust in Yahweh and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in Yahweh; And He will give you the desires of your heart.

Psalm 37:7–8 LSB

Be still in Yahweh and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who carries out schemes of wickedness. Cease from anger and forsake wrath; Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing.

Psalm 37:27 LSB

Depart from evil and do good, So you will dwell forever.

Right way: Commit your way to Yahweh

Do not forsake the Lord. Instead, commit your way to the Lord

Psalm 37:5–6 LSB

Commit your way to Yahweh, Trust in Him, and He will do it. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light And your judgment as the noonday.

Right way: Be Still and Patient

Psalm 37:7–11 LSB

Be still in Yahweh and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who carries out schemes of wickedness. Cease from anger and forsake wrath; Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing. For evildoers will be cut off, But those who hope for Yahweh, they will inherit the land. Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more; You will look carefully at his place, and he will not be there. But the lowly will inherit the land And will delight themselves in abundant peace.

Right way: Be Content

Psalm 37:16–19 LSB

Better is the little of the righteous Than the abundance of many wicked. For the arms of the wicked will be broken, But Yahweh sustains the righteous. Yahweh knows the days of the blameless, And their inheritance will be forever. They will not be ashamed in the time of evil, And in the days of famine they will be satisfied.

Right way: Look ahead

Look ahead—Find hope in your promised future

Psalm 37:22 LSB

For those blessed by Him will inherit the land, But those cursed by Him will be cut off.

Psalm 37:29 LSB

The righteous will inherit the land And dwell in it forever.

Right way: Know God is with you

Psalm 37:23–26 LSB

The footsteps of a man are established by Yahweh, And He delights in his way. When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, Because Yahweh is the One who sustains his hand. I was young and now I am old, Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken Or his seed begging bread. All day long he is gracious and lends, And his seed is a blessing.

Psalm 37:30–33 LSB

The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, And his tongue speaks justice. The law of his God is in his heart; His steps do not slip. The wicked spies upon the righteous And seeks to put him to death. Yahweh will not forsake him in his hand; He will not condemn him when he is judged.

Right way: Hope in the Lord

Psalm 37:34 LSB

Hope for Yahweh and keep His way, And He will exalt you to inherit the land; When the wicked are cut off, you will see it.

Psalm 37:37–40 LSB

Observe the blameless man, and behold the upright; For the man of peace will have a posterity. But transgressors will be altogether destroyed; The posterity of the wicked will be cut off. But the salvation of the righteous is from Yahweh; He is their strength in time of distress. Yahweh helps them and protects them; He protects them from the wicked and saves them, Because they take refuge in Him.