Psalm 37:21–40
21 The wicked borrows but does not pay back,
but the righteous is generous and gives;
22 for those blessed by the Lord shall inherit the land,
but those cursed by him shall be cut off.
23 The steps of a man are established by the Lord,
when he delights in his way;
24 though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong,
for the Lord upholds his hand.
25 I have been young, and now am old,
yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken
or his children begging for bread.
26 He is ever lending generously,
and his children become a blessing.
27 Turn away from evil and do good;
so shall you dwell forever.
28 For the Lord loves justice;
he will not forsake his saints.
They are preserved forever,
but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.
29 The righteous shall inherit the land
and dwell upon it forever.
30 The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom,
and his tongue speaks justice.
31 The law of his God is in his heart;
his steps do not slip.
32 The wicked watches for the righteous
and seeks to put him to death.
33 The Lord will not abandon him to his power
or let him be condemned when he is brought to trial.
34 Wait for the Lord and keep his way,
and he will exalt you to inherit the land;
you will look on when the wicked are cut off.
35 I have seen a wicked, ruthless man,
spreading himself like a green laurel tree.
36 But he passed away, and behold, he was no more;
though I sought him, he could not be found.
37 Mark the blameless and behold the upright,
for there is a future for the man of peace.
38 But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed;
the future of the wicked shall be cut off.
39 The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
he is their stronghold in the time of trouble.
40 The Lord helps them and delivers them;
he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in him.
Worship Notes:
I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread. —Psalm 37:24
Many of the hymns we’ll be singing this morning respond to this glorious promise found in Pastor Jamie’s sermon text. We’ll give thanks for God’s providential care throughout the ages with psalms and hymns like O God, Our Help In Ages Past (Psalm 90), He Who Trusts In The Lord (Psalm 125), There’s A Wideness In God’s Mercy, and Great Is Thy Faithfulness. We’ll remind one another that “God never yet forsook in need the soul that trusted Him indeed,” and rest in the comfort that “I know that Thou art with me, [and] wilt be with me to the end.” The closing hymn of the service, Steps A Man Takes (Psalm 37), takes its text from this central portion of Psalm 37, beginning at verse 23 and concluding with verse 31. While we’ve never sung this text at Parish (it’s found in the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America’s Book of Psalms for Worship), we should be familiar with the tune used in this setting, BEACH SPRING. We use this venerable American melody for the text Christ Is Risen! Hallelujah, in an arrangement by former Music Director Gregory Wilbur, which we’ve been singing at the opening of every service in the Easter season.
—Henry C. Haffner
Key Words: Wicked, Righteous, Cut Off, Inherit, Borrow, Give, Ruthless, Just, Wait, Save, Refuge
Keystone Verses: The Lord helps them and delivers them; He delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in Him. (Psalm 37:40)
