Psalm 37
September 3, 2023
preached by Pastor Ryan Bouton
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Time of Reflection Quotations

“It’s not time to make a change
Just relax, take it easy
You’re still young, that’s your fault
There’s so much you have to know
Find a girl, settle down
If you want you can marry.

Look at me, I am old, but I’m happy
I was once like you are now, and I know that it’s not easy
To be calm when you’ve found something going on
But take your time, think a lot
Why, think of everything you’ve got
For you will still be here tomorrow, but your dreams may not.”

~Cat Stevens, “Father and Son”

“Blessed are the meek! Oh, that’s nice, isn’t it? I’m glad they’re getting something, ‘cause they have a **** of a time.”

~Monty Python, The Life of Brian

“Been to 48 states and a few different worlds
Beheld the blind tour guide and a pig wearing pearls
I’ve seen grace under foot people fall in the street
Or use it to wipe their feet
Never the righteous man forsaken
Never the righteous man.”

~Smalltown Poets, “48 States”

“But to live eschatologically means not only to live for the future but also to live by the future. Living by faith and hope has a profound impact on the present, in terms of emotion and behavior.”

~J. Clinton McCann Jr., The Book of Psalms: Introduction, Commentary, and Reflections

Sermon Passage

Psalm 37 (ESV)

¹ Fret not yourself because of evildoers;
be not envious of wrongdoers!
² For they will soon fade like the grass
and wither like the green herb.
³ Trust in the LORD, and do good;
dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
⁴ Delight yourself in the LORD,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
⁵ Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him, and he will act.
⁶ He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
and your justice as the noonday.
⁷ Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,
over the man who carries out evil devices!
⁸ Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!
Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.
⁹ For the evildoers shall be cut off,
but those who wait for the LORD shall inherit the land.
¹⁰ In just a little while, the wicked will be no more;
though you look carefully at his place,
he will not be there.
¹¹ But the meek shall inherit the land
and delight themselves in abundant peace.
¹² The wicked plots against the righteous
and gnashes his teeth at him,
¹³ but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
for he sees that his day is coming.
¹⁴ The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows
to bring down the poor and needy,
to slay those whose way is upright;
¹⁵ their sword shall enter their own heart,
and their bows shall be broken.
¹⁶ Better is the little that the righteous has
than the abundance of many wicked.
¹⁷ For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
but the LORD upholds the righteous.
¹⁸ The LORD knows the days of the blameless,
and their heritage will remain forever;
¹⁹ they are not put to shame in evil times;
in the days of famine they have abundance.
²⁰ But the wicked will perish;
the enemies of the LORD are like the glory of the pastures;
they vanish—like smoke they vanish away.
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.