Psalm Meditation 1051 Proper 14 August 9, 2020 Psalm 37 1 Do not fret because of the wicked; do not be 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; so you will live in the land, and enjoy security. 4 Take delight 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 make your vindication shine like the light, and the justice of your cause like the noonday. 7 Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him; do not fret over those who prosper in their way, over those who carry out evil devices. 8 Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath. Do not fret—it leads only to evil. 9 For the wicked shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land. 10 Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look diligently for their place, they will not be there. 11 But the meek shall inherit the land, and delight themselves in abundant prosperity. 12 The wicked plot against the righteous, and gnash their teeth at them; 13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he sees that their day is coming. 14 The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows to bring down the poor and needy, to kill those who walk uprightly; 15 their sword shall enter their own heart, and their bows shall be broken. 16 Better is a little that the righteous person 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 abide forever; 19 they are not put to shame in evil times, in the days of famine they have abundance. 20 But the wicked perish, and the enemies of the Lord are like the glory of the pastures; they vanish—like smoke they vanish away. 21 The wicked borrow, and do not pay back, but the righteous are generous and keep giving; 22 for those blessed by the Lord shall inherit the land, but those cursed by him shall be cut off. 23 Our steps are made firm by the Lord, when he delights in our way; 24 though we stumble, we shall not fall headlong, for the Lord holds us by the hand. 25 I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. 26 They are ever giving liberally and lending, and their children become a blessing. 27 Depart from evil, and do good; so you shall abide forever. 28 For the Lord loves justice; he will not forsake his faithful ones. The righteous shall be kept safe forever, but the children of the wicked shall be cut off. 29 The righteous shall inherit the land, and live in it forever. 30 The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom, and their tongues speak justice. 31 The law of their God is in their hearts; their steps do not slip. 32 The wicked watch for the righteous, and seek to kill them. 33 The Lord will not abandon them to their power, or let them be condemned when they are brought to trial. 34 Wait for the Lord, and keep to his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land; you will look on the destruction of the wicked. 35 I have seen the wicked oppressing, and towering like a cedar of Lebanon. 36 Again I passed by, and they were no more; though I sought them, they could not be found. 37 Mark the blameless, and behold the upright, for there is posterity for the peaceable. 38 But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed; the posterity of the wicked shall be cut off. 39 The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; he is their refuge in the time of trouble. 40 The Lord helps them and rescues them; he rescues them from the wicked, and saves them, because they take refuge in him. (NRSV) I have been reminded that, though we see ourselves that way, we are not always the people God watches over in Scripture. We can be counted among the wicked with equal ease. Do we ever prosper due to the work of those who report to us? Do we ever take out our anger on those who are not able to respond due to their position in the world? Have we ever done anything to squash the hopes and ambitions of those around us because they are moving up the ladder faster than we are? Have we ever used weapons of any kind, physical, emotional, or corporate to run roughshod over someone in our sphere of influence? If we can answer, ‘yes’ to any one of these questions we may be among those God counts as wicked. So, how do we keep from being counted among the wicked? The psalmist gives us advice on how to be counted as righteous. We are to give freely, and lend to others who are in need, as well as teaching our children to be generous, with no thought of being repaid. The righteous seek justice, both for ourselves and for those who are unable to achieve justice for themselves. The righteous utter wisdom and strive for justice, as well as holding the law of God in our hearts. All the rest comes from God. It seems so simple, with these few requirements, however, our tendency is to look out for our own and to protect ourselves from ‘those people’ who want what we have, even if they have no power or influence with which to take what we have. The question of the psalmist is, do you want to go after the good things the world offers, or follow and serve God, receiving the gifts God gives? We can do everything we can to get rich, enjoying the advantages of wealth and power. It is hard work that may or may not pay off at a level that will satisfy us. We can do everything we can to serve God, enjoying the company and gifts of God as a part of the people of God. John Wesley, one of the founders of the Methodist movement, gave the advice, “Earn all you can, save all you can, give all you can for as long as you can.” If we find ourselves in a position to have resources beyond our needs, we are to use them for the benefit of others, to the glory of God. August 3, 2020 LCM