Click here to read PSALM 37 in poetic form.
Background
Just as Psalm 23 showed that we can trust in the Lord as our shepherd, this Psalm shows that we can trust in, delight in, commit to, and rest in the Lord despite the evil of those around us (verses 3-7).
E. W. Bullinger has an instructive note on this acrostic Psalm. He says this Psalm: “is an acrostic Psalm having four lines (a quatrain) assigned to each successive letter of the alphabet, except the fourth (verse 7), the eleventh (verse 20), the nineteenth (verse 34), which each have three lines (a triplet) assigned to them. These three triplet verses occur in perfect order. The seventh verse is the seventh letter from the beginning; the thirty-fourth verse is the seventh letter from the end; while the middle verse (verse 20) marks the end of the first half with the first of the two middle letters.” It is a joy to see such precision and accuracy in God’s Word!
For The Psalms in Poetic Form, the acrostic letters are highlighted for easy reading. The following English letters are transliterated from the Hebrew alphabet:
Aleph………………………A
Beth………………………..B
Gimel………………………G
Daleth…………………….D
He……………………………H
Vau …………………………V
Zain…………………………Z
Cheth……………………..CH
Teth…………………………TE
Yod………………………….Y
Kaph……………………….K
Lamed……………………L
Mem ………………………M
Nun………………………….N
Samech …………………S
Ain…………………………..AI
Pe…………………………….P
Tsaddi…………………….TS
Qoph……………………….Q
Resh………………………..R
Shin…………………………SH
Tau…………………………..T
Structure
(Verses 1-9) Commands in relation to the Lord
(Verses 1,2) Fret not for the evil are cut down
(Verses 3-8) Trust in, delight in, commit to, and rest in the Lord
(Verses 8,9) Fret not for the evil are cut off
(Verses 10-26) Good versus evil men
(Verses 10-15) The wicked
(Verses 16-19) The righteous
(Verses 20-22) The wicked
(Verses 23-26) The righteous
(Verses 27-29) Commands in relation to the Lord
(Verse 27) Depart from the evil and do good
(Verses 28,29) God’s blessing to those who do so
(Verses 30-33) Good versus evil men
(Verses 30,31) The righteous
(Verses 31-33) The wicked
(Verse 34) Commands in relation to the Lord: wait on the Lord
(Verses 35-40) Good versus evil men
(Verses 35,36) The wicked
(Verses 37-40) The upright
Key Scriptures
Verse 11—“But the meek…shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.” Jesus Christ offered his followers perfect peace, for he was the meekest of all. Matthew 11:28,29: “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest [peace]. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.”
Verse 12—“The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth.” Jesus Christ constantly dealt with such evil attacks. Even his followers later endured such attacks, as with Stephen in Acts 7:54: “When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.”
Verse 31—“The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.” Jesus Christ above all others hid God’s Word in his heart (Psalms 119:11). His steps did not slide, for he always did the will of his Father.
Verse 40—“he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him.” Jesus Christ greatly relied on this promise throughout his life.
FOR FURTHER STUDY
All 150 of The Psalms in Poetic Form are available from Amazon in a book, either Large Print or a smaller Bedside Reader. Also available for free with a Kindle Unlimited membership. Enjoy!
The entire blog series is now available in the publication The Psalms: Background & Structure with Key Scriptures Explained.
