David’s psalms: Psalm 35–38

King David was a prolific poet and songwriter, and some of his work has been passed down to us through the psalms. Many of these have no event recorded with them, so at the end of David’s life, we have a large group of ‘unallocated’ psalms.

David relied on God to deal with the wicked: evildoers, the unrighteous, and his enemies. This was real for King David. His psalms weren’t just hopeful words thrown around in empty desperation. He relied on God to stay alive, become king and stay king, and defeat any enemies who challenged him along the way.

Psalm 37

^1–7Do not fret because of the wicked;
do not be envious of wrongdoers,
for they will soon fade like the grass,
and wither like the green herb.

Trust in the Lord, and do good;
so you will live in the land, and enjoy security.
Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.
He will make your vindication shine like the light,
and the justice of your cause like the noonday.

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.

The wicked are described further down in the same psalm:

¹² The wicked plot against the righteous,
and gnash their teeth at them;

¹⁴ The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows
to bring down the poor and needy,
to kill those who walk uprightly;

²¹ The wicked borrow, and do not pay back,
but the righteous are generous and keep giving;

³² The wicked watch for the righteous,
and seek to kill them.

³⁵ I have seen the wicked oppressing,
and towering like a cedar of Lebanon.

And what happened to the righteous? God looked after them:

¹¹ But the meek shall inherit the land,
and delight in abundant prosperity.

^18-19 The Lord knows the days of the blameless,
and their heritage will abide for ever;
they are not put to shame in evil times,
in the days of famine they have abundance.

²⁹ The righteous shall inherit the land, and live in it for ever.

^39-40 The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
he is their refuge in the time of trouble.
The Lord helps them and rescues them;
he rescues them from the wicked, and saves them,
because they take refuge in him.