The Wicked Will be Justly Punished
March 10, 2024
Commentary
Those who are evildoers will sooner or later, be cut down as the scythe cuts down the grass of the field (v. 9). Their is a shortness of time to do things (v. 10). The meek may never have an abundance of things, but why should they care? An abundance of peace is theirs, and that is far better (v. 11). Many think that Jesus taught a lot of new and novel things when He was on this earth but in reality He rarely introduced anything new. Most of His teaching comes right out of the Old Testament. When we read in the Sermon on the Mount: “Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth,” we are not reading something new but we are reading the message of Psa. 37:11 rephrased in the Words of the Lord Jesus.
Merciless people make plots against good people (v. 12), but the Lord laughs and knows their time is coming soon (v. 13). We should never fear about the plotting of the wicked because God knows the end from the beginning. He knows the day is coming when He will destroy the strength of the strong. He has a sword for those who have committed crimes against humanity. Who can begin to measure the suffering caused by men like Stalin, Hitler, and Mao Tse Tung. But we can be sure that God has a sword for them that will enter their souls and twist and turn for all eternity. The wicked will kill with swords and arrows (v. 14), but they will be killed by their own weapons (v. 15). In the materialistic society in which we live we often put the emphasis in the wrong place. We think that money can buy happiness (vv. 16-17). The Bible makes it plain that “godliness with contentment is great gain.”
Application
How much of my life up to this point has been devoted to making money and buying things in comparison to the time I have spent for the Lord? I never want to be content with the things this life has to offer.
Psalms 37:9– 17 (NET)
Verses not found.
Illustration: Fisherman Sitting Beside His Boat
Philip Parham tells the story of a rich industrialist who was disturbed to find a fisherman sitting lazily beside his boat. “Why aren’t you out there fishing?” he asked. “Because I’ve caught enough fish for today,” said the fisherman. “Why don’t you catch more fish than you need?’ the rich man asked. “What would I do with them?” “You could earn more money,” came the impatient reply, “and buy a better boat so you could go deeper and catch more fish. You could purchase nylon nets, catch even more fish, and make more money. Soon you’d have a fleet of boats and be rich like me.” The fisherman asked, “Then what would I do?” “You could sit down and enjoy life,” said the industrialist. “What do you think I’m doing now?” the fisherman replied as he looked placidly out to sea. (Our Daily Bread, May 18, 1994).