Feed on His faithfulness

Last Wednesday I was able to hear Mark Minnick preach a sermon on Psalm 37 that he titled “Feed on His Faithfulness.” The theme is taken from the end of verse 3, which the KJV gives as “verily thou shalt be fed.” Apparently, the Hebrew there is slightly ambiguous¹, and so the NASB has “cultivate faithfulness” and the NKJV has “feed on His faithfulness.”

The challenge throughout the chapter is to trust in the Lord’s faithfulness so much that you still concentrate on deepening your relationship with the Lord even when evildoers prosper and cause you trouble. Pastor Minnick noted that the passage includes 21 distinct counsels for God’s people (17 of which are unique). The most common of these is the challenge “do not fret” (NASB), which occurs three times. He challenged us to look through the passage and catalog the other counsels for God’s people and seek to do them. I’m posting the entire chapter here, and hope to spend some time studying this in the future. Comments with your observations on the passage would be welcome!

NASB Psalm 37:1 A Psalm of David. Do not fret because of evildoers, Be not envious toward wrongdoers.
2 For they will wither quickly like the grass And fade like the green herb.
3 Trust in the LORD and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate² faithfulness³.
4 Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, and He will do it.
6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light And your judgment as the noonday.
7 Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.
8 Cease from anger and forsake wrath; Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing.
9 For evildoers will be cut off, But those who wait for the LORD, they will inherit the land.
10 Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more; And you will look carefully for his place and he will not be there.
11 But the humble will inherit the land And will delight themselves in abundant prosperity.
12 The wicked plots against the righteous And gnashes at him with his teeth.
13 The Lord laughs at him, For He sees his day is coming.
14 The wicked have drawn the sword and bent their bow To cast down the afflicted and the needy, To slay those who are upright in conduct.
15 Their sword will enter their own heart, And their bows will be broken.
16 Better is the little of the righteous Than the abundance of many wicked.
17 For the arms of the wicked will be broken, But the LORD sustains the righteous.
18 The LORD knows the days of the blameless, And their inheritance will be forever.
19 They will not be ashamed in the time of evil, And in the days of famine they will have abundance.
20 But the wicked will perish; And the enemies of the LORD will be like the glory of the pastures, They vanish– like smoke they vanish away.
21 The wicked borrows and does not pay back, But the righteous is gracious and gives.
22 For those blessed by Him will inherit the land, But those cursed by Him will be cut off.
23 The steps of a man are established by the LORD, And He delights in his way.
24 When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, Because the LORD is the One who holds his hand.
25 I have been young and now I am old, Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken Or his descendants begging bread.
26 All day long he is gracious and lends, And his descendants are a blessing.
27 Depart from evil and do good, So you will abide forever.
28 For the LORD loves justice And does not forsake His godly ones; They are preserved forever, But the descendants of the wicked will be cut off.
29 The righteous will inherit the land And dwell in 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 spies upon the righteous And seeks to kill him.
33 The LORD will not leave him in his hand Or let him be condemned when he is judged.
34 Wait for the LORD and keep His way, And He will exalt you to inherit the land; When the wicked are cut off, you will see it.
35 I have seen a wicked, violent man Spreading himself like a luxuriant tree in its native soil.
36 Then he passed away, and lo, he was no more; I sought for him, but he could not be found.
37 Mark the blameless man, and behold the upright; For the man of peace will have a posterity.
38 But transgressors will be altogether destroyed; The posterity of the wicked will be cut off.
39 But the salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; He is their strength in 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.

1. it reads וּרְעֵה אֱמוּנָה [↩]
2. ”Cultivate” is used here in the same sense in which a shepherd actively feeds or grazes his flock. [↩]
3. NKJV “Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.” [↩]