These exhortations were given by me between 1999 and 2005. That was a long time ago, and I have grown a lot since then. They may not reflect my current beliefs.

One of the very beautiful things about the Bible is the sheer quality of the writing. The words of man are weak and feeble. The words of God are strong and everlasting. This is particularly evident when writing an exhortation. I was going to write something about God’s love for us, and the way he protects us from the world. There is one Psalm that says everything I could possibly have said, but it says it better than I could say it. Psalm 37:

Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.

Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself 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 do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.

Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret–it leads only to evil. For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.

A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found. But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace.

The wicked plot against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them; but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he knows their day is coming.

The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright. But their swords will pierce their own hearts, and their bows will be broken.

Better the little that the righteous have than the wealth of many wicked; for the power of the wicked will be broken, but the LORD upholds the righteous.

The days of the blameless are known to the LORD, and their inheritance will endure forever. In times of disaster they will not wither; in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.

But the wicked will perish: The LORD’s enemies will be like the beauty of the fields, they will vanish–vanish like smoke. The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously; those the LORD blesses will inherit the land, but those he curses will be cut off.

If the LORD delights in a man’s way, he makes his steps firm; though he stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand.

I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be blessed.

Turn from evil and do good; then you will dwell in the land forever. For the LORD loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. They will be protected forever, but the offspring of the wicked will be cut off; the righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever.

The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks what is just. The law of his God is in his heart; his feet do not slip.

The wicked lie in wait for the righteous, seeking their very lives; but the LORD will not leave them in their power or let them be condemned when brought to trial.

Wait for the LORD and keep his way. He will exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are cut off, you will see it.

I have seen a wicked and ruthless man flourishing like a green tree in its native soil, but he soon passed away and was no more; though I looked for him, he could not be found.

Consider the blameless, observe the upright; there is a future or the man of peace. But all sinners will be destroyed; the future f the wicked will be cut off.

The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD; he is their stronghold in time of trouble. The LORD helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him.

This Psalm contains within it so many aspects of spiritual comfort and strength.

It begins by telling us “Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong” but there is so much more here in these 40 verses than just telling us not to fret. Psalm 37 tells us the reason why we should not fret. Consider verses 10 and 11:

A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found. But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace.

This is a clear pointer towards the Kingdom, when the will of God will be done on Earth as in heaven. Christ also made this point in the sermon on the mount: “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.”

Psalm 37, verses 14 and 15:

The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright. But their swords will pierce their own hearts, and their bows will be broken.

These words too are to be found in the teaching of Christ, in Matthew 26, verse 52:

Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.

We should not fret because of evil doers because the day will come when they do no more evil, stopped by God himself.

The promise of the Kingdom occurs again in verses 27 to 29:

Turn from evil and do good; then you will dwell in the land forever. For the LORD loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. They will be protected forever, but the offspring of the wicked will be cut off; the righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever.

These words have a simple call to action: Turn from evil and do good. They have a simple promise “then you will dwell in the land forever… the righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever.”

We often talk about our own faith (or lack thereof) but these verses remind us that the God we have faith in is a faithful being himself: “the LORD loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones.” There is a two way aspect of faith here: we are faithful to God and he is faithful to us. It is like a very strong, everlasting friendship. Verses 39 and 40 emphasise this point, and I want to conclude by re-reading them.

The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD; he is their stronghold in time of trouble. The LORD helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him.