Psa 37:11 | KingComments | STEP | Because the situation promised in is delayed, there is a great danger that the believer will pay attention to the prosperity of the wicked ( ). He should not do that. It is important to rest or be still in confidence in God’s presence and to wait patiently for Him, that is, to wait for His time ( ). It is a silence of quiet confidence in the presence of God in the expectation of His intervention (cf. ). Complaining turns into unbelief, doubt and bitterness when the eye is no longer on God, but on the wicked and their prosperity. Those people have made cunning plans and they also carry them out successfully ( ). Don’t let what you see around you make you mad, says David ( ). Stop being angry with God, regain your composure, calm down. Let go of your grimness, don’t give it any more attention. Come to yourself. Becoming angry accomplishes nothing. On the contrary, it leads “only to evildoing”. In your anger you say things or do things that harm others and yourself and bring dishonor to God. You only make things worse by doing so and become equal to the evildoers. Now follows a promise with two sides: judgment on evildoers, they will be cut off, and blessing on those who wait for the LORD, they will inherit the land, that is, enter the realm of peace ( ). What we need to do is trust God in His Word. He has said that the wicked will be cut off. It doesn’t look like it yet at first glance, but He will do it. In contrast to this is what the humble will possess. That is, according to His promise, to “inherit the land”. Do we trust Him? If so, that will determine our attitude toward evil. To underscore and elaborate and deepen what he said in , David repeats in other words in the next two verses how it will end with the wicked man on the one hand and with the humble on the other. As for the wicked man, it is “yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more” ( ). Literally, ‘just a moment, and the wicked man is gone’. Take another good look at his place and consider that it will soon be empty. Nothing will remain of him and all his power, possession and prestige. There will be nothing left of him. Not only will the wicked man himself disappear, but so will everything that reminds one of him. So, just bear with the wicked man for a little while longer that they are doing well. The end of their prosperity is in sight. As for the humble – Hebrew anawim , those who are oppressed but nevertheless put their trust in the LORD – it is just a little while before they “will inherit the land” ( ). For them, that will mean that they “will delight themselves in abundant prosperity”. Therefore, just a little while persevere, just a little while longer endure suffering, and then the time of joy and peace will begin that will last a thousand years and continue for eternity. It is a great peace, an atmosphere of only peace, and in that atmosphere they delight; it is all joy. The Lord Jesus quotes the first line of in the Sermon on the Mount ( ). Humbleness, or gentleness, is the feature of the remnant in the end time ( ). It is also what should characterize us. We can learn this from the Lord Jesus ( ). It means that in the midst of tribulation we do not rebel, but put our trust in Him, in quiet expectation of His redemption, having the conviction that the promised inheritance will be given to us ( ).

‏ Psalms 37:11

The Humble Will Inherit the Land

Because the situation promised in Psa 37:6 is delayed, there is a great danger that the believer will pay attention to the prosperity of the wicked (Psa 73:3). He should not do that. It is important to rest or be still in confidence in God’s presence and to wait patiently for Him, that is, to wait for His time (Psa 37:7). It is a silence of quiet confidence in the presence of God in the expectation of His intervention (cf. Psa 62:5-6). Complaining turns into unbelief, doubt and bitterness when the eye is no longer on God, but on the wicked and their prosperity. Those people have made cunning plans and they also carry them out successfully (Psa 73:4-9).

Don’t let what you see around you make you mad, says David (Psa 37:8). Stop being angry with God, regain your composure, calm down. Let go of your grimness, don’t give it any more attention. Come to yourself. Becoming angry accomplishes nothing. On the contrary, it leads “only to evildoing”. In your anger you say things or do things that harm others and yourself and bring dishonor to God. You only make things worse by doing so and become equal to the evildoers.

Now follows a promise with two sides: judgment on evildoers, they will be cut off, and blessing on those who wait for the LORD, they will inherit the land, that is, enter the realm of peace (Psa 37:9). What we need to do is trust God in His Word. He has said that the wicked will be cut off. It doesn’t look like it yet at first glance, but He will do it. In contrast to this is what the humble will possess. That is, according to His promise, to “inherit the land”. Do we trust Him? If so, that will determine our attitude toward evil.

To underscore and elaborate and deepen what he said in Psa 37:9, David repeats in other words in the next two verses how it will end with the wicked man on the one hand and with the humble on the other. As for the wicked man, it is “yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more” (Psa 37:10). Literally, ‘just a moment, and the wicked man is gone’. Take another good look at his place and consider that it will soon be empty. Nothing will remain of him and all his power, possession and prestige. There will be nothing left of him. Not only will the wicked man himself disappear, but so will everything that reminds one of him. So, just bear with the wicked man for a little while longer that they are doing well. The end of their prosperity is in sight.

As for the humble – Hebrew anawim, those who are oppressed but nevertheless put their trust in the LORD – it is just a little while before they “will inherit the land” (Psa 37:11). For them, that will mean that they “will delight themselves in abundant prosperity”. Therefore, just a little while persevere, just a little while longer endure suffering, and then the time of joy and peace will begin that will last a thousand years and continue for eternity. It is a great peace, an atmosphere of only peace, and in that atmosphere they delight; it is all joy.

The Lord Jesus quotes the first line of Psa 37:11 in the Sermon on the Mount (Mt 5:5). Humbleness, or gentleness, is the feature of the remnant in the end time (Zep 2:3). It is also what should characterize us. We can learn this from the Lord Jesus (Mt 11:29). It means that in the midst of tribulation we do not rebel, but put our trust in Him, in quiet expectation of His redemption, having the conviction that the promised inheritance will be given to us (1Pet 1:3-5).