Devotional Short Note on
Psalm 37: This Psalm is intertwined with woven threads of two time-zones in
David’s life: his present life or the now of history of the faithful until the
End of Times, and the End of Times and beyond scenarios. The “now” in David’s experience
and all faithful living with this history of the world is described in 37:1; 37:3-8;
37:16a-b; 37:21; 37:23-27; 37:32; 37:35; and 37:35. The Eschaton is also
well-known to David although scholars of other denominations will disagree
about it and try to allocate eschatological thinking to a post-exilic period borrowing
from the Persians and Greeks and what not (see John Collins et al). Such
minimalist analysis belongs only to a thinker who has something to hide so as
to lock the predictive accusations that fits the shoe, out of reach, thus
non-applicable for modern times. David talked about the Second-Coming in 37:2;
Hell in 37:9a; Second Coming in 37:9b; Hell in 37:10a; the 1000 years or
millennium in 37:10b; the Second Coming in 37:11a-b; the Little Time of Trouble
before the Door of Mercy closes and the Time of Jacob’s Trouble after the Door
of Mercy closes in 37:12a-b; Hell in 37:13a-b; Time of Trouble in 37:14a-c
which is probably a reference to the current future where there will be
worldwide landgrabbing due to anti-colonialism; worldwide spoliation with
Robin-Hoodism rationalizations; worldwide militarization as predicted also by
Amos and Isaiah 24; Time of Jacob’s Trouble in 37:15a-b; Hell in 37:17a-b and
37:20a-c; Time of Trouble before the Door of Mercy closes or the Time of Jacob’s
Trouble in 37:19 talking about a probable worldwide famine due to global
warming also mentioned by Isaiah 24 and elsewhere in the prophets; the Second
Coming in 37:22a and the Hell in 37:22b; Judgment on behalf of the Saints of
Daniel 7:22 “until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was passed in favor
of the saints of the Most High” is seen by David in 37:28a-d: “For the Lord
loves judgment and He will not forsake His saints”; Heaven arrived for saints
in 37:28c; Hell or executive “cutting off” of the wicked in finality of
existence in 37:28d; New Heaven and New Earth to be inherited by the righteous
in 37:29a-b; Perfection already arrived since the righteous “shall utter wisdom”
in 37:30a and “his tongue will speak judgment” in 37:30b. Why will he speak
judgment? Christ says that saints will take possession of the kingdom in Daniel
7:22 and they will judge or be involved for a 1000 years in a kind of
Confirmation Judgment verifying why their loved ones did not make it. Due to
perfection they received in sanctification on earth with their careful
relationship with the Lord the “law of his God is in his heart” through
conversion and “none of his/her steps shall slide” in 37:31, thus absolute
perfection guaranteed but attained because God does not like “machine-men with
machine-minds” (to quote the famous words of Charlie Chaplin’s Great Speech in
the Dictator film clip on Youtube). In the Time of Trouble the Lord will not
leave the righteous to suffer as is also explained by Isaiah in a number of
instances but here by David in Psalm 37:33. They are to “wait for the Lord”.
Why wait? Advent promise means Advent hope and a delay of that coming means
waiting. “Keep His way” is to keep considering His Word as the ultimate
standard in spiritual living and not to exchange it for culture or my feelings
or my opinions or ‘I did it my way’ (Frank Sinatra). The Lord “will raise you
to inherit the land” at the Resurrection day (37:34b). “When the wicked are cut
off you [the faithful ones] shall see it” (37:34c). The Hell event is witnessed
by the saints safely in the city of Zion or New Jerusalem and Psalm 46 is that
description of the Warrior Messiah battle on the Day of the Lord. The saints
are watching the battle from the city. Also in 37:38a-b is the same idea
expressed that transgressors shall be destroyed “together” (jahadu) since they
are brought together for the Hell event in the final Day of the Lord battle.
View scissors cutting a cord and that is what the timeline is for the evil on
that day, a dropping line that is “cut off”. In 37:39b it is promised that in
the Time of Trouble or the later Time of Jacob’s Trouble “He is their stronghold
in the time of trouble”. See Daniel 12:1-2 about this Time of Trouble like
there never was. It is during this time that the Messiah or Michael [another
name for Christ] comes. The Lord will help them (see 37:40a) and will deliver
them from the wicked (37:40b); and will save them for one reason only: they
have taken refuge in Him and that is what justification and sanctification is
all about.