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« [A Psalm] of David. » Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.

Fret not thyself because of evil-doers — Who prosper in the world when better men suffer many times. This made good David sick of the fret, as himself testifieth, Psalms 73:14-16 , till better informed and settled, by repairing to the sanctuary, Psalms 73:17 . He wrote this thirty-seventh psalm for the good of God’s people; lest they, being scandalized in like manner, and stumbling at the same stone that he had done, should want direction, and so fall into inconvenience, temptation, and a snare. David was old when he wrote this psalm, as appeareth, Psalms 37:25 , "I have been young, and now am old," therefore should his counsel here given be the more acceptable. He might as well say to men’s tumultuatiug passions, as once Augustus did to his mutinous soldiers, and thereby quieted them, Audite senem iuveues, quem iuvenem senes audierunt, Hear old men you youth, rather than old men hear the youth. Fret not yourselves, fret not yourselves, I say, to do evil. Be not angry at God, as Jonah was; or aggrieved, as Jeremiah, Jeremiah 12:1 ; and Habakkuk, Habakkuk 1:13 ; as if the Divine providence did not justly divide to every man his due estate, and do him right; but have patience a while, yea, let patience have line and rope, her perfect work, as St James hath it; and quiet your boiling spirits with that word, wherewith Christ becalmed the raging sea, "Peace; be still." God will unriddle his providences ere long; and then men shall see the reason of all occurrences, and that all was done in singular wisdom. Pompey, beaten out of the field by Caesar, complained that there was a mist over the eye of providence; when as indeed all the fault was in the soreness or dimness of his own eyes, and the twinkling light of Nature’s rush candle. Seneca saw as far and said as much to this matter as a heathen could, in his tract, Cur malis bene sit, … Whu is it well for the wicked, But it is the sanctuary alone that can afford sound satisfaction to a soul thus puzzled; as for philosophical comforts and counsels in this case, Cicero said well of them, Nescio quomodo imbecillior est medicina quam morbus, However it cometh to pass, the disease is too hard for the medicine.

Neither be thou envious against, … — Their prosperity is their portion, all they are likely to have, Psalms 17:14 ; and what is it more than a small annuity for term of life, in the utmost part of that large lordship, whereof thou art the heir, and shalt shortly be the possessor? Queen Elizabeth envied the milkmaid, when she was in prison. But if she had known what a glorious reign she should have had afterwards for forty-four years she would not have envied her. And as little needeth a godly man, though in misery, to envy a wicked man in the ruff of all his prosperity and jollity, considering what he hath in hand, much more what he hath in hope.

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For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.

For they shall soon be cut down like the grass — Faenea quadam felicitate temporaliter florent, as Austin phraseth it, but their felicity is short-lived; this proud grass shall be mowed down ere long, Psalms 92:7 , if not sooner, yet at death howsoever, which unto them is but a trapdoor to hell. Envy me not my grapes, said that soldier, I must die for them. So may wicked men say of their present prosperity, which is but like Haman’s banquet before execution.

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Trust in the LORD, and do good; [so] shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.

Trust in the Lord, and do good — These and the following are excellent means and medicines against the fret. True faith will trust in God where it cannot trace him; it will also work by love, and by doing good approve itself to be right; as it appeared by the fruits that it was a good land; and as it appeared by the coats that Dorcas was a good woman.

So shalt thou dwell in the land — Heb. Dwell thou in the land, viz. be content with thy lot, not looking at the larger allowances of wicked rich men; who the more they have of the fat of the earth the more they will fry and blaze in hell. Do thou abide in thy station, and serve God’s providence in thy particular calling.

And verily thou shalt be fed — Fed like a sheep, under the conduct and keeping of a good sheppherd, as the word signifieth. Kimchi readeth it, Pasce in veritate, Feed others with the truth; as the lips of the righteous feed many. Tremellius rendereth it, Pascere fide, feed on faith; that is, nourish thyself, and live by it, according to that of Habakkuk, Habakkuk 2:4 , "The just shall live by his faith." Some render it, Pasce fidem, feed faith, sc. by pondering the promises of God, which are, Pabulum fidei, the food of faith. Others, Pascere fideliter, get thy living faithfully and honestly by thy true labour.

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Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

Delight thyself also in the Lord — While others delight in riches and pleasures; as if there were no other happiness but to have and to hold, no sport unless men may have the devil their playfellow. The like counsel hereunto giveth St Paul to his son Timothy, 1 Timothy 6:12 ; while others lay hold as with tooth and nail on riches, …, lay thou hold on eternal life; make God thy portion, and thou art made for ever.

And he shall give thee the desires of thy heart — It shall be unto thee even as thou wilt. It is said of Luther, that he could have what he would of Almighty God. What may not a favourite, who hath the royalty of his prince’s ear, obtain of him? It is said of Sejanus, that in all his designs he found in Tiberius, the emperor, so great facility and affection to his desires, that he needed only to ask and give thanks.

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Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring [it] to pass.

Commit thy way unto the Lord — Heb. Roll thy way, … That is, depend wholly upon him for direction and success in all thine undertakings and affairs; easing thy mind to him by prayer, and casting thyself by faith upon his care and conduct: "Cast thy burden upon the Lord," saith David elsewhere, Volve, i.e. omnem necessitatem in eum exoneres (Kimchi).

Trust also in him — Things are therefore repeated in this psalm, that they may take the better impression, and beget encouragement.

And he shall bring it to pass — It, that is, whatsoever thou committest to him.

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And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.

And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light — God will so oil thy good name that infamy shall not stick to it. Dirt will stick upon a mud wall, not so upon marble. But say thou be aspersed and denigrated by calumnies and contumelies cast upon thee, and thou lie under them for a time, as the earth doth under the darkness of the night; yet as the morning suddenly arising driveth away that darkness, so shall God clear up thy wronged innocence; and as the moon wadeth out of a cloud, so shalt thou get over all thy troubles in this kind or any other; it shall be with thee as it was once with Cato, whom Seneca calleth the lively picture of virtues, who was thirty-two times accused in open court, and as many times cleared and absolved.

And thy judgments as the noonday — At the day of judgment, howsoever, if not sooner; then there will be a resurrection as well of names as bodies.

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Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

Rest in the Lord — Heb. Be silent to the Lord; Digito compesce labellum, lay thine hand upon thy mouth when chafing ripe, when ready to let fly at those that wrong thee. The more silent the patient is the more shrill the wrong will be; as, Numbers 12:2 , while Moses is dumb, God speaks; deaf, God hears and stirs; the less he said and did the more God struck in for him: and the less any man striveth for himself the more is God his champion; so he do it to the Lord, that is, in obedience to him, and not for a name, as some heathens did.

And wait patiently for him — Or, put thyself to pain for him; that is, though it go against the hair with thee, and thou find it hard to suffer evil, and to wait patiently for better, yet do it for his sake, and therein thou shalt do thyself no disservice at all.

Who bringeth wicked devices to pass — And pleaseth himself in them, because for present he prospereth; as Dionysius did in his sacrilege, because no harm to him followed upon it. Saeculi laetitia est impunita nequitia, saith Austin.

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Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.

Cease from anger, and forsake wrath — Repetitio est, ut magis iuculcet, saith Vatablus; This precept is doubled and redoubled, that we may the better retain and practise it. Angry a man may be, and must be at evildoers, inasmuch as they break God’s law, Psalms 119:134 , pollute his name, Ezekiel 36:20 ; Ezekiel 36:23 Romans 2:23-24 ; procure the judgments of God upon others also, Joshua 22:18 ; pull down swift destruction upon themselves, 2 Peter 2:1 Romans 2:5 . Thus Moses was angry, Exodus 32:19 ; and our Saviour, Mark 3:5 ; yet not so angry but that they could at some time pity those they were displeased with, and pray for them too. This they that cannot do are inordinately and sinfully angry, and must at any rate suppress such passionate distempers.

Fret not thyself in any wise to do evil — And he shall have nmch ado not to overdo, not to do amiss, that bridleth not his passions; for these, like heavy bodies down steep hills, once in motion, move themselves, and seldom know any ground but the bottom. Ne igitur accendaris ira saltem ad malefaciendum. Kimchi rendereth it, Ne misceas teipsum, Come not in company with the ungodly, at least to do evil; to do as they do. So to those words in the first verse, "Fret not thyself because of evildoers," the Chaldee addeth, to be like unto them.

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