Call to Trust Yahweh (37:1–11)

Do not fret. Verses 1–2 establish the perspective and tone that dominate the entire psalm. They admonish the reader/listener not to be concerned because of the apparent success and invulnerability of the wicked, because their ultimate destiny is defeat and destruction. The phrase “do not fret” (ḥrh [“be angry, indignant; fly into a passion”]) appears three times in this section, once at the beginning and twice near the end (37:7, 8). We must not let the seeming prosperity of the “wicked” and “those who do wrong” undermine our trust in the just character and sovereign power of Yahweh. The “fretting” that is discouraged is not just moral indignation but a desire that the cohesive moral power of the universe, which Yahweh represents, remains intact.

They will soon wither. As encouragement to his readers/listeners the psalmist offers a striking image taken from the local agricultural experience of shepherds roaming the countryside in search of grass for their animals. With the onset of the early spring rains, the arid hills spring quickly into a lush green covering of grass. Almost as quickly, however, the heat of late spring and summer parch this fodder into a brittle brown. The wicked ought not cause undue concern because their prosperity is just as tenuous as the spring grass that is “here today, gone tomorrow.” The image of withering grass recurs frequently in the psalms—most often as an indication of the tenuous, transient nature of human life in contrast to the eternal constancy that is Yahweh.

Following the negatively stated admonition of verse 1, the psalmist shifts (37:3–6) to a series of positively stated imperative directives to the hearers. They are called to “trust” (37:3, 5) in Yahweh, “dwell” (37:3) in the land, “delight” (37:4) in Yahweh, and consequently “commit” (37:5) their way to him. As a result of turning their negative anger into passionate commitment to Yahweh, they will receive from God security and safe pasture (37:3), the “desires” (mišʾalot, from šʾl [“the thing asked for, requested”]) of their hearts (37:4), and clear, public vindication against the wicked (37:6).

A pair of balanced statements, each involving two positive imperatives and the call not to fret (37:7–8), leads to a clear statement of the future destiny of the wicked (37:9). The psalmist cautions the reader to “be still” and “wait” for Yahweh rather than fret over the successful schemes of the wicked (37:7). In the balancing verse the reader must “refrain from anger” and “turn from wrath” since fretting can only lead to evil (37:8).

This unit concludes with the basis of a positive response to the psalmist’s demands. In two balanced verses, he repeats the opening theme with a negative and positive inducement to the reader. The evil have only “a little while” before they are “cut off” and are “no more,” but the “meek” who “hope in the Lord” will “inherit the land” (37:10–11).