Wait on the Lord: The Secure Future of the Faithful
Hope in the Lord and keep His way, for the ruthless will vanish like a fallen tree, but the man of peace has a future because God is his stronghold and deliverer.
Psalms 37:34–40 (BSB)
34 Wait for the LORD and keep His way, and He will raise you up to inherit the land. When the wicked are cut off, you will see it.
35 I have seen a wicked, ruthless man flourishing like a well-rooted native tree,
36 yet he passed away and was no more; though I searched, he could not be found.
37 Consider the blameless and observe the upright, for posterity awaits the man of peace.
38 But the transgressors will all be destroyed; the future of the wicked will be cut off.
39 The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; He is their stronghold in time of trouble.
40 The LORD helps and delivers them; He rescues and saves them from the wicked, because they take refuge in Him.
What is the big idea of Psalms 37:34–40?
Hope in the Lord and keep His way, for the ruthless will vanish like a fallen tree, but the man of peace has a future because God is his stronghold and deliverer.
How does Psalms 37:34–40 point to Christ?
Jesus Christ is the ultimate 'Man of Peace' who had His 'end' in the Cross but His 'future' in the Resurrection; because He is our Stronghold, we who take refuge in Him are delivered from the power of the wicked and guaranteed an eternal inheritance.
Authorial Intent
To conclude the psalm with a definitive contrast between the temporary, spectacular rise of the wicked and the secure, eternal future of the righteous who wait on the LORD.
Chapter: Psalm 37
The Meek Inherit the Land as the Wicked Fade
Because the LORD will remove the wicked and give the future to the meek, His people must refuse fretting, trust Him, do good, and wait for His salvation.