30The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom,

and his tongue speaks justice.

31The law of his God is in his heart;

his steps do not falter.

32Though the wicked lie in wait for the righteous,

and seek to slay them,

33the LORD will not leave them in their power

or let them be condemned under judgment.

34Wait 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.

35I have seen a wicked, ruthless man

flourishing like a well-rooted native tree,

36yet he passed away and was no more;

though I searched, he could not be found.

37Consider the blameless and observe the upright,

for posterity awaits the man of peace.

38But the transgressors will all be destroyed;

the future of the wicked will be cut off.

39The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD;

He is their stronghold in time of trouble.

40The LORD helps and delivers them;

He rescues and saves them from the wicked,

because they take refuge in Him.

Alec Motyer, writing on this Psalm, has pointed out some of the weaknesses in the ‘Let go and let God’ approach to Christianity. He makes a strong Biblical case for there being many things we are called to do. However, he adds:

”…there is…a time for non-retaliation, for leaving it to God (Romans 12:19), for waiting silently for God, holding our tongues and turning the other cheek (Lamentations 3:25-30; Matthew 5:39). In such a time, says Psalm 37, our active response is to trust and delight in Yahweh (3-4), and to be still and wait (7), to live in the visible world of trial seeing clearly the invisible world of divine sovereignty and justice (13,18), to look to the end, secure in Yahweh’s care, even sharing in his laughter (verse 13; Psalm 2:4). Alongside Psalm 37, Isaiah 53:79 and 1 Peter 2:20-25 make good reading: we are called to be like the Son of God in all things; he is our inspiration and model as well as our Redeemer.”

But as Eugene Peterson expresses it in his paraphrase, this waiting for God is a passionate thing (34)

”Righteous chews on wisdom like a dog on a bone,

rolls virtue around on his tongue.

His heart pumps God’s Word like blood through his veins;

his feet are as sure as a cat’s.

32-33Wicked sets a watch for Righteous,

he’s out for the kill.

God, alert, is also on watch—

Wicked won’t hurt a hair of his head.

34Wait passionately for God,

don’t leave the path.

He’ll give you your place in the sun

while you watch the wicked lose it.

35-36I saw Wicked bloated like a toad,

croaking pretentious nonsense.

The next time I looked there was nothing—

a punctured bladder, vapid and limp.

37-38Keep your eye on the healthy soul,

scrutinize the straight life;

There’s a future

in strenuous wholeness.

But the willful will soon be discarded;

insolent souls are on a dead-end street.

39-40The spacious, free life is from God,

it’s also protected and safe.

God-strengthened, we’re delivered from evil—

when we run to him, he saves us.” The Message