A Reflection on Psalm 37

The other day I was reading Psalm 37, which is subtitled in the NRSV as Exhortation to Patience and Trust.

There are many things in life that cause us stress: situations, people, and any combination of the two. We often cannot control these things; instead, we can only control our reactions to them. Here are some of the things that David advises throughout this text:

• "Commit your way to the Lord" (5)
• "Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for Him" (7)
• "Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath" (8)
• "Depart from evil, and do good" (27)
• "Wait for the Lord, and keep to His way" (34)
• "Mark the blameless, and behold the upright" (37)

Yes, life is chaotic. However, David's counsel is very different from the frenzied responses which we so often take to moments of stress or uncertainty. He tells us to wait on God, committing ourselves anew to Him and His purpose. He also challenges us to refrain from anger, wrath, and evil; instead, we should do good and pursue good things.

I will not pretend to know the struggles you face. I can only speak for myself. As I face challenges, it is my prayer that God would help me to follow David's advice. So often I do not. I want control, or I want it to be resolved at my tempo; however, I am not God.

Verse 39 begins the concluding thought: "The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord..." We should not become arrogant in this. The righteousness in question is that which David has been describing throughout the whole text. It is found by waiting upon the Lord, not in our acting and reacting according to our own imperfect and biased standards.

Bibliography

The Holy Bible: Containing the Old and New Testaments with the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books: New Revised Standard Version. New York: Oxford UP, 1989. Print.

The Responsibilities of the Disciple in Regards to Sin

"My friends, if anyone is detected in a transgression, you who have received the Spirit should restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness. Take care that you yourselves are not tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. For if those who are nothing think they are something, they deceive themselves. All men must test their own work; then that work, rather than their neighbor's work, will become a cause for pride. For all must carry their own loads."
Galatians 6:1-5

I love being challenged by Scripture. The author of Hebrews tells us that it "is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword" and "it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart" (4:12). It does this by the power of the Holy Spirit, continuing to teach us as we follow Jesus. How amazing is this continual act of God's love?

Then we come to a passage like the one given above. This passage can be considered challenging, because of how it begins and ends. The issue: "Bear one another's burdens" vs. "All must carry their own loads."

At first glance, these two statements stand in direct contradiction. Biblical exegesis, however, shows that his is not the case. Let us begin by looking at the differences between the two nouns, translated into English as "burdens" and "loads." The first, burdens, is transliterated in Greek as baros, which can refer to weight, burden, or difficulty. The second comes from the Greek phortion, which is a burden, load, or cargo. J. M. Boice says that the difference between the two is that the first are burdens "more than a man should carry," while the second is "a common term for a man's 'pack'" (502).

Taking this subtle nuance into consideration, as disciples of Christ being filled with the Holy Spirit we are obliged to help our brothers trapped beneath the burden of sin. In his commentary on these verses, John Calvin offers an insightful reflection on this: "When we perceive a brother to have transgressed, let us consider that he has fallen into the snares of Satan; let us be moved with compassion, and prepare our minds to exercise forgiveness. But offences and falls of this description must undoubtedly be distinguished from deep-seated crimes, accompanied by deliberate and obstinate disregard of the authority of God" (171). No sin is to be ignored or swept under the rug, but this passage refers explicitly to those brothers or sisters who are habitually and willfully choosing sin over the new life which Christ has offered.

Let the disciple beware, however. Paul warns caution against temptation as we strive for our brother's restoration. He even encourages warning against two conceits: (1) the believer thinking he is more important than he actually is, and (2) the believer comparing himself with others (Boice, 502). It is in the context of this latter conceit that we come to the final thought in the Scripture: "For all must carry their own loads." The English, in my opinion, presents the timing of this with much less clarity than the Greek or even the Latin, which uses the verb portabit, a future tense verb. In the end, each disciple will carry his own pack of works when he/she stands in the presence of God. J.V. Fesko notes that

"We can either look to Christ by faith and receive his righteousness and perfect obedience, or we can try to stand on our own. However, if we lean on our own devices, there will be no one else to blame when we fall. We will have to give an account for every one of our actions. There will not be any justification by guilt, by poor parents, by weakness, or by any other excuse we may try to conjure up" (188-9).

At the end of the journey, we will be responsible for our own actions. There will be no excuse that can be given. At the same time, we are responsible for coming to the aid of our brothers and sisters in Christ as they too wrestle with sin. We must do so in humility and kindness.

I myself am still working through the implications of these things, both as a disciple of Jesus Christ and as an educator. It is my prayer for each of us that as we allow God to teach us through His word, He would show us practical opportunities to apply this passage in each of our varied situations.

Bibliography

Boice, James M. "Galatians." Romans through Galatians. Ed. Frank E. Gaebelein. Vol. 10. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1976. Print. The Expositor's Bible Commentary with the New International Version.

Calvin, Jean. "Galatians." Commentaries on the Epistles of Paul to the Galatians and Ephesians. Trans. William Pringle. Vol. XXI. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2009. 170-76. Print. Calvin's Commentaries.

Fesko, J. V., and Jon D. Payne. Galatians. Powder Springs, GA: Tolle Lege, 2012. 183-89. Print.

Goodrick, Edward W., John R. Kohlenberger, and James A. Swanson. Zondervan NIV Exhaustive Concordance. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Pub. House, 1999. Print.

The Holy Bible: Containing the Old and New Testaments with the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books: New Revised Standard Version. New York: Oxford UP, 1989. Print.