Psalm 37:35 I have seen a wicked, ruthless man,
spreading himself like a green laurel tree.
36 But he passed away, and behold, he was no more;
though I sought him, he could not be found.
37 Mark the blameless and behold the upright,
for there is a future for the man of peace.
38 But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed;
the future of the wicked shall be cut off.
39 The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
he is their stronghold in the time of trouble.
40 The Lord helps them and delivers them;
he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in him.
In this psalm, David takes a good hard look at the old question: "Why do the wicked prosper and the righteous suffer?" As you can see in the concluding stanza, the wicked for a time do seem to do well, like a giant, lush tree. But we need to look closer, deeper, longer. The Lord works it all out in the end. Speaking of the end, I have heard that raved readers like to glance at then end of the book first, then go back and read the rest. If you have not read the whole psalm, you will find some well-known statements and words of wisdom. You will also find some sage advice on how to live righteously, even when the wicked seem to prosper.
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