DON'T FRET

By William R. Cunningham
For Sunday December 21, 2003

INTRODUCTION

Those who try to live according to God's way and do good may become discouraged because of the prosperity of those who live contrary to God's way. We can begin to fret because of their prosperity. We struggle as we do good and they prosper doing evil. Why not succumb to evil and do it so that we might succeed?

This discussion deals with the issue of continuing in God's way even when those who do not seem to prosper. We should not fret even when the liars, thieves, adulterers, and the like continue to prosper as we who try all we can to be honest and upright do not.

DON'T FRET

Psalm 37:1-2 (NKJV) Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, And wither as the green herb.

This is a very powerful verse when we consider the condition of the world today. It appears that those who are dishonest, lack integrity steal, cheat, and are otherwise ungodly or unrighteous seem to get ahead while the righteous seem to have to struggle. Let's look at the above verse of scripture from another version of the Bible. I'm going to use the New Century Version here because I like the way that it brings out the meaning of this scripture.

Psalm 37:1-2 (NCV) Don't be upset because of evil people. Don't be jealous of those who do wrong, because like the grass, they will soon dry up. Like green plants, they will soon die away.

It is easy for us to become jealous or perhaps envious of the ungodly that prosper in regards to material things. We might find ourselves wondering why bother doing good when evil seems to get ahead. We look around at the situation in our world and we see that politicians are not necessarily upright, though I'm sure that there are political people who really care for the people and are trying to make a difference. Our whole worldly system seems to reward those who are "evil" per se. That is, the good guys don't seem to get ahead.

The verse of scripture above encourages us because it says don't fret because of the evil people. The word fret in the NKJV of this scripture comes from the Hebrew word charah, which means to glow or grow warm; figuratively (usually) to blaze up, of anger, zeal, jealousy:-be angry, burn, be displeased (from the Strong's Exhaustive Concordance). So here we have the picture of someone becoming angry or displeased because of the apparent prosperity of those who are evil, when he or she considers himself or herself good.

Now there are a couple of directions that we can take with the previous statement about good and evil. That is, I might get upset with the fact that those who are evil prosper and I, who considers myself to be good, do not prosper as they. The problem can be seen after considering what Jesus said about goodness.

Matthew 19:17 (NKJV) So He said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments."

Jesus said that no one is good except the Father. Therefore, the question becomes how can we consider ourselves good? What is good anyway? What is goodness? Consider the definition of good taken from the Thayer Greek Dictionary.

From the Greek wordk: agathos

1) of good constitution or nature

2) useful, salutary

3) good, pleasant, agreeable, joyful, happy

4) excellent, distinguished

5) upright, honourable

Who then is good? Are you honorable? Do you have a good constitution or nature? This last question is of utmost importance because it refers to the nature or disposition of good and not just good behavior. This tends to transcend even the morals and values that we might thing are good that we have. Yes there are some people that are considered good when compared to the world or to those who are evil. However, the Bible tells us that God is good.

Psalm 52:1 (NKJV) Why do you boast in evil, O mighty man? The goodness of God endures continually.

Jeremiah 31:14 (NKJV) I will satiate the soul of the priests with abundance, And My people shall be satisfied with My goodness, says the Lord."

Psalm 34:8 (NKJV) Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!

1 Chronicles 16:34 (NKJV) Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.

Goodness is a characteristic of God that no human being can claim to posses in an absolute sense. We may have some goodness but by far we cannot consider ourselves to be good. However, we might consider ourselves to be good when compared to the evil of the world. That then is a relative goodness, but compared to God we pale in comparison to true goodness.

All people are only a calamity away from evil in a sense. We will steal, rob, or do whatever is necessary for our survival. You see it on television sometimes. When there is no law enforcement such as after an earthquake or natural disaster, then you see people who might have been considered good all of a sudden become evil. They pillage and loot from stores and the like. So no, we are not good. I am reminded of what Paul said at one time.

Romans 12:3 (NKJV) For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.

So we cannot really justify any jealousy that we might have for someone who we consider evil that prospers. We are probably just upset with the fact that we are not prospering as they are.

The other way that we can look at the concept of fretting because of evil doers is that we don't think it's far that those who are godless should prosper while we suffer. For example, I might get upset with someone who is stealing and cheating to get ahead while my honesty gets me nowhere. It is like goodness does not pay. However, we are being very short sighted and not considering the overall picture so to speak. Our subject Scripture (Psalm 37:1-2) says that like the grass they (the evil people) will soon dry up and like the green grass they will soon die. In other words, their prosperity is only temporary whereas our goodness (consistency with God's way) produces far more from an eternal perspective. This means that we should not be so short sighted as to be only material in our thinking and judging.

First of all, we should not consider prosperity to be a goal in itself. Prosperity brings nothing in the way of righteousness or even happiness. We might think that prosperity might bring us happiness when in fact there are many rich people who are still searching for happiness. There are many well to do people that still crave for more. So prosperity in itself is meaningless, which you would learn from the book of Ecclesiastes.

Those who have accumulated material wealth will soon find out that that wealth is only temporal. It will not last forever especially when we consider that the materially wealthy will soon die like every other human being. Jesus warned us in Matthew chapter six to not be materialistically minded. He said that we should be heavenly minded and pursue heavenly things.

Matthew 6:19-21 (NKJV) "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

It is far too easy to begin to desire solely material things. We forget that we will live for eternity either with the LORD or apart from Him. I would say that eternity is far more important to a mere moment in time, which we call the span of our life here on earth.

This doesn't mean that we should persue those things that we need or even desire materialistically. After all, we still have to pay bills, purchase clothes and food, and the like. However, we should not make the pursuit of things the desire of our heart so that when others prosper we become upset or jealous.

Those who get ahead dishonestly will only be prosperous for a while. Like the green grass, they will sooner or later die. It is inevitable and a certainty. As a matter of fact, sooner or later all of us will die so the only thing that is therefore truly or ultimately important is eternity and what we've done to invest in it. Jesus said don't lay up earthly treasures. Instead, we should lay up for ourselves heavenly treasures. I am here reminded an incident between Jesus and a rich man. Consider the following scripture.

Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."

This was a rich man who probably thought that he had everything or close to it. Well, one thing he knew he didn't have was eternal life, which is probably why he came to Jesus in the first place. We have to at least give him that. He had riches but no treasure in heaven. That is a point that we should always keep in mind because it is the heavenly treasures that have true meaning in terms of eternity.

The Alternative to Fretting

Psalm 37:3-:4 (NKJV) Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

Instead of fretting we should trust in the LORD and do good.

The word "trust" here comes from the Hebrew word, batach and it means to hasten to refuge, figuratively to trust, and be confident or sure. We should take refuge in the LORD and do what is good from God's perspective so to speak. We should have confidence in God and not cease to do good. This reminds me of a scripture from the New Testament.

Galatians 6:9-10 (NKJV) And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.

2 Thessalonians 3:13 (NKJV) But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary in doing good.

We might become weary in doing good because it may appear as though it produces nothing for us. Doing good might actually become a bane to us if we are not careful and if we pay too much attention to the exploits of the world around us.

We should feed on the faithfulness of God wherever we are. The KJV actually brings the message of this scripture to light more clearly because of the word study that we can accomplish with it. Consider Psalm 34:3 from the KJV.

Psalm 37:3 (KJV) Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.

The way that the King James reads seems to highlight the fact that dwelling in the land and being fed is a result of our trust in the LORD and doing good. The word fed comes from the Hebrew word raah and it means to tend a flock, that is, pasture it; intransitively to graze (literally or figuratively); generally to rule; by extension to associate with (as a friend). This word is more akin to shepherding than it is to eating. It does not appear to refer to the act of being fed or provided for by God, but instead of being shepherded by God, which also includes his provision.

The word dwell comes from the Hebrew word shakan, which means to reside or permanently stay. This same word is also translated "continue" and "abide." Trusting God leads to a personal association with and care from God. God is our shepherd when we trust Him.

Psalms 37:4 goes on to tell us that God will give us the desires of our heart if we delight ourselves in Him. Here we can see why we needn't fret. God will care for us, as we trust Him. We should note that the desires of the one who trusts God and is shepherded by Him are not lustful. Remember that God who is with us influences these desires.

COMMIT YOUR WAY

Now we have seen how we should not fret because of evil people and why. Now we are told to commit our way to God.

Psalm 37:5 (NKJV) Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass.

The word commit here comes from the Hebrew word, galal, which means literally or figuratively to roll. Therefore, we are told to roll our way over to the LORD. But what is our way? The word way here comes from the Hebrew word derek, which means a road (as trodden); figuratively a course of life or mode of action. The context of this scripture implies a course of life or mode of action. So we should turn our course of life and our modes of action over to the LORD. I don't know about you, but that is very encouraging to know. How many times have you wondered what you should or should not do in regards to a course of action. Well, just roll your way over to the LORD. That reminds me of another scripture.

Proverbs 3:5 through Proverbs 3:6 (NKJV) Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.

Again we see the theme of trust and way.

Now Psalms goes on to tell us to also trust in Him in addition to committing our way to him. One commentary that I read interesting enough hinted that the way could also be your destiny. So we would commit our destiny to God as well as trust in him. That is still a very good thing to do. Now if we do these then God will bring it to pass. What is the "it" that God will bring to pass? Consider the next verse.

Psalm 37:6 (NKJV) He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday.

Your uprightness (right relationship) with God will be evident. It will shine like a light. This brings to mind something Jesus said.

Matthew 5:16 (NKJV) Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

We can see from Psalms that it appears this light comes from righteousness that we have when we are with God and God is with us. Our justice will shine like the noonday, which is still referring to our rightness or righteousness. Here again, however I think that the King James Version brings this out more from a particular perspective. Let me quote this from the King James Version (KJV).

Psalm 37:6 (KJV) And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.

I want to focus on that word judgment. This implies that our decisions are also righteous as we trust in God and commit our way to him. Our decisions will shine forth as the noonday on a sunny day of course.

REST IN THE LORD

Now let us move on to see what else God says in regards to fretting.

Psalm 37:7 (NKJV) Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.

The word rest comes from the Hebrew word daman, which literally means to be dumb. By implication it means to stop or perish. The idea here is to complete put yourself in the LORD's hand. The word wait is very interesting in regards to its translation. It comes from the Hebrew word chul and it means properly to twist or whirl (in a circular or spiral manner), that is, (specifically) to dance, to writhe in pain (especially of parturition) or fear; figuratively to wait, to pervert. It is almost as if it is painting a picture of this waiting. Sometimes waiting on the LORD is not emotionally friendly. Sometimes trusting God goes against what our emotions would like. The point here is that we should wait on the LORD.

This verse goes on to say again that we should not fret because of those who prosper in their way and those who brings wicked schemes to pass. Don't worry about those people. Don't get upset about those people. Just stay faithful to God.

Psalm 37:8 (NKJV) Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret-it only causes harm.

Don't be angry at those who prosper and are evil (or in general). We are also told to relinquish anger (wrath). Do not fret or be upset because fretting only brings harm.

Psalm 37:9 (NKJV) For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the Lord, They shall inherit the earth.

This verse reveals a good reason why we should not fret because of evildoers. They will soon be cut off (sent away). However, those who wait on the LORD will inherit the land (earth).

CONCLUSION

Don't be upset because of the apparent prosperity of the evildoers. Don't allow their apparent success to cause you to sin. Instead realize that their prosperity is only temporary. Put your trust in God and roll your destiny or path (course of life) over to God and allow Him to provide for you and be your shepherd. Got will keep you so be faithful to him. Do not become numbered with the evildoers because of jealousy.

The main message of the verses of scriptures that we have evaluated and the whole of Psalm 37 for that matter is to not fret because of the prosperity of the evil people (ungodly people). God will care for the righteous so trust him.

Some other key verses that you should consider studying from Psalm 37 are: 11, 16-18, 25, 29-31, 34, 39-40. Amen.