Some Thoughts on Psalm 37

What does the psalmist mean that we should not be concerned about the ungodly? Perhaps the way to look at this is to first address what it does not mean. The psalmist is not stating that one should absolutely ignore the wicked as if they did not exist. Nor is he advocating taking a “head in the sand” approach to deny the pain and harm that the wicked cause or that we should not pursue righteousness and justice. What the psalmist is advocating is having a theistic perspective regarding those who do evil. That is, we do not ignore or deny evil but rather we trust that God will ultimately deal with it. Our primary strategy for dealing with the evil around us is not to make the wrong world right but rather to live right in a wrong world.