This morning, I was moved to look up Psalm 37:6 in commentaries on my iPhone while reading the Bible, and thought the following words of Matthew Henry worthy of posting.
Psalms 37:1-6 [Copied and pasted from e-Sword Bible software; you may also find this commentary at Bible Hub: https://biblehub.com/commentaries/mhcw/psalms/37.htm ]
Psalm 37:1 Of David. Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! 2 For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb. 3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. 4 Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act. 6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.
From Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible [divided into smaller paragraphs for ease of reading; bracketed statements, emboldening and underscoring are mine]:
Begin Commentary:
The instructions here given are very plain; much need not be said for the exposition of them, but there is a great deal to be done for the reducing of them to practice, and there they will look best.
We are here cautioned against discontent at the prosperity and success of evil-doers (Psa_37:1, Psa_37:2): Fret not thyself, neither be thou envious. We may suppose that David speaks this to himself first, and preaches it to his own heart (in his communing with that upon his bed), for the suppressing of those corrupt passions which he found working there, and then leaves it in writing for instruction to others that might be in similar temptation.
That is preached best, and with most probability of success, to others, which is first preached to ourselves. Now, 1. When we look abroad we see the world full of evil-doers and workers of iniquity, that flourish and prosper, that have what they will and do what they will, that live in ease and pomp themselves and have power in their hands to do mischief to those about them. So it was in David’s time; and therefore, if it is so still, let us not marvel at the matter, as though it were some new or strange thing.
- When we look within we find ourselves tempted to fret at this, and to be envious against these scandals and burdens, these blemishes and common nuisances, of this earth. We are apt to fret at God, as if he were unkind to the world and unkind to his church in permitting such men to live, and prosper, and prevail, as they do. We are apt to fret ourselves with vexation at their success in their evil projects. We are apt to envy them the liberty they take in getting wealth, and perhaps by unlawful means, and in the indulgence of their lusts, and to wish that we could shake off the restraints of conscience and do so too.
We are tempted to think them the only happy people, and to incline to imitate them, and to join ourselves with them, that we may share in their gains and eat of their dainties; and this is that which we are warned against: Fret not thyself, neither be thou envious.
Fretfulness and envy are sins that are their own punishments; they are the uneasiness of the spirit and the rottenness of the bones; it is therefore in kindness to ourselves that we are warned against them. Yet that is not all; for, 3. When we look forward with an eye of faith we shall see no reason to envy wicked people their prosperity, for their ruin is at the door and they are ripening apace for it, Psa_37:2. They flourish, but as the grass, and as the green herb, which nobody envies nor frets at.
The flourishing of a godly man is like that of a fruitful tree (Psa_1:3), but that of the wicked man is like grass and herbs, which are very short-lived. (1.) They will soon wither of themselves. Outward prosperity is a fading thing, and so is the life itself to which it is confined. (2.) They will sooner be cut down by the judgments of God. Their triumphing is short, but their weeping and wailing will be everlasting.
- We are here counselled to live a life on confidence and complacency in God, and that will keep us from fretting at the prosperity of evil-doers; if we do well for our own souls, we shall see little reason to envy those that do so ill for theirs. Here are three excellent precepts, which we are to be ruled by, and, to enforce them, three precious promises, which we may rely upon.
- We must make God our hope in the way of duty and then we shall have a comfortable subsistence in this world, Psa_37:3. (1.) It is required that we trust in the Lord and do good, that we confide in God and conform to him. The life of religion lies much in a believing reliance on God, his favour, his providence, his promise, his grace, and a diligent care to serve him and our generation, according to his will.
We must not think to trust in God and then live as we list. No; it is not trusting God, but tempting him, if we do not make conscience of our duty to him.
Nor must we think to do good, and then to trust to ourselves, and our own righteousness and strength. No; we must both trust in the Lord and do good. And then, (2.) It is promised that we shall be well provided for in this world: So shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. He does not say, “So shalt thou get preferment, dwell in a palace, and be feasted.” This is not necessary; a man’s life consists not in the abundance of these things; but, “Thou shalt have a place to live in, and that in the land, in Canaan, the valley of vision, and thou shalt have food convenient for thee.”
This is more than we deserve; it is as much as a good man will stipulate for (Gen_28:20) and it is enough for one that is going to heaven. “Thou shalt have a settlement, a quiet settlement, and a maintenance, a comfortable maintenance: Verily thou shalt be fed.” Some read it, Thou shalt be fed by faith, as the just are said to live by faith, and it is good living, good feeding, upon the promises. “Verily thou shalt be fed, as Elijah in the famine, with what is needful for thee.” God himself is a shepherd, a feeder, to all those that trust in him, Psa_23:1.
- We must make God our heart’s delight and then we shall have our heart’s desire, Psa_37:4. We must not only depend upon God, but solace ourselves in him.
We must be well pleased that there is a God, that he is such a one as he has revealed himself to be, and that he is our God in covenant. We must delight ourselves in his beauty, bounty, and benignity; our souls must return to him, and repose in him, as their rest, and their portion for ever.
Being satisfied of his loving-kindness, we must be satisfied with it, and make that our exceeding joy, Psa_43:4. We were commanded (Psa_37:3) to do good, and then follows this command to delight in God, which is as much a privilege as a duty. If we make conscience of obedience to God, we may then take the comfort of a complacency [definition: a feeling of quiet pleasure or security, often while unaware of some potential danger, defect, or the like…- dictionary.com] in him.
And even this pleasant duty of delighting in God has a promise annexed to it, which is very full and precious, enough to recompense the hardest services: He shall give thee the desires of thy heart.
He has not promised to gratify all the appetites of the body and the humours of the fancy, but to grant all the desires of the heart, all the cravings of the renewed sanctified soul.
What is the desire of the heart of a good man? It is this, to know, and love, and live to God, to please him and to be pleased in him.
- We must make God our guide, and submit in everything to his guidance and disposal; and then all our affairs, even those that seem most intricate and perplexed, shall be made to issue well and to our satisfaction, Psa_37:5, Psa_37:6.
(1.) The duty is very easy; and, if we do it aright, it will make us easy: Commit thy way unto the Lord; roll thy way upon the Lord (so the margin reads it), Pro_16:3; Psa_55:22. Cast thy burden upon the Lord, the burden of thy care, 1Pe_5:7. We must roll it off ourselves, so as not to afflict and perplex ourselves with thoughts about future events (Mat_6:25), not to cumber and trouble ourselves either with the contrivance of the means or with expectation of the end, but refer it to God, leave it to him by his wise and good providence to order and dispose of all our concerns as he pleases.
[For your convenience: Pro 16:3 Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established. Psa 55:22 Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved. 1Pe 5:7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Mat 6:25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? [In e-Sword free Bible software, one need merely rest the cursor on a reference and it appears in a pop-up box.]]
Retreat thy way unto the Lord (so the Septuagint), that is, “By prayer spread thy case, and all thy cares about it, before the Lord” (as Jephthah uttered all his words before the Lord in Mizpeh, Jdg_11:11), “and then trust in him to bring it to a good issue, with a full satisfaction that all is well that God does.”
We must do our duty (that must be our care) and then leave the event with God. Sit still, and see how the matter will fall, Rth_3:18. We must follow Providence, and not force it, subscribe to Infinite Wisdom and not prescribe. (2.) The promise is very sweet.
[1.] In general, “He shall bring that to pass, whatever it is, which thou hast committed to him, if not to thy contrivance [scheme, plan], yet to thy content. He will find means to extricate thee out of thy straits [narrow place, difficulty, distress, etc.], to prevent thy fears, and bring about thy purposes, to thy satisfaction.”
[2.] In particular, “He will take care of thy reputation, and bring thee out of thy difficulties, not only with comfort, but with credit and honour: He shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light and thy judgment as the noon-day.” (Psa_37:6), that is, “he shall make it to appear that thou art an honest man, and that is honour enough.”
First, It is implied that the righteousness and judgment of good people may, for a time, be clouded and eclipsed, either by remarkable rebukes of Providence (Job’s great afflictions darkened his righteousness) or by the malicious censures and reproaches of men, who give them bad names which they no way deserve, and lay to their charge things which they know not.
Secondly, It is promised that God will, in due time, roll away the reproach they are under, clear up their innocency, and bring forth their righteousness, to their honour, perhaps in this world, at furthest in the great day, Mat_13:43. [Mat 13:43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.]
Note, If we take care to keep a good conscience, we may leave it to God to take care of our good name.
Featured Image: 9. The Davidic Covenant (2 Samuel 7). Life of David: Discipleship … jesuswalk.com
Please help. My husband has joined the Johnny Enlow Unfiltered following and is now trying to indoctrinate everyone in our home to believe this new teaching. From what i can tell, this man Johnny Enlow contradicts the traditional teaching on the book of revelation. Is there any information that you can find on this man? Thank you for your time. May God continue to bless your ministry. Kimberlee Thomas
Kimberlee, thank you for the question.
I’d never heard of Johnny Enlow, but looked him up today and listened to most of video: Ep 68, Ending operation Mockingbird in the church and state.
Johnny and two other men spoke of this CIA operation from the 1950’s, their description was accurate regarding what has been made clear in our nation since Trump came to office: the Marxist democratic left weaponizing the CIA, FBI… against conservatives and Christians; the role of the false news media in spreading propaganda to support the leftist narrative and keep anybody who watches, for example, CNN, CBS, NBC, ABC, Public Radio… in the dark.
What is not true about their video is that they claim to be ‘prophets’ who have received fresh revelation from God and have been appointed by God to ‘take down mockingbird.’
In the following scripture, note who the FOUNDATION OF THE CHURCH IS: Eph 2:19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
Here are some other references regarding verse 20 above from the free Bible software, e-Sword, a commentary called Treasury of Scripture Knowledge: built: Eph_4:12; 1Pe_2:4-5
the foundation: Eph_4:11-13; Isa_28:16; Mat_16:18; 1Co_3:9-11, 1Co_12:28; Gal_2:9; Rev_21:14
Jesus: Psa_118:22; Isa_28:16; Mat_21:42; Mar_12:10-11; Luk_20:17-18; Act_4:11-12; 1Pe_2:7-8
[My words here: a house, for example, sits on a foundation. It must have a foundation. The church is spoken of in this manner above. The foundation is not on the roof, like modern-day prophets and apostles want us to believe. I heard Pastor John MacArthur say that in one of his sermons.]
This link is to Ephesians 2 at Bible Hub. There, on the top menu, you can choose the Bible version, Comment (for commentaries) and check out what Bible commentators say about the above references or just on verse 20: https://biblehub.com/niv/ephesians/2.htm
In case you are not comfortable doing that, the following link is to a Bible commentator there at Bible Hub: https://biblehub.com/commentaries/calvin/ephesians/2.htm
An excerpt from Calvin’s commentary on verse 20:
Foundation, in this passage, unquestionably means doctrine; for no mention is made of patriarchs or pious kings, but only of those who held the office of teachers, and whom God had appointed to superintend the edification of his church. It is laid down by Paul, that the faith of the church ought to be founded on this doctrine. What opinion, then, must we form of those who rest entirely on the contrivances of men, and yet accuse us of revolt, because we embrace the pure doctrine of God? But the manner in which it is founded deserves inquiry; for, in the strict sense of the term, Christ is the only foundation. He alone supports the whole church. He alone is the rule and standard of faith. But Christ is actually the foundation on which the church is built by the preaching of doctrine; and, on this account, the prophets and apostles are called builders. (1 Corinthians 3:10.) Nothing else, Paul tells us, was ever intended by the prophets and apostles, than to found a church on Christ.
We shall find this to be true, if we begin with Moses; for “Christ is the end of the law,” (Romans 10:4,) and the sum of the gospel. Let us remember, therefore, that if we wish to be reckoned among believers, we must place our reliance on no other: if we wish to make sure progress in the knowledge of the Scriptures, to him our whole attention must be directed. The same lesson is taught, when we consult the word of God as contained in the writings of the prophets and apostles. To shew us how we ought to combine them, their harmony is pointed out; for they have a common foundation, and labor jointly in building the temple of God. Though the apostles have become our teachers, the instruction of the prophets has not been rendered superfluous; but one and the same object is promoted by both.
End of Calvin excerpt.
Many denominations today, especially Pentecostal and others who believe in fresh revelation from God, are so focused on having their own noteworthy, mighty… gifts. It is like they are puffed up with pride because they can speak in tongues, are apostles….
Jesus calls us to pick up our cross, deny ourselves and follow Him. See Matthew 16:24ff for one example of that. In the Beatitudes, Jesus describes a His kingdom citizens as those who are poor in spirit 5:3; mourn their sin, 5:4…. To be poor in spirit means that one perceives himself as spiritually bankrupt and must be given all that he needs to be saved from Christ.
Pentecostals… are about getting personal power, personal prosperity… these are the opposite of biblical Christianity spoken by Christ in the gospel accounts of His ministry.
So, yes, your husband is running into unbiblical territory. I have many posts of the prosperity preachers; see CATEGORIES, PROSPERITY PREACHERS. Also, in categories, see Beth Moore; Brian McLaren; Mysticism; for more false teachers exposed.
See also, category, GOSPEL, GOSPEL DEFINED; JONATHAN EDWARDS; CALVIN’S INSTITUTES for teachers that teach the Bible – the only way to know God and be saved.
Michael,
Thank you for the truth in your scripture-based answers to my questions. It is, as I have thought and feared for 7 long years, we are being force feed erronious types of Christian theology in our home. Challenging my husband with God’s truth only bring him to rage. This type of mind twisting comes from many sources available to people constantly searching for “truth” and a “greater” understanding of knowledge that yes, puffs them up with pride and a superior feeling of authority on the Word of God. I have known for a long time that this is one rabbit hole that my children and I are not stepping into to satisfy my husband’s leadership in our home. Now, with that said, I would like to thank you for your thorough response. You have given me much to cross reference in my studies. Your work is a huge blessing! I am so very grateful that I have found Sheeplywolves. My heart is sad that he cannot see the true light and yet relieved at the same time that I too have not been deceived. May God continue to bless your ministry and all the work that you set your heart and mind to do for our Lord Jesus Christ.
There is another scary mind twisting read that is floating around the house. My husband swears by her philosophy and visions. The book is Love Without End, by Glenda Green. My first thought after trying to understand the first two chapters was Glenda the witch.
Feeling and thinking that I need to spiritually and physically clean house asap.
Thank you Kimberlee, praise God, I’ve been learning from His truth. I will look into Glenda Green too. After writing to you this morning, I am thinking about publishing a post that focuses on foundations. Did you ever consider submitting a question to Ligonier Ministries; Ask Pastor John, of Desiring God; or John MacArthur at Grace To You? Those pastors could surely better advise you about being in subjection to a husband who is trying to lead you into false religion. John MacArthur stood against LA county when they wanted him to close his church during Covid; and he stated that believers do not have to follow government when it is not governing in accord with Romans 13. I don’t know if that applies to marriages. I know that Peter, in 3:1ff advises wives to persuade their husbands with godly conduct…, but again, does that apply in your case? May God bless and lead you via His word. Michael A
Good morning Michael, Thank you for the encouraging referrals. I have been in counseling for over a year to stay sane and practice not pushing my husband’s buttons. Last year I found Proverbs 31 Ministries with Lysa Terkeurst. She has videos and blogs and libraries filled with helpful information soaked in the word of God. I also learned much from the Gottman Counseling team. They are a couple who give advice to couples in need of resolving communication conflicts. My husband tells me that anything I watch or listen to beyond his library of Sid, Wommack, Green and dittos of his interpretation of the NIV bible are not biblical. Church is not an option anymore. He believes that no church is filled with the spirit of God. Just writing this letter to you brings tears to my eyes because all I ever wanted was a husband who would gently lead and to be a submissive helper so that we would both work joyfully together in the truth to bring glory to God. The kids and I have been beaten down physically and mentally and I cannot imagine continuing to live like this.
I hope and pray that you post a publication focused on foundations. It could and I believe will be most helpful to many new and seasoned believers. I am spreading the word about Sheeplywolves and know that those who make the time to study will learn to always test the spirits. I have never considered submitting a question to the pastors of Ligonier Ministries. Thank you for the referral. I have been in counseling for over a year just to keep sane. As Iron sharpens iron, we are instructed to be strong in the Lord and His mighty power and to walk in the whole armor of God. Ep 6:10-18.
May God give you extra strength in whatever you do, as you work at it with all your heart for our Lord Jesus.
Kimberlee
Kimberlee, It sounds like God is working in your life. I have heard good things about Proverbs 31 ministries; and learning to respond carefully to your husband is very important. I looked around for how to ask Ligonier, GTY or Desiring God questions and couldn’t find any way? But I found that each of them have many answered questions that questioners may search, many on YouTube. While I was doing that, it occurred to me that the text 1 Peter 3 is very relevant to you because your husband is actually an un-believer, even thought he does not think so. He is caught up with heretical preachers and teachers…. But, ultimately, this is your providence from God. He puts us through situations, trials, tests… to grow us in ways that we need. Seeking illumination about that from the Holy Spirit when you are reading and praying might give you something you need to persevere?
You mentioned Eph 6, turns out that I just read through a post I did a year or so ago about the armor of God. I often choose to listen to posts that people are reading when I come to my blog each day. I need to review them for my own walk. Calvin, basically stated that the armor of God is the appointed means of grace: Bible reading; prayer; taking the Lord’s supper; fellowship with believers around the word, as in prayer meetings…. That makes “putting on the armor” something that is understandable and more likely to be done: https://sheeplywolves.com/ephesians-610-18-the-armor-of-god-john-calvin-commentary-excerpts/ I am going to check out G Green this afternoon; I may write a post on her? I am meeting with my friend for a Bible study this evening and will pray for you. Don’t get discouraged; read or memorize the word instead. God bless, Michael A