Commentary - Psalm 37:27

Bird's-eye view

Psalm 37 is a wisdom psalm, structured as an acrostic, that reads much like a chapter from Proverbs. Its central task is to counsel the righteous on how to live faithfully in a world where the wicked often appear to prosper. The psalmist, David, speaking as a seasoned veteran of God's faithfulness, repeatedly urges the saints not to fret or be envious of evildoers, because their prosperity is a fleeting illusion. The wicked are like grass that will soon be cut down and withered. In stark contrast, the meek, the righteous, and those who wait on the Lord will inherit the land and delight in abundant peace. The psalm is a series of contrasts between the ultimate destiny of the righteous and the wicked. Verse 27 sits squarely in a section of "an old man's counsel," offering a simple, profound, and direct command that summarizes the practical wisdom of the entire psalm: godly living leads to lasting security under God's covenant care.

This verse, therefore, is not a standalone moral exhortation but the logical application of all that has come before. Because God upholds the righteous and the wicked will be cut off, the only sane course of action is to align oneself with God's world. It is a call to repentance and sanctification, a two-sided coin of putting off the old man and putting on the new. The command is tied to a promise, which is central to the psalm's theme: the promise of permanence, of dwelling securely in the land. This is not a simplistic formula for earning salvation through works, but rather a description of the life that flows from faith. Those who trust in the Lord will necessarily be transformed by that trust into people who forsake evil and pursue good, and this is the path of life.

Outline

Context In Psalms

Psalm 37 belongs to the category of wisdom psalms, which seek to instruct God's people in the art of godly living. Unlike laments or praise psalms, its tone is didactic and reflective. David, in his old age (v. 25), is passing on the accumulated wisdom of a life spent walking with God. The psalm's acrostic structure (each stanza beginning with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet) suggests a comprehensive, A-to-Z summary of this wisdom. The central problem it addresses is a perennial one: the apparent prosperity of the wicked and the suffering of the righteous. David's answer is consistent and firm: take the long view. God's economy operates on a different timeline than ours. Judgment for the wicked is certain, and inheritance for the righteous is guaranteed. Verse 27 fits into this framework as the practical takeaway. Given the two paths and their two destinations laid out in verses 1-26, this verse provides the clear and simple directional sign: "This way to life."

Key Issues

The Two-Sided Coin of a Godly Life

Sanctification, which is the fancy theological term for growing up into a mature Christian, is not a complicated affair, though we often try to make it so. David boils it down here to its absolute essence. It has two parts, a negative and a positive, and they are inseparable. You cannot have one without the other, any more than you can have a coin with only one side. We are to turn away from something, and we are to turn toward something. This is the basic rhythm of repentance. It is not enough to simply stop doing bad things. A man who stops cussing but who does not learn to praise God has only achieved a kind of sterile silence. A man who stops committing adultery but who does not learn to love his wife has only traded his sin for a loveless duty. The Christian life is a great exchange. We depart from the barren land of evil and we begin to homestead in the rich country of doing good. One is a leaving, the other a cleaving.

Verse by Verse Commentary

27 Depart from evil and do good, So you will dwell forever.

David, having laid out the case for God's justice and the ultimate futility of wickedness, now gives the commonsense conclusion. If this is the sharp contrast between the righteous and the unrighteous, the obvious course of action is to be righteous. This is not rocket science; it's the counsel of a wise old man who has seen it all. The verse breaks down into three straightforward parts.

First, Depart from evil. This is the negative side of the command. The word for "depart" means to turn aside, to swerve away from. It assumes that evil is a path, a road you are on, and you are being commanded to get off it. This is the essence of repentance. It is not just feeling sorry for your sin; it is a decisive action to leave it behind. It is a recognition that the path of the wicked, no matter how appealing it may look in the short term, leads to a cliff. As Proverbs tells us, "by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil" (Prov 16:6). When you see God for who He is, you see evil for what it is, and you want nothing more to do with it.

Second, and do good. This is the positive side. As we have noted, you cannot have one without the other. Nature abhors a vacuum, and so does the human heart. If you empty your life of evil but do not fill it with good, something else will rush in to take its place, and as the Lord taught, the final state of that man is worse than the first. "Doing good" is not a vague sentimentality. In the context of the Old Testament, it means living according to God's law. It means dealing justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly with God. It is the active pursuit of righteousness in every sphere of life. We are saved by grace through faith, and that not of ourselves, but we are His workmanship, "created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them" (Eph 2:10). Grace does not abolish the command to do good; it empowers it.

Third, So you will dwell forever. Here is the promise attached to the command. This is not to say that our obedience earns us eternal life. The Bible is clear that salvation is a gift. Rather, this is to say that the life of repentance and righteousness is the life that corresponds to permanence. This is the path of life, and those who walk on it will live. In the immediate context, "dwelling forever" refers to the promise of inheriting the land. This was the great covenant promise to Israel, a promise of security, stability, and blessing in the place God had given them. For the Christian, this promise is expanded and glorified. We look for a better country, a heavenly one. We will inherit the new earth, where righteousness dwells. The principle remains the same: God preserves His people. Those who are truly His, who by His grace depart from evil and do good, have an eternal security that the wicked, for all their temporary bluster, can never possess.

Application

The application of this verse is as straightforward as the verse itself. Look at your life. Is there a road of evil you are currently walking on? Some sin you have coddled and made excuses for? The command from God is blunt: depart. Turn from it. Make a clean break. There is no room for negotiation here. Repentance is not a suggestion; it is a command, and it is the first word of the gospel.

But do not stop there. What good has God called you to do? What duties are you neglecting? Where can you pursue justice, show mercy, and practice faithfulness? Sanctification is not passive. We are commanded to actively, energetically, and creatively do good. This means loving your wife, teaching your children, being honest in your business, serving in your church, and showing hospitality to your neighbor. It is the thousand small acts of obedience that constitute a life of doing good.

And finally, rest in the promise. Do not let the apparent success of the wicked get under your skin. They are on sinking sand. Your life of repentance and faith, however imperfect, is built on the rock. The God who commanded you to depart from evil and do good is the same God who has promised to preserve you forever. Your security is not in the strength of your obedience, but in the strength of the one who promises. He gives the command, and He gives the grace to obey it, and He gives the reward. It is all of grace, from beginning to end. So fret not, but trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.