Commentary - Psalm 37:37-38

Bird's-eye view

In this brief but potent section of Psalm 37, David brings his extended meditation on the prosperity of the wicked and the steadfastness of the righteous to a sharp, practical point. The entire psalm is a wisdom psalm, instructing the believer on how to navigate a world where the ungodly often appear to be winning. These two verses serve as a concluding exhortation and a final verdict. The instruction is simple: watch and learn. Look at the lives of the faithful and the lives of the rebellious, and see where their respective paths lead. The contrast is not just about individual destiny, but about generational legacy. The righteous man has a future, a posterity. The wicked man, for all his bluster and temporary success, is a dead end. This is covenant theology in shoe leather. God's promises are not just for you in the sweet by and by, but for your children and your children's children in the messy here and now.

David is not offering a cheap formula for success. He is calling the saints to a long-term, eschatological perspective that has immediate, practical implications. We are to actively observe, consider, and behold the patterns of God's justice in the world. This is not a passive waiting game; it is an active discipline of faith. The end of the wicked is total destruction, a complete cutting off. The end of the righteous is peace and a lasting heritage. The gospel announces that this ultimate blameless man, this truly upright one, is Jesus Christ. In Him, we see the pattern perfectly fulfilled, and through our union with Him, we are incorporated into this promise of a lasting posterity.

Outline

Context In Psalms

Psalm 37 is an alphabetic acrostic psalm, a carefully structured poem designed to teach and be memorized. The theme throughout is "fret not." David repeatedly admonishes the believer not to be envious of the wicked, not to be agitated by their apparent success, because their prosperity is a mirage, a temporary illusion. The psalm contrasts two paths: the way of the righteous, which leads to inheriting the land, and the way of the wicked, which leads to being cut off. Verses 37-38 are located near the end of the psalm, serving as a powerful summary of this central theme. After cataloging the various blessings of the righteous and the fleeting nature of wickedness, David gives a final, pointed command to look at the end result. This is the capstone of his argument, the ultimate proof that trusting in the Lord is the only sane and rational way to live.

Verse by Verse Commentary

Psalm 37:37

Observe the blameless man, and behold the upright; For the man of peace will have a posterity.

Observe the blameless man, and behold the upright... The psalmist begins with a command, and it is a command to use your eyes. This is not about abstract theological speculation; it is about empirical observation. "Mark," or "observe," means to watch closely, to pay attention over time. "Behold" carries the sense of seeing with understanding. We are called to be students of God's providence. Look at the man who is tam, blameless or perfect. This doesn't mean sinless perfection, which is impossible for a fallen man. Rather, it describes a man of integrity, one whose heart is wholly devoted to God. Think of Job, whom God Himself described as "blameless and upright" (Job 1:1). This is the man whose life is integrated, whose public and private life are all of a piece. He is also yashar, upright. This means straight, not crooked. He walks a straight path, guided by the law of God. He doesn't cut corners. He is not duplicitous. The world tells us to watch the successful, the powerful, the influencers. God tells us to watch the men of integrity.

For the man of peace will have a posterity. Here is the payoff. Here is what your observation will teach you. The end, the ultimate future, of such a man is peace. But the Hebrew word for posterity, acharith, means more than just an internal feeling of tranquility. It means a future, an inheritance, a legacy. The "man of peace" is not a pacifist in the modern sense, but rather one who is at peace with God. Because he is justified, he has peace with God (Rom. 5:1). This central peace then radiates out into all his relationships. And the great promise here is that this man will have a future that extends beyond himself. He will have a posterity. This is a deeply covenantal promise, echoing God's pledge to be a God to Abraham and to his seed after him (Gen. 17:7). Faithfulness is generational. The man who walks uprightly before God is building a house that will last. His children will be blessed. He will leave behind not just wealth, but a heritage of faith. This is the opposite of the wicked, who are a flash in the pan. The righteous man is planting an oak tree.

Psalm 37:38

But transgressors will be altogether destroyed; The posterity of the wicked will be cut off.

But transgressors will be altogether destroyed... The contrast is stark and absolute. Having told us to observe the righteous man, David now shows us the other side of the coin. The transgressors, those who willfully cross God's lines, will face a unified and complete end. The word "altogether" is emphatic. There will be no exceptions, no partial judgments. Their destruction is total. It is not just that their plans will fail, or their businesses will go bankrupt. They themselves, their very being, will be destroyed. This is the consistent testimony of Scripture. The way of the wicked will perish (Ps. 1:6). This is not popular preaching in our therapeutic age, but it is the truth of God. Sin, unrepented of, leads to utter ruin. There is no middle ground. You are either on the path to a lasting posterity or on the path to total destruction.

The posterity of the wicked will be cut off. Just as the blessing for the righteous was generational, so is the curse for the wicked. The ultimate judgment on the wicked is not just their personal demise, but the termination of their line, their legacy. Their acharith, their future, is cut off. They build their little empires, they make a name for themselves, they store up treasures on earth, but God says it will all come to nothing. It is a dead end street. Their name will rot (Prov. 10:7). This is a terrifying thought, and it should be. It is the outworking of the covenant curse. God visits the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Him (Ex. 20:5). This is not to say that children are guilty of their fathers' specific sins, but that sin creates a trajectory of destruction that pulls future generations down with it. The only escape is to be grafted into the family of the ultimate righteous man, Jesus Christ, whose posterity is a great multitude that no one can number.

Application

The application of this passage is straightforward, but profound. First, we must train our eyes. We live in a culture that is constantly directing our attention to the fleeting successes of the wicked. We are tempted to envy their ease, their influence, their apparent freedom from consequence. This psalm commands us to do the opposite. We are to become connoisseurs of character. Look for the quiet, faithful, upright men and women. Watch their lives over the long haul. See how God honors them. See the stability in their homes, the blessing on their children. Make them your heroes.

Second, we must take the long view. Our culture is obsessed with the immediate. We want results now. But God's economy works on a different timescale. The blessings of righteousness and the consequences of wickedness are often slow-cooked. They unfold over years, and even generations. This requires patience and faith. We must trust that God's Word is true, even when our immediate circumstances seem to contradict it. The wicked may flourish for a season, like a green bay tree, but their end is destruction. The righteous may face trials and setbacks, but their future is secure.

Finally, we must anchor ourselves and our families in the only one who is truly blameless and upright, the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the "man of peace" par excellence, who made peace by the blood of His cross. In Him, the promise of a posterity is gloriously fulfilled. When we are united to Him by faith, we are cut off from the line of Adam's transgression and grafted into the line of Christ's righteousness. Our future, our posterity, our eternal inheritance is secured in Him. Therefore, do not fret because of evildoers. Observe the blameless, behold the upright, and trust in the Lord. Your future, and the future of your children, depends on it.