Psalm 37:5
Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him, and He will do it.
Commit your way
The Hebrew word for "commit" is "galal," which means to roll away or roll onto. This imagery suggests a complete transfer of one's burdens and plans onto the Lord. In ancient times, rolling a stone was a significant act, often used to seal or protect something valuable. Here, it implies entrusting one's life path and decisions to God's care, much like rolling a heavy burden onto a strong and reliable support. The "way" refers to one's journey or course of life, encompassing all aspects of daily living and long-term goals. This phrase encourages believers to surrender their life's direction to God, acknowledging His sovereignty and wisdom.

to the LORD
The term "LORD" is translated from the Hebrew "Yahweh," the covenant name of God, emphasizing His eternal, self-existent nature and His faithfulness to His promises. In the context of the Old Testament, Yahweh is the God who delivered Israel from Egypt and established a covenant with them. Committing one's way to Yahweh is an act of faith in His unchanging character and His commitment to His people. It is a call to align one's life with the divine will and to trust in God's providential care.

trust in Him
The Hebrew word for "trust" is "batach," which conveys a sense of security and confidence. It implies reliance on God's strength and faithfulness, much like a child trusts a parent. In the historical context of the Psalms, trust in God was a central theme, especially in times of uncertainty or adversity. This phrase calls believers to place their confidence in God's ability to guide and protect, rather than relying on their own understanding or resources.

and He will do it
This promise is a reassurance of God's active involvement in the lives of those who commit their way to Him. The phrase "He will do it" suggests that God will bring about His purposes and fulfill His promises. It reflects the biblical principle that God is both willing and able to act on behalf of His people. In the broader scriptural context, this assurance is echoed in passages that speak of God's faithfulness to complete the good work He begins in His followers (Philippians 1:6). It is an encouragement to trust in God's timing and methods, knowing that He is working all things for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28).

Persons / Places / Events
1. David
The author of Psalm 37, David was the second king of Israel, known for his deep relationship with God and his role as a psalmist. This psalm reflects his wisdom and experience in trusting God amidst life's challenges.

2. The LORD (Yahweh)
The covenant name of God, emphasizing His eternal, self-existent nature and His faithfulness to His promises.

3. The Righteous
Those who are committed to living according to God's will and trusting in His guidance and provision.

4. The Wicked
In the context of Psalm 37, these are individuals who live in opposition to God's ways, often prospering temporarily but ultimately facing judgment.

5. Israel
The nation to whom David originally wrote, serving as a backdrop for understanding the communal and individual call to trust in God.
Teaching Points
Commitment to God
The Hebrew word for "commit" (gol) implies rolling one's burdens onto the Lord. This act of surrender is foundational for a life of faith.

Trust as a Lifestyle
Trusting in God is not a one-time event but a continuous lifestyle choice. It involves daily decisions to rely on His wisdom and timing.

God's Faithfulness
The promise "He will do it" assures believers of God's active involvement in their lives. His faithfulness is a guarantee that He will accomplish His purposes.

Overcoming Anxiety
By committing our ways to the Lord, we can experience freedom from anxiety, knowing that God is in control and working for our good.

Living Righteously
In a world where the wicked may seem to prosper, believers are called to remain steadfast in righteousness, trusting that God will ultimately vindicate them.
Bible Study Questions
1. What does it mean to "commit your way to the LORD," and how can you practically apply this in your daily life?

2. How does trusting in God change your perspective on challenges and uncertainties you face?

3. Reflect on a time when you experienced God's faithfulness after committing a situation to Him. How did this strengthen your trust?

4. How can the assurance that "He will do it" impact your approach to prayer and decision-making?

5. In what ways can you encourage others in your community to trust in the Lord, especially when they face difficulties?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Proverbs 3:5-6
This passage emphasizes trusting in the Lord with all your heart and not relying on your own understanding, which parallels the call to commit one's way to the Lord in Psalm 37:5.

Philippians 4:6-7
These verses encourage believers to present their requests to God with thanksgiving, promising peace that guards hearts and minds, similar to the assurance found in trusting God to act.

1 Peter 5:7
This verse invites believers to cast all their anxieties on God because He cares for them, echoing the trust and commitment encouraged in Psalm 37:5.
Commit Thy WayW. M. Statham.Psalm 37:5
Confidence in GodA. Littleton, D. D.Psalm 37:5
Quiet TrustDean Farrar.Psalm 37:5
The Believer's Present and FutureR. J. Rowton, M. A.Psalm 37:5
Doubts Raised by the Divine Providence, and How to Meet ThemC. Short Psalm 37:1-6
DiscontentJ. Parker, D. D.Psalm 37:1-12
Fret NotT. Spurgeon.Psalm 37:1-12
Fretful EnvyHomilistPsalm 37:1-12
FrettingJohn Cox.Psalm 37:1-12
FrettingJ. Scilley.Psalm 37:1-12
The Cure for CareJ. H. Jowett, M. A.Psalm 37:1-12
The Good Man's DirectoryC. Clemance Psalm 37:1-40
Two PicturesW. Forsyth Psalm 37:1-40
A Sacred Duty and a Gracious RewardT. Yockney.Psalm 37:3-8
A Simple GospelJohn Hunter, D. D.Psalm 37:3-8
A Sure Method of Obtaining Our DesiresSketches of Four Hundred SermonsPsalm 37:3-8
Christian WaitingH. Ward Beecher.Psalm 37:3-8
Delight in GodJ. Marriott, M. A.Psalm 37:3-8
Delight in GodH. Allon, D. D.Psalm 37:3-8
Delight in God the Origin and Perfection of Human PleasurJ. Seed, M. A.Psalm 37:3-8
Delight in PrayerS. Charnock.Psalm 37:3-8
Delight in the LordH. Reynolds, D. D.Psalm 37:3-8
Delight in the LordJ. Monro Gibson, D. D.Psalm 37:3-8
Delighting in GodW. Dickson.Psalm 37:3-8
Delighting in the LordJ. Baker Norton.Psalm 37:3-8
Delighting in the LordC. Voysey, B. A.Psalm 37:3-8
Desires AnsweredHomiletic ReviewPsalm 37:3-8
Genuine Piety the Antidote to EnvyHomilistPsalm 37:3-8
On Trust in GodS. Partridge, M. A.Psalm 37:3-8
Our Heart's DesireR. J. Campbell, M. A.Psalm 37:3-8
Rest to the Aching HeartS. Baring Gould, M. A.Psalm 37:3-8
Sunshine in the HeartPsalm 37:3-8
Temporal ProsperityEvangelical Advocate.Psalm 37:3-8
The Desires of the HeartPsalm 37:3-8
The Remedy for Hard TimesH. Ward Beecher.Psalm 37:3-8
The Secret of TranquillityA. Maclaren, D. D.Psalm 37:3-8
The Strongest and Sweetest Songs Yet Remain to be SungA. E. Hooper.Psalm 37:3-8
Trust in the Lord and Do GoodJ. Baldwin Brown, B. A.Psalm 37:3-8
Work and WagesJohn W. Norton.Psalm 37:3-8
Sweet Picture of a Noble LifeW. Forsyth Psalm 37:4-6
People
David, Psalmist
Places
Jerusalem
Topics
Act, Bring, Commit, Faith, Hands, Pass, Rely, Roll, Trust, Worketh
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Psalm 37:1-7

     5945   self-pity

Psalm 37:3-5

     5914   optimism
     8023   faith, necessity
     8315   orthodoxy, in OT

Psalm 37:5-6

     4836   light, and people of God
     8463   priority, of faith, hope and love

Library
November 13. "Delight Thyself in the Lord" (Ps. xxxvii. 4).
"Delight thyself in the Lord" (Ps. xxxvii. 4). Daniel's heart was filled with God's love for His work and kingdom and his prayers were the mightiest forces of his time, through which God gave to him the restoration of Israel to their own land, and the acknowledgment by the rulers of the world of the God of whom he testified and for whom he lived. There is a beautiful promise in the thirty-seventh Psalm, "Delight thyself in the Lord, and He will give thee the desires of thine heart," which it is,
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

April 11. "Commit Thy Way unto the Lord" (Ps. xxxvii. 5).
"Commit thy way unto the Lord" (Ps. xxxvii. 5). Seldom have we heard a better definition of faith than was given once in one of our meetings by a dear old colored woman, as she answered the question of a young man how to take the Lord for needed help. In her characteristic way, pointing her finger toward him, she said with great emphasis: "You've just got to believe that He's done it, and it's done." The great danger with most of us is, that after we ask Him to do it, we do not believe that it's
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

April 19. "Rest in the Lord and Wait Patiently for Him" (Ps. xxxvii. 7).
"Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him" (Ps. xxxvii. 7). It is a very suggestive thought that it is in the Gospel of Mark, which is the Gospel of service, we hear the Master saying to His disciples, "Come ye apart into a desert place, and rest awhile." God wants rested workers. There is an energy that may be tireless and ceaseless, and yet still as the ocean's depth, with the peace of God, which passes all understanding. The two deepest secrets of rest are, first, to be in harmony with the
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

April 24. "Fret not Thyself in any Wise" (Ps. xxxvii. 8).
"Fret not thyself in any wise" (Ps. xxxvii. 8). A life was lost in Israel because a pair of human hands were laid unbidden upon the ark of God. They were placed upon it with the best intent to steady it when trembling and shaking as the oxen drew it along the rough way, but they touched God's work presumptuously, and they fell paralyzed and lifeless. Much of the life of faith consists in letting things alone. If we wholly trust an interest to God we can keep our hands off it, and He will guard it
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

February 5. "Rest in the Lord" (Ps. xxxvii. ).
"Rest in the Lord" (Ps. xxxvii.). In the old creation the week began with work and ended with Sabbath rest. The resurrection week begins with the first day--first rest, then labor. So we must first cease from our own works as God did from His, and enter into His rest, and then we will work, with rested hearts, His works with effectual power. But why "labor to enter into rest"? See that ship--how restfully she sails over the waters, her sails swelling with the gale; and borne without an effort! And
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

The Secret of Tranquillity
'Delight thyself also in the Lord, and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart 5. Commit thy way unto the Lord.... 7. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him.'--PSALM xxxvii. 4, 5, 7. 'I have been young, and now am old,' says the writer of this psalm. Its whole tone speaks the ripened wisdom and autumnal calm of age. The dim eyes have seen and survived so much, that it seems scarcely worth while to be agitated by what ceases so soon. He has known so many bad men blasted in all their leafy
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Heart's Desire Given to Help Mission Work in China.
"Sept. 30 [1869].--From Yorkshire L50.--Received also One Thousand Pounds to-day for the Lord's work in China. About this donation it is especially to be noticed, that for months it had been my earnest desire to do more than ever for Mission Work in China, and I had already taken steps to carry out this desire, when this donation of One Thousand Pounds came to hand. This precious answer to prayer for means should be a particular encouragement to all who are engaged in the Lord's work, and who may
George Müller—Answers to Prayer

Of the Zealous Amendment of Our Whole Life
Be thou watchful and diligent in God's service, and bethink thee often why thou hast renounced the world. Was it not that thou mightest live to God and become a spiritual man? Be zealous, therefore, for thy spiritual profit, for thou shalt receive shortly the reward of thy labours, and neither fear nor sorrow shall come any more into thy borders. Now shalt thou labour a little, and thou shalt find great rest, yea everlasting joy. If thou shalt remain faithful and zealous in labour, doubt not
Thomas A Kempis—Imitation of Christ

Of the Inward Growth of Patience, and of the Struggle against Evil Desires
O Lord God, I see that patience is very necessary unto me; for many things in this life fall out contrary. For howsoever I may have contrived for my peace, my life cannot go on without strife and trouble. 2. "Thou speakest truly, My Son. For I will not that thou seek such a peace as is without trials, and knoweth no adversities; but rather that thou shouldest judge thyself to have found peace, when thou art tried with manifold tribulations, and proved by many adversities. If thou shalt say that
Thomas A Kempis—Imitation of Christ

Columban.
THE wild districts of Ireland were occupied with convents, after the example of Patrick, and cultivated by the hard labour of the monks. The Irish convents were distinguished by their strict Christian discipline, their diligence and their zeal in the study of the Scriptures, and of science in general, as far as they had the means of acquiring it. Irish monks brought learning from Britain and Gaul, they treasured up this learning and elaborated it in the solitude of the convent, and they are said
Augustus Neander—Light in the Dark Places

The Fourth Continental Journey.
1842-3. In the journey which now lay before them, John and Martha Yeardley were about to explore a part of Europe hitherto untried,--the province of Languedoc, conspicuous in past ages for its superior enlightenment, but now, owing to the temporary mastery of error, wrapt in ignorance and gloom. In this mission, the opportunities which they found for reviving and gathering together the scattered embers of truth, were nearly confined to social intercourse; in seeking occasions for which, they availed
John Yeardley—Memoir and Diary of John Yeardley, Minister of the Gospel

Christian Devotion to God's Will.
I into God's own heart and mind My heart and mind deliver, What evil seems, a gain I find, E'en death is life for ever. I am His son, Who spread the throne Of heaven high above me. Tho' I bend low Beneath His blow, Yet still His heart doth love me. He ne'er can prove untrue to me, My Father aye must love me, And tho' He cast me in the sea, He only thus would prove me; In what He good Doth count, He would My heart establish ever. And if I stand, His mighty hand Will raise me, and deliver. Vain had
Paul Gerhardt—Paul GerhardtÆs Spiritual Songs

Biographical Sketch.
Paul Gerhardt was born in Graefenhainichen in Electoral Saxony, where his father, Christian Gerhardt, was Burgomaster. There is some doubt as to the precise year of his birth, owing to the destruction of the church books when the place was burnt by the Swedes on the 16th of April, 1637. According to some, the event took place in the year 1606; according to others, in 1607. The probability is in favour of the former date, for General Superintendent Goltlob Stolze, of Luebben,[1] says that he died,
Paul Gerhardt—Paul GerhardtÆs Spiritual Songs

The Exile.
David's first years at the court of Saul in Gibeah do not appear to have produced any psalms which still survive. "The sweetest songs are those Which tell of saddest thought." It was natural, then, that a period full of novelty and of prosperous activity, very unlike the quiet days at Bethlehem, should rather accumulate materials for future use than be fruitful in actual production. The old life shut to behind him for ever, like some enchanted door in a hill-side, and an unexplored land lay beckoning
Alexander Maclaren—The Life of David

A Condensed Guide for Life
'My son, if thine heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine. 16. Yea, my reins shall rejoice, when thy lips speak right things. 17. Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long. 18. For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off. 19. Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thine heart in the way. 20. Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh: 21. For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Fret not Thyself
To fret means to chafe, to be irritated, to be uneasy, to be troubled and bothered. It is just the opposite of peaceful, trustful rest. Jesus has promised us rest to our souls, and we may have this rest. We can not have it, however, if we give place to worrying and fretting. God's purpose for us is that we shall have calmness and soul-quietness, even in the midst of tribulation. He has said, "My peace I give unto you." He followed this by saying, "Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be
Charles Wesley Naylor—Heart Talks

Grace and Holiness.
"Now God Himself and our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way unto you. And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you: To the end He may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints."--1 THESS. iii. 11-13. There are few more precious subjects for meditation and imitation than the prayers and intercessions of the great Apostle.
W. H. Griffith Thomas—The Prayers of St. Paul

The Perfect Heart.
For the eyes of the Lord ran to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew Himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him--2 CHRON. xvi. 9. This passage occurs in the history of Asa, one of the most godly and devoted kings that ever sat upon the throne of Judah. We are told in the fourteenth chapter that he commenced his reign by setting himself to destroy the idolatry into which the whole nation had been betrayed by its former ruler, and to restore the worship and service
Catherine Booth—Godliness

Exegetic.
(i) As of the De Spiritu Sancto, so of the Hexæmeron, no further account need be given here. It may, however, be noted that the Ninth Homily ends abruptly, and the latter, and apparently more important, portion of the subject is treated of at less length than the former. Jerome [472] and Cassiodorus [473] speak of nine homilies only on the creation. Socrates [474] says the Hexæmeron was completed by Gregory of Nyssa. Three orations are published among Basil's works, two on the creation
Basil—Basil: Letters and Select Works

Love
The rule of obedience being the moral law, comprehended in the Ten Commandments, the next question is: What is the sum of the Ten Commandments? The sum of the Ten Commandments is, to love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our strength, and with all our mind, and our neighbour as ourselves. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.' Deut 6: 5. The duty called for is love, yea, the strength of love, with all
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

"Nunc Dimittis"
We shall note, this morning, first, that every believer may be assured of departing in peace; but that, secondly, some believers feel a special readiness to depart now: "Now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace;" and, thirdly, that there are words of encouragement to produce in us the like readiness: "according to thy word." There are words of Holy Writ which afford richest consolation in prospect of departure. I. First, then, let us start with the great general principle, which is full of comfort;
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 17: 1871

Another Wonderful Record of 25.
A Christian minister, living in Northern Indiana, was in want, and knelt in prayer again and again before his Father in heaven. His quarterly allowance had been withheld, and want stared him in the face. Constrained by urgent need, and shut up to God for help, he pleaded repeatedly for a supply of his temporal wants. Now see how extraordinary was the plan of the Lord to send relief. "In one of the lovely homes of Massachusetts, while the snow was falling and the winds were howling without, a lady
Various—The Wonders of Prayer

Introduction. These Two Books were Written against the Novatian Heresy...
These two books were written against the Novatian heresy, which took its name, and to a considerable extent its form, from Novatus, a priest of the Church of Carthage, and Novatian, schismatically consecrated bishop at Rome. It was the outcome of a struggle which had long existed in the Church upon the question of the restitution to Church privileges of those who had fallen into grievous sin, and the possibility of their repentance. The severest ground was taken by the Novatians, who were condemned
St. Ambrose—Works and Letters of St. Ambrose

Thou Shalt not Steal.
This Commandment also has a work, which embraces very many good works, and is opposed to many vices, and is called in German Mildigkeit, "benevolence;" which is a work ready to help and serve every one with one's goods. And it fights not only against theft and robbery, but against all stinting in temporal goods which men may practise toward one another: such as greed, usury, overcharging and plating wares that sell as solid, counterfeit wares, short measures and weights, and who could tell all the
Dr. Martin Luther—A Treatise on Good Works

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