Wisdom Wednesday Wisdom in the Psalms
Part 4 The Wisdom of the Righteous
Submitted by Debbie’s Dad
“ The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, And his tongue speaks justice.
The law of his God is in his heart; His steps do not slip.” (Psalm 37:30–31) NASB 95
As we looked at the wisdom theme in Psalms, we found that Psalm 1 contrasted wise and foolish lives and their eternal consequences. In Psalms 2 and 8, we saw the Psalmist instructing Gentile leaders to be wise and worship the Lord (Psalm 2) and extolling the grandeur of God because of His glory. (Psalm 8). And in Psalm 19, David described how the heavens revealed God’s glory, leading to the fear of the Lord, and how God’s written word revealed His wisdom and served as the foundation for living a wise life.
In the 37th Psalm, David renews the theme of how the righteous must live:
- Trust in the Lord (verses 3 and 5)
- Delight in the Lord (verse 4)
- Commit your way to the Lord (verse 5)
- Rest in the Lord (verse 7)
- Wait for the Lord and keep His way (verse 34)
Interspersed in this section of the Psalm are descriptions of contrast with the wicked, who will whither (v. 2), will be cut off (v.9), will be no more (v.10), will be pierced by their own swords (v. 15), will perish and vanish (v.15), and will be cut off (v.22).
But the Psalm later commends the character of the righteous who exhibit the attribute of wisdom from God in word and thought and action (verses 30-31):
- Utters wisdom and speaks justice – (The word of the wise) The spoken and written words of the righteous person are wise and just. The 49th Psalm begins, “My mouth will speak wisdom, And the meditation of my heart will be understanding. (49:3). Seek a righteous person who trusts the Lord, knows God’s Word, and has committed their way to Him – here is where you will find wise and just advice.
- Holds God’s law in his heart – (The thought of the wise) – The wise and just words of the wise man come from a heart that knows God’s Word and has the understanding to apply it to the thorny issues of life.
- Does not slip in his walk with the Lord – (The action of the wise) – earlier in verse 23 we see the theme of a wise walk in God’s way: “The steps of a man are established by the LORD, And He delights in his way”. He trusts and commits his way and rests that God will not allow him to slip. The righteous are confident that decisions made while trusting in the Lord will not be the cause of a downfall.
The Psalm concludes with the outcome of the righteous person’s life: “But the salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; He is their strength in time of trouble. The LORD helps them and delivers them; He delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in Him” (37:39–40). This thought is repeated by David when he was delivered from the Philistines in Psalm 56: “For You have delivered my soul from death, Indeed my feet from stumbling, So that I may walk before God In the light of the living.” 56:13
This is the security of fearing the Lord and living in the wisdom He provides to walk through life – without stumbling.