What is the meaning of Psalm 37:2? For they • “They” points back to the evildoers of Psalm 37:1—those who seem to prosper while ignoring God. • Scripture assures us that their apparent success is temporary: “For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but the LORD upholds the righteous” (Psalm 37:17). • Proverbs 24:19-20 echoes the same truth: “Do not fret because of evildoers… the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out”. wither quickly • The verb stresses speed; the downfall of the wicked is not a slow fade but a rapid collapse once God’s timing arrives. • Psalm 90:6 draws the picture vividly: “In the morning it springs up, but by evening it withers and fades”. • James 1:11 applies the lesson to earthly riches: “The sun rises…and the flower falls and its beauty perishes; so the rich man will fade away in the midst of his pursuits”. like grass • Grass looks lush after a rain yet dries out under the sun; likewise, worldly success lacks deep roots. • Isaiah 40:6-8 reminds us, “All flesh is grass…The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever”. • Peter ties the image directly to human pride: “All men are like grass…The grass withers, and its flower falls, but the word of the Lord stands forever” (1 Peter 1:24-25). and wilt • “Wilt” adds the idea of losing vitality—strength drains away once cut off from God’s sustaining hand. • Job 14:2 paints the same decline: “He springs up like a flower, then withers; like a fleeting shadow, he does not endure”. • Psalm 37:10 promises the righteous that “in a little while the wicked will be no more”; wilting is inevitable when life is rooted in rebellion. like tender plants • Tender seedlings are fragile; a hot wind or lack of water ruins them. • Hosea 6:4 says, “Your loyalty is like the morning cloud, like the early dew that vanishes”, capturing the transience of surface devotion. • Jesus used the same imagery for shallow-hearted hearers: seeds on rocky soil “withered because they had no root” (Matthew 13:6). summary • Psalm 37:2 gives a vivid, literal picture: evildoers may sprout quickly, yet God guarantees their swift, inevitable decline. • Grass, flowers, and tender shoots all share one trait—short-lived beauty. So does prosperity built on wickedness. • By contrast, “the LORD loves justice and will not abandon His saints” (Psalm 37:28). Trusting Him anchors us in what endures forever. |
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