What does Psalm 37:30 mean?

David says the righteous speak wisdom and justice. Wisdom represents the ability to correctly apply godly knowledge. A righteous person knows when to speak his mind (Psalm 49:3)—and when to mind what they say (Proverbs 10:19). Wise people counsel others to do the right thing (Proverbs 8:12–16). This ability to transmit true wisdom is no accident: David will continue to explain how such knowledge comes from knowing God (Psalm 37:31; 1 Corinthians 2:14–16).

In the early church, some members had the gift of the utterance of wisdom. The apostle Paul writes that this gift along with the other spiritual gifts was given through the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:8). When the church was in its infancy, it did not yet have the completed New Testament as the authority for what the believers should believe and do. So, God graciously gifted some individuals with special wisdom to guide the church in these matters.

The apostle James placed a high value on wisdom as a controller of a person's actions. He wrote: "Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom" (James 3:13). He described wisdom as "first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere" (James 3:17). James also noted the destructive power of an uncontrolled tongue (James 3:4–6). To produce true justice in one's words requires the kind of "right judgment" spoken of by Christ (John 7:24).