Psalm 37:6 - Printer Friendly

ESV: He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.

NIV: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun.

NASB: He will bring out your righteousness as the light, And your judgment as the noonday.

CSB: making your righteousness shine like the dawn, your justice like the noonday.

NLT: He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.

KJV: And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.

NKJV: He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday.

If we trust in the Lord (Psalm 37:3), delight in Him (Psalm 37:4), and give over our burdens to Him (Psalm 37:5), He will vindicate us (Romans 8:28–30). He will show the trusting believer's righteousness as clearly as brilliant light reveals everything it shines on (Romans 8:18). The believer's vindication will be as clear to everyone as the brightest time of day. Even if that victory must wait until judgment day (Revelation 6:9–11), it is still guaranteed (2 Peter 3:10).

In the book of Job, the title character spends most of the book getting bad advice from his "friends," one of whom is Zophar. Grossly misinterpreting what has happened, Zophar tells Job he needs to repent. That assumption is wrong—Job was innocent—but Zophar's conclusion about the end result of a righteous life is correct: "Your life will be brighter than the noonday, its darkness will be like the morning" (Job 11:17).

Isaiah 58:8 similarly associates a righteous life with light that breaks out like the dawn. Jesus also linked good works and light. He told His followers, "You are the light of the world" (Matthew 5:14) and instructed them: "Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven" (Mathew 5:16).

Psalm 37:1–11 encourages David's audience to maintain a proper relationship with God by refusing to wallow in anxiety over their circumstances. Instead, they ought to trust in the Lord, find their joy in the Lord, and commit their future to the Lord. The tone of this passage resembles Proverbs chapter two, which explains the benefits of following godly wisdom. Matthew 5:5 holds a promise that parallels verses 9 and 11 of this psalm.

In this psalm, David contrasts the way God protects and saves His people, contrasted with the ruin which awaits the wicked. Much of this seems to be based on David's own experiences (Psalm 37:25, 35). As with many other passages in Psalms and Proverbs, this passage encourages godly wisdom. Those who reject God and His ways can expect uncertainty on earth and disaster in eternity.

Psalm 37 lies in the first division of Psalms and addresses mankind. Its tone resembles that of the book of Proverbs. The psalm dispenses wisdom about the security of the righteous man and the insecurity and fate of the wicked man. Psalms 36 and 39 also describe the insecurity and fate of the wicked. The covenant God made with Israel in Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 27—30 is the basis for David's assurance that the righteous are secure. The issue of the prosperity of the wicked is also featured in Psalms 49 and 73. David most likely wrote Psalm 37 in his old age.

The book of Psalms is composed of individual songs, hymns, or poems, each of which is a ''Psalm'' in and of itself. These works contain a wide variety of themes. Some Psalms focus on praising and worshipping God. Others cry out in anguish over the pain of life. Still other Psalms look forward to the coming of the Messiah. While some Psalms are related, each has its own historical and biblical context.