Rich V. Poor Psalm 37

A Psalm of David.
Do not fret because of evildoers, Be not envious toward wrongdoers.
For they will wither quickly like the grass And fade like the green herb.
Trust in the LORD and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.
Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, and He will do it.
He will bring forth your righteousness as the light And your judgment as the noonday.
Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.
Cease from anger and forsake wrath; Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing.
For evildoers will be cut off, But those who wait for the LORD, they will inherit the land.
Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more; And you will look carefully for his place and he will not be there.
But the humble will inherit the land And will delight themselves in abundant prosperity.
The wicked plots against the righteous And gnashes at him with his teeth.
The Lord laughs at him, For He sees his day is coming.
The wicked have drawn the sword and bent their bow To cast down the afflicted and the needy, To slay those who are upright in conduct.
Their sword will enter their own heart, And their bows will be broken.
Better is the little of the righteous Than the abundance of many wicked.
For the arms of the wicked will be broken, But the LORD sustains the righteous.
The LORD knows the days of the blameless, And their inheritance will be forever.
They will not be ashamed in the time of evil, And in the days of famine they will have abundance.
But the wicked will perish; And the enemies of the LORD will be like the glory of the pastures, They vanish-- like smoke they vanish away.
The wicked borrows and does not pay back, But the righteous is gracious and gives.
For those blessed by Him will inherit the land, But those cursed by Him will be cut off.
The steps of a man are established by the LORD, And He delights in his way.
When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, Because the LORD is the One who holds his hand.
I have been young and now I am old, Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken Or his descendants begging bread.
All day long he is gracious and lends, And his descendants are a blessing.
Depart from evil and do good, So you will abide forever.
For the LORD loves justice And does not forsake His godly ones; They are preserved forever, But the descendants of the wicked will be cut off.
The righteous will inherit the land And dwell in it forever.
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.
The wicked spies upon the righteous And seeks to kill him.
The LORD will not leave him in his hand Or let him be condemned when he is judged.
Wait for the LORD and keep His way, And He will exalt you to inherit the land; When the wicked are cut off, you will see it.
I have seen a wicked, violent man Spreading himself like a luxuriant tree in its native soil.
Then he passed away, and lo, he was no more; I sought for him, but he could not be found.
Mark the blameless man, and behold the upright; For the man of peace will have a posterity.
But transgressors will be altogether destroyed; The posterity of the wicked will be cut off.
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.

Who is the Lord?
He is the God of justice and righteousness, who watches over those who follow him. He is the God of the poor, those who watch over the oppressed. He is the God of power, who has the ability, the right and the desire to judge between the righteous and the wicked, to give the former what is good and the latter their punishment.

Who are the Wicked?
They are those with many resources who use those resources to oppress those who are not able to defend themselves. They are those who hate righteousness and who do what they can to get what they can from the righteous in order to increase their gain.

Who are the Righteous?
These are those who look to God for how they should live their lives. They are always giving, always speaking good, always seeking peace, always looking to the Lord. They are humble and meek on the earth, allowing others to do evil to them, and who wait for God to vindicate them. Because of their humility and righteousness they are often poor and needy, and others take advantage of them.

The Lord’s response to the wicked
God has contempt for the wicked, because he sees that their prosperity is only temporary—soon their wickedness will be punished.

The Lord’s response to the righteous
God watches over the righteous, remaining always faithful to his promises to them. They gain justice from God, even when everyone else tries to oppress them. God will help them in trouble and save them from the wicked.

The final end of the wicked
In justice, God will come and punish the wicked. Their riches will be taken away from them, their power will be gone, they will be separated from the land and people of God. They will be destroyed.

The final end of the righteous
God will give the righteous the rule of the land. They will be secure and prosperous. They will be declared right before the wicked and they will see the wicked punished. And they shall live well in the land of God among the people of God for all ages.