4 Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. 5 Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.
Psalm 37:4-5 (CSB)

“If you can’t beat them, join them.” Sometimes this motto is used to justify a joining of forces with those that are stronger than you. Or sometimes it means copying the tactics of a stronger opponent. Better to join the winning side or winning tactic than fight a losing battle. 

Oftentimes, this same logic is used to join the wicked who seem to prosper over and against the righteous. Better to join the wicked in their evil tactics and wickedness than to lose with the righteous. Sadly, many of us opt for this solution seeing no other way.

But in Psalm 37, David gives us a fuller reality of such situations. The truth is that the LORD sees the wicked in their deceitful schemes and has numbered their days. Their end is certain and destruction sure. 

Because of this assurance, the righteous should continue to look to their faithful covenant-keeping God despite the seeming prosperity of the wicked surrounding them. 

Rather than place their hope and security in their temporary situation as the wicked do, the righteous will be those who place their eternal hope and security in the hands of an almighty God. Rather than delighting in evil as the wicked do, the righteous are to delight themselves in the LORD and his ways.

Therefore, the Psalmist urges the reader in light of the fuller picture to bring his desires, hopes, and will into conformity with God’s. For as he does, he will find his heart’s ultimate desire filled by God. Put another way, he will find the path to true life and fulfillment in God.

In light of this truth, the Psalmist encourages the people to commit their ways to the LORD all the more and to trust in him above all. The God of Israel will certainly act for good on behalf of his people. He will lead them down the true path of life in the midst of evil.

For us today, we take ultimate delight in Jesus Christ who is the way, the truth, and the life. Jesus, through his life, death, and resurrection has beat and conquered all opposing forces. While David had reason for a plethora of confidence in God, we now have even more with the finished work of Christ. So let us confidently join and delight in him.