The Lord’s Message:  Summer of Psalms:  Does It Pay to do Good?

The Lord’s Message:  Summer of Psalms:  Does It Pay to do Good?
Date:  August 17, 2025
Where:  Tilghman Methodist Church
Scripture Reference:  Psalm 37

            Do you envy people who are prospering by cheating on their income tax, being promoted at their job as a result of their deceitfulness or are getting ahead by cutting corners.  It has been said that you can not be a winner if you are not cheating. Have you ever cried out to God “why are the deceitful people prospering and I am struggling to make ends meet?”  On this topic, you may have wonder, does it pay to be good?

            Let us pray. 

            In order to be able to answer the question of does it pay to be good, we are going to take a look at Psalm 37.  Just a little background information on this Psalm.  David is writing this at an old age.  He says in verse 25, “I was young and now I am old.”  David is an old man.  He is looking back over his life.  David sees how God has been faithful to him throughout his life.           

            This Psalm is a wisdom psalm.  It is also written in Hebrews and also in alphabetic acrostic form.  This means that each line begins with the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet. 

            The first principle is to remember that we should not envy those that are prospering by doing unscrupulous acts.  This we are told in verses 1 & 2.  The opposite of envying those that are prospering through deceitful actions is to trust in God and do good.  By trusting in God, we should commit our lives to the Lord and following Him.  Look at verses 3-6. 

            In verse 7, we are to wait patiently for God and not fret or worry about the success of the schemes of evil people.  To contrast, that means in verse 8, we are not to get angry with these people.  The reason we should not get angry is found in verse 9.  God will be the judge and God will cut off those that are being deceitful from the promised land, heaven.  In Revelation 21:8, the people that practice deceit will be excluded from heaven.  Instead, those that put their faith in God and live according to His principles will be welcome into heaven.  We have that hope.  In verse 10, again we are told the wicked will be no more. 

            In verse 11, we are told that the meek will inherit the land and have peace.  Jesus also said this in Matthew 5:5.   The wicked may seem to prosper, but they are always worried about being found out.  I do not know about the rest of you, but if I have ever done something wrong to God or another person, I cannot rest until I have corrected my sin.  I will first ask God to forgive me.  I will then go to that person or send them a text or a phone call and ask for forgiveness of the pain and hurt that I have caused.  I will have no peace until I have dealt properly with the situation.  I will give you an example.  I was working in Chestertown at a TV and Radio repair shop.  A guy pulled into the parking lot and said that he had some items for sale.  I was very naïve at the time.  I bought some things from him including a nice jacket.  The owner of the shop told me was I aware that I had bought stolen goods.  I was completely dumb founded.  He went on to tell me that the jacket was probably stolen from a clothing store in Wilmington or Philadelphia.  I was so upset that I could not wear that jacket.  I ended up putting it in a box for the Salvation Army.  The guy showed up around a month later and I told him to get lost.  I want to have peace in my life.

            In the end evil is still evil, even though that it seems they are prospering, they will meet their demise in the end.  This is confirmed in verses 12-17. 

            So, let us look at some of the acts that the wicked will do, so that if we are trying to follow God, we will either not do them or repent for doing them.  In verse 21, the wicked borrow, but do not repay.  Instead, the righteous give generously.  In verses 30 & 31, the righteous speak words of wisdom.  It is inferred here that the wicked speak foolishness.  In verses 32-33, the wicked lie in wait for the righteous, but God will not abandon those that are righteous, Luke 12:11.  In verse 34, the righteous will not exalt themselves, but wait on the Lord to exalt them, Matthew 23:12.  

            According to verses 18-19, 23-24, when trouble comes, the righteous have the Lord to lean on.  Can the same be said for the wicked?  Let us look at verse 20.  The wicked will perish and turn to smoke.  David assures us that the righteous in their poverty are better off than the wicked in their prosperity.  The reason is that the righteous person possesses inward resources that the unrighteous person does not have.  There is no guarantee for a Christian that trouble will not happen to us, but we have a God that will walk with us through the troubles.  This is confirmed in Joshua 1:9. 

            Not only will the Lord be with us, but He will provide us with salvation.  This is confirmed in verses 39-40. 

            Does it pay to be good?  By worldly standards the answer is No.  By Godly standards, the answer is absolutely Yes.  Whose standards are you going to follow?

            So, let us continue to read our Bibles, put into practice what we learn, and be the Bible for others.  Amen.