“A Psalm of David. Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.”
My Notes
What Does Psalms 37:1 Mean?
David opens Psalm 37 with a command that addresses the most common spiritual temptation: "Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity." Don't fret (charah — to burn, to be heated, to be angry) and don't envy (qana — to be jealous of, to desire what someone else has). The two prohibitions address two responses to the wicked's prosperity: anger and jealousy.
The word "fret" includes heat — the burning, agitated, inflamed response to watching evil people succeed while you struggle. The fret isn't just worry. It's the hot frustration of perceived injustice: why do they prosper while I follow God and suffer? The heat is the anger of the faithful who feel cheated by the moral universe.
The envy is the adjacent temptation: if fretting is being angry at their success, envying is wanting their success. The proximity of anger to desire is the psalm's first insight — you're one step from being angry at the wicked to wanting what the wicked have. The fret leads to the envy if unchecked.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What evildoer's prosperity is currently making you 'fret' (burn with agitated frustration)?
- 2.How close is your fret (anger at their success) to becoming envy (wanting their success)?
- 3.How does verse 2's promise (they'll wither like grass) address both the fret and the envy?
- 4.What daily discipline do you practice to obey 'fret not' when the injustice is visible and ongoing?
Devotional
Don't fret. Don't envy. David opens Psalm 37 by naming the two things the righteous are most tempted to do when the wicked prosper: burn with frustration and wish you had what they have.
The fret is the heat — the burning, agitated response to watching evil people succeed. You followed the rules. You kept the commandments. You sacrificed, prayed, gave, and served. And the person who did none of that is doing better than you. The injustice burns. The frustration heats up. The anger at the moral universe's apparent malfunction consumes your peace.
The envy is one step beyond the fret: you've moved from being angry at their success to wanting it. The envy says: maybe they're right. Maybe the wicked path produces better results. Maybe the righteousness I practiced was the wrong investment. The fret (anger at injustice) becomes envy (desire for the wicked's outcomes) if the heat isn't addressed.
David's reason follows (verse 2): they'll wither like grass. The prosperity that provokes your fret and your envy is temporary. The green grass that looks lush today is cut tomorrow. The success that makes you burn with frustration has the shelf life of a lawn. It looks good now. It won't last.
The command — don't fret, don't envy — is a daily discipline, not a one-time decision. Every time you scroll past someone's success, every time the wicked person gets promoted while you're overlooked, every time the moral universe seems broken — the command reapplies: don't burn, don't desire what they have. Their grass is green. It's also temporary.
What evildoer's prosperity is currently making you fret — and how close is the fret to becoming envy?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Fret not thyself because of evildoers,.... The saints may be grieved at them and for them, because of their evil doings,…
Fret not thyself - The Hebrew word here means properly to burn, to be kindled, to be inflamed, and is often applied to…
The instructions here given are very plain; much need not be said for the exposition of them, but there is a great deal…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture