Psalm 37:23–24,The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, And He delights in his way. 24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the Lord upholds him with His hand.
Key Thought: God preserves the faithful
Prayer: Thank you for preserving me when I come short
If you have not done so, you would benefit from reading “Ordered Steps,” Part One.
We will focus on verse 24: “Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the Lord upholds him with His hand.”
Those who seek to be “good” and live righteously are not above mistakes and missteps. The Hebrew word for “fall” does not imply moral collapse. People actively seeking to serve the Lord and live righteously do not become sinful and wicked. The word “fall” speaks to stumbling, temporary setbacks, and circumstantial failure.
“Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.” 1 John 3:9
“He cannot sin” means wrongdoing does not come from his new creation nature in Christ. As faithful Christ followers, our “sins” (“miss the mark”) have more to do with engaging in lesser standards, such as failing to pray, serve, give, etc. Faithfulness to God does not impart perfection or eliminate vulnerability to mistakes or oversights.
Speaking to Christ followers, the Apostle John wrote in 1 John 1:7–9:
But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
John wrote to people already walking in the light and living by higher standards. Failing to acknowledge that we all come short at times is saying, “I have no sin” or “I never come short.” Living by higher standards is much different than living without concern for the higher standards of God’s kingdom, where people routinely ignore God's directives to pray, serve, give, etc. Failing in these areas does not put a person at risk of losing their salvation; they simply live in the reality of not pleasing God.
“He shall not be utterly cast down” Because we are faithful and steadfast toward God, and as much as His grace empowers us to do so, when we come short, we are not “utterly cast down.” This phrase means hurled headlong, destroyed, and ruined beyond recovery.
We may fall, but we are not abandoned to ruin because we do not fall away from God. People who are good and whose steps are ordered by the Lord quickly acknowledge errors and make correction. Getting drunk, lying, or doing something ridiculous are not patterns in our lives.
This is in direct contrast to the wicked cited earlier in Psalm 37, who are “cut off” and whose “arms shall be broken” (vv. 9, 17). The wicked collapse permanently; the righteous always recover.
“For the Lord upholds him with His hand” The Hebrew word for “upholds” means to grasp, sustain, hold firmly. The beautiful picture is of the Lord holding on to us like a parent holds his child to keep him safe, even when he stumbles.
Christ is fully engaged with His people day by day. This is why we delight in the Lord. He preserves His people; we live in covenant care and experience God’s faithfulness, which is always stronger than human weakness.
Reflection question: How do the sins of the righteous differ from the sins of the wicked?
Psalm 37:23–24, The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, And He delights in his way. 24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the Lord upholds him with His hand.
Key Thought: God celebrates guiding His people
Prayer: Help me to stay aligned with Your purposes
“The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord” • “Good man” is the righteous person, one who is aligned with covenant faithfulness (see Psalm 37:18, 21).
• The Hebrew word for “steps” refers to individual movements, daily decisions, progress, and life direction.
• The Hebrew word for “ordered” means established, made firm, secured, and prepared.
This verse does not suggest that God directs people apart from their choices. It is stating that one of the blessings of being “good” is that we can expect God’s guidance. He will not force His decisions upon us, but the Lord will give us enough insight and wisdom to make good choices. In the end, we are accountable for our choices, not God.
We learn from this text that God is actively involved in our progression through life. As Jesus said, “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you” (Matthew 6:33). Living aligned with God’s Word and purposes positions a person for divine establishment. Direction and stability are relational, something that comes through our relationship with God, not merely by religious deeds.
“And He delights in his way” We talk a lot about our need to delight in the Lord, but we should also consider that the Lord wants to delight in us. “Delight” means to take pleasure in, desire, favor, and be bent toward.
God does not force guidance upon us; He takes pleasure in our path. He does not simply “tolerate” us—God celebrates His people. This reflects covenant intimacy. The believer’s obedience aligns with God’s purposes, and that alignment brings divine pleasure.
For Part Two, we will address “Though he fall.”
Reflection question: What does it mean to be "good" and how does that impact upon God's covenant faithfulness?
Psalm 37:21–22, “The wicked borrows and does not repay, But the righteous shows mercy and gives. For those blessed by Him shall inherit the earth, But those cursed by Him shall be cut off.”
Key Thought: Giving reflects trust.
Prayer: Because I have been made righteous, help me to be generous and faithful.
In Psalm 37, David contrasts the way God protects and saves His people with the ruin which awaits the wicked. He describes not only the blessings of the righteous but also their character and conduct. The Lord blesses the righteous with the promise of an inheritance, protection, provision, and His presence.
“Evil men borrow but do not repay their debt, but the godly show compassion and are generous.” (Psalm 37:21).
The contrasting actions of the wicked and the righteous reveal their purpose of heart in relation to generosity.
“The wicked borrows and does not repay, but the righteous shows mercy and gives.”
David concluded that the difference between the wicked and the righteous was not only found in what they believed and in whom they trusted. The difference was also often seen in their conduct. The wicked are takers, borrowing and not repaying. The righteous are givers, full of mercy.
One of the marks of a wicked person is his lack of trustworthiness. The idea is that he lives in a condition of lack that leads to borrowing but will not have the means of repaying what he has borrowed; that he will be “reckless” about borrowing and careless about paying.
In contrast, a righteous person not only meets his obligations, he practices generosity. The righteous have what they need because God blesses them, and therefore they can give to others. The righteous will not only have enough for himself, but will have the means of showing mercy to others, giving to them what they need. It is a characteristic of a righteous man that he will not borrow when he can avoid it and that he will be punctual in paying what he has borrowed.
“Surely those favored by the Lord will possess the land, but those rejected by Him will be wiped out” (Psalm 37:22).
This verse emphasizes that the righteous will receive favor, blessing, stability, and inheritance from God, while those who reject Him face destruction. The consequence of rejecting God and His ways brings all forms of despair on earth and eternal separation from God.
Reflection question: In what ways does the heart of the righteous demonstrate generosity to others?
Psalm 37:20,But the wicked shall perish; And the enemies of the Lord, Like the splendor of the meadows, shall vanish. Into smoke they shall vanish away.
Key Thought: Wickedness has an expiration date
Prayer: Fix my heart on eternal things while I address conditions in the present time
Psalm 37:20 teaches that evil is not permanent. Its seeming beauty and power are temporary because its end is disappearance. Verse 20 magnifies themes already introduced in verses 2, 9, 10, and 13. Evil has an expiration date.
“But the wicked shall perish” As stated in previous verses, the Hebrew word for perish means lost, ruined, or brought to nothing. It does not always mean immediate physical death. It indicates loss of standing, loss of influence, and removal from covenant blessing.
“The enemies of the Lord” This verse shifts from “the wicked” to describe those who are actively opposed to God’s purposes. Being an “enemy of the Lord” is not merely personal immorality; it includes opposition to righteousness, justice, and harm toward people.
The psalm reassures those of us who serve God that our conflict is not merely with people, but with forces that resist God’s way. As Paul wrote, we don’t “wrestle” (or fret with) “flesh and blood” (people). We contend with spiritual forces that manifest through people.
“Like the splendor of the meadows” The psalmist uses this beautiful picture to describe the suddenness of the removal of the wicked. He makes reference to a lush pasture with green grass and fields in full bloom. But grass in the ancient Near East was seasonal. After rain, it flourished brilliantly, but under the heat of the sunlight, it withered quickly.
David’s point: Wickedness may look vibrant and powerful, but it is seasonal. Like “smoke,” the wicked and enemies of the Lord “shall vanish away.” He is not describing a gradual fade, but a disappearance that leaves no trace.
Again, we do not need to worry and fret about evildoers. We should stay focused on serving God, doing His will, and serving others. We will address systems that adversely affect people, but we won’t engage in warfare against people, rather against the spiritual forces that motivate them.
Reflection question: How do you keep your heart at peace in times like these?
Watch Brief Video from Black History Exhibit at the Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan
Psalm 145:4, “One generation shall praise Your works to another, And shall declare Your mighty acts.”
While my wife and I vacationed in Michigan in 2022, we visited the Ford Museum in Dearborn. We happened upon an excellent Black History exhibit that included a replica of the bus on which Rosa Parks sat. Her refusal to yield her seat to a White man triggered the Montgomery bus boycott. This was one of the key moments of the Civil Rights movement that began to break down the wall of racial segregation and injustice against Black People.
Her simple, courageous act of civil disobedience, along with the efforts of many other such as Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, eventually led to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
This was an interactive exhibit, so I was able to sit where Rosa Parks sat in the famous re-enactment photo.
This brief video shares my reflections in that moment. We thank God for our ancestors and all other courageous Americans, whether well known or “hidden figures” on whose shoulders we stand.
An important takeaway as we reflect on the legacy of people like Rosa Parks:
We should not only remember that we continuing legacy, we are also creating legacy for those who follow us by our service to God's kingdom and our community.
