FRET NOT THYSELF BECAUSE OF EVILDOERS

This command, ‘Fret not thyself’, occurs three times in our psalm, in verses 1, 7 and 8. It would therefore appear to be addressing a peculiar problem among the righteous, in that there may be a tendency to look at and envy those who apparently prosper in spite of their wicked ways. Asaph, in Psalm 73, and Solomon, in the book of Proverbs, also highlight this difficulty for God’s people. To ‘fret’ suggests the thought of a glowing ember in a fire otherwise burnt out. This ember, however, continues to smoulder long after the event and has the potential to rekindle any sense of injustice one might feel. In this life the ungodly often seem not only to commit evil but to escape its consequences. One may feel a sense of anger, even outrage, about that, but that is misplaced because we know that ultimately, either in this life or hereafter, God will deal with that sin and with that person. It is not ours to worry about. The danger of a glowing ember is that it may reignite at any time and with the slightest provocation. That is dangerous, so any such lingering feelings in our hearts need to be completely extinguished.

An effective way to achieve this is to remember that we too were once evildoers. We avoided the consequences of our sins but the price had to be paid and in our case it was by the shed blood of the innocent One, the Lord Jesus Christ. We should not fret, because we are now the apple of His eye and we will never be forsaken, v. 25, and, while the wicked will eventually be cut off, the righteous will inherit, v. 9.

A further problem is that this anger may escalate into envy, and that, in turn, may engender a competitive spirit as we try to ‘get even’. In such circumstances we would violate God’s command and forfeit the fellowship of our brethren and of the Lord. Solomon advises, ‘Do not envy a violent man or choose any of his ways’, Prov. 3. 31 NIV. How is the soul to be safeguarded against these things? David says we should ‘trust in the Lord’, v. 3, ‘delight ...in the Lord’, v. 4; ‘commit... unto the Lord’, v. 5, and ‘rest in the Lord’, v. 7. By acknowledging the lordship of Christ we can leave it all in His hands, in the certain knowledge that right will be done. Then, we enjoy our faith.