Feed on His Faithfulness

Psalm 37 is among my favorite resting stops in the Scriptures.  I love the way each stanza opens:

            Fret not;

            Trust in the Lord and do good;

            Delight yourself in the Lord;

            Commit yourself to the Lord;

            Be Still;

            Refrain from anger;

           

            There is so much in this Psalm that I could spend the next thirty days easily and just talk about its riches.  Verse four is the one that would be most familiar with everyone: "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." The word delight is the word for soft, pliable, or to be rolled out.  When we stop resisting what God gives us to carry (our cross), then He can begin giving us the desires of our heart; at that time, our desires will be in line with His desires.

            There is one verse in this great Psalm that puzzles me. It is verse three: "Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness." I have looked at this verse in several versions and each has a different translation.  Note:

The New American standard:

Trust in the LORD and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.

GOD'S WORD® Translation (©1995)
Trust the LORD, and do good things. Live in the land, and practice being faithful.

King James Bible
Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.

American King James Version
Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shall you dwell in the land, and truly you shall be fed.

American Standard Version
Trust in Jehovah, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on his faithfulness.

Bible in Basic English
Have faith in the Lord, and do good; be at rest in the land, and go after righteousness.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Trust in the Lord, and do good, and dwell in the land, and thou shalt be fed with its riches.

Darby Bible Translation
Confide in Jehovah, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on faithfulness;

English Revised Version
Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land, and follow after faithfulness.

Webster's Bible Translation
Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.

World English Bible
Trust in Yahweh, and do good. Dwell in the land, and enjoy safe pasture.

Young's Literal Translation
Trust in Jehovah, and do good, Dwell in the land, and enjoy faithfulness,

 

            So which is the correct translation and why is this verse so difficult to translate? Well, this word רעה

râ‛âh

raw-aw'

means to tend a flock, that is, pasture it; to graze (literally or figuratively); generally to rule; by extension to associate with (as a friend):  companion, keep company with, feed, use as a friend, make friendship with.

            I love when I find difficult verses to translate because generally, usually, I find that God has purposely made the text vague so that we can grasp a fuller meaning.  Perhaps we should look at this verse and take away from it the idea that those who Trust in the Lord and do good, will enjoy a faithful return—they shall be fed; and those who Trust in the Lord and do good, will enjoy the reward of God's faithfulness to them; or those who Trust in the Lord and do good, do so by practicing faithfulness; or those who Trust in the Lord and do good, befriend faithfulness. or those who trust in the Lord and do good, will feed on His faithfulness.  I love them all but the one that speaks most clearly to me is the last…if we will trust and do good, we will be filled with His faithfulness…

            Verse six says he will bring forth our justice as the noonday.  Simple this means that the decisions we need to make in life will be as clear as the middle of the day!

Have a wonderful day…I hope to finish my brick sidewalk and steps today and later attend my good friend Dr. Colin Smith's celebration service. A few days ago the Lord took him home. That day his son called the pastor and said, "Ben, I have good news!"  Of all the men I have ever known, Colin was the most brilliant man in the Scriptures…I am going to miss him.