Ps 37.34 (man stays man)

“The wicked / lie in wait / for the righteous – and seek / to kill them. – Yhwh / will not abandon them / into their hand – and will not pronounce them / guilty / when they are brought / to trial.” These lines are not uncommon in our reflections. They image of the wicked ‘lying in wait’ is actually so common that it is clear that it works more like a stock phrase. That said, the image is always disturbing. This section is soaked with attempted murder. The wicked, whether though physical violence or through defamation in court, “lie in wait” in order to kill the righteous. Like lions hiding in the brush, they bide their time in order to wait for the opportune moment when the righteous are most vulnerable. It is this ‘waiting’ and ‘watching’ that is so ominous; the wicked have self-control and can be patient in order to accomplish their ends. Furthermore, as indicated, they are hidden. Again, this is a very common image for the wicked. The righteous are intensely aware that their enemies cannot be located; that they, the righteous, are blind as to their location but not to their threatening presence. Lastly, as to the wicked, important to note is the fact that, in the context of this psalm, the wicked are attempting to do to the righteous what will eventually occur to them: they are attempting to ‘cut off’ (to kill) the righteous. As indicated above, though, this image of ‘lying in wait’ is not something that needs to be taken literally; it can include, as we will see, the idea of perjury (of false accusations in order to ‘bring down the righteous’). Once the wicked are described, there is an abrupt transition to Yhwh. This transition is marked by what the wicked ‘do’ to what Yhwh “will not” permit to happen. In effect, it is one from activity (the wicked) to Yhwh’s defensive posture as to “his own”. There are several interesting features to this verse. The first is that Yhwh ‘possesses’ the righteous; they are his, always already. The fact that “Yhwh will not abandon them” implies that they are his in the first place. The wicked, by contrast, are attempting to ‘get possession’ of the wicked, but in order to destroy them. Yhwh owns them and thereby protects their life. Second, we find here a type of ‘resolution’ to the blindness suffered by the righteous. Rather than focusing on how the righteous ‘counter’ the wicked, the verse focuses solely and entirely on Yhwh’s action. While the righteous cannot locate the wicked, Yhwh has their ‘coordinates’. This is crucial to recognize—the righteous are fully aware of their inherent limitations as to locating the wicked; instead of attempting to find some other method of ‘finding them’ (or, of becoming detached from them), they cast their trust on Yhwh and his ability to not “deliver them into their hands”. Man stays man (both positively: not detaching himself from his humanity; and negatively: not attempting to gain a god’s perspective on the wicked) precisely in placing his trust in Yhwh.