“Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil. For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.” -Psalm 37:8–9
Fret not yourself is the refrain of Psalm 37. This time David warns that anger and wrath as a response to the provocations of wicked men only leads to more evil. An angry or fretful response to the wickedness that provoked the righteous in the first place becomes itself an additional stumbling block. This is because idea of expressing “righteous indignation” is largely a myth. Though the Apostle Paul warns believers to be angry and sin not (Ephesians 4:26-27), in most cases, pastor James warns, it only compounds sin. He urges, “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” -James 1:19–20
David admonishes God’s people again, reminding them as he has done previously, that evildoers will be cut off (dispatched from this life), but the patiently hopeful (in the Lord) will inherit the land. We need this reminder often because our timeline and perspective is limited whereas God’s is immense and eternal.