Psalm 37 (36):33Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Consider what another passage of Scripture foreshadows regarding our Lord's impending sufferings at the hands of the wicked: “The earth is given into the hands of the wicked” (Job 9:24). What does it imply that the land is entrusted to the wicked? It signifies the surrender of the body to the tormentors. Nonetheless, God has not abandoned His Righteous One there; from the captive body, He brings forth an unconquered soul. The Lord will not relinquish him to their power, nor will He condemn him when he is judged (Ps. 36:33). In certain circumstances, indeed, when He passes judgment upon him, there will be consequences for his actions. This can be understood as a request for justice, asking, “Judge for me,” implying he seeks a fair hearing. As God begins to consider the case of His faithful servant, we must all stand before the judgment of Christ and answer for what we have done in this life (2 Cor. 5:10), whether righteous or unrighteous. Therefore, when this judgment occurs, he will not be condemned, even if it appears to others that he is condemned in this worldly existence. Although the proconsul declared a sentence against Cyprian, there is a stark difference between an earthly tribunal and a heavenly court. While the lower court may condemn him to death, the higher court grants him a crown and does not condemn him during his trial.

In another passage, He asserts: I, Myself, will blot out your transgressions and will not remember them. Yet, you must remember, and we shall be judged (Isaiah 43:25-26). This judgement poses a great challenge when the Lord stands before humanity, seeking to be judged. What will you say to Him who has bestowed upon you the universe, entrusted you with all things, and subjected the Egyptians to you, treating you as a foreigner? He cast them into the sea when they pursued you (See: Exodus 14:25-28); He shattered and confounded your adversaries; He created you, endowed you with life, and redeemed you with His blood. Yet you choose to serve His enemy? He has absolved you of all your sins, yet you continue to commit even greater transgressions? The Lord calls out to you! When you stand in judgement, what will your response be? If He withholds His forgiveness, you are doomed. King David, sensing the weight of God's moral supremacy, sought refuge from judgement and implored for mercy: And enter not into judgement with Thy servant, for in Thy sight, no living being is justified (Psalm 142:2). David acknowledges his state of darkness, as though he were among the dead of this generation (See: Psalm 142:3). He wisely remarked: like the dead of this age, not merely 'dead.' The dead of this age refer to those who have lived in death and despair throughout their lives. In his desperation, David turns to the Lord, pleading: Hear me quickly, O Lord; my spirit is weak (Psalm 142:7). He was presented with a legal offer—Oblatio, a term from Roman law meaning a transaction—but he declined it because truth, rather than mercy, would take center stage in judgement. The Lord is so majestic that no living individual can justify themselves before Him—not even the most righteous, for who among them is free from sin, or possesses a life so pious that it compares to God’s? Yet, man is made in the image and likeness of God (See: Gen. 1:26) and ought to be sinless, just as God is without sin. What punishment is fitting for one who forgoes such a profound grace of creation and the likeness of divine beauty? However, the merciful God, even if He offers Himself for judgement, does not condemn the righteous but rather the unrighteous; He shows compassion to the sinner encumbered by human frailty but chastises the ungrateful wicked. Even if you have performed many righteous acts, do not become impatient or arrogant; do not presume that you must claim your reward for righteousness in this life, and do not lament that misfortune has unjustly befallen you. As long as you draw breath, you are destined to endure trials, not to receive recompense.

The sinner will stand trial alongside the righteous, whom he has malignantly conspired against, as implied by the scripture about judgment. Another perspective suggests that demons will accuse the righteous on the day of reckoning, pointing out even the slightest misstep. The words of Cyril Alexander express that God's judgment will be just and unfettered by favoritism; He will condemn those tainted by sin while safeguarding those who place their trust in Him, as it is written, “When the righteous man is judged, He will not condemn him.” Theodoret remarks that this was the divine provision extended to Abraham when Sarah was taken twice, to Isaac who faced similar trials, to Jacob who endured the envy of his brother and father-in-law, and to Joseph, who was the target of jealousy and falsehoods.

Consequently, God will impart wisdom, enabling them to discern the traps laid by adversaries and to speak wisely, thereby sidestepping their pitfalls. When justice is rendered, the judge will not oppress the righteous; God will safeguard His justice from being compromised.