This psalm sounds more like an actual song than all the others I’ve read so far. The lines pop and are pithy, poetic and repetitive.
“I wait for the Lord,” the psalmist writes, “my soul waits, / And in His word I do hope.” I bet my bottom dollar that line’s in a hymnal.
But what do those lyrics mean? Why is the psalmist waiting for his lord? And what soul-stirring action is this lord expected to take?
In response, allow me to parse verse 3: If bad behavior — however it’s defined — were always punished, no one would be spared.
Then, verse 4: But — as we all know — innocent people are often punished, and “sinners” are often rewarded for their worst “sins.”
So, the way I see it, this poor psalmist is like us all — saints and sinners alike. He’s waiting for the fickle finger of fate to fall on him.