Scripture Verse

The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and He delighteth in his way. Psalm 37:23

Introduction

Words: From The Psal­ter (Pitts­burgh, Penn­syl­van­ia: Unit­ed Pres­by­te­ri­an Board of Pub­li­ca­tion, 1912), num­ber 98.

Music: Press­ly Charles H. Ga­bri­el, 1901 (🔊 pdf nwc).

portrait
Charles H. Gabriel (1856–1932)

Lyrics

The good man’s steps are led aright,
His way is pleas­ing in God’s sight,
Established it shall stand;
He shall not per­ish though he fall,
The migh­ty Lord, who rules o’er all,
Upholds him with His hand.

Though I am old who young have been,
No saint have I for­sak­en seen,
Nor yet his home in need;
He ever leads in gra­cious ways,
His life true cha­ri­ty dis­plays,
His sons are blest in­deed.

Depart from ev­il, do thou well,
And ev­er­more se­cure­ly dwell;
Jehovah loves the right.
His faith­ful­ness His saints have proved,
Forever they shall stand un­moved,
But sin­ners God will smite.

The right­eous, through His fa­vor­ing hand,
Shall yet in­her­it all the land
And dwell there­in for aye;
He talks of wis­dom and of right,
In God’s pure law is his de­light,
His steps go not as­tray.

The wicke­d, watch­ing for their prey,
Desire the right­eous man to slay,
But God is on his side;
He will not leave him in their hands
Nor count him guil­ty when he stands
In judg­ment to be tried.

Wait on the Lord and keep His way;
He will ex­alt thee, nor de­lay
To give the land to thee;
And when the wick­ed are cut off,
The wick­ed who against thee scoff,
Their judg­ment thou shalt see.

The wick­ed in great pow­er are seen,
Like spread­ing tree with fo­li­age green
That grows in na­tive ground.
I looked again, they were no more;
I sought the men so proud be­fore,
But they could not be found.

Mark thou the up­right day by day,
Behold the per­fect in his way,
His jour­ney ends in peace.
Destroyed at once shall re­bels be;
Cut off from all pos­ter­i­ty,
Their ve­ry name shall cease.

Salvation is from God alone,
Whom as their co­vert saints have known
When by sore trou­bles tried;
The Lord, who helped in trou­bles past,
Will save them to the ve­ry last,
For they in Him abide.