Psalm 37:12-20 The Marshmallow Test

In 1972, Walter Mischel, a professor at Stanford University, performed an experiment regarding delayed gratification which is popularly referred to as “The Marshmallow Test.” This experiment has since been duplicated many times over, often with humorous results. In the initial experiment, a child was led into a room where their choice of prize, either a marshmallow or a pretzel stick, was placed on a table. They were then told that the moderator was going to leave the room, and the child had to make a choice: they could either eat their prize, or wait until the moderator returned, at which time they would receive two marshmallows or pretzel sticks. Long term follow-up studies on the initial test found that those children who were able to wait generally had higher SAT scores and were described as “significantly more competent.”

Can you relate to the marshmallow test? Is it difficult for you to delay gratification? As a believer, you know that incredible riches await you in eternity, but do you still get jealous of what other people have now? In Psalm 37, David compares the success of the wicked in the present to their punishment in the future. As you read these verses, you’ll find that there really is no comparison. If we can simply endure this present, momentary trial, then the heavenly reward is beyond comprehension.

Please read Psalm 37:12-20.

David begins this section by making three statements about the present condition of the wicked, and then comparing them to the future actions of God: “the wicked plot… but the Lord laughs;” “The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows… and their bows shall be broken;” the wicked have “the abundance,” but “the arms of the wicked shall be broken.” In this moment, it seems like the wicked are reaping their reward, but the future will bring a great punishment for their wickedness... and a greater reward for the righteous.

First, the wicked are seen as plotting against the righteous and gnashing their teeth. They aren’t directly attacking the righteous, but they are menacingly planning to do so. While the wicked use their mouths to gnash their teeth at the righteous, God will use His mouth to laugh at the wicked, for He knows what the future holds.

After making preparations, the wicked then prepare for battle by arming themselves with swords and bows and arrows with which they can attack the poor and needy. These are symbols of all the various means that wicked people use to oppress the righteous. However, “their sword shall enter their own heart.” Like wicked Haman, who was hung on his own gallows; like wicked Saul, who fell on the same sword he tried to use to slay David, so too will the wicked be pierced by the same swords that they drew to oppress the righteous. God saw this victory before the battle began, which is why He laughed at their wicked schemes.

Lastly, David looks at the abundance of the wicked. Most of us take this approach. We don’t think too much about their evil plans or their evil means, but we do think about their giant mansions, expensive cars, private planes, fame, power, and influence. The wicked build themselves up by worldly means, but “the arms of the wicked shall be broken.”

This is not describing a literal breaking of bones. As Thomas Brooks said back in the 1600’s, “By the arms of the wicked, you are to understand their strength, their valor, their power, their wit, their wealth, their abundance, which is all the arms they have to support and hold them up in the world.” These arms will one day be broken, and the abundance of the wicked will perish, just like the grass of the field. However, the righteous people, those who trust in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins, have a heavenly heritage that “will remain forever.”

So, the choice is simple. You are in a room with one marshmallow sitting on a table in front of you. You can eat that marshmallow, immerse yourself in the ways of this world, and have happiness for a moment. Or, you can ignore the marshmallow, obey the Word of God and resist that temptation, and receive an eternity of joyous blessings in the life to come. Will you pass the marshmallow test?