our Rock

My Rock and My Fortress
Of David.

1 Blessed be the Lord, my rock,
who trains my hands for war,
and my fingers for battle;
2 he is my steadfast love and my fortress,
my stronghold and my deliverer,
my shield and he in whom I take refuge,
who subdues peoples under me.

3 O Lord, what is man that you regard him,
or the son of man that you think of him?
4 Man is like a breath;
his days are like a passing shadow.

5 Bow your heavens, O Lord, and come down!
Touch the mountains so that they smoke!
6 Flash forth the lightning and scatter them;
send out your arrows and rout them!
7 Stretch out your hand from on high;
rescue me and deliver me from the many waters,
from the hand of foreigners,
8 whose mouths speak lies
and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

9 I will sing a new song to you, O God;
upon a ten-stringed harp I will play to you,
10 who gives victory to kings,
who rescues David his servant from the cruel sword.
11 Rescue me and deliver me
from the hand of foreigners,
whose mouths speak lies
and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

12 May our sons in their youth
be like plants full grown,
our daughters like corner pillars
cut for the structure of a palace;
13 may our granaries be full,
providing all kinds of produce;
may our sheep bring forth thousands
and ten thousands in our fields;
14 may our cattle be heavy with young,
suffering no mishap or failure in bearing;
may there be no cry of distress in our streets!
15 Blessed are the people to whom such blessings fall!
Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord!

- Psalm 144

Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord!  Wow what a statement, what a thought!  David recognized that the Lord is sovereign, that He is steadfast and man is not. This is David’s Isaiah 6 moment (or at least one of them), he sees not only himself, but all men as so insignificant that it is amazing that God would even consider them, even think of them.

As we enter into this season of remembering the birth of our Lord, we must also remember what David understood.  Our blessings, our provision, our sustenance does not come from this world or the work of our hand, but from the Lord. It is His sovereign grace, and the fact that He doesn’t just consider us but loves us, that provides all we need.

It is easy in this season and this day to get entwined with the world’s view that man is basically good and that everyone will eventually go to heaven because God loves us all.  The truth is God does love us all, and for that fact, there will be some who are treated as foreigners, who God will separate us from, and who God will stretch out his hand against.

Praise God for his blessings. Praise God for His Son who died for us. Praise God for His justice which will separate us from the foreigners. Praise Him, Praise Him, Praise Him!!!

the slave Guards

Come, Bless the Lord
A Song of Ascents.

1 Come, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord,
who stand by night in the house of the Lord!
2 Lift up your hands to the holy place
and bless the Lord!

3 May the Lord bless you from Zion,
he who made heaven and earth!

- Psalm 134

As I read this gorgeous hymn I am struck by the language of the first verse which describes those who are called to bless the Lord, (v.2) and who will be blessed by the Lord(v. 3).  There are two things in particular which call out.

First, those who are described are called servants (in the Hebrew literally slaves).  This language indicates one who has lost his will to another. In the Hebrew mind, the greatest slaves were those who stayed with their masters voluntarily during the year of jubilee, when they could have been freed.  We are to lose our will to God, not begrudgingly, but with joy and thanksgiving knowing that God will provide.

Second, it say they are slaves “who stand by night.”  The dualistic language of day and night often portray opposing positions of good and bad, easy and harsh, blessings and hardship.  This is incredible, for it brings to mind those who willingly remain in the house of the Lord, to serve Him, when things are tough.  When it is easier to forsake the Lord and follow the world, these servants stand in the house of the Lord.

Darkness is coming for the church. Ahead lies an era of persecution and hardship, that the servants of Christ have never seen in our country.  Are you prepared to stand? Will you rest joyfully in the service of the Lord, not forsaking Him for the easy way?  Will you lift up your hands to the Holy place and bless him?  Will you present yourself to be blessed by Him?

dwelling with Him

 1How lovely is your dwelling place,
   O LORD of hosts!
2My soul longs, yes, faints
   for the courts of the LORD;
my heart and flesh sing for joy
   to the living God.

 3Even the sparrow finds a home,
   and the swallow a nest for herself,
   where she may lay her young,
at your altars, O LORD of hosts,
    my King and my God.
4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house,
   ever singing your praise!
                         Selah

 5Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
   in whose heart are the highways to Zion.
6As they go through the Valley of Baca
   they make it a place of springs;
   the early rain also covers it with pools.
7They go from strength to strength;
   each one appears before God in Zion.

 8O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer;
   give ear, O God of Jacob!
                         Selah
9 Behold our shield, O God;
   look on the face of your anointed!

 10For a day in your courts is better
   than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
   than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
11For the LORD God is a sun and shield;
   the LORD bestows favor and honor.

 No good thing does he withhold
   from those who walk uprightly.
12O LORD of hosts,
   blessed is the one who trusts in you!

- Psalm 84

A dwelling is a sacred place of refuge, and comfort and strength, or at least it should be.  This week floods have devastated the dwelling places of many of the members of our church.  As I prepared to come into the office this morning (Wednesday), it struck me at how devastating this event has been.  The safety and security of the home has been taken away by what insurance deems, “an act of God.”

 The sons of Korah can teach us something very special though.  Our hearts are ultimately not to yearn for our earthly dwelling places, but for the dwelling place of God.  There our hearts may sing joy and praises to the living God (vv. 2, 4).  There His people are blessed (vv. 4, 5) There alone will they find strength eternal (v.7).  There will they find grace and glory, where no good thing is withheld from those who are righteous (v. 11).

In times such as these, and in all others, let use pray to the Lord God of hosts, that we would find a place in His dwelling, close to the throne of God. Let us find our strength and blessing, our glory and the grace of God in His courts, never forgetting that this place is not our home, and we are just a passin’ through.

rich Folly

For the choir director. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.

     1Hear this, all peoples;
         Give ear, all inhabitants of the world,
    2Both low and high,
         Rich and poor together.
    3My mouth will speak wisdom,
         And the meditation of my heart will be understanding.
    4I will incline my ear to a proverb;
         I will express my riddle on the harp.
    5Why should I fear in days of adversity,
         When the iniquity of my foes surrounds me,
    6Even those who trust in their wealth
         And boast in the abundance of their riches?
    7No man can by any means redeem his brother
         Or give to God a ransom for him–
    8For the redemption of his soul is costly,
         And he should cease trying forever–
    9That he should live on eternally,
         That he should not undergo decay.
    10For he sees that even wise men die;
         The stupid and the senseless alike perish
         And leave their wealth to others.
    11Their inner thought is that their houses are forever
         And their dwelling places to all generations;
         They have called their lands after their own names.
    12But man in his pomp will not endure;
         He is like the beasts that perish.
    13This is the way of those who are foolish,
         And of those after them who approve their words. Selah.
    14As sheep they are appointed for Sheol;
         Death shall be their shepherd;
         And the upright shall rule over them in the morning,
         And their form shall be for Sheol to consume
         So that they have no habitation.
    15But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol,
         For He will receive me. Selah.
    16Do not be afraid when a man becomes rich,
         When the glory of his house is increased;
    17For when he dies he will carry nothing away;
         His glory will not descend after him.
    18Though while he lives he congratulates himself–
         And though men praise you when you do well for yourself–
    19He shall go to the generation of his fathers;
         They will never see the light.
    20Man in his pomp, yet without understanding,
         Is like the beasts that perish.

 - Psalm 49

     With all of the effort of man, nothing is truly everlasting.  Man is a feeble creature; a temporal one. Yet there is nothing more appealing to him than his own ability to provide for himself, for those he loves and all of this for eternity.  Many somehow see the temporary comfort of their riches as a means to eternal life.  Not that they will live forever, but that somehow, if they can acquire enough stuff and amass enough wealth, their name and prodigy will last forever. How sad and underwhelming. Unfortunately, as he psalmist clearly declares, this is at best mere folly. There is nothing of lasting value in the riches of man.  They do not last, but fade or are taken by one’s enemies.

     There is treasure though that will endure.  This treasure is in a relationship with an almighty God, through the redeeming blood of His Son, Jesus Christ. This treasure does last forever, and it does result in eternal life; God having redeemed the soul of the believer from the power of Sheol. Man cannot pursue both God and riches. He must ultimately forsake on for the other (Matthew 6:24).

     The question is what do you pursue? Are you placing your trust in your own ability to acquire for yourself (and even your loved-ones) eternal life?  It cannot be done.  You must simply rely on God to do that for you.  Perhaps you have already accepted the truth and grace of the gift of eternal life from God, but you have forsaken your love for him and chase after things of this world.  You will live forever, but your life here and in eternity will not be as rich.  God wants a relationship with you which is exclusive.  In return, He will give you the desires of your heart (because your desire will be Him).  You may not be materially rich, but you will eventually be blessed beyond all imagination.

poor Perspective

Former Deliverances and Present Troubles.
For the choir director. A Maskil of the sons of Korah.

    1O God, we have heard with our ears,
         Our fathers have told us
         The work that You did in their days,
         In the days of old.
    2You with Your own hand drove out the nations;
         Then You planted them;
         You afflicted the peoples,
         Then You spread them abroad.
    3For by their own sword they did not possess the land,
         And their own arm did not save them,
         But Your right hand and Your arm and the light of Your presence,
         For You favored them.
    4You are my King, O God;
        Command victories for Jacob.
    5Through You we will push back our adversaries;
         Through Your name we will trample down those who rise up against us.
    6For I will not trust in my bow,
         Nor will my sword save me.
    7But You have saved us from our adversaries,
         And You have put to shame those who hate us.
    8In God we have boasted all day long,
         And we will give thanks to Your name forever. Selah.
    9Yet You have rejected us and brought us to dishonor,
         And do not go out with our armies.
    10You cause us to turn back from the adversary;
         And those who hate us have taken spoil for themselves.
    11You give us as sheep to be eaten
         And have scattered us among the nations.
    12You sell Your people cheaply,
         And have not profited by their sale.
    13You make us a reproach to our neighbors,
         A scoffing and a derision to those around us.
    14You make us a byword among the nations,
         A laughingstock among the peoples.
    15All day long my dishonor is before me
         And my humiliation has overwhelmed me,
    16Because of the voice of him who reproaches and reviles,
         Because of the presence of the enemy and the avenger.
    17All this has come upon us, but we have not forgotten You,
         And we have not dealt falsely with Your covenant.
    18Our heart has not turned back,
         And our steps have not deviated from Your way,
    19Yet You have crushed us in a place of jackals
         And covered us with the shadow of death.
    20If we had forgotten the name of our God
         Or extended our hands to a strange god,
    21Would not God find this out?
         For He knows the secrets of the heart.
    22But for Your sake we are killed all day long;
         We are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.
    23 Arouse Yourself, why do You sleep, O Lord?
         Awake, do not reject us forever.
    24Why do You hide Your face
         And forget our affliction and our oppression?
    25For our soul has sunk down into the dust;
         Our body cleaves to the earth.
    26Rise up, be our help,
         And redeem us for the sake of Your loving-kindness.

 - Psalm 44

Have you ever felt like the world was crashing down around you?  Are you a faithful believer who goes to church every time the doors are open, yet nothing in your life is going right?  Is God to blame?  The psalmist seemed to think so, but he is wrong.  He is not looking at his life God’s eyes.

The psalmist opens with praise for the Lord, recounting the days of old.  He remembers hearing about how God USED to bless the people of Israel; how he used to fight for and protect them.  While these things may have been true, he seems to be relying on the memories of others, about how good things used to be. Notice how he does not remember the wanderings in the wilderness, the oppression under pharaoh, or any of the other failures of Israel on the battlefield.  We too often remember the good-ol’ days by looking through rose colored glasses.  Rarely were things as rosy as we remember them

The psalmist is not completely off base though.  He does recognize that with God on their side, that Israel is capable of anything. He extols the virtues, the strengths and the sovereignty of God. When things get bad, do you turn to God? Do you recognize that he is the source of everything good, and that he is more than capable to provide what you need?

Well, he should have stopped there.  Instead, he begins to complain that God has unjustly left them to the whims of their enemies.  He accuses God of selling His people cheaply, of actively participating in their demise, and passively turning His face from them and allowing their enemies to go unchecked. God’s seeming abandonment of his people made it appear that he was asleep and unaware of their plight, prompting the psalmist to ask, “Why do you sleep, O Lord?” This question is followed by the plea, “Awake; do not cast [us] off forever.” Thus the psalmist pleaded for God not to continue acting as if he had forsaken his people, failing to take note of their sad plight. For God to “awake” would denote his effecting their deliverance.

The psalmist could not understand why God hid his face and took no note of their poverty or affliction and distress. It seemed to him that the Most High paid no attention to their distressing circumstances. In not responding with needed aid, he appeared to have forgotten the hardships the people were facing.  We cannot know what has happened that God has seemingly left His people.  However, there is no track record of God acting unjustly, so while it may be difficult to accept, the people were getting what they deserved.  We sometimes get angry with God because we cannot understand why bad things happen.  This is never justified.  We are limited in our perspective, and in our motives.  God is righteous, and just and holy.  He and He alone knows what we need and how best to deliver it for us.

On the basis of God’s compassionate care, abiding loyalty, or steadfast love, the psalmist prayed for help and deliverance. Even when things seem to be going poorly, or especially then, we need to turn to God for his grace and mercy; however, not because we deserve it, but because it glorifies Him.

perfect Law

“The Law of the Lord Is Perfect

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

 1 The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
2 Day to day pours out speech,
and night to night reveals knowledge.
3 There is no speech, nor are there words,
whose voice is not heard.
4 Their voice goes out through all the earth,
and their words to the end of the world.
In them he has set a tent for the sun,
5 which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber,
and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy.
6 Its rising is from the end of the heavens,
and its circuit to the end of them,
and there is nothing hidden from its heat.

7 The law of the Lord is perfect,
reviving the soul;
the testimony of the Lord is sure,
making wise the simple;
8 the precepts of the Lord are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is pure,
enlightening the eyes;
9 the fear of the Lord is clean,
enduring forever;
the rules of the Lord are true,
and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold,
even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey
and drippings of the honeycomb.
11 Moreover, by them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.

12 Who can discern his errors?
Declare me innocent from hidden faults.
13 Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins;
let them not have dominion over me!
Then I shall be blameless,
and innocent of great transgression.

14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in your sight,
O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” - Psalm 19

God’s Glory (vv. 1-6)

David first exclaims that which is self evident through nature; namely, that God is to be glorified. He is the Creator, perfect and holy and there is none above Him. Even those things which seem incapable by man’s standards declare the glory of God. Knowledge of God pours forth from the testimony of creation, and because of this revelation, man is capable of knowing God.

Unfortunately, man chose (and still chooses) to ignore this truth. Instead he exchanges the truth of God for a lie, and instead of the creation worshipping the creator, created man supplants God with an idol and worships himself (Rom. 1:20-23).

God’s Law (vv. 7-11)

Thankfully, God was not satisfied with the decisions of man. Instead of allowing man to continue lost in general knowledge of God, He revealed Himself through His law. His law is not arbitrary. NO! It is a more fully defined explanation of who God is. Because of this it shares His attributes: perfection, wisdom, righteousness, purity, eternity, truth, the absolute highest worth.

While many see the law as a set of precepts for man to follow, and when he fails, condemn him, the truth is that God’s law leads man to a more fully developed understanding of who He is. This results in the ultimate reward.

God’s Grace (vv. 12-14)

How? How does God provide the ultimate reward to man through a law which man cannot keep? David understands that it is because of God’s grace, not man’s works. God, despite man’s failures has declared him innocent. Man is not innocent because of the law; the law only serves to condemn and lead man to Christ. Under the Lordship of Christ, God keeps man from “presumptuous sins.” He protects man from the power and effect of sin (death). The result is a life lived in admiration and praise of the one TRUE God.

Have you met King Jesus? His law is evident through nature, but he tells us so much more through His word the Bible. He wants you to see that He did not come to condemn the world, but to save it. His desire is to save you too.

the Lord looks down

“To the choirmaster. Of David.

1The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds, there is none who does good. 
2The LORD looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. 
3They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one. 
4Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers who eat up my people as they eat bread and do not call upon the LORD? 
5There they are in great terror, for God is with the generation of the righteous. 
6You would shame the plans of the poor, but the LORD is his refuge. 
7Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When the LORD restores the fortunes of his people, let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.” - Psalm 14

The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
(Psalm 14:1a)

The truth often hurts. Relational absence with God results in nothing but folly. Paul explain this well in his letter to the Romans, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. From what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse” (Rom 1:18-20). Yet, referring to these people as fools is only the beginning:

They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds,
there is none who does good.
The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man,
to see if there are any who understand,
who seek after God.
They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt;
there is none who does good,
not even one.

(Psalm 14:1b-3)

Paul, in his use of this passage (Romans 3:10-12) explains the truth of who we are in relation to a Holy God. Notice the building cascade of truth God allows the reader to see as he looks down upon man: 1) do any understand; 2) do any seek after God; 3) all have turned aside; 4) together they become corrupt; 5) no one does good; 6) not even one. This is who we are, totally corrupt; without God, that is how we would remain. Therefore it is completely understandable that the psalmist would ask:

Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers
who eat up my people as they eat bread
and do not call upon the Lord?

(Psalm 14:4)

Yet the truth still remains that all are under sin. So why would they call upon the Lord? It all comes down to whom do you fear: man or God:

There they are in great terror,
for God is with the generation of the righteous.
You would shame the plans of the poor,
but the Lord is his refuge.
Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
When the Lord restores the fortunes of his people,
let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.

(Psalm 14:5-7)

Pure undeserved grace is the answer. As Psalm 14 unfolds, it is clear that all of humanity is totally corrupt and depraved; that the psalmist yearns for salvation and restoration. The psalmist trusts God, he knows that salvation from Zion is eminent. This is because his heart is filled with grace. David wrote of the people around him, the false pious Judaism of the day. These people were fools for they denied the existence of God. But this fact illustrates grace in its rawest, most pure form. As Spurgeon attests: “Do we not confess that we by nature are corrupt, and do we not bless the sovereign grace which has renewed us in the spirit of our minds, that sin may no more have dominion over us, but that grace may rule and reign?”

Some people just don’t get it.

- Mac

just God

A Psalm of Thanksgiving for God’s Justice.
For the choir director; on Muth-labben. A Psalm of David. 

1 I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart;
I will tell of all Your wonders.
2 I will be glad and exult in You;
I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.
3 When my enemies turn back,
They stumble and perish before You.
4 For You have maintained my just cause;
You have sat on the throne judging righteously.
5 You have rebuked the nations, You have destroyed the wicked;
You have blotted out their name forever and ever.
6 The enemy has come to an end in perpetual ruins,
And You have uprooted the cities;
The very memory of them has perished.
7 But the LORD abides forever;
He has established His throne for judgment,
8 And He will judge the world in righteousness;
He will execute judgment for the peoples with equity.
9 The LORD also will be a stronghold for the oppressed,
A stronghold in times of trouble;
10 And those who know Your name will put their trust in You,
For You, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.
11 Sing praises to the LORD, who dwells in Zion;
Declare among the peoples His deeds.
12 For He who requires blood remembers them;
He does not forget the cry of the afflicted.
13 Be gracious to me, O LORD;
See my affliction from those who hate me,
You who lift me up from the gates of death,
14 That I may tell of all Your praises,
That in the gates of the daughter of Zion
I may rejoice in Your salvation.
15 The nations have sunk down in the pit which they have made;
In the net which they hid, their own foot has been caught.
16 The LORD has made Himself known;
He has executed judgment.
In the work of his own hands the wicked is snared.

Higgaion Selah.

17 The wicked will return to Sheol,
Even all the nations who forget God.
18 For the needy will not always be forgotten,
Nor the hope of the afflicted perish forever.
19 Arise, O LORD, do not let man prevail;
Let the nations be judged before You.
20 Put them in fear, O LORD;
Let the nations know that they are but men.

Selah

Psalm 9

 

It is important to remember the strain with which David writes the Psalms, seeking protection from his enemies, and from God’s enemies. The order of the Psalms are no accident.  Spurgeon notes that just as Psalm 7 was continued into the eighth, so Psalm 9 opens with an apparent reference to eight:

 I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart;
I will tell of all Your wonders.
I will be glad and exult in You;
I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.

 As if “Your name” so highly praised in the former Psalm was still ringing in the ear of David as he writes for praise, petition, and protection. 

David arranges the Psalm into two sections with verses 1-6 as a song of jubilant thanksgiving for what God has done in the past. Verses 7-12 serve as a declaration of God’s future faithfulness. Verses 13-14 end this first section in prayer.   The second portion is a shorter parallel to the first: verses 15-16  are a song of past judgments; verses 17-18 declare David’s trust for future justice; verses 19&20 are a closing prayer.

God Precedes (vv. 1-6)

David recognizes that everything he has comes from God. God precedes the righteous in every step of their lives. Their hope, protection, provision, and praise is due to this truth. In the end, David is victorious not because he is king or a mighty warrior.  Just the opposite, it is because God has provided for David’s failures and weaknesses. David praises God for this and extols his Lord for the things which He has provided.

 God Continues (vv.7-12)

David then goes on to announce that God will continue in His provision, protection and righteous justice forever.  David has hope for the future, because God will always be there.  Notice that while there will be ever more who “know” the name of God, and will turn to Him; God’s actions are not dependent upon their response or action.  He will continue in Holiness and righteousness because that is who He is.

 God Remembers (vv. 13-14)

God remembers those who are afflicted and who call out to Him.  David transitions between the two sections with this truth resulting to a prayer of hope. He knows that if he calls out, God will not deny him grace.

 Sin Precedes (vv.15-16)

Just as God precedes the righteous, the wicked are preceded by sin.  It goes out before them, as a trap of their own making.  This sin is the rejection of God, for He has made himself known to all men. This sin will also precede the wicked into eventual judgment.

 Wicked Fail (vv.17-18)

While God Continues, the wicked will fail.  They will go into Sheol, to be separated from God forever.  Why?  David seems to imply that it is for retribution for the poor and week and needy.  It is not for their sake, however, but for God’s Holiness that they must fail eternally.  They will never rise up to commit sin again. But, those who have been righteous can be assured that they will see justice.

Judgment Comes (vv.19-20)

David makes one of the greatest statements here.  Let the nations know they are “but men.”  They are not God.  They do not precede anything.  They cannot continue of their own will.  They will not deliver themselves, much less anyone else.  Their fate is just, it is final, it is eternal.  The nations are not God, nor are they heirs of God.

 The Hope of David in You

Is there such hope and praise in you as there was in David?  David was facing real enemies, bent upon his destruction, and yet he had confidence and hope. If you are struggling today, praise God, for He has preceded you into the situation, and He will continue to see you through.  Rest easy in Him and He will exchange yokes with you. He will take your heavy burdensome weight, and give you the light yoke.

- Mac

An Evening Hymn…

“Evening Prayer of Trust in God.
For the choir director; on stringed instruments. A Psalm of David.

1Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness!
You have relieved me in my distress;
Be gracious to me and hear my prayer.
2O sons of men, how long will my honor become a reproach?
How long will you love what is worthless and aim at deception? Selah.

3But know that the LORD has set apart the godly man for Himself;
The LORD hears when I call to Him.
4Tremble, and do not sin;
Meditate in your heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.

5Offer the sacrifices of righteousness,
And trust in the LORD.
6Many are saying, “Who will show us any good?”
Lift up the light of Your countenance upon us, O LORD!
7You have put gladness in my heart,
More than when their grain and new wine abound.
8In peace I will both lie down and sleep,
For You alone, O LORD, make me to dwell in safety.” - Psalm 4

This Psalm is apparently intended to accompany the third, and make a pair with it. If the last may be entitled THE MORNING PSALM, Psalm 4 could be entitled THE EVENING HYMN. The Inspired title is: “To the chief Musician on Neginoth, a Psalm of David,” thus we can assume that as the Third, David is the author here as well. Finally, the term Neginoth means stringed instruments, as opposed to horns or drums. This would have been a soothing hymn.

There are three divisions within this Psalm. The first is a Cry for Grace (v. 1). The second is a Cry for Holiness (vv.2-5) and the Third is a Cry of Praise (VV.6-8).

A Cry for Grace

David realizes that he has no business attaining an audience with God. While verse one initially sounds like it is a demand, it is actually a plea from David for God to extend his Grace to him, just as He has done in the past, one more time.

A Cry for Holiness

David also knows that God is a perfect and holy God who has been mocked by David’s enemies. However, instead of calling upon God to destroy those enemies, David calls upon them to change their ways. They are to turn from their wicked lives, meditate upon the understanding of who God is, and respond in appropriate worship.

A Cry of Praise

David indicates his own understanding of who God is in this last section. While others are seeking God’s blessings and not recognizing when/what He has already provided, David knows and understands who God is…David’s source of sustenance, provision, rest and peace.

Oh Lord our Protector and Sustainer

We, like David, live in a hostile world. And, like David we are no different from those who hate God, except that we have accepted by faith the grace that He has provided to us through His Son Jesus Christ. If our desire is to have the rest and peace that David enjoyed, we need to follow the same formula that David gave to his enemies:

1. Tremble, and do not sin – we are to live a life of holiness, because the God who provides for us is holy.
2. Meditate in your heart – spend time in disciplined study and prayer so that our relationship with God continues to grow in our knowledge of Him.
3. Offer the sacrifices of righteousness – worship the God of this universe with all that is due Him. Do not try to cut corners, but worship with everything we have.
4. Trust in the LORD – He is sovereign. He is capable of providing for all our needs. He will take protect His own. He alone is God, we are not.

- Mac