Sunday Scripture

 

 It's time for another Sunday Scripture!  This is the fourth post of what will be an ongoing series on my simple study of Psalms.  You can see a copy of the journal here: The Book of Psalms 1-50 or you can find all the resources right here on Women Living Well, Psalms 1-50.  I'm attempting to SOAP each Psalm too, though some of them are longer so I will likely only do a selected passage from many of them. [Quick reminder that S stands for Scripture; O stands for for observation; A stands for application, and P stands for prayer.]  Each psalm's study also includes a reflection question, which I will attempt to journal an answer to.  Today's study is from Psalm 4.  

S= "Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness.  Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.
"O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame?  How long will ye love vanity, and seek after falsehood?  Selah.
"But know that the LORD hath set apart him who is godly for himself; the LORD will hear when I call unto Him.
"Stand in awe, and sin not; commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still.  Selah.
"Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the LORD.
"There are many that say, Who will show us any good?  LORD, lift Thou up the light of Thy countenance upon us.
"Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their grain and their wine increased.
"I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; for Thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety."  (Psalm 4)

O= The heading for this psalm is "To the chief Musician on Neginoth, A Psalm of David".  Neginoth means "stringed instruments".   Scofield has titled this psalm "An evening psalm" just as he titled Psalm 3 "A morning psalm".  Some scholars (Spurgeon is one) feel that Psalm 4, like Psalm 3, was written at the time of Absalom's treachery.  

Cross-references for "righteousness" (v.1) -- "No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper, and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn.  This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is from Me, saith the LORD."  (Isaiah 54:17)

"In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely; and this is His name whereby He shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS."  (Jeremiah 23:6)

For the phrase "enlarged me"  (v.1) a reference of Job 36:16 is given for comparison: "Even so, would He have removed thee out of distress into a broad place, where there is no restrant; and that which shall be set on thy table shall be full of fatness."

Note concerning "enlarged me" (v.1) -- "David was in trouble and helpless.  The LORD gave him strength and courage.  David was 'enlarged'; he became a greater man for the tasks ahead of him." -- C.I. Scofield

Cross-reference for "lies" (v.2) -- "Thou shalt destroy those who speak falsehood; the LORD will abhor the bloody and deceitful man."  (Psalm 5:6)

Cross-reference for "will hear" (v.3) -- "The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."  (James 5:16b)

I was quite interested in how different translations of the Bible began verse 4.  My KJV Bible begins this verse: "Stand in awe, and sin not." The NKJV says, "Be angry, and sin not".  The ESV says "Be angry, and do not sin."  NASB says, "Tremble, and do not sin."

Adam Clarke explains that the clause could be translated this way: " If ye be angry, and if ye think ye have cause to be angry; do not let your disaffection carry you to acts of rebellion against both God and your king. Consider the subject deeply before you attempt to act. Do nothing rashly; do not justify one evil act by another: sleep on the business; converse with your own heart upon your bed; consult your pillow."

Cross-reference for "sin not" (v.4) -- "Be ye angry, and sin not; let not the sun go down upon your wrath."  (Ephesians 4:26)

Cross-reference for "commune with your own heart" (v.4) -- "I call to remembrance my song in the night; I commune with mine own heart, and my spirit made diligent search."  (Psalm 77:6)

Cross-reference for "upon your bed" (v.4) -- "Yet the LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night His song shall be with me, and my prayer to the God of my life."  (Psalm 34:8)

Cross-reference for "sacrifices of righteousness' (v. 5) -- "They shall call the people unto the mountain; there shall they offer sacrifices of righteousness, for they shall suck the abundance of the seas, and treasures hidden in the sand."  Deuteronomy 33:19)

Bridgeway Bible Commentary notes: "In this psalm David begins by praying to God (4:1), and then turns to speak to his enemies and to his supporters. He accuses his enemies of disloyalty, self-seeking and too easily believing Absalom’s lies in joining the rebellion. He assures them they will be defeated, for God is on the side of David (2-3). To his supporters David gives the calm advice that they must not have thoughts of hatred and revenge. Their thoughts must be centred on God and their actions must reflect their devotion to him (4-5)."

Cross-references for "lift Thou up the light of Thy countenance" (v. 6) -- "The LORD lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace."  (Numbers 6:26)

"Restore us, O God, and cause Thy face to shine, and we shall be saved." (Psalm 80:3)

"Make Thy face to shine upon Thy servant, and teach me Thy statutes."  (Psalm 119:135)

Cross-reference for "goodness" (v.7) -- "Thou hast multiplied the nation, and increased the joy; they rejoice before Thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil."  (Isaiah 9:3)

Cross-reference for "lie down" (v.8) -- "And thou shalt be secure, because there is hope; yea, thou shalt dig about thee, and thou shalt take thy rest in safety." (Job 11:18-19a)

Cross-references for "dwell in safety" (v.8) -- "Wherefore ye shall do My statutes, and keep Mine ordinances, and do them; and ye shall dwell in the land in safety.  And the land shall yield his fruit, and ye shall eat your fill, and dwell therein in safety."  (Leviticus 25:18-19)

"But when ye go over the Jordan, and dwell in the land which the LORD your God giveth you to inherit, and when He giveth you rest from all your enemies round about, so that ye dwell in safety."  (Deuteronomy 12:10)

A=  Warren Wiersbe noted in With the Word that David "could not do much about the war around him, but he could do something about the war within him.  He did not want to lie in bed and worry, so he committed himself and his situation to the Lord.  He asked.  Asking the Lord for help is still a good way to deal with inner turmoil.  He believed.  He faced his anger honestly and gave it to the Lord ...  He received.  In the darkness, he saw the face of God and received light.  In his sorrow, he discovered the gift of gladness.  In the time of battle, he received peace.  God did not immediately change the situation, but He did change David."

As I look at this psalm, I see David calling out to God first in his trouble, noting the righteousness of God and how He has previously enlarged him in his distress.  Next he turns to the "sons of men", addressing his enemies and possibly, in verses 3-5, his supporters as well.  In verses 6-8 he goes back to addressing God, and in verse 8 expressing his ability to sleep peacefully, knowing that God is keeping him safe.

The reflection question provides even more application for this psalm, so scroll on down to read that question and my response.

P= "Lord, I praise You for all that can be learned from this psalm concerning adversity and anger.  Help me always to turn to You first in trouble, remembering how You've cared for me in the past, and that You are always the One who makes me dwell in safety.  Help me to follow these priceless instructions for handling anger -- to not sin; to meditate and search my own heart; to be still; to do what's right; and put my trust in You.  I thank and praise You for Your love and care for me, and for the gladness You have put in my heart, in Jesus' name, Amen."

Reflection question for this psalm:  David instructed his people what to do when they found themselves getting angry: do not sin, search your heart, be still, offer right sacrifice and trust in the Lord.  How can you apply these instructions to your life when you feel anger creeping into your heart?

My response: Sometimes anger may be justifiable, but we're not to sin in our anger.  I would say that to "meditate within your heart" might include searching your own heart, but it can also surely involve meditating on God's Word and on what He has done in the past.  The instruction to "be still" makes me think of other verses: "stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD"(2 Chronicles 20:17) and "Be still, and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10).  I'd guess "sacrifices of righteousness" might involve serving God from a pure heart, not harboring sinful anger or bitterness.  We trust the Lord to work in our situation.  He knows what is making us angry and will help us to handle our anger correctly.

And there is today's simple study of Psalm 4.  I hope it's a blessing to someone!