Sunday Scripture

 Time for another Sunday Scripture!  Again today we're continuing my simple study of Psalms.  You can see a copy of the journal I'm using here: The Book of Psalms 1-50 or you can find all the resources simply by scrolling down on the same page.  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've been attempting to journal an answer to.  Today we're looking at Psalm 39.  We were to zero in on verse 1, but I chose to SOAP verses 1-3. 

S= "I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue; I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me.

"I was dumb with silence; I held my peace, even from good, and my sorrow was stirred.

"My heart was hot within me; while I was musing, the fire burned; then spoke I with my tongue."  (Psalm 39:1-3)

O= Psalm 39 is titled by C.I. Scofield in the Scofield Study Bible as "The frailty of man".  ESV titles it "What Is the Measure of My Days?"

The biblical heading of this psalm is "To the chief musician, even to Jeduthun. A Psalm of David."  Scofield explains that Jeduthun was "a Levite, chief singer and instructor."  He is mentioned in the headings of Psalm 39, 62, and 77.

Bible Gateway notes: "The psalm opens with David muzzling his mouth because he was so angry at the wicked that he feared he would say something sinful about them. Yet suppressed anguish only intensified the agony, so he speaks, asking God to show him how fleeting life is.

Cross-references for "take heed to my ways" -- "That the LORD may continue His word which He spoke concerning me, saying, If thy children take heed to their way, to walk before Me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail thee (said He) a man on the throne of Israel."  (1 Kings 2:4)

"But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the LORD God of Israel with all his heart; for he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam, who made Israel to sin."  (2 Kings 10:31)

Cross-reference for "sin not with my tongue" -- "What?  Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?  In all this did not Job sin with his lips."  (Job 2:10)

Cross-reference for "keep my mouth with a bridle" -- "Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile."  (Psalm 34:13)

"Bridle" literally means "a bridle or a muzzle for my mouth."

Verse 2 reminds me of Psalm 77:4b -- "I am so troubled that I cannot speak."

Cross-references for "dumb (or mute) with silence"  -- "I was dumb; I opened not my mouth; because Thou didst it."  (Psalm 39:9)

"Then Job answered the LORD, and said, Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer Thee?  I will lay mine hand upon my mouth.  Once I have spoken, but I will not answer; yea, twice, but I will proceed no further."  (Job 40:3-5)

"But I, like a deaf man, heard not; and I was like a dumb man who openeth not his mouth."  (Psalm 38:13

Cross -references for "My heart was hot within me" -- "Then I said, I will not make mention of Him, nor speak any more in His name.  But His Word was in mine heart and like a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not refrain."  (Jeremiah 20:9)

"And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while He talked with us along the way, and while He opened to us the Scriptures?"  (Luke 24:32)

I've heard it said of Psalm 39:3 that since David's heart was hot with anger, and the fire burned in his heart as he mused on his situation, that what came out when he spoke was an angry outburst.  This sounds logical, until you notice that there's a colon at the end of verse 3.  What he actually said is recorded in verses 4-5 -- "Lord, make me to know my end, and what is the measure of my days, that I may know how frail I am."  

A= When I feel emotional, that is just the time to remember my frailties and to ask for God's supernatural help in responding as He would have me to.  In every situation of life I need to pay attention to what I am doing and how I am responding.

"He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down and without walls."  (Proverbs 25:28)

"He that refraineth his lips is wise." (Proverbs 10:19b)

"Let your moderation be known unto all men.  The Lord is at hand."  (Philippians 4:5)

Bible Gateway suggests, "For application, meditative silence can allow us time to reflect on the real reasons behind our anger and pain, and we are often able to live with greater clarity and purpose when we face the reality of death."

P= "Lord, how thankful I am for the truths of Your Word that make it so clear how You would have us as Your children to conduct ourselves.  You have given us emotions and yet You desire for us to manage those emotions for Your glory.  I pray that You will help me to guard my speech and to refrain from any sinful responses.  I know I can't do this in my own strength, so I ask for Your supernatural help --  and praise You for all You will do, in Jesus' name, Amen."

Reflection question: In Psalm 39, David is emotional.  He goes from anger to crying.  David worked hard to not sin with his mouth.  Though he kept quiet, his feelings did not dissipate.  

When you feel emotional, do you guard your mouth and keep it from sin?  What can we learn from the heart of David in today's Psalm?

My response: This is so important!  And it goes against our natural tendencies, for sure.  I have been in situations where it it's nearly impossible not to burst out emotionally in response to someone else's words or actions.  I've seen situations where God helped me to remain calm while shaking on the inside.  I've also seen situations where I had to leave the room before I told someone to shut up!  

No matter how we may feel, we know that God has set very specific guidelines for our speech.  Bitterness, wrath, clamor, evil speaking and malice are to be put away from us.  Our speech must be gracious and edifying..

This is a very quick look at Psalm 39:1-3.  There is so much more to be gleaned from Psalm 39, so I encourage you to dig into Scripture for yourself!