Psalm 4

Podcast

Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr.

“When I call out, answer me, my righteous God.
In the straits, You set me free.
Have mercy upon me and hear my prayer” Psalm 4:1

Intro: Do you have a favorite psalm; for instance, Psalm 23?

Whether one psalm speaks to me and another one doesn’t,
– depends a lot on my mood at the time I read them
• the Psalms are moody, and some of them match my mood perfectly
• whenever a psalm speaks to me, it’s effect is palpable
◦ it not only gives me something to think about,
◦ but also stirs up significant feelings
– the Psalms speak to our frustrations, conflicts, and heartaches
• there are psalms that encourage and console
• others give us wise counsel and guidance
• more than once, a psalm has met me in my grief
• many psalms are reminders that God is with us

Walking through Psalm 4 yesterday morning was therapeutic
– what I want to do this morning,
• is share with you what that psalm did for me
– I am reading Robert Alter’s translation of the Psalms
• he is a scholar who appreciates the uniqueness of Hebrew poetry
• and is able to bring out the literary beauty of the Psalms

The psalm begins with what all of us desire when we pray
“When I call out, answer me, my righteous God.
In the straits, You set me free.
Have mercy upon me and hear my prayer” Psalm 4:1

When we call out to God, we want an answer — a word of advice:
I have found it’s best to not ask for a specific answer
• like most everyone, I have financial concerns
◦ but I know better than to ask God to rig the lottery
• we can specify our situation or our need,
◦ but prepare ourselves for however God chooses to meet it
◦ sometimes–maybe often–we get an answer like Paul received
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9)
– I can accept an answer like that, but can I accept it as well as Paul did?
“For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor. 12:10)
• I’m probably not there yet – and that may be God’s answer to my prayer;
• that I need to move to a place of greater maturity

In the straits – the Hebrew word translated straits means a narrow or tight space
– when we experience “dire straits” like intense stress or anxiety,
• our brains automatically fixate on the problem
◦ this is sometimes referred to as “tunnel vision”
◦ we lose sight of the big picture
• so the poet begins by recalling his history with God:
“In the straits, You set me free”
◦ more than once, a psalm has expanded my vision
◦ peace came immediately – and soon after peace, the answer arrived
– the poet’s opens his prayer with a third significant thought:
“Have mercy upon me”
• it would never occur to me, to think I deserve an answer (or anything from God)
◦ I’m well aware that everything that comes from God is a gift
“and hear my prayer”
• in Hebrew, “hear” combines two thoughts: listen and respond
◦ the same word is sometimes translated “obey”
◦ God’s mercy allows us to go forward with our prayer, anticipating his response

“Sons of man, how long will My glory be shamed?
You love vain things and seek out lies.
But know that the LORD set apart His faithful.
The LORD will hear when I call to him” Psalm 4:2-3
I doubt we could have seen these lines coming
– the voice shifts from the poet to God – with an immediate response
• God knows already what’s on the poet’s mind and the contents of his prayer
• besides that, God shares his concern–in fact, he takes it personally
– sometimes–many times–people are the problem
• in this instance, rather than honor God by right actions,
◦ they ignore God’s glory, as if it meant nothing, had no value
◦ they’re actions are an embarrassment to God (they shame his glory)
• the poet instantly picks up on that – he agrees with God
◦ this is the problem, and why he prays
– he definitely does not share the crowd’s values or actions
• but he is content to leave them in God’s hands
◦ and in that way he is enabled to go on and find the peace he craves
◦ God doesn’t always require us to butt heads with buttheads
• the poet belongs to God’s faithful followers, set apart from others
◦ now he’s confident that God will hear his prayer

After verse 2, there’s a strange little word in right hand margin,
– selah – and no one knows for certain what it means
• most conjecture that it’s a musical notation
• I usually ignore it, but sometimes I treat it like a prompt to “stop and think about this”

The remainder of the poem is a sequence of instructions

I assume that all of us are familiar with the agitation the poet felt
– the belligerent, hurtful, foolish, or threatening words of others
• the “vain things,” as God says in verse 2, and the lies that people rant
◦ empty words actions pouring out of empty heads,
◦ stirs up unpleasant emotions that can keep us awake at night
• the poet has some enlightened advice for us
◦ we’ll take it one step at a time

“Quake, and do not offend.
Speak in your hearts on your beds, and be still” Psalm 4:4
Quake: I think he’s saying, “Acknowledge your agitation”
– bring awareness to what you’re feeling – name it
• negative feelings and emotions have more force when not identified
• there’s a “part two” in this verse: do not offend – sin, miss the mark
◦ don’t ruminate on those feelings or act on them
◦ don’t make a bad situation worse
– then, do some “heart talk” – Speak in your hearts
• there’s a good example of this in Psalm 42
“Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?” (Ps. 42:5)
◦ another “part 2” in the second line: “and be still”
◦ develop healthy habits of self-soothing (it’s easy to adopt bad ones)
• when our brains are most reactive we find it hard to shut them off
◦ cultivate stillness – relax every muscle in your body
◦ release every thought in your mind

Next:
“Offer righteous sacrifices
and trust in the LORD” Psalm 4:5

Do the right thing when others are doing wrong things
– I suggest we go with modern meaning of sacrifice, which is above and beyond
– trust is the centerpiece of the psalm – of everything in the psalm and in the whole of the Scriptures
• I love the word TRUST, and God brings me back to it all the time
• this is what makes the other instructions work

Next:
“Many say, ‘Who will show us good things?’
Lift up the light of Your face to us, LORD” Psalm 4:6
– our response to the negative attitude of the “many” voices
• a dismal outlook, that nothing good is coming to us from any direction
– to dial into those good things, receive God’s benediction – his blessing
• that is essentially the thrust of the second line of this verse
The LORD bless you and keep you;
the LORD make his face to shine upon you;
the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace (Nu. 6:24-26)

Then:
“You put joy in my heart,
from the time their grain and their drink did abound” Psalm 4:6
– look for joy – open your heart to joy

And finally:
“In peace, all whole, let me lie down and sleep.
For You, LORD, alone, do set me down safely” Psalm 4:7
– one of the great concerns in our nation today is safety and security
– this is a beautiful way for the poetic prayer to resolve
• we sleep peacefully while God continues to work through the night

Conclusion: I’ll wrap this up with lyrics from an old hymn

Be still, my soul! the Lord is on your side;
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain;
Leave to your God to order and provide;
In ev’ry change he faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul! your best, your heav’nly friend
Thru’ thorny ways leads to a joyful end.