A Psalm of Joy -- 6/15/08

Sunday, June 15, 2008

A PSALM OF JOY
Psalm 4

This morning we will be looking at Psalm 4. We will divide it into three sections. We will address each section, but we will give more attention to the second than the first, and even more to the third. I believe that is the flavor of this Psalm, as David brings it to a great climax at the end. We read Psalm 3 earlier. Now let’s go ahead and read Psalm 4…
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. 2. O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? how long will ye love vanity, and seek after leasing? Selah. 3. But know that the LORD hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the LORD will hear when I call unto him. 4. Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah. 5. Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the LORD. 6. There be many that say, Who will show us any good? LORD, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us. 7. Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased. 8. I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.

Down through the years, there have been those who have taught that this Psalm is intended to be a companion to Psalm 3. When we read them together, it is easy to see why. For example, look at Ps. 3:2-3, “Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah. But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.” Now compare that with Ps. 4:6, “There be many that say, Who will show us any good? Lord, lift thou up the light of countenance upon us.” There is a strong parallel between the two. This kind of correspondence runs throughout these Psalms. I will leave you to explore that on your own.

This morning we want to turn our attention to Psalm 4. I will put each section in the form of a saint addressing the Lord Himself. The divisions look like this…
I. We Cry to You for Mercy (1)
II. We Speak Your Truth Boldy (2-5)
III. We Delight in You (6-8)

I. We Cry to You for Mercy (1)

Verse 1, “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.” You may say, “Why would David cry for mercy? He was a man after God’s own heart. Shouldn’t the ungodly, the unbeliever, cry for mercy? But why should a man like David cry for mercy?” Please allow me to quote from Charles Spurgeon. By the way, I may quote him several times. I find his meditations on this Psalm to be priceless. Spurgeon says: “The best of men need mercy as truly as the worst of men. All the deliverances of saints, as well as the pardons of sinners, are the free gifts of heavenly grace” (The Treasury of David; Vol. 1, p. 35). If we think we no longer need God’s mercy, let us go back and read the Psalms of David. Or just let us reflect upon Heb. 4:14-16…

Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. 15. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 16. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

David addresses the Lord as “O God of my righteousness.” That phrase is not found anywhere else in the scripture. Surely he is saying that God is the author of his righteous. God is the one who gives him righteousness and who must maintain that righteousness. And so it is with every child of God. We can speak of “my righteousness” only in the sense that it is the righteousness that comes from God through Christ. Praise God for the promise of II Cor. 5:21, “For he made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

Notice how the Psalmist appeals to past mercies as the basis of his plea for present favor from the Lord. He is reminded that in the past God showed mercy. God was merciful when enlarged David in time of distress. This is a military figure. There were times when David was surrounded by the enemy. He was pressed in. There was no room to move any direction. But in that distress, the Lord enlarged him. The Lord dealt with his enemies and gave him freedom to move about again. Perhaps there is also a reference to spiritual enlargement, the enlargement of the heart. We read of this in Ps. 119:32, “I will run the way of thy commandments, when thou shalt enlarge my heart.”

On the basis of what God had done in the past, David cried out, “Have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.” Isn’t that beautiful. How can we doubt the Lord’s ability to deliver us in the present, after all we have seen Him do in the past? Jesus reprimanded His own disciples for forgetting His past mercies. He told them their hearts were hardened in that they didn’t remember how He fed the 5,000 and then the 4,000 (Mark 6:15-21).

When you are in a crisis, do you let the Lord remind you of His mercies in the past? Do you thankfully remind the Lord of His mercies in the past? O that we might learn from the example of David.

II. We Speak the Truth Boldly (2-5)

Again, I am struck by the words of Spurgeon: “Observe, that David speaks first to God and then to men. Surely we should all speak the more boldly to men if we had more converse [conversation] with God. He who dares to face his Maker will not tremble before the sons of men” (p. 34). The confidence with which he addresses his enemies in verses 2-5 comes from his relationship to the Almighty God who created the universe.

He addresses his enemies with these words: “O ye sons of men.” Those words carry an idea of greatness. These were mighty men. Wisdom would seem to say that these men were to be feared, but that would not be the wisdom of God. Though they were mighty men, David spoke to them as if they were children. “O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? How long will ye love vanity and seek after leasing?” “Leasing” is a word that refers to lying and deceit. Do you hear what David is saying? He is warning these great ones to consider their ways. They delight in outward appearance that is gained through pretending and deceit. As for David, they have no regard for the fact that God has anointed him as king. Though they had a reputation as great men, David saw them as foolish and addressed them courageously.

Now come to verse 3. “But know this.” Here is one thing David wanted them to make note of. “Don’t forget this. The Lord has separated the godly man for himself. The Lord will hear when I call unto him.” What a powerful principle – the Lord has set apart him that is godly for Himself. We see the truth of this principle more clearly, because we have the privilege of viewing it from the other side of the cross. A person does not prove himself to be godly, and then God separates that person unto Himself. No. Rather, the Lord justifies the man that is ungodly. Then he sets apart that one who has been made godly through the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Remember, there is none godly, there is none that seeks God, there is none that does good. If God did not justify the ungodly, no one would ever be righteous.

What a privilege to be set apart unto God. Jesus said, “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you…” (John 15:16). And that choosing by the Son of God was in pursuing the eternal plan of the Father, “according as he hath chosen us in him (in Christ) before the foundation of the world.” What confidence and courage we can gain from God’s election of His children. We may face people who are mighty in this world, but rest assured that God has set apart the godly for Himself. The Lord will hear when we call unto Him!

In verse 4, David becomes more bold and gives a stern warning to his enemies. Ps. 4:4, "Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah." Translations of this verse will differ quite a bit. Stand in awe speaks of an attitude of reverence. The NASV puts it like this: “Tremble, and do not sin.” When David speaks of standing in awe or trembling, He is focusing upon the greatness of God. How can you not tremble in the presence of the Almighty God? What a message for our world today. Our world has it upside down; it sins and trembles not. But the warning here is to tremble and sin not.

Then he urges his enemies to take time to consider these matters. “Commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still.” Again, how appropriate for our day. We live in a time when one of the greatest downfalls of man is busyness. The more mankind ignores his creator, the busier he makes himself. That is no accident. Man has to have some way to hide from God. It does no good to try to find a physical place shielded from God, for if he ascends into the heavens, God is there; if he descends into the lowest places, God is there. But maybe, just maybe, he can keep himself so busy that he won’t have to consider his Creator. That is nothing new. David was aware that this is the nature of man. Regardless of how busy a person is, there comes the time when he must lay himself down on the pillow and get some sleep. In those quiet moments, it is more difficult to shut out the questions, the doubt, the guilt. So David urges them to take that time for consideration. As he says elsewhere, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the heathen; I will be exalted in the earth” (Ps. 46:10). Don’t try to squirm from beneath the truth; be still and face the Lord Himself.

You will notice the “Selah” at the end of verse 2 and again at the end of verse 4. There are some different ideas about the meaning of the term, but consider the way the Amplified Version amplifies it: “Selah (pause, and calmly think about that.” These are critical warnings that David is issuing to men who are bound for destruction. They will prove themselves wise if they do indeed slow down and carefully consider what is being said.

In verse 5, David gives the positive side. The order is not accidental. It is no accident that Jesus would said, “Repent and believer,” rather than “Believe and repent.” While repentance and faith are two sides of the same coin, repentance claims the priority. After David’s enemies have acknowledged the wrongdoing of loving vanity and seeking lying and deception, they can then “offer the sacrifices of righteousness and trust in the Lord.” That is exactly what David urges them to do. There is a life that is infinitely better than pretense and deception, and it is the life that finds righteousness through trust in the true and living God.

No doubt, David was saying far more than he understand when he urged them to offer the sacrifices of righteousness. When a Jew offered sacrifice in a righteous manner, with the proper motivation, he was looking to His Redeemer, the Lamb of God. Though he didn’t have perfect understanding, the sacrifice he offered was a picture (a type) of Jesus, who would be the propitiation for his sins. Notice how the offering of these sacrifices of righteousness are coupled closely with trust in the Lord.

III. We Delight in You (6-8)

Now we come to the best part of this Psalm. David has cried out to the Lord for mercy. He has spoken boldly to his enemies, who were persecuting him unjustly, treating him shamefully. But now David is going to turn his attention solely to the Lord. He has urged his enemies to trust the Lord. Now He will praise the name of the Lord. He will testify of the sweetness of trusting Him.

Listen again to verse 6, “There be many that say, Who will show us any good? Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us.” Don’t miss the impact of this little verse. I have read over it many times. I have memorized it as a part of this Psalm. But recently the Lord has blessed me with its great truth. I don’t understand everything about it, but I do understand that there is something here we need to catch hold of.

Many say, “Who will show us any good?” That could be taken in a number of different ways. Perhaps there is reference to those who have become cynical and refuse to see any good at all. With great skepticism they say, “Who will show us any good?” They have lost the capacity to believe there is anything good. They have a frown for each and every situation. On the other hand, they may laugh and carry on, but deep within they have come to believe that it’s only a temporary reprieve from the reality that all is vanity, that there is nothing good in this world or the next.

More likely, David is addressing the tendency of man to walk by sight rather than by faith. “Who will show us any good? If someone will do us good, we will follow him.” Doesn’t that remind you of the people who pursued Jesus. Remember the feeding of the 5,000, and that was only the men, excluding the women and children. He fed that mob of people with 5 loaves of bread and two small fish. The people were so impressed that they tried to force Jesus to be their king. He would have none of it. Realizing the power of such temptation, Jesus withdrew the mountain to be with His Father. He sent the multitude away and told His disciples to get in the boat and go back across the Sea of Galilee. You will remember the great storm that suddenly rocked their boat and how Jesus calmed that storm.

What I want to focus on are the events of the next day. When the people couldn’t find Jesus, they crossed the sea in search of Him. And when they found Him, they asked, “When did you get here?” But Jesus knew they weren’t really interested in when He got there, but in what He could do for them. Ignoring the question they asked, Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly I say to you. You are not seeing me because you saw the miracles, but because you ate the meal I prepared and were filled.” Can you hear what Jesus is saying? Seeking me for miracles is not a pure motive, but you aren’t even doing that. You are just looking for more food to fill your bellies. The attitude of the people was, “Who will show us any good? Jesus, if you will give us what we want, we will follow you.”

Things haven’t changed much, have they? The great multitudes of religious people in this society are saying, “Jesus, do us good, and we will follow you.” Why do you think the Joel Osteens, the Benny Hinns, the Robert Schullers, and dozens more have such a following? It’s because they are telling people that Jesus will do them good, that He will give them what they want. All of us have at tendency to want to see rather than to believe. There are plenty of false teachers who will say, “Let me show you what Jesus can do for you. You can see it with your own eyes – health, prosperity, reputation, and more.”

Now come back to Psalm 4:6. “There be many that say, Who will show us any good?” Who will do good for us? Who will give us what we want? Now listen to the response of David: “Lord, lift up the light of your countenance upon us.” That is, “Lord, let your face shine upon us. Lord, all we need is the light of your smile.” David delights in something that the eye cannot see and the hand cannot hold. This is the David who in the midst of war cries out in Ps. 27:4, “One thing have I desired of the Lord; that will I seek after – that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple.” He didn’t delight in military victory as much as in the presence of the Lord His God.
Listen to this same David in Ps. 63:1-8…
O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; 2. To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. 3. Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. 4. Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name. 5. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips: 6. When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches. 7. Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice. 8. My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.

Let the world do what it thinks best, but my soul will follow hard after you, O God. And when I am weak and lose my way, even then your right hand upholds me. You are the one who puts within my heart this great longing for you, and by your grace I will continue seeking you day and night.

It gets better. Now come to verse 7, “Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased.” David reveals to us that his joy in the Lord is greater than the happiness of his enemies, even when their crops are abundant and their vineyards are at their best. In an agricultural society, plenty of food and an abundance of wine was extremely important. These were the best of times, but they couldn’t compare with the joy that the Lord put within David’s heart.

Let’s bring it up to date. “O Lord, you have given me more joy than the world around me. They take their dream vacations, but what they feel can’t compare with the joy you give me. They plan and party, but they know nothing of what you have given me. They sit in a secure home and drive only the best, but what they have can’t touch what you have given me. The best they can imagine is nothing compared to what I have in you right now.”

On a number of occasions in the Old Testament, we read of the heart that is made merry by wine. But consider Prov. 15:15, “All the days of the afflicted are evil; but he that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast.” There is evil all around us. We are not immune to affliction. Most people groan under the load of affliction, but the person who has a merry heart has a continual feast. “The Lord has put gladness in my heart, more than in the times that their corn and their wine increased.”

Listen to me. We see it throughout the scriptures, and now we see it again – the joy of the Lord is not dependent upon the outward circumstances. Remember that this Psalm begins with David crying out for mercy. If it is indeed a companion to Psalm 3, I remind you again of 3:1, “Lord, how are they increased that trouble me; many are they that rise up against me.” These were not easy times for David, but in the midst of all he rejoiced that God Himself had put gladness within his heart.

We find the same thing in the New Testament. Take, for example, I Pet. 1:3-9…
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4. To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, 5. Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6. Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: 7. That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: 8. Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: 9. Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.

Peter speaks of the afflictions we face in this world, of the testing of our faith. We know the Lord Jesus, but we can’t see Him. But then read again those words of verse 8, “Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.” Yes, the day is coming when we will see Him face to face, and that will be glory. Nevertheless, even now we have a strong foretaste of that glory divine, for our Lord has put gladness in our heart, a gladness that the world knows nothing about.

And now the last verse, verse 8, “I will both lay me down in peace and sleep; for thou Lord only makest me dwell in safety.” Notice the contrast. In verse 4, David says to his enemies: “Stand in awe and sin now; commune with your own heart upon your bed and be still.” Though we can’t see the wicked upon their beds, we know that it must be a time when no matter how hard they try to avoid it, they must wrestle with doubts and fears and guilt. But look at David, who says, “But as for me, I will lay down peacefully and sleep.” He is not eaten up with guilt. He is not plagued by doubts. Instead, he is able to lie down in perfect peace and sleep. Someone has said, “A quiet conscience is a good bedfellow” (Spurgeon, p. 37)

Why is that? What makes the difference? David confesses the truth to the Lord Himself: “Lord, you alone make me to dwell in safety.” In a Psalm that is all about safety and the Lord’s provision, David spoke these words: “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses, but we will remember the name of the Lord our God” (Ps. 20:7).

I don’t know how much David understood, but in the big scheme of things his words go beyond getting a good night’s sleep. Our hope is not just that we will be protected from obvious evils. When I go to sleep tonight, I don’t know that I will wake up in the morning. I don’t know that my house won’t burn down around me tonight. But I know something far greater – regardless of what happens outwardly, I will still be in Him and His joy will still be in me. The safety of the Lord goes far beyond the outward. Quoting again from Spurgeon, “O Lord, give us this calm repose on thee, that like David we may lie down in peace, and sleep each night wile we life; and joyfully may we lie down in the appointed season, to sleep in death, to rest in God!” (p. 37).

Again, I must remind us that David’s rejoicing was rejoicing in the midst of trials. We see it not only here, but in many of the Psalms he wrote. That is why either David or a man of similar heart could write these words in Psalm 119… “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now have I kept thy word (67)… It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I might learn thy statutes (71)… I know, O Lord, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me (75).” That is the testimony of a man whose joy was not in the things of this world. Spurgeon makes this comment: “Happy is it for us that David was tried, or probably we should never had heard these sweet sonnets of faith [referring to Psalms 3 and 4]” (p. 34). God brings things out of affliction that can come in no other way, and not the least of those things is this abiding joy of which David speaks.

Let’s read Ps. 16:8-11…
I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. 9. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope. 10. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. 11. Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

Yes, it is true that verse 10 refers uniquely to our Lord Jesus, as we find the New Testament writers applying it to Him. However, this passage was true of David and of every other true believer in Christ. When we set the Lord before us, we shall not be moved. We shall not be moved away from that fullness of joy that we find in His presence. Praise God!

Conclusion

When we taste the joy David speaks of in this Psalm, how can we keep it to ourselves? How can we care for another person and not long to have him know this same joy?

I must tell you that the message I have shared this morning is a very dangerous message. Let me explain what I mean. It is dangerous in the sense that I spoke often of the gladness that God has put in our hearts. The danger is in the term “our.” The third point of this message was, “We delight in you.” The danger is in the use of the word “we.” There is the strong possibility that some of you here this morning will wrongly apply this to yourselves. You will think that you delight in the Lord as David did, when the truth is you do not know Him. If even one of you should gather some false assurance from what has been said this morning, that is of great concern. I fear that you might confuse your own ability to cope with affliction with the supreme joy that the Lord can give.

I leave you with the example of our Lord Himself. David was greatly afflicted, but his afflictions do not compare with what Jesus faced. Jesus had more enemies than David did, but that doesn’t begin to tell the story. Remember what Jesus said to His Father in the garden shortly before He was arrested. Matt. 26:39, "And he went a little farther and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt." And what was the cup? It was the cup of God’s wrath. Jesus was taking upon Himself the wrath that was upon us because of our sin. And as a result of drinking that cup, Jesus would be cut off from His Father.

Now I ask you the question: Did Jesus have joy in the midst of that supreme trial? Could He say that the Father had put gladness in His heart? What does the Word of God say? “…Who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame…” Yes, He knew joy. It was not the “happy go lucky” laughter that is common in our day; it was a joy that the world knows nothing about.

The joy that you think you have, does it have that quality? Jesus told His own... (John 15:9-11...)
As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. 10. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. 11. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

Our Lord Jesus has shared His joy with us. Praise His name! As He delighted in His Father, so we also delight in our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.