by Samuel A. Matthews<\/p>\n
“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 leasing? Selah. But know that the Lord hath set apart him that 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 be many that say, Who will shew 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 corn and their wine increased. I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety<\/em>” (Psalm 4:1-8).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Loved ones, this is surely one of the “evening” psalms found in what has been called the Hebrew hymnbook. The writer contemplates the distressing situation before him before retiring for a night of rest. Some think the distress referred to in verse one was what David faced because of his son Absalom’s rebellion (II Samuel 14-18).<\/p>\n
All will agree that this is a prayer and a plea from one who had great faith in God. The verses before us demonstrate this.<\/p>\n
His Request (Psalms 4:1)<\/h2>\n
It is obvious that the writer believed that God would and does hear the righteous. Twice in this verse, he asks God to hear<\/strong>. David did not believe in nor pray to an impersonal God.<\/p>\n
Several things can be said about this request.<\/p>\n
First, it was a very personal <\/strong>request. It is “hear me<\/strong>,” “When I<\/strong>,” “Have mercy upon me<\/strong>,” and “Hear my <\/strong>prayers.” Yes, David is aware that others make requests of God but he also knows these are not his. He could not be satisfied without making personal requests.<\/p>\n
Second, this request is very knowledgeable<\/strong>. This becomes evident as you read the Psalm. He has a knowledge of the character of God as it is expressed in the phrase, “O God of my righteousness<\/em>.” He, thus, sees God as a righteous God and this would insure that he would only approach God with a righteous cause. A righteous God would not endorse or condone that which is contrary to His nature or character. This David knows.<\/p>\n
He also has knowledge from past experience; “Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress<\/em>.” That is, God had made room for him at a time when he was hemmed in by circumstances. Did not David make this same argument to Saul when he was about to go out against Goliath? Didn’t he remind Saul that God had once delivered him from the lion and bear (I Samuel 17:34-37)? This is in essence what he does in this case.<\/p>\n
Third, he has a knowledge of his own needs. This is evident when he asks for mercy. He is the rightful king of Israel but he does not plead merit nor his own accomplishments. He knows in spite of all that he has done and is to do that he will be ruined without the mercy of a God who cares.<\/p>\n
His Rebuke (Psalms 4:2-6)<\/h2>\n
Psalms 4:2<\/h3>\n
This section lends itself to that which is called “Imprecatory Psalms.” These are hymns that pray for curses upon various evil foes; i.e., for the enemies of God to suffer harm, judgment, or calamity. The writer begins now to talk to men rather than God. It needs to be noted that he first approached God and in that case he is better qualified to talk of and to men.<\/p>\n
“O ye sons of men<\/em>” means “brave men.” Such would be “men of note” or “men of eminence.” This may be used as irony. It may be spoken to their shame as though they have earned the position they occupy. In spite of all that has happened, David has not lost sight of what men ought to be. They should have been “brave men” but these were acting in rebellion.<\/p>\n
Note the rebuke of his foes. There is the rebuke of their sarcasm. They were in the business of turning his glory into shame. Remember that David was the Lord’s anointed king and Absalom had led a rebellion against him. They were using dishonest means to make an honorable man look dishonorable. This started with Absalom stealing the hearts of the people (II Samuel 15:7).<\/p>\n
He also rebukes them for their folly. He would have them know that they are involved in a vain undertaking. It would not succeed. They are rebuked because they love that which is a sham. This will allow them to follow Absalom with his empty claims and charges. They are thus involved in deception of the worst kind. They are busy trying to find new ways to discredit the king.<\/p>\n
The writer is made to wonder how long it would be before they would stop to think where this thing would go and what the consequences would be.<\/p>\n
Note that he uses the word, “Selah.” We are told such means a pause. Another has suggested that it says, “There, what do you think of that?” To say the least, such gives one time to think about what has been and will be said.<\/p>\n
Psalms 4:3<\/h3>\n
Herein lies a rebuke of either the fact of their ignorance or their willfully ignoring what they did know. They were either ignorant of the fact that David was God’s anointed king and should be respected or they were ignoring this fact. Yes, the “Lord hath set apart<\/em>” just as He did with Israel from other nations (Exodus 8:18; I Kings 6:53).<\/p>\n
If they persist in their rebellion, they need to know they are not opposing David but God, who appointed David king (I Samuel 16:12-13). Just as those who opposed what the Lord’s disciples taught would also in turn oppose Christ (Luke 10:16). Since the Lord sent them and they would be saying what He sent them to say, to oppose them would be to oppose the one that sent them.<\/p>\n
David is not reluctant to say the Lord would hear him thus approving what he has just said. This is also a rebuke to them inasmuch as they could not expect such an answer.<\/p>\n
Psalms 4:4<\/h3>\n
He rebukes their anger and impulsiveness. They are told to “stand in awe, and sin not<\/em>.” They are to show respect, to tremble at such an undertaking. They are to stop and think, to give some serious thought to what they are involved in. This would stop the violence and hot tempers. They would find themselves more in control rather than being controlled by their emotions.<\/p>\n
Psalms 4:5<\/h3>\n
They are counseled to let their outward conduct match their inward control. This will be seen in the offering to the proper sacrifices and placing their trust in the Lord. Such an attitude would surely break the back of the rebellion then so evident. They could not bring true sacrifices at the same time continue in such.<\/p>\n
Psalms 4:6<\/h3>\n
David now stops to caution his followers. Yes, he knows it is not always easy to keep one’s spirit up. He knows the danger of pessimism and doubt. Moses faced the same kind of thing with the children of Israel. David sets the proper example by turning his face toward God. Though he may want to walk by sight he would walk by faith (cf. II Corinthians 5:7).<\/p>\n
His Rejoicing (Psalms 4:7-8)<\/h2>\n
Psalms 4:7<\/h3>\n
David just does not share the gloom of some in verse six. He can express gratitude for the joy in his heart that is far superior to anything the world, at its best, has to offer. He has supply and satisfaction beyond anything the world with its corn and wine, could ever provide.<\/p>\n
Psalms 4:8<\/h3>\n
Now he has come to the place where he finds safety and security. He can lie down and sleep. He enjoys personal peace and perfect peace for he knows who he is and whose he is.<\/p>\n
Here then is the childlike faith that gives one in distress total confidence and will enable him to have composure in spite of the fact that others around him may be fearful and frustrated.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Samuel A. Matthews “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 leasing?…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[1026,516],"class_list":["post-98589","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-holy","tag-psalms"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":31874,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/do-you-support-conscientious-objection\/","url_meta":{"origin":98589,"position":0},"title":"Do you support conscientious objection?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 19, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Do you or your church support selective conscientious objection and conscientious objection? 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