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David was a general and a King, and yet when his Psalms are read, they are intimately relatable. We are informed by 1 Co 10 that all temptation is common to man. David's struggles, while magnified by his office, simply reflect our human frailty.
Psalm 39:
1 I said, I will guard my ways,
Lest I sin with my tongue;
I will restrain my mouth with a muzzle,
While the wicked are before me.
2 I was mute with silence,
I held my peace even from good;
And my sorrow was stirred up.
3 My heart was hot within me;
While I was musing, the fire burned.
Then I spoke with my tongue:
4 Lord, make me to know my end,
And what is the measure of my days,
That I may know how frail I am.
I am reminded of how often trouble could have been avoided if I had just kept my mouth shut. And yet, his efforts to hold his tongue is frustrated by a fire that burned in his heart. (Jeremiah shares a similar experience). What this tells me is that silence is not an option when the Lord desires to direct our ways, especially our words which lead us towards life, or death. We must show restraint and be an astute observer to be directed when and how to speak. The Lord instructed His disciples on this very thing, and the Holy Spirit must remain Lord over not just our actions, for we will give an account for our presumptuousness.
5 Indeed, You have made my days as hand breadths,
And my age is as nothing before You;
Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor. Selah
6 Surely every man walks about like a shadow;
Surely they busy themselves in vain;
He heaps up riches,
And does not know who will gather them.
The trials and troubles of life humble us to accept our lowly station. We get into our 60's and the shadow lengthens and the vanity of so much of life is troubling, and yet the Word of God teaches us that this is just a part of the process, and we should rejoice in the work of the Lord in us by His Holy Spirit.
7 And now, Lord, what do I wait for?
My hope is in You.
8 Deliver me from all my transgressions;
Do not make me the reproach of the foolish.
9 I was mute, I did not open my mouth,
Because it was You who did it.
10 Remove Your plague from me;
I am consumed by the blow of Your hand.
11 When with rebukes You correct man for iniquity,
You make his beauty melt away like a moth;
Surely every man is vapor. Selah
When we turn to the Lord, we find His Hand at work rebuking the spirit of lawlessness in us. We accept the inevitability that in the end our life seems like nothing more than a wisp, and that the only true path is to offer that vapor up to the Lord as a "living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God".
12 Hear my prayer, O Lord,
And give ear to my cry;
Do not be silent at my tears;
For I am a stranger with You,
A sojourner, as all my fathers were.
13 Remove Your gaze from me, that I may regain strength,
Before I go away and am no more.
When David speaks of how frail we are, he is referring to the tendency to reject the Lord's discipline, because at that time, discipline is painful. This same word is used here in Ezekiel to convey this frailty that leads to rejecting what we must accept.
Ezekiel 3:27 But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD.’ He who hears, let him hear; and he who refuses, let him refuse; for they are a rebellious house.
And then there was the ultimate rejection
Isaiah 53:3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
More than ever, I can relate to the standing of being a stranger and a sojourner in the earth. This directs our minds to the Patriarchs who lived in tents, among often hostile peoples who feared and envied the evident favor of God on them. We can rejoice in our frailty, for when we are weak, He is strong, and His Grace is our perfection.
2 Co 12:9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.
Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Psalm 39:
1 I said, I will guard my ways,
Lest I sin with my tongue;
I will restrain my mouth with a muzzle,
While the wicked are before me.
2 I was mute with silence,
I held my peace even from good;
And my sorrow was stirred up.
3 My heart was hot within me;
While I was musing, the fire burned.
Then I spoke with my tongue:
4 Lord, make me to know my end,
And what is the measure of my days,
That I may know how frail I am.
I am reminded of how often trouble could have been avoided if I had just kept my mouth shut. And yet, his efforts to hold his tongue is frustrated by a fire that burned in his heart. (Jeremiah shares a similar experience). What this tells me is that silence is not an option when the Lord desires to direct our ways, especially our words which lead us towards life, or death. We must show restraint and be an astute observer to be directed when and how to speak. The Lord instructed His disciples on this very thing, and the Holy Spirit must remain Lord over not just our actions, for we will give an account for our presumptuousness.
5 Indeed, You have made my days as hand breadths,
And my age is as nothing before You;
Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor. Selah
6 Surely every man walks about like a shadow;
Surely they busy themselves in vain;
He heaps up riches,
And does not know who will gather them.
The trials and troubles of life humble us to accept our lowly station. We get into our 60's and the shadow lengthens and the vanity of so much of life is troubling, and yet the Word of God teaches us that this is just a part of the process, and we should rejoice in the work of the Lord in us by His Holy Spirit.
7 And now, Lord, what do I wait for?
My hope is in You.
8 Deliver me from all my transgressions;
Do not make me the reproach of the foolish.
9 I was mute, I did not open my mouth,
Because it was You who did it.
10 Remove Your plague from me;
I am consumed by the blow of Your hand.
11 When with rebukes You correct man for iniquity,
You make his beauty melt away like a moth;
Surely every man is vapor. Selah
When we turn to the Lord, we find His Hand at work rebuking the spirit of lawlessness in us. We accept the inevitability that in the end our life seems like nothing more than a wisp, and that the only true path is to offer that vapor up to the Lord as a "living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God".
12 Hear my prayer, O Lord,
And give ear to my cry;
Do not be silent at my tears;
For I am a stranger with You,
A sojourner, as all my fathers were.
13 Remove Your gaze from me, that I may regain strength,
Before I go away and am no more.
When David speaks of how frail we are, he is referring to the tendency to reject the Lord's discipline, because at that time, discipline is painful. This same word is used here in Ezekiel to convey this frailty that leads to rejecting what we must accept.
Ezekiel 3:27 But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD.’ He who hears, let him hear; and he who refuses, let him refuse; for they are a rebellious house.
And then there was the ultimate rejection
Isaiah 53:3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
More than ever, I can relate to the standing of being a stranger and a sojourner in the earth. This directs our minds to the Patriarchs who lived in tents, among often hostile peoples who feared and envied the evident favor of God on them. We can rejoice in our frailty, for when we are weak, He is strong, and His Grace is our perfection.
2 Co 12:9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.
Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
