Psalm 39
Life is difficult. That's the first sentence in what was, at one time, a very popular self-help book. In this, the author of that book, David, who wrote our Psalm, and all of us here heartily agree. But what do we do with that painful fact? What's the next step? Here, we part company with that modern author and consider, instead, what David has to say. And it is clear that for David this is no theoretical discussion pursued from the comfort of some easy chairs and only to be forgotten once the discussion is over. For David, the difficulties of life are not theoretical. They are staring him in the face. David is writing about his life, and his life is difficult. To be sure, he has enjoyed good times. But that doesn't change the fact that David's life is difficult. And so is yours. And that's why this Psalm is in the Bible. It is my hope that understanding this Psalm will help you to deal with the particular difficulties that you face from time to time so that you will deal with them in such a way that your life will actually make more sense to you. And as that happens, you will find your life shining for Jesus.
Let's not start at the beginning of the Psalm. We'll come back to the beginning a bit later. Let's start in the middle of the Psalm. It makes sense for us to start here because the key to dealing with the difficulties of life is found here. Listen to David. 'I am mute; I do not open my mouth, for it is You who have done it. Remove Your stroke from me; I am spent by the hostility of Your hand.' David is clear. God did it. Whatever it is that he is having such a hard time with - God did it. It didn't just happen. It's not even that God allowed it - as if He stepped back from ruling all of this and out of the blue comes this whatever. No, God did it. It is His stroke and the hostility of His hand that have brought about David's troubles. It's important that we see this because seeing this clearly is the first steep to hope, the first step to making sense of what is going on in our troubles.
David gets more specific. 'When you discipline a man with rebukes for sin, you consume like a moth what is dear to him...' God is disciplining David. As He does that David sees things which are precious to him disappear. God consumes them like a moth. This 'like a moth' is so instructive. Today, we are not plagued by moths as previous generations once were. Who here has moth balls in his closet? With the coming of polyester and its cohorts, the moth problem has faded. But in David's day moths were still destructive. But not quickly. They ate away at clothing and fabrics slowly. David is not complaining that his precious possession were destroyed in a sudden rush, going up in a puff of smoke because of some fire. No, they deteriorated slowly, over time. As an older person looks back over a lifetime he can remember the many once‑precious things that are no longer. They are gone. God, like a moth, has consumed them. But it isn't just dear possessions that fade away. It's people too. '... surely all mankind is a mere breath!' '...you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath! Surely a man goes about as a shadow! Surely for nothing they are in turmoil; man heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather!' Out of this comes a request. 'Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am!' David's God is disciplining him, pressing home the vanity of this life. This Psalm is a mini-Ecclesiastes. 'Vanity of vanity. All is vanity.' And it is that because of sin.
Now, we can look at the opening words of the Psalm. 'I said, “I will guard my ways, that I may not sin with my tongue; I will guard my mouth with a muzzle, so long as the wicked are in my presence.”' It's important for us to understand what David is saying here. Let me translate. 'I did not want to say any of this. I was among the wicked. If I gave voice to my wrestlings, it would have provided them with another opportunity to blaspheme my God.' And then, he writes this. 'I was mute and silent; I held my peace to no avail, and my distress grew worse.' He tried to keep quite about all that was troubling him. He did not want to provide that opportunity to the wicked. But he could not. Life got worse and so much so that he couldn't keep it all in.
The wicked are those whose basic orientation is against God and whatever He is doing. They look for opportunities to express that opposition by sinning and mocking. David is not one of them. His words here are not words uttered in opposition to his God. David writes as one of the righteous as he struggles with his life. And so - and this is the point that I want you to get - there is no bitterness here. David has strong words about what is going on, but not bitter words. And that's why he can still say, 'And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you.' And then this. 'Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear to my cry; hold not your peace at my tears!' These are words of trust and not words of bitterness. David wrestles in this way, honestly expressing the thoughts of his heart to his God, so that he will not fall into the pit of bitterness. And he doesn't. There is an important difference between being honest with your God by expressing your struggles and doubts and wrestlings, and being bitter against Him. David is being wise by being honest. As a result, he does not cross that line into bitter rage against the Almighty, something that can only lead to greater sorrow.
David understands: his God is disciplining him because of sin. It doesn't have to be because of some sin he committed. A big part of God's discipline here is to make sure that David sees the sinful foolishness of his world and avoids it. David gets it. And so, he writes this. 'Surely for nothing they are in turmoil; man heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather!' Consider the turmoil of many who think that safety and security can be found in having more. How foolish! How idolatrous! How sinful! David did not fall into that trap. But he needs to see it as the trap that it is. God's discipline does just that.
David also knows that though his experience of the discipline of his God is hard and that it really hurts, it is nonetheless an act of love. This is where many of you struggle. You understand that God as Father disciplines us, His children. And you also know that this is an act of love. But there is a certain emotional disconnect. It's as if God's disciplining has no warmth to it. It is cold and distant. He's disciplining because it's the right thing to do, but not because He especially cares. In fact, He just might be a bit annoyed with you that He has do do this disciplining thing. But consider something from Hebrews that fits here. The author is talking about Jesus. 'Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him...' Jesus learned stuff. (That is so helpful.) He had to learn obedience. (That is extraordinarily helpful!) But how? The Father perfected Him by causing Him to suffer - not just at the cross but throughout His life. Another name for this is discipline. Jesus was disciplined by the Father. Obviously, He wasn't disciplined because He had sinned. He was disciplined so that He wouldn't sin. The Father disciplined Jesus. Now, what do you think? Was there some emotional distance between the Father and Jesus, His Son? Did the Father do this just because it was the right thing to do, but not because He cared? Could the Father have been a little annoyed with Jesus because He had to do this disciplining? I hope the answers are obvious. When the Father disciplined David there was no emotional distance. And when He disciplines you He's not even a little bit annoyed. The same depth of caring that went into the Father's discipline of Jesus went into the Father's discipline of David. The same love that the Father had for Jesus He has for you. Remember that. Does this mean that discipline will hurt less? No. But it does provide help to accept it as a good gift from a Father who really does care about you.
Now we're ready for the end of the Psalm. 'Look away from me, that I may smile again, before I depart and am no more!' This might be a bit of a challenge to understand. This is what David is saying. 'Being in Your presence - Your holy presence - reminds me what is sad and wrong with this life. It reminds me of sin, mine and others, and how sin destroys everything. So, Lord, please step away from me so that I can forget for a while the great contrast between your holiness and this sinfulness, so that I can enjoy a little happiness for the remaining moments of my fleeting life.' There are two situations in Jesus' ministry when people made the same sort of request. First, there are the people who saw how Jesus rescued the man from the legion of demons. 'And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. And those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and to the pigs. And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their region.' And that is exactly what Jesus did. He left them. The Savior comes with power to rescue you and you ask Him to leave because you are afraid of His power. How sad. But then there's the incident with Peter. Jesus tells Peter to put out into the lake and cast his net. Listen to Peter's response. 'Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.' You can sense a little, 'You, the carpenter, are going to tell me, the fisherman, how to fish?' But he does it anyway. And then Peter catches a huge number of fish. In fact, there are so many that his net begins to break and his boat almost sinks. A second boat is called to help and it also almost sinks because of all the fish. Now listen to what happens next. 'But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”' Do you see what's happening? 'Lord, step away from me. Being in Your presence reminds me of my sin.' It's just like David. But does Jesus leave Peter? No. Listen to what He says. '“Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.' Instead of departing, Jesus invites Peter to a closer relationship. That is the fruit of the disciplining that is well received. A deeper acknowledgment of sin leads to a deeper knowledge of Jesus and that leads to a deeper joy, a deeper sense of security and a deeper experience of happiness. That's what happened to David and that's what happened to Peter. And that's what happens to you.
You will never arrive at a time when life is no longer difficult. Your neighbors hold on to an empty hope that such a day will arrive. All that's needed is a better job, a better education, a better house, a better bank account. These, they are told, will make life less difficult. That's a lie.
Life is difficult. It will be for as long as you are here. But your Father is at work in those difficulties of your life. He is at work drawing you nearer to Him so that you can enjoy Him more and more. And He does this because He likes you. It is the discipline of His love. So, as you deal with the difficulties of your life, remember David's words in the midst of this Psalm and in the midst of his life: 'And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you.' That is a hope in God for this life and especially for the life to come when all difficulties will be gone.
Life is difficult. That's the first sentence in what was, at one time, a very popular self-help book. In this, the author of that book, David, who wrote our Psalm, and all of us here heartily agree. But what do we do with that painful fact? What's the next step? Here, we part company with that modern author and consider, instead, what David has to say. And it is clear that for David this is no theoretical discussion pursued from the comfort of some easy chairs and only to be forgotten once the discussion is over. For David, the difficulties of life are not theoretical. They are staring him in the face. David is writing about his life, and his life is difficult. To be sure, he has enjoyed good times. But that doesn't change the fact that David's life is difficult. And so is yours. And that's why this Psalm is in the Bible. It is my hope that understanding this Psalm will help you to deal with the particular difficulties that you face from time to time so that you will deal with them in such a way that your life will actually make more sense to you. And as that happens, you will find your life shining for Jesus.
Let's not start at the beginning of the Psalm. We'll come back to the beginning a bit later. Let's start in the middle of the Psalm. It makes sense for us to start here because the key to dealing with the difficulties of life is found here. Listen to David. 'I am mute; I do not open my mouth, for it is You who have done it. Remove Your stroke from me; I am spent by the hostility of Your hand.' David is clear. God did it. Whatever it is that he is having such a hard time with - God did it. It didn't just happen. It's not even that God allowed it - as if He stepped back from ruling all of this and out of the blue comes this whatever. No, God did it. It is His stroke and the hostility of His hand that have brought about David's troubles. It's important that we see this because seeing this clearly is the first steep to hope, the first step to making sense of what is going on in our troubles.
David gets more specific. 'When you discipline a man with rebukes for sin, you consume like a moth what is dear to him...' God is disciplining David. As He does that David sees things which are precious to him disappear. God consumes them like a moth. This 'like a moth' is so instructive. Today, we are not plagued by moths as previous generations once were. Who here has moth balls in his closet? With the coming of polyester and its cohorts, the moth problem has faded. But in David's day moths were still destructive. But not quickly. They ate away at clothing and fabrics slowly. David is not complaining that his precious possession were destroyed in a sudden rush, going up in a puff of smoke because of some fire. No, they deteriorated slowly, over time. As an older person looks back over a lifetime he can remember the many once‑precious things that are no longer. They are gone. God, like a moth, has consumed them. But it isn't just dear possessions that fade away. It's people too. '... surely all mankind is a mere breath!' '...you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath! Surely a man goes about as a shadow! Surely for nothing they are in turmoil; man heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather!' Out of this comes a request. 'Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am!' David's God is disciplining him, pressing home the vanity of this life. This Psalm is a mini-Ecclesiastes. 'Vanity of vanity. All is vanity.' And it is that because of sin.
Now, we can look at the opening words of the Psalm. 'I said, “I will guard my ways, that I may not sin with my tongue; I will guard my mouth with a muzzle, so long as the wicked are in my presence.”' It's important for us to understand what David is saying here. Let me translate. 'I did not want to say any of this. I was among the wicked. If I gave voice to my wrestlings, it would have provided them with another opportunity to blaspheme my God.' And then, he writes this. 'I was mute and silent; I held my peace to no avail, and my distress grew worse.' He tried to keep quite about all that was troubling him. He did not want to provide that opportunity to the wicked. But he could not. Life got worse and so much so that he couldn't keep it all in.
The wicked are those whose basic orientation is against God and whatever He is doing. They look for opportunities to express that opposition by sinning and mocking. David is not one of them. His words here are not words uttered in opposition to his God. David writes as one of the righteous as he struggles with his life. And so - and this is the point that I want you to get - there is no bitterness here. David has strong words about what is going on, but not bitter words. And that's why he can still say, 'And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you.' And then this. 'Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear to my cry; hold not your peace at my tears!' These are words of trust and not words of bitterness. David wrestles in this way, honestly expressing the thoughts of his heart to his God, so that he will not fall into the pit of bitterness. And he doesn't. There is an important difference between being honest with your God by expressing your struggles and doubts and wrestlings, and being bitter against Him. David is being wise by being honest. As a result, he does not cross that line into bitter rage against the Almighty, something that can only lead to greater sorrow.
David understands: his God is disciplining him because of sin. It doesn't have to be because of some sin he committed. A big part of God's discipline here is to make sure that David sees the sinful foolishness of his world and avoids it. David gets it. And so, he writes this. 'Surely for nothing they are in turmoil; man heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather!' Consider the turmoil of many who think that safety and security can be found in having more. How foolish! How idolatrous! How sinful! David did not fall into that trap. But he needs to see it as the trap that it is. God's discipline does just that.
David also knows that though his experience of the discipline of his God is hard and that it really hurts, it is nonetheless an act of love. This is where many of you struggle. You understand that God as Father disciplines us, His children. And you also know that this is an act of love. But there is a certain emotional disconnect. It's as if God's disciplining has no warmth to it. It is cold and distant. He's disciplining because it's the right thing to do, but not because He especially cares. In fact, He just might be a bit annoyed with you that He has do do this disciplining thing. But consider something from Hebrews that fits here. The author is talking about Jesus. 'Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him...' Jesus learned stuff. (That is so helpful.) He had to learn obedience. (That is extraordinarily helpful!) But how? The Father perfected Him by causing Him to suffer - not just at the cross but throughout His life. Another name for this is discipline. Jesus was disciplined by the Father. Obviously, He wasn't disciplined because He had sinned. He was disciplined so that He wouldn't sin. The Father disciplined Jesus. Now, what do you think? Was there some emotional distance between the Father and Jesus, His Son? Did the Father do this just because it was the right thing to do, but not because He cared? Could the Father have been a little annoyed with Jesus because He had to do this disciplining? I hope the answers are obvious. When the Father disciplined David there was no emotional distance. And when He disciplines you He's not even a little bit annoyed. The same depth of caring that went into the Father's discipline of Jesus went into the Father's discipline of David. The same love that the Father had for Jesus He has for you. Remember that. Does this mean that discipline will hurt less? No. But it does provide help to accept it as a good gift from a Father who really does care about you.
Now we're ready for the end of the Psalm. 'Look away from me, that I may smile again, before I depart and am no more!' This might be a bit of a challenge to understand. This is what David is saying. 'Being in Your presence - Your holy presence - reminds me what is sad and wrong with this life. It reminds me of sin, mine and others, and how sin destroys everything. So, Lord, please step away from me so that I can forget for a while the great contrast between your holiness and this sinfulness, so that I can enjoy a little happiness for the remaining moments of my fleeting life.' There are two situations in Jesus' ministry when people made the same sort of request. First, there are the people who saw how Jesus rescued the man from the legion of demons. 'And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. And those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and to the pigs. And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their region.' And that is exactly what Jesus did. He left them. The Savior comes with power to rescue you and you ask Him to leave because you are afraid of His power. How sad. But then there's the incident with Peter. Jesus tells Peter to put out into the lake and cast his net. Listen to Peter's response. 'Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.' You can sense a little, 'You, the carpenter, are going to tell me, the fisherman, how to fish?' But he does it anyway. And then Peter catches a huge number of fish. In fact, there are so many that his net begins to break and his boat almost sinks. A second boat is called to help and it also almost sinks because of all the fish. Now listen to what happens next. 'But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”' Do you see what's happening? 'Lord, step away from me. Being in Your presence reminds me of my sin.' It's just like David. But does Jesus leave Peter? No. Listen to what He says. '“Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.' Instead of departing, Jesus invites Peter to a closer relationship. That is the fruit of the disciplining that is well received. A deeper acknowledgment of sin leads to a deeper knowledge of Jesus and that leads to a deeper joy, a deeper sense of security and a deeper experience of happiness. That's what happened to David and that's what happened to Peter. And that's what happens to you.
You will never arrive at a time when life is no longer difficult. Your neighbors hold on to an empty hope that such a day will arrive. All that's needed is a better job, a better education, a better house, a better bank account. These, they are told, will make life less difficult. That's a lie.
Life is difficult. It will be for as long as you are here. But your Father is at work in those difficulties of your life. He is at work drawing you nearer to Him so that you can enjoy Him more and more. And He does this because He likes you. It is the discipline of His love. So, as you deal with the difficulties of your life, remember David's words in the midst of this Psalm and in the midst of his life: 'And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you.' That is a hope in God for this life and especially for the life to come when all difficulties will be gone.
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