Comfort for God’s People

returning your copy of guns word to Psalm, The Book of Psalms.

Chapter 4.

We are now in our summer series, we're going to be camping out in the Psalms for the rest of the summer, taking a little bit of a break from the Gospel of Luke and we will get back to that in September.

And we're picking up where we left off. I guess about a year-and-a-half ago now when I started preaching in the Psalms upon arriving here and so we are in Psalm 4 hear the word of the Lord. to the chief musician with stringed instruments, a Psalm of David Hear me. When I call a god of my righteousness, you have relieved me in my distress. Have mercy on me and hear my prayer. How long do you sons of men? Will you turn my glory to Shane? How long will you love worthlessness and seek. So long? But know that the Lord has set apart for himself him. Who is Godly? The Lord will hear when I call to him be angry and do not send meditate within your heart on your bed and be still Offer the sacrifices of righteousness and put your trust in the Lord.

There are many who say who will show us any good? Lord lift up the light of your countenance upon us. You have put gladness in my heart more than in the season that their grain and wine increased. I will both lie down in peace and sleep. For you alone. Oh, Lord, Make Me dwell. In safety. This song has at times been described as a lullaby for God's people. And lullabies as we know art songs that are intended either through there. Contents there, lyrics or through the tomb. To soothe our children and to help them get to sleep. But have you ever have you ever spend some time thinking about some of these lullabies that's while they may have a catchy and soothing tune the lyrics or anything, but soothing if we paid attention to them. So let me give you one example, you're familiar with the song. Rockabye Baby.

Rockabye baby in the treetop. When the wind blows the cradle will rock. when the when the bough breaks, the cradle will fall and down will come baby cradle and all

That's one of our lullabies. very soothing to when we sing it, but but if we spend time thinking about what we are singing, then the Comfort seems to vanish I'm sure that none of us find Comfort at the thought of our babies rocking in a tree, the branch breaking and sending the baby crashing to the ground. And so, unlike this popular lullaby song for Psalm 4 provides us with a bedtime song that is both Pleasant to sing and encouraging to us when we consider The words. now, you'll notice that I started with reading the title, some of the Psalms have titles. And those titles, tell us something about why they were written, or who they were written by. Sometimes the Psalms tell us like in Psalm 3, the historical setting. For the writing of that song. So I'm 3 tells us that it is a Psalm of David when he fled from Absalom his son. So it's situated in a historical point in time. And because of that. And because of some for following Psalm 3, Many have concluded that this song also falls within the time period and the historical setting of Absalom rebellion and David being forced into Exile and that may be the case. But the reality is we are not told when this song was written. and I think the vagueness of the psalm with regard to Win, It Was Written highlights for us, that David himself was no stranger to trial to distress and to Hard Times if we look at the book of 1st Samuel, After he slays Goliath, it is not very long from that point that he goes from being in favor with King Saul to King, Saul pursuing him all around the countryside trying to kill him. As we get into 2nd Samuel, we find that David is still tainted with sin and his sin affects those around him and wrecks, his family. David was no stranger whatsoever to hardship.

I'm so in this song, David lays out for us, a pathway to finding comfort in the midst of the various hardships and trials that we face in life.

So, we will have three points. The first one being that David Directions to find personal comfort in this song. Notice how he addresses the Lord. In versus one.

And to do, I guess direct addresses, the Lord in verse 1. Hear me when I call. O, God of my righteousness.

Notice the David addresses god with that phrase, God of my righteousness. And this is a title for God, that is not found anywhere else in scripture. And so, then it's important for us to understand what it means. Righteousness is a theme that runs throughout the Psalms however, righteousness are the characteristic of the psalmist only occurs in book. One book, one of the Psalms and the first instance of this personal righteousness occurs in Psalm 4, But I also want you to notice then that's David says he calls God God of mine righteousness.

Which means contextually. Then he is saying that this righteousness, which now, belongs to him is not found within him, but it comes from without and specifically it comes from God himself until the righteousness of God, gets extended and applied to God's people. In calling God, the god of his righteousness, David recognizes his own lack of righteousness, within himself, and he appeals to God on the basis of the righteousness. That has been supplied to him through, faith in God.

Steve Bradley pastor of the Providence. R p Church in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. He's pointed out. that while the stain of sin remains our prayers, Will not be heard.

so notice notice, then the movement hear David goes from saying, hear me when I call, so then saying you have relieved me in my distress and have mercy on me and hear my prayer.

It is important for us to understand. The wind scripture speaks of the stain of sin remaining or God. Not hearing those, not Hearing Centers, when they pray, The contacts is not hearing those who are hardened in their sin, or unrepentant, sin, their sin, those who are contrite, who are humble, those who recognize that they have no righteousness in themselves that they are guilty of sin before God and need God's mercy. God hears, their prayers.

Because it is only by God's righteousness, the righteousness of Christ, that our sin, and the filth of our sin can be removed. And it's only Through Christ, that our prayers can be heard and will be heard.

Which then? You know what a hard times. Sometimes people ask. Raid cigar, they make the same, and I prayed to God in and he didn't hear me. He didn't answer my prayer. as if God is obligated to answer the prayers of all people, so, the first question that we need to be asking, Is not why did God not answer my prayer? But it needs to be have I trusted in Christ. Have you trusted in crimes? Have you bound your knee and submitted yourself to his kingship and authority? And if the answer is no will then it's no wonder that our prayers go unanswered. God is not obligated to answer the prayers of unrepentant, sinful people. And even those among his Covenant Community, who are unrepentant in their sin, their unrepentant. Results of God not hearing their prayers. So it's very important. It's very important that if our sins, or if our prayers will be heard that our sins must be covered in the blood of Christ. And if we are holding on to it, if we are prideful in our sin then in a certain sense,

We are not letting that Sim go and in a certain sense, it hasn't been covered in the blood of Christ.

Tell David continues. He continues saying. Again that God has relieved him in his distress and he calls out for Mercy, not want you to know that end in this statement. David is recalling God's past faithfulness to him in his appeal for current and future answer to his prayer. David is looking back at the fact that God has delivered him in the past and that is what provide some comfort that God will listen now and in the future, when he calls out to him.

In this David acknowledges, what the Illusions call the immutability of our God, which is the unchangeable nests of argon? Our God is not one who is fickle. And he will change his mind for no reason whatsoever and choose to hear us one day and not to hear us the next day. Even if the circumstances are are exactly the same.

He is unchangeable and David applies, this Doctrine to his situation. He applies this to his prayers Essentially arguing that if God or since God is the same yesterday today and forever. Then it stands to reason that if God heard the prayers of his Covenant, people in the past, he will continue to hear them in the present and on into the future until we see then in David's life. And in his writing, this song that the doctrine of God's unchanging Valdez is not merely an intellectual Doctrine, but it is, it has real and practical effects.

Implications for our life. So then the only prerequisite for our prayers to be heard is to have Jesus Christ. for David, it was the promised Messiah who had not yet come but had been promised to have Christ as our savior, Lord, and mediator, and to be contrite and humble in heart. Acknowledging, that we need him.

David experiences comfort in the midst of hardships, through engaging in prayer, think about that his comfort. In the midst of these trials, than in the midst of his distress comes, as he engages with the Lord in prayer. And this is because prayer, is one of those means of Grace, which God has graciously provided

To grow Us in the face to comfort US during hard times. And what makes what makes prayer a means of Grace. Is not the mere activity. It's not the mere doing of prayer is that the mere reciting or saying, words in a prayer for mending, what makes them a means of Grace. Is that the person that we are engaging with it's the fact that we are engaging with our covenant God. And a covenant God of our righteousness. And I said this point, then that David shift, his Focus from addressing God and and then addresses his adversaries and he asked his enemies in, verse to, how long will you shame my glory? Which ought to cause us immediately to ask the question. What does David mean by my glory? In the psalter. This phrase is normally used in one of two ways. It's either Referring to God. Or it is a self-reflective. Reference to the soul. It's so it's either referring to God or is referring to one's own soul and my glory. In this particular song, I think is a reference to both, it's a reference to his own salvation including the one who saves And the one doing the saving, the one being saved in the one, doing the saving and it makes sense. Then when we consider, How how often Even in our own day, Believers are mocked and ridiculed for their faith. It makes sense that David would cry out and he would, he would ask them. How long will you turn my glory into shame? They're not actually turning his glory into shame, but they're trying to make it shameful to hold goddess, has gone to trust in God during his trying circumstances. And so, in that sense, they are turning his glory into shame and that's the same thing that happens today.

People hear that you're a Christian. I would like all will you must not believe in science? You must not believe in reason. You must believe that that people are stupid or you're stupid.

The idea in all of those accusations is, is to beat us down, to get us to a point where it is, shameful in our own mind to, hold to God as our God, and to believe that we are sinful people in need of a savior and the God in Christ has provided that savior

But what's amazing in verse 2?

is that David also teaches us of our Judy toward our enemies in light of the great salvation we have received Notice the, the psalmist David goes on to say, how long will you love worthlessness? And seek. The implication being dude. You've been doing this for a while. What are you going to stop? How long? And we should understand this question as a gospel call to his enemies.

we should understand that when David asked the question, how long will you love worthlessness? How long will you love emptiness? How long will you seek full suit or seek lines? He's calling them to pursue something that's worthwhile. That's worthy. Something that is true and truthful. He's calling them to the pursuit of God.

I'm so we are taught them that the gut reaction of all believers. And it's one that we need to develop, it doesn't come naturally to us because of our fallen and sinful condition. But the gut reaction that we need to develop in times of adversity is to Beckham. Sinners to flee from their worldly, Pursuits to flee from their worldly wisdom and to turn instead to Christ. Too often.

We are meeting Humanity, we were spawned out of a sense of entitlement and even Christians, do that Desiring to be treated fairly. And be treated fairly by the world which we know from the gospels if from nowhere else. That the world is at odds and at enmity with God in Christ. But the exact opposite is what Christ tells us to expect. He told his people in John 15:2 expect hardship to expect harshness he said if they hated me and they did. They will hate you on account of me.

So Christian, we must learn to expect adversity from unbelievers. And we also must learn to respond out of a desire to see the salvation of their souls

Now, David also finds comfort. beginning in verse, 3.

He finds comfort in a personal savior.

But I want you to note before we dive into this. That from verse 22. The end of verse 5, David is addressing his adversaries, David is addressing those who are persecuting him. He is addressing unbelievers.

And so he says, but know that the Lord has set apart for himself him who is Godly and the Lord will hear when I call to him. Be angry and do not send. Meditate within your heart on your bed and be still offer sacrifices of righteousness and put your trust in the Lord. No, in our Salters. You've probably noticed. There are two, there are two selections for Psalm 4. And in one of them, they take that phrase which the translators of the new King James, put him, who is Godly. And in one selection in our souls, are they translate that as His Saints. And another place in the other selection as The Godly one.

But the Hebrew word hassid which is the word for holy or Godly. Generally went whether we're talkin the Hebrew word of the Greek word. It's the same word that's used for holy or four Saints. It all depends on if it's a plural in the text, or if it's a singular and where it's a plural, it's translated a Saints. And where it's a singular, it's either translate holy or Holy One, or in this case him who is Godly but you get the idea, it's still translated in a singular manner. Well, the problem is that in our texts This is singular. And I would suggest to you. It's singular because it is intended to point us to Christ. It's intended to point to the fact that the Lord has set apart for himself. Meaning the father has set apart the Sun, to the task of redemption and redeeming his people and that, as such the Lord hears when we call upon Christ, that's why we pray in Jesus name. The idea is that we are submitting our prayers to the lordship of Christ. And in this particular as this phrase is used throughout the psalter. There are very few exceptions where the singular form does not apply to God such as when it's talking about an Unholy Nation. But clearly if something is Unholy, it's not going to be talking about God, right? but in every other case, If it's not talking about something that is Unholy. And it's singular. It's referring to gone. So we should understand the phrase, then him, who is Godly as nothing less than a reference to our beloved Savior. And I would point out that throughout the Old Testament as similar phrases use also of the promised Messiah. It's a little bit different. It is the Holy One of Israel. The only thing lacking here is the others real.

So then verse three tells us that the father set apart the son to a special mediatorial work and this setting apart began. With what we call the Covenant of redemption, which is the agreement within the persons or among the persons of the trinity.

To elect the people to send the sun to accomplish salvation. And for the Holy Spirit to apply that salvation to those who were chosen,

And so now with that work, having been completed Christ, the Holy One Of God, sits at the right hand of the father serving as our mediator. And because of this mediatorial work, we can and should have full confidence that God will hear our prayers. When we pray to God through our mediator, who is Christ, not any of the Saints, not Mary. It is Christ in Christ alone. We can and should have confidence that our prayers will be heard.

Again, when we pray to the father, in the name of the son, we have that assurance and this gives us, then, great reason to worship God. Because God though he is not a block, obligated to save us. Has poured out his unconditional love so that he would rescue us and save us from our sin and bring us into Covenant with himself.

Now, let me touch briefly.

On what David says in verse versus four and five. First, you'll note that he begins with P angry and do not send. I missing something that I think in our modern-day our understanding of anger needs to be checked a little bit because not all anger. Is sinful anger. It can become sinful anger. But anger in and of itself. Outside of context is not inherently sinful. What makes it send full is one of two things. One, is it a righteous anger if it's not a righteous anger than it's a sinful anger? If we are angry because someone did something, we don't like, but they haven't violated the law of God. It's a sinful anger. but then, at the same time, if if our anger is righteous, but we express it in a way that is sinful. It becomes a sinful anger. So if if we are upset with someone because we understand this particular aspect of Theology and practice and they do not until we start calling them all sorts of names because of it. Well, what may have been a righteous anger has turned into a sinful anger because of how we dealt with it. So, the command is not to not be angry, it is to be angry. That is to be angry for the right reason. And then, to not send in that anger.

A good example with this is God Is Spoken of in scripture as being angry with the wicked every day. If we say that anger is inherently, send. Charging god with sin. because he's angry with the wicked, we charge Christ with sin because he was angry with the sellers of good, who, who were selling things in the temple, in the court of the Gentiles, which Makes it all the more interesting but we will take that up some other time.

So then he goes on and he he, he charges his adversaries.

He charges them rather than being angry to have a right. Kind of anger do not send, think about in your heart, while you're angry and be still. And then noticed in verse five, offer the sacrifices of righteousness. And put your trust in God. if that is not a gospel call, then I don't know what is He's telling them he's telling them to worship, God, he's telling them to confess who God is what God has done. What God promises to do in the future. I'm in to trust in God. He's telling them to do these things, not because these things in and of themselves will save. But because they points us, they points us to the reality that God has made promises and particularly promises to save us from our sins. If we will call upon the name of the Lord, and David is saying he's saying, offer these sacrifices entrust. That God will carry out his promises.

He's being Evangelistic. You could say, in the midst of These adversities. And then he concludes, he concludes by directing us to a personal piece. He starts with a personal Comfort, that's the god of his righteousness. Would hear him.

He points to the need for a personal Savior and then finally, he points to a personal piece. Notice how her six begins. There are many who say Who will show us any good? There are. You could say doubters or Skeptics who are questioning who there is in the whole wide world who could possibly care enough about us to show us any good. and notice this is the entire reason we read numbers, 6 noticed that there is There is a directing to the aaronic blessing.

David says, Lord lift up the light of your countenance upon us. And what's significant about them is that this wasn't just a blessing. The benedictions really in our in our orders of worship, they're not just blessings that some Protestant reformer decided, it's a good thing to have in the worship service that we should. We should print out some sort of blessing upon God's people because it's a good thing to do. It'll make him feel warm and fuzzy. And so, let's adopt this practice this, this practice of having a benediction and having the benediction, which is a blessing declared over the people of God. Comes from God himself. You remember in that portion, it's the Lord spoke to Moses. And he said, command the priest, the sons of Aaron in the Levites to bless the people.

God wants his people blessed and David is recalling. That aaronic blessing was no doubt. He had heard numerous times until when people start saying, who will show you any good or when the Skeptics are saying, who will show us any good when they're down and depressed and and they can't see the light at the end of the tunnel. So to speak. Other saying. This is almost too much to bear David points, back to God's establishment of the erotic blessing. Eddie says, Lord lift up the light of your countenance upon us. Because what's more, what's more important to have the light of God's countenance shining upon us or to be at peace with sinful men to have the praise in the Appalachians of men. And noticed notice then, how David describes having this light this light of the Lord shine upon them? He describes it as gladness being put in the heart and then because they were an agricultural people which I'm sure you understand, he Compares this, he compares the level of gladness to the gladness but Farmers have when they have had a very abundance and fruitful Harvest. He's saying you have put more gladness in my heart, then when the Harvest is Bountiful and the Grain in the wine have increased, and it's because of this is because of this gladness which is coming through the Lord, shining the light of his countenance upon him that then David declares

I will both lie down in peace. And sleep. And why will he lie down in peace and sleep.

Before we get there. We've all had times when we can't sleep, right? Something is Weighing on her mind, whether it's a situation personal or at work. Whether it's tensions between friends or families, loved ones, whether it's stuff going on in our nation or just in our community, we have all had times when we cannot sleep, maybe it's weather, or maybe it's something that someone said or something that someone did. We've all had times when we lie down. But we are not at peace and if we go to sleep, that's a rough night of sleep. And David is saying here that in light of the Lord lifting up, his countenance upon us, and putting that gladness in his heart that he will lie down, and he won't just lie down because he needs to sleep. He will lie down in peace and then he will sleep peaceably. Why? Because the same lure that shines the light of his countenance upon him that same Lord will protect him. He says for you alone, oh Lord Make Me dwell in safety.

So, it doesn't matter. What sinful man says, it doesn't matter. If sinful man will show us. Good what matters is do? We have the lights of the Lord countenance upon us. And do we, trust? But the Lord who saved us from our bondage to send, who saved us out of the world, out of the kingdom of darkness who saved us as John Bunyan. Would you put it from the city of Destruction? Do we trust then that he will protect us and that he will keep us safe. That he will be our source of comfort in our source of Hope.

And you know, beloved and I will end with this. Do you know how we get to that point? How do we get to the point? Where not only is our first reaction to go to the Lord but but where we we so desire it. How do we get to the point where we spend time with God, because we want to and then we receive that blessing of being in his presence. It's really quite simple. I think far too often we overthink it the way that we get to that point is my spending time with God.

It's really that simple surrounding ourselves. With people who also spend time with God. So that as we are spending time with God, and we are hanging out with people who spend time with God, that we are then encouraged to continue spending time with God. It's like a never-ending cycle of of mutual encouragement and edification.

So, let me close with this exhortation.

We all do, what is important to us. and, You know, what's important to us? Because even when we don't have time, we make time to do what's important. That's why I would ask you to give an honest evaluation of your private personal use of the means of Grace being in the word praying. I would also encourage you. To seriously, examine yourselves and to evaluate. What is your What is your involvement? In the public means of Grace.

It's not enough to say that we want to do something. If we really want to do it, we will carve out the time and we will do it.

The Lord is calling us in this song.

To spend time with him. So that he would be our source. Of comfort personally. and really, as he's already promised that he will, Butter spread.

Our Father in heaven. We thank you for this reminder.

for this reminder, on the one hand, that's that we will endure hardships. Sometimes, it's sometimes we forget. Sometimes we don't want to admit that we will face hardships. Sometimes it feels like in the midst of those hardships. No one hears us. No one listens. And all the, while we neglect to go to you father, forgive us. Forgive us of thinking of Prayer. and communing with you in prayer, as A light duty. forgive us o God for for not engaging in prayer, because we want to And father, bless us. With a renewed hearts and renewed desires.

That would see us coming to you in prayer, not to check off something. But because we want to spend time with you And father as we do. So we ask that you would bless us that you would Shine the Light of your countenance upon us. That you would give us peace. Amen.

Let's turn now in our shelter and will we will take up this song. And the a selection psalm for a. And will stand to sing some for a but a stand.