Psalm 39

SLIDE 1 Turn to Psalm 39. The superscript to the psalm says:

For the director of music. For Jeduthun. A psalm of David.

Some have speculated that the “director of music” or “chief musician” is actually God himself. After all, God created music and he would certainly be the greatest musician in the universe. Others think it refers to one of the music leaders at the temple such as Asaph.

Jeduthan is mention in the titles of two more psalms as well as in several verses in Chronicles. He was a musician appointed by David to help lead public worship.

And the psalm was written by King David. Though the psalm cannot be connected to any specific time David’s life, many believe it to have been written near the end of his life.

There are three themes we find in this psalm. The first is complaining. I’m sure we all have things we can complain about and have complained about. However, we need to be careful when we complain and who we complain to. SLIDE 2 When we complain about our circumstances it looks like we’re saying:

God isn’t interested or concerned about the problems we are facing

God isn’t helpful and we you don’t like the way he’s helping us with our problems

We are blaming God for our problems, or

We don’t think God can help us with our problems

None of those makes God look good and encourages others to trust in him. While many Christians won’t say that with their mouths, they freely say it on social media. They complain about their circumstances and fail to show faith in God. Our complaints and our lack of being content with what God has given us tell others whether or not they should trust God. In Hebrews we read: SLIDE 3

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5)

Do you believe that? Do you believe God will never leave you nor forsake you? If so, do you convey that trust in what you do and say? When we talk bad about what God is doing in our lives we are saying that we don’t trust him. The author of Hebrews says that we are to be content with what you have. Don’t love money.

I don’t know if the author of Hebrews was thinking about Paul’s comment to Timothy, but it sounds very similar. Paul wrote: SLIDE 4

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. (1 Timothy 6:10)

Paul is that that there people didn’t trust God, they weren’t putting him first, and instead wanted more than God was providing. The desire for more and more stuff then led them away from God and they suffered as a result.

SLIDE 5 On November 4, 2010, Eunice Sandborn became the world’s oldest living person. She had celebrated her 114th birthday three months earlier on July, 20 at her church, First Baptist, in Jacksonville, Texas. Eunice says that she not only loved everything about her life, but she also had “no complaints.” If she had wanted to complain, she would have had many things accumulate throughout her 114 years to complain of. She demonstrated that complaining is a choice. We need to learn to make the choice to be content and trust God.

One anonymous poet wrote:

If you can be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains,

If you can resist complaining,

If you can eat the same food every day and be grateful for it,

If you can understand when your loved ones are too busy to give you any time,

If you can overlook it when those you love take it out on you when, through no fault of yours, something goes wrong,

If you can take criticism and blame without resentment,

If you can ignore a friend's limited education and never correct him/her,

If you can resist treating a rich friend better than a poor friend,

If you can face the world without lies and deceit,

If you can conquer tension without medical help,

If you can sleep without the aid of drugs,

Then, you have almost reached the same level of development as your dog.

David is going to make a good point about how we should and should not complain.

Another theme in this psalm is the brevity of life. In our Christians Bible we categorize the Book of Psalms as wisdom literature. The other books of wisdom include: Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon. Most of these other books also talk about the brevity of life and how we have no idea how long we will live. In Psalm 144, David wrote about the number of the days of our lives saying: SLIDE 7

They are like a breath; their days are like a fleeting shadow. (Psalm 144:4)

We don’t know, but God does. Job commented: SLIDE 6

A person’s days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed. (Job 14:5)

Because we don’t know how long we will live, in Psalm 90, a prayer of Moses, Moses says: SLIDE 8

Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. (Psalm 90:12)

We don’t often contemplate the end of our lives, especially in our youth. It’s not that we think we’ll live forever, we just don’t think it will be any time soon. If we did, if we knew when our last day would be, we would most likely live differently.

The third theme is God’s discipline. Near the end of this psalm David will return to the subject of Psalm 38 which was God’s discipline for his sins.

SLIDE 9 David begins be describing his silence

1 I said, “I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin; I will put a muzzle on my mouth while in the presence of the wicked.” 2 So I remained utterly silent, not even saying anything good. But my anguish increased; 3 my heart grew hot within me. While I meditated, the fire burned; then I spoke with my tongue.” (Psalm 39:1-3)

David asks for God’s help that he would not speak foolishly or sinfully in front of unbelievers. When he is with those who do not serve God, he’s not going to complain about God. This is good advice. There seems to be so little constraint today, especially on social media. People just say what’s on their minds without thinking. David doesn’t want to do that. He is going to guard his tongue. There are a lot today who need to guard their tongues and their fingers as they type on social media. David says he will guard his ways so that he will not sin with what he says when the wicked were with him. He doesn’t want to give the wicked an opportunity to criticize God. He did not what he said to be used or misused by wicked unbelievers against the faithfulness of God.

The point David is making is not that we can’t complain but that we need to make sure we’re careful about how we do it. Go to God with your complaints. God can handle it. But we need to watch what we say before others. If you need to talk to someone go to a mature believer, but do not go to unbelievers. We want to be good witnesses before others about the goodness of God. We don’t want to speak in a way that dishonors God. David says it was better to say nothing. He didn’t even want to say anything good lest it be misconstrued. He demonstrated his godliness by not saying anything.

Yet, David says that the more he thought about it, the hotter he got. He had to say something to someone. I think we understand the difficulty of remaining silent sometimes. We want to people how we feel and David did too. However, when he finally spoke it was when he was alone with God.

In the next verses David shares what he said to God.

4 “Show me, Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is. 5 You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Everyone is but a breath, even those who seem secure. 6 Surely everyone goes around like a mere phantom; in vain they rush about, heaping up wealth without knowing whose it will finally be.” (Psalm 39:4-6)

In verse 3 David commented that holding his tongue and not saying anything caused his thoughts to boil over. He was dying to tell someone. When he finally says something to God what does he say? “God, remind me how brief my time here on earth will be. Remind me that I will not be here much longer.” Have you ever made that prayer to God? It just seems a little strange.

So, what is David asking God to do? What he’s not doing is asking God to tell him when he is going to die. He’s not asking for a specific date or even for a vague generality. Instead, he’s asking God to remind him that he will not live forever.

David compares the length of our days to a handbreadth or the width of a hand. A handbreadth was one of the smallest units of measure they had. David says that our lives are that short. How long is my life? My life is about this long – the width of my hand. And then he says that our life is but a breath. David wants to remember that life is short so that he will use his days wisely.

I think Paul was saying something very similar in his letter to the Philippians. As I read this passage, keep in mind what we’ve previously read. Paul wrote: SLIDE 10

17 Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do. SLIDE 11 18 For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. SLIDE 12 19 Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven. SLIDE 13 And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. (Philippians 3:17-21)

SLIDE 14 Paul contrasts the faithful with the ungodly. He talks about what is most important in our lives. We’ve read what the author of Hebrews said about keeping our lives free from the love of money and how Paul commented to Timothy that some people had wrecked their faith and their lives because of their love of money. The ungodly seek the things of this world more than the things of God.

In this passage to the Philippians, Paul also reminds us that this world is not our permanent home. Our true citizenship is in heaven. It’s important to remember that.

Think about the last vacation you took. Wherever you stayed, you knew it was only temporary. It might have been very nice, you may even have liked to stay longer, but you knew it would only be for a few days. Knowing that it was only temporary affected the way you thought about it. You would have done things differently if you were going to live there permanently. You might have rearranged the furniture, bought different furniture, purchased some additional accessories, painted the walls, and hung some personal pictures. Knowing that it’s only temporary, you endure some things you wouldn’t put up with if it were permanent.

Paul reminds is that this is true of this world. It is only temporary. Our true home waits for us in heaven. And that’s what David wants to be reminded of. Whatever he faced was only for a while and it would soon be over. People act like it’s not true, but reality says our lives last just a moment. We work, and save, and store up treasures that we’ll leave one day to someone else. Our focus should not be on this life but on the one to come.

People spend so much time trying to rearrange the furniture and make things for comfortable for this life which is only temporary while completely ignoring the one to come. Since life is so short, the only thing that really matter is our relationship with God who is eternal. David did not want to make the mistake of focusing on the temporary so he asked God to remind him of the brevity of life.

SLIDE 15 David then talks about his hope in God and admits his sin.

7 “But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you. 8 Save me from all my transgressions; do not make me the scorn of fools. 9 I was silent; I would not open my mouth, for you are the one who has done this. 10 Remove your scourge from me; I am overcome by the blow of your hand. 11 When you rebuke and discipline anyone for their sin, you consume their wealth like a moth – surely everyone is but a breath.” (Psalm 39:7-11)

Having reviewed the brevity of life didn’t make David want to give up. Solomon questioned the meaning of life though and called it meaningless. SLIDE 15

1 The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem: 2 “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” (Ecclesiastes 1:1-2)

SLIDE 16

14 I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind. (Ecclesiastes 1:14)

Like David, Solomon talks about the brevity of life and then declares it is all meaningless. He didn’t see any point in working hard. In the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon talks about all the ways he tried to find meaning and purpose for life. In the end this was his conclusion: SLIDE 17

13 Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. 14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil. (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14)

SLIDE 18 He tried everything he could think of and finally came back to God. David started with God. Because life is so short and unpredictable, David declares his hope is in God. There is no other place to find meaning and purpose. Our life is different when we don’t place our hope in God. When we place our hope in ourselves, our finances, or others what hope do we really have? They will let us down every time. We let ourselves down, the economy never does as we would hope, and people disappoint but God is steadfast and sure.

Commenting on this verse Charles Spurgeon wrote:

Here the psalmist steps off the sand, and puts his foot on the rock. Happy is the man who can say to the Lord, “My hope is in you.”

Our hope needs to be in God.

David asks God to rescue him from his sins. He understood that ultimately his sins were against God so it was God alone who could forgive him and save. Then, as in Psalm 38, David asks that God would remove his discipline. He knew his life was in God’s hands and everything he faced came only because God allowed it. Since he knew the discipline was from the hand of God he had remained silent. But now he asks for God’s help. He asks that God would remove his chastening hand from him. He understood how devastating God’s discipline could be.

David ends the psalm with a request.

12 “Hear my prayer, Lord, listen to my cry for help; do not be deaf to my weeping. I dwell with you as a foreigner, a stranger, as all my ancestors were. 13 Look away from me, that I may enjoy life again before I depart and am no more.” (Psalm 39:12-13)

David repeats the idea about the shortness of life and how this world is not his true home. David says that he is a foreigner and stranger in the land and so were his forefathers. That is kind of a strange thing for David to say considering he was living in Israel. This is the land God promised to Abraham saying his descendants – which included David – would own it. We read that when Abraham arrived in the land: SLIDE 19

The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the Lord, who had appeared to him. (Genesis 12:7)

The land belonged to Abraham’s descendants which included David. If anyone had a claim to citizenship it was King David, yet David called himself a foreigner and stranger. Perhaps it’s because he was looking for something more permanent. That’s what the author of Hebrews said about Abraham. He held Abraham up as an example of the kind of attitude we should have. SLIDE 20

8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. SLIDE 21 9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. SLIDE 22 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. (Hebrews 11:8-10)

Abraham wasn’t looking for a comfortable and easy life here; he was looking for a reward he would receive later. SLIDE 23

13 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. SLIDE 24 14 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. SLIDE 25 16 Instead, they were longing for a better country – a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. (Hebrews 11:13-16)

As a result, Abraham was a foreigner and stranger just like David said of himself. They both understood that their real home is in heaven. Those who have the faith of Abraham and David consider themselves strangers as well.

SLIDE 26 Part of the reason is because we live differently from the world. Spurgeon, a British preacher of the 1800s wrote:

If an Englishman goes to the Continent, and tries to pass himself off as a German or a Frenchman, he is soon detected; and in a similar fashion, a true Christian reveals the fact that he is an alien in this world, his ways and manners and customs are not those of the men of the world, who have their portion is this life.

Because of our faith, we live differently and are strangers. But we are also strangers because we are looking for a better and more permanent home in heaven. As Paul wrote to the Philippians: SLIDE 27

20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. (Philippians 3:20)

This is not our home and when we realize that it affects the way we view this world. If we are foreigners and strangers we will never envy those of this world. We won’t get home until we die.

SLIDE 28 B.J. Thomas wrote and sang a song titled “Home Where I Belong” that says it will.

They say that heavens pretty

And living here is too

But if they said that I would

Have to choose between the two

I'd go home, going home

Where I belong