Life is Short

Tomorrow as a country we have set aside a special day to honor our veterans. Any honest and reasonable person recognizes this as an honorable and worthy endeavor. As a church we try to honor our veterans through various means. Many of our veterans know better than most that life is precious, fragile, and short.

Pent-Up Protest

His Resolve v. 1,2

For whatever reason, David felt he was in a circumstance where staying silent was what God wanted.

Psalm 39:1–2 “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.” I was mute and silent; I held my peace to no avail, and my distress grew worse.”

More often than we realize or are willing to admit being silent is the better response. Not always, but often. When we choose to speak into someones life, problems, shortcomings or sin it must be with careful consideration and prayer.

It is very easy to sin with your tongue.

Perhaps it is best for us to keep this verse in mind, Proverbs 17:28 “Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.”

This is an example of what true wisdom looks like. There is a time to speak and a time to be silent.

Ecclesiastes 3:7–9 “a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace. What gain has the worker from his toil?”

Sometimes the wisest thing you can say is nothing.

The older I get and the more time I spend in pastoral ministry the more I realize that waiting on God’s timing is vitally important to being successful.

I often illustrate church ministry to the game of Jenga. In the game of Jenga you may push on a piece only to realize that if you take this piece now the whole thing will come crashing down. Sometimes there are areas in our churches that clearly need a change, an update but if you push them out too soon the whole thing will come crashing down. So what do we do? We keep playing. There are other pieces that move easily. Then when you come back to that piece later in the game it moves freely. I am not saying to put it off because you are afraid of the consequences. I am saying wait on God’s timing. Biblical change is not always a bulldozer sometimes it is a chisel. Knowing when to push on the Jenga brick is what biblical wisdom looks like in a practical way.

His Turmoil v. 3

He became angry

Psalm 39:3 “My heart became hot within me. As I mused, the fire burned...”

How often do we speak when we should be silent due to anger?

James 1:19–20 “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.”

Anger is rarely defeated in the moment. Usually by the time we start speaking in anger the damage is already done.

A few things that might help you “cool your heart”

Do you have unresolved sin? - Believers who have not repented of sin are often angry.

Do you prepare your day with Bible study and prayer?

Do you communicate clearly with those around you?

Do you recognize that your anger is rooted in pride? - If you are blaming others for your anger you have missed the point.

He Spoke

Finally David’s anger is expressed: Psalm 39:3 “My heart became hot within me. As I mused, the fire burned; then I spoke with my tongue:”

Job 32:18–21 “For I am full of words; the spirit within me constrains me. Behold, my belly is like wine that has no vent; like new wineskins ready to burst. I must speak, that I may find relief; I must open my lips and answer. I will not show partiality to any man or use flattery toward any person.”

Did David “cool his heart” before he spoke? - I think that in this case he did because in the following verses he speaks no the “wicked in his presence” from v. 1 but to the Lord.

Vapor’s Brevity

Life is Short v. 4, 5b

Psalm 39:4 ““O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am!”

David isn’t asking to know how he will die, but to have a spiritually mature awareness of how fleeting life is.

Two ways of looking at life’s brevity:

“Eat drink and be merry for tomorrow we die”

This is the inherently selfish way of looking at the brevity of life.

It is not that we believe it is wrong to enjoy yourself, but that even in the short time we are given we can live for so much more than simple hedonistic pleasure.

Every life that is wasted in the pursuit of pleasure is a tragedy.

They ultimately do not find what they are looking for.

And neither is God glorified.

Do something that matters - the second way to approach the brevity of life

Life is short so do hard things.

The things in life that have the most value take real effort, but it is always worth it.

It takes real effort to keep a marriage afloat.

It takes real effort to raise children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

It takes real effort to invest in your grandchildren.

It takes real effort to be involved in your local church.

Life is a vapor v. 5b

Psalm 39:5 “...Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath! Selah”

James 4:14 “yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.”

In the grand scheme of eternity our earthly lives are very short. Which should put into perspective a number of things:

Our pursuit of pleasure

Our endurance of pain

Our love of material things

Our grief over loved ones lost

God is Sovereign v. 5a

Psalm 39:5 “Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath! Selah”

“You have made...”

The length of our lives is not our determination.

If we believe in the God of the Bible then we believe in a God that numbers our days.

“You are eternal”

“my lifetime is as nothing before you.”

In comparison to the God of the universe our lifetimes are very short and if we are honest insignificant.

Our significance in this life is directly connected to our being a part of His plan and doing His will.

This is a humbling moment for David as it should be for us.

We are Fools v. 6

Man is a shadow

We may appear to have it all together but in truth we lack substance.

We are all straw-men.

Our significance is dwarfed in comparison with almighty God.

We labor for nothing

Outside of Christ all that we labor for is at best temporary.

We run around trying to do this or that, we make plans and promises when God alone knows what tomorrow holds.

We gather in vanity

We gather and hoard things to ourselves.

Sometimes its money other times its people or power.

We may expect David to cry out with “vanity, vanity all is vanity” but that doesn’t come until later.

So now David turns his attention back to God.

Discipline Deliverance

Personal Reminder

“Now, O Lord, for what do I wait?” - What am I waiting for?

Life is short

I am a sinner

This world is chaos

What am I doing here?

David answers his own question

“My hope is in you.”

It is God who brings purpose to my short life.

It is God who delivers me from my sin.

It is God who brings order to chaos.

Therefore my hope is in Him. It is truly the only logical conclusion we can come to.

Admission of Sin - David’s next train of thought reminds him of own sin.

“My transgression” v. 8

“Rebukes of Sin” v. 11

Recognition of Need

“I cannot save myself”

Psalm 39:8–13 “Deliver me from all my transgressions. Do not make me the scorn of the fool! 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. When you discipline a man with rebukes for sin, you consume like a moth what is dear to him; surely all mankind is a mere breath! Selah “Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear to my cry; hold not your peace at my tears! For I am a sojourner with you, a guest, like all my fathers. Look away from me, that I may smile again, before I depart and am no more!””

David recognizes that only God can save him from sin.

MPT: David takes an honest look at his life, an evaluation or measurement of it, and realizes I am a sinner, life is short and I need a deliverer.

MPS: Life is too short to not live for Christ now.