Lament for the libeled

“Sticks and stones can break my bones - but words will never hurt me.” How many of you have said this? Maybe some of us have been the recipient of this rebuff. This playground mantra has been a defense mechanism for so many - maybe even some of us. But if we’re honest, I think we know that names, lies, other forms of teasing or verbal abuse can be even more painful than sticks and stones. If you’ve been the recipient of hurtful words - whether from friends, family members, coworkers, classmates, neighbors, or any other source, then Psalm 4 is for you. If no one has ever said anything bad or false to you, then we’d all like to know your secret!

Last week, as we considered Psalm 3, we got to reflect a bit on the circumstances that prompted David’s writing that song. As we approach Psalm 4, we notice that there is another title, but that title does not provide context. Many commentators suspect that this psalm may have been written in that same season of David’s life. As we read earlier in 2 Samuel 16, there was an incident when people were saying lies about David. This side of eternity, we can’t know for sure if that situation prompted this psalm, but it does, however, provide a helpful parallel.

Our culture today is no stranger to name calling, labels, and even libel. Commentators on one side of an issue often call their opponents names in order to characterize them a certain way. In public circles, turnabout becomes fair play.

We can get so used to hearing pejorative punditry that we fail to realize that those are real people who receive those remarks. What’s more, because this kind of language is so common, we seem to have lost the ability to show common courtesy to people who may share a different view than us or like different things than we do, vote for a different party, or…..

Not only can we be people who speak this way, but we can also be people who receive that kind of language. Some of those remarks that we receive can leave lasting scars. Even today, I still remember names that I was called by some of my closest friends from way back in elementary and middle school.

So how do we respond when we are the recipients of name calling or libel or blatant lies? How can we find peace or rest when worry about some of those comments leaves us anxious? This psalm provides some helpful wisdom for the worn-out.

Psalm 4 ESV

To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Psalm of David. Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer! O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame? How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? Selah But know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself; the Lord hears when I call to him. Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the Lord. There are many who say, “Who will show us some good? Lift up the light of your face upon us, O Lord!” You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound. In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.

As we look at this today, it seems like there are four ways that David provides a helpful guide and instruction for us:

Cry out to God

Confront enemies

Consecration of the godly

Comfort from God.

In verse one, David begins with a heartfelt and confident…

Cry (1)

David is bold, even impetuous in the way that he addresses God. There is something in his cry that seems rude or disrespectful. And yet as he cries out to God, he does so knowing that God has provided help in the past. God helped him defeat the a lion and a bear when he cared for his father’s sheep. God helped him defeat Goliath. God protected him when Saul wanted to kill him. God helped him in the past. In confidence he hopes that God will do the same today.

He calls out to “God of my righteousness.” Does David assume that he is perfectly right? I don’t think so. If this Psalm was written in the season of Abasalom’s rebellion, then David would have known full well how unrighteous he himself could be and even acknowledged that before God (Psalm 51). And yet, it seems like in this case, David is being maligned. He is calling on the sovereign God who knows truth from fiction and is pleading his cause before God.

When lies are told about you and me, when angers flare, and regrettable words and exchanged, we can cry out to the God who knows the truth. We have seen him act in the past and can trust that He will do the same in the future.

We can sing with the great hymn writer Isaac Watts:

Logos Digital Hymnal O God, Our Help in Ages Past

O God, our help in ages past,

Our hope for years to come,

Our shelter from the stormy blast,

And our eternal home!

So, David lifts his lament to God and then turns his attention to…

Confront (2)

… his foes.

Who are these foes? The ESV refers to them as “men.” Some translations refer these as “men of rank” or even important men - soldiers, leaders, commanders. While they may be subordinate to him, they were important to him - and yet here they were dishonoring David and lying about him.

How often in our own lives do we experience the same? It seems like those closest to us can communicate with the most vitriol.

As he confronts these trusted men, he brings up how his honor is turned into shame as they seek after lies. The hot gossip in the gutters of Jerusalem was getting back to David and getting to him.

There is something in our own lives that seems to seek after the salacious - even if it’s not true. Tabloids are filled with partial truths that drag the famous through the mud.

There may be times when we are on the receiving end of this. Maybe it’s a coworker who is posturing for position or a friend who is simply trying to look better than us. Maybe it’s even from a family member who is lashing out in anger. In these cases we can and should call to God and trust in Him. We can and should confront our foes directly. If what is being said about us is a lie - we should point it out as such.

And yet there is a sense here in which David does not try to advocate for himself. He points out their wrong and then quickly moves on. Even as we read earlier, David let Shimei speak. David seems to do this because ultimately he trusts that God will defend his honor.

As he continues to write, there is a sense in which David makes a significant turn in verse three. Boice notes in his commentary that…

“what is important about the psalm is … what happens to the psalmist as he prays. What happens is that he changes. He moves from anxiety because of his accusers to quiet trust in God, which is to say in modern jargon that prayer is his therapy. It does him good.”

We see this turn as we consider the fact that God has consecrated the godly for himself.

Consecrate (3-5)

David places a pause, a selah, before these verses and then almost seems to wake himself up to some truths about God. Just as we saw last week, David helps us to turn our focus from our adversaries to Yahweh.

Look in your copy of God’s word.

Psalm 4:3–5 “But know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself; the Lord hears when I call to him. Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the Lord.”

Now that he’s taken a breath, now that we’ve taken a breath, we can look at what Yahweh, the LORD, has done.

He sets apart or consecrates the godly for himself. Who are the godly? Knowing what we know about David - it’s not perfect. That’s encouraging, because none of us would qualify for that. One thing we do see is that while he had some big flaws, he also had a big faith. He was devoted to God. We never see a time in Scripture where David turned to other deities or idols.

I hope that we can find some comfort in that, God sets apart the godly for himself. When we come to faith in Jesus - trusting that what He came to do, He did to reconcile us to God, then we are His. While He calls us to be perfect, to be holy, He knows that we will never act perfectly and yet He never lets go of us.

Because He sets us apart, He hears us. Like a parent whose ears are tuned to hear their children’s cry, God hears us. He hears our hurts. He hears the lies. He hears the joys. You may feel like your prayers don’t reach beyond the ceiling of your room, but know that if you are His, He hears you! He is listening.

David then moves to a statement that has puzzled me some this week.

Psalm 4:4 “Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah”

This has puzzled me for a couple of reasons.

Who is he talking to? If you notice, at the beginning (v1) of the psalm, he is talking to God. In verse 2, he’s talking to his enemies. Who is his audience in verses 3-5 - enemies, friends, himself? The tenses of all of those verbs are second person plural - know, angry…. It seems like he is talking to the godly, the congregation - after all, this is written to the choirmaster - so something about this was intended for corporate worship.

The second thing that has puzzled me is…

“Be angry” - You may have a note in your bibles that says “or be agitated.” The Apostle Paul quotes this verse in Ephesians 4:26. When he does this he references the Greek version of the OT. But the Hebrew seems to communicate a bit of something more or different than anger. Think about it, when someone says something falsely about you, something that might be considered libel or defamation, it can be so frustrating. The word is out, the lie has been heard. No amount of arguing or defending can cause others to un-hear what they have heard.

Have you ever been so angry that you’re just shaking? You’re so agitated that words can’t come out?

But look at what David does here - he doesn’t condemn the anger or the agitation because anger is a real emotion. It is not a sin to be angry, but he urges holiness or godliness in it.

“ponder in your own hearts, on your beds, be silent.”

Rooted in this knowledge that God has set apart His people for Himself, we can know that in whatever is said about us, God is not deceived - He knows the truth.

By urging us to be silent - I think he’s reminding us to leave it to the Lord. You may have heard that phrase “let go and let God.” In many ways, that’s what David seems to be getting at here - let go of this anger about that situation, and let God handle it. Take a breath - selah.

Then, in verse five he seems to urge that we concern ourselves with what we can control. We may not be able to control what people say about us, but we can control how we act. By offering “right sacrifices” to the Lord, we are essentially saying that we will worship rightly and walk rightly - trusting that God will accomplish what needs to be done. Let go, let’s go in godliness, let God defend.

David then closes with some encouraging…

Comfort (6-8)

…for those who belong to God.

Verse 6 seems to be an echo of a corporate lament where the congregation is crying out in the face of some difficulty, asking for God to reveal himself. There is a sense in which this references the Aaronic blessing:

Numbers 6:24–26 “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.”

During the time of the exodus, when Moses spent time with God on Mount Sinai, his countenance changed so that his face radiated with the glory of God. It seems like at the heart of this part of the lament and the blessing of Aaron is that the countenance-changing presence of God would extend to all of God’s people - to you and me.

David responds personally in verse 7 regarding the joy or happiness that he feels from God, even in the presence of lying foes.

Even in our lives, we can be tempted to feel like God is blessing us when bank accounts and pantries are full and life is at ease. But this joy that David speaks of is not limited to the fleeting and temporary nature of material blessing. Knowing that we are right with God is a blessing far beyond anything that material prosperity can bring.

I think the Apostle Paul knew a little of this joy and contentment, even in hardship, as he conveyed to the Philippians…

Philippians 4:10–13 “I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned, in whatever situation I am, to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us keep walking rightly before God and resting in His salvation - especially in the presence of challenges around us. May our joy rest not in fleeting things, but in the eternal. As the hymn says…

“Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in his wonderful face, and the things of earth with grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.”

Friend, how do you view your relationship with God? Are you striving, trying to impress Him with your religious observance? Are you trying to pull yourself up by your own bootstraps? Let go of your striving - confess your sin. Let God redeem you, forgive you, save you - receive the salvation that He has secured for you through Jesus Christ. Rest in the joy of knowing that you are His - forever! I’d be happy to open scripture with you this week and help you understand the depth of His love for you!

There is one final verse for us to consider - verse 8. Last week, we noted last week that some people called Psalm 3 a morning psalm because David awoke in peace with God. Others have called Psalm 4 an evening Psalm as David seems to conclude the psalm with an evening benediction:

Psalm 4:8 “In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.”

The lies may not have changed, the enemies may not have relented, but David finds comfort because he is secure before God.

Beloved, things all around us may be falling apart - wars and rumors of wars, lies, libel, labels, and lingering conflicts, but when we belong to Jesus - there is peace, joy, comfort.

As a child, did you ever say the prayer:

“Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.”

In their commentary on this chapter, Daniel Akin and Josh Smith suggest a variation on that prayer - with of course some adjustment to the rhyme:

Now I lay me down to sleep,

I trust the Lord my soul to keep.

If I should die before I wake,

I trust the Lord my soul to take.

I can trust him when I sleep.

I can trust him when I die.

I can trust him when attacked.

I can trust him because I am his

and he is mine. (Smith and Akin)

Let’s pray.

Questions for reflection and discussion

Read: Psalm 4

1. What motivated David to write this psalm? (4:1–8)

2. Does David have to ask God to “answer” him or “hear” him? Why does he pray in this way?

3. Describe a time when you could not sleep because of a spiritual reason. Why did this issue keep you sleepless? What did you learn about God and yourself from this experience?

4. Why does David habitually appeal to God’s righteous character and conduct when he prays? Is this habit a part of your prayers? Why or why not?

5. How can one be angry (or agitated) and yet not sin? Have you seen anyone exemplify this?

6. David draws near to God with sacrifices (v. 5). In what ways are you tempted to run from God during difficulties? Why should difficulties cause us to run to instead of away from God?

7. Can you share a time when you found comfort in prayer or scripture during a difficult night, as expressed in Psalm 4?

8. In what ways does Psalm 4 address the contrast between the peace found in God and the unrest that the world presents?

9. How can we understand the call to trust God in times of distress as a reflection of His sovereignty?

10. What actions can we take to cultivate a peaceful spirit as encouraged in Psalm 4?

Sources:

Boice, James Montgomery. Psalms 1–41: An Expositional Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2005.

Crossway Bibles. The ESV Study Bible. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008.

Henry, Matthew. Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: Complete and Unabridged in One Volume. Peabody: Hendrickson, 1994.

Ross, Allen P. “Psalms.” In The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, edited by J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985.

Smith, J. Josh, and Daniel L. Akin. Exalting Jesus in Psalms 1–50. Edited by David Platt, Daniel L. Akin, and Tony Merida. Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary. Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2022.

Wessel, W. W. “Blessed.” In New Bible Dictionary, edited by D. R. W. Wood, I. H. Marshall, A. R. Millard, J. I. Packer, and D. J. Wiseman. Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1996.

Wiersbe, Warren W. Be Worshipful. 1st ed. “Be” Commentary Series. Colorado Springs, CO: Cook Communications Ministries, 2004.

Wilcock, Michael. The Message of Psalms 1-72. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2001.