6-7-2020 Lay Down And Sleep Psalm 4
Notes
Transcript
Introduction:
Lately, we have been hearing a whole lot about an African American, George Floyd—and certainly for good reason. Today, I want to talk about another African American, Chris Paul. Mr. Paul plays for Oklahoma City, Thunder NBA team. He accomplished this by working hard in high school, and then in college. Chris Paul loved his grandfather, Nathaniel Jones and they had a close relationship. Nathaniel Jones, the man everybody called "PaPa Chili" was the first black man to open a service station in North Carolina, and both Chris and his brother worked at it. PaPa Chili was known to let people run up tabs when times got tough. And apparently many on occasions, he would hand needy people money out of the cash register to get by. Paul called him "my best friend."
The day Paul signed with nearby Wake Forest college team, the first person to put the team hat on him was his grandfather. Awkwardly for us here, the team at Wake Forest is called, “Demon Deacons.”
The next day, this grandfather, Nathaniel Jones was dead.
On the moonless night of Nov. 15, 2002, five young boys ran across a park, jumped this 61-year-old grandfather, bound his wrists, duct-taped his mouth, and beat him with pipes until his heart stopped.
All for his wallet. This college basketball player Chris Paul was devastated.
These five teenage murders were caught and sentenced from 14 years to life in prison.
Keep this in mind as we continue our expository journey through The book of Psalms.
Transition:
Psalm 4 is our text this morning, but before we get there, we need to understand its connection to Psalm 3 and the wider context.
Psalm 3 is the first of the psalms to be attributed to David (except Acts 4:25 later attributes Psalm 2 to David),
the one who said by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of our father David, your servant, ‘Why do the nations rage, and the peoples conspire in vain?
thus beginning a large collection of Davidic psalms— the first collection extending all the way to Psalm 41
Psalm 3 & 4, are individual laments, the complaint is against David’s enemies (3:1–2). Moreover, psalms of lament will sometimes have, as does Psalm 3, a “confession of trust” (3:3–6). In addition to the lament and the confession of trust, usually it also has a request (3:7–8a) and sometimes even a blessing on God’s people (3:8b).
Psalm 3 is described in its title as “a psalm of David when he fled from his son Absalom.”
Beginning with Psalm 2, the editor of the collection brings together psalms that set the tone for Book 1, which is David’s conflict with his enemies and his trust in the Lord to deliver him. Psalm 4, a psalm of trust, follows on the heels of a psalm that deals with Absalom’s rebellion, and the tone of this poem shifts from the crisis mode to reconciliation. Prompted by Joab, his commander in chief, David initiated a policy of reconciliation (2 Sam. 19:1–23), to salvage any traces of goodwill that remained after Absalom’s death.
Psalm 3 faces forward to Psalm 4, where we find similar language of prayer. David is still surrounded by “many” detractors in today’s Psalm (4:6), recalling the “many” foes of Ps 3:1–2. The language of sleep also occurs (4:8), as it does in 3:5. By comparison, it is obvious why Psalm 3 has been used as a morning psalm (“I wake again,” Ps 3:5)
I lay down and slept; I woke up because Yahweh sustains me.
and Psalm 4 as an evening psalm (“in peace I will lie down and sleep,” 4:8).
In fact, readers of the Psalms have noted the appropriateness of Psalm 3 as a morning prayer (3:5) and Psalm 4 as an evening prayer (4:8), whether the editor of this collection intended that purpose. Let’s go ahead and read all of Psalm chapter 4:
Scripture Reading:
For the music director; with stringed instruments. A psalm of David.
1 When I call, answer me, O God of my righteousness. In trouble deliver me. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer.
2 O sons of man, how long will my honor be a disgrace? How long will you love vanity? How long will you seek lies? Selah
3 But know that Yahweh has set apart for himself the faithful one. Yahweh hears when I call to him.
4 Be disturbed but do not sin. Commune in your heart on your bed and be silent. Selah
5 Offer correct sacrifices, and trust in Yahweh.
6 Many are saying, “Who will show us something good?” Lift up over us the light of your face, O Yahweh.
7 You have put gladness in my heart more than when their grain and their wine abound.
8 In peace I will lie down and sleep at once, for you alone, O Yahweh, make me dwell safely.
David’s opposition includes distress (v.1), humiliation (v.2), and by implication, danger (v.8), all pointing to a set of circumstances that would qualify for Absalom’s rebellion, as the title of Psalm 3 situates that psalm; but, of course, there were many other circumstances in David’s life that would qualify.
Rather than the angry words of David’s accusers (Ps. 3:2), we hear the query of the former rebels who seek to reposition themselves behind David: “Who will bring us prosperity?” (v.6). This is followed by David’s prayer for divine favor (4:6b) and the joyful outcome of events (4:7).
Transition:
Let’s discover how this Psalm deals with these former rebels
I. The Answer in Distress (4:1–3)
I. The Answer in Distress (4:1–3)
First, I want us to notice the title: For the director of music. With stringed instruments.
The translation “director of music,” or “choir director” is based on the term’s root, which means “to lead” or “be in charge of”. The suggestion that this is the cantor or choirmaster who led the musicians is likely. It appears in the title of fifty-five psalms and even in Habakkuk:
Yahweh, my Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer; he causes me to walk on my high places. To the choirmaster with stringed instruments.
The phrase “with stringed instruments” appears in the titles of Psalms 4; 6; 54; 55; 67; and 76, with a variant form in Psalm 61. The noun derives from this same verb, which means to play a stringed instrument (1 Sam. 16:16). Quite clearly this term means that the psalm was to be recited or sung to the accompaniment of stringed instruments—and this song starts off lovely:
When I call, answer me, O God of my righteousness. In trouble deliver me. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer.
“God of my righteousness”
The phrase “God of my righteousness” means that God is the standard of righteousness, the supporter of the righteous, and their defender.
“... deliver me/Give me relief.”
The Hebrew word behind “deliver/give relief” means “to make wide,” and the noun derivative means “plaza”. Spatially, the idea is that David had been in a narrow place, but now the Lord has given him a wide space.
“Be gracious to me”
So David starts with a balanced perspective here
On April 4, 1864, in a letter to Albert Hodges, Abraham Lincoln wrote, “If God now wills the removal of a great wrong, and wills also that we of the North as well as you of the South, shall pay fairly for our complicity in that wrong, impartial history will find therein new cause to attest and revere the justice and goodness of God.”6 In the midst of the American Civil War, President Lincoln was willing to acknowledge that the North too was complicit in the “great wrong” of this horrific war that divided the nation. We have a tendency, in conflict, to see the other person as “the unholy enemy” and ourselves as “the righteous victim.” The reality is that in almost every conflict, we bear some burden of responsibility, if even limited to what we are thinking about the other person or persons. Even if we are beyond reproach in the conflict, we too are sinners in need of God’s mercy.
In Psalm 4:1, we see David, the victim of Absalom’s revolt, acknowledging that he too is in need of God’s mercy. A great challenge for us when we feel wronged is to have a balanced perspective where we recognize not only the other person’s sin but our own need for God’s grace. It begs the question that as you consider your broken relationships, do you recognize your own need for God’s mercy?
O sons of man, how long will my honor be a disgrace? How long will you love vanity? How long will you seek lies? Selah
The expression “you people” is literally “children of man” (bene ’ish), which is used in conjunction with “children of man” (bene ’adam [i.e., “humankind”]) in Psalm 49:2 (“low and high”) and 62:9 (NRSV and ESV: “those [“men”] of low estate” [bene ’adam] and “those [“men”] of high estate” [bene ’ish]). The distinction is in the two modifying words, ’ish (an individual man), for persons of distinction, and ’adam (humanity), for persons of common origin. Our term here may allude to the noble class that joined Absalom’s rebellion.
“How long will you … seek lies?”
This Hebrew word for “lies” indeed literally means “lies”. Some translations translated this noun “false gods.” If this psalm is truly a meditation on the aftermath of Absalom’s rebellion, “false gods” does not fit the context. The “lies” are weapons against the king, whose royal and personal “glory” his detractors have turned into “shame.” Verse 2 is a description of David’s opponents.
But know that Yahweh has set apart for himself the faithful one. Yahweh hears when I call to him.
Here in Psalm 4 David introduces the powerful idea of covenant relationship in verse 3:
“YHWH has set apart the faithful one [hasid; lit., “godly”] for Himself.”
The word hasid is derived from the Hebrew noun hesed, which is God’s “loving-kindness” (NIV generally translates it “love”).
This is one of the major terms used to describe God’s covenant with Israel, and we could even render the verse in this way: “the LORD has set apart his covenant partner for Himself.” The second half of the verse reflects Yahweh’s responsiveness to the “covenant partner” he has set apart: the Lord “hears” when the beggar calls.
Transition:
So the word picture is that of the covenant relationship between God and the psalmist, in which God is responsive (4:3b) and the beggar is obedient as we see in the next verse (4:4).
II. The Advice to the Rebels (4:4–5)
II. The Advice to the Rebels (4:4–5)
This is where this song’s lyrics become... less traditional:
Be disturbed but do not sin. Commune in your heart on your bed and be silent. Selah
“Be disturbed/Tremble”
The word is an imperative verb, just as the Septuagint translates it and as Paul understands it (Eph. 4:26; ESV: “Be angry”). Evidently David refers to a disappointed anger that has developed among the supporters of Absalom and threatens further damage to their cause if they do not heed David’s song for reconciliation.
Offer correct sacrifices, and trust in Yahweh.
David doesn’t hate these enemies, he wants the best for them: to become believers and live forever! Here’s the lesson from David: Forgive and bless.
Illustration:
Let’s now go back to the NBA basketball star Chris Paul when he had just learned that his grandfather had been randomly murdered. Because of the close relationship & that this man was well respected in the community, what do you think was Chris Paul’s reaction? You would expect Mr. Paul at least to be bitter. These five young murders are all about the same age as Paul, same race, same height, and from the same hometown.
They have one other thing in common with Chris Paul: All six wish they were free. In a 2011 interview with ESPN’s Rick Reilly, 25 year old Chris says, “These guys were 14 and 15 years old [at the time], with a lot of life ahead of them. I wish I could talk to them and tell them, ‘I forgive you. Honestly.’ I hate to know that they’re going to be in jail for such a long time. I hate it.”
Mr. Paul is a Christian and attends church every Sunday whenever possible. In one interview, Paul commented, "I am so thankful that my parents raised me [...] to depend on God's guidance and our faith in Him, and to always be thankful for what we receive.
Mr. Paul's forgiveness stuns one of the defense attorneys who appealed the verdict and lost. One of the attorneys had said, "I've probably tried 30 homicide cases, It's very rare for a family survivor in a murder case to feel that way. You just don't see that ever. That's incredibly generous of Mr. Paul."
Whose heart has that much room? A Christian’s heart like Chris Paul & King David!
We see a similar attitude of heart from David in our Psalm 4 (vv. 2–5) as he offers his prayer of reconciliation and welcomes these rebels back into the covenant community. It can go without being explicitly said, “follow the example of Chris Paul and of King David.” Whom have we not forgiven in our lives? do you need to forgive somebody today? With whom do you need to experience reconciliation?
“correct sacrifices/sacrifices of the righteous.”
These are sacrifices that are accompanied by true repentance, reflected by the second line, “trust in the LORD” (see the blessing of Moses in Deut. 33:19).
Transition:
It is not surprising, then, to hear David pray the best-known benediction upon Israel in the next verse: “Let the light of your face shine on us” (4:6).
III. The Prayer of Reconciliation (4:6–8)
III. The Prayer of Reconciliation (4:6–8)
These next three verses are one of the best prayers ever uttered in the realm of forgiveness:
Many are saying, “Who will show us something good?” Lift up over us the light of your face, O Yahweh.
"Lift up over us the light of your face,”
David knew the priestly benediction (Num. 6:24–26) and the blessing of Moses (Deut. 33), and here he prays with the words of these men of God.
24 Yahweh will bless you and keep you; 25 Yahweh will make shine his face on you and be gracious to you; 26 Yahweh will lift up his face upon you, and he will give you peace.’
Other psalms pray to “see” God’s face. We may view here two stages. Seeing God’s face would be admittance into his presence for an audience, and having God’s face to shine upon one would suggest that God receives one’s petition favorably. David modestly requests that he may see a mere reflection. His use of the term “on us” (Num. 6:24–26 is singular) means that he widens the scope of faithful service and worship, just as God has widened David’s personal situation (Ps. 4:1) to now give him security and peace (4:8).
You have put gladness in my heart more than when their grain and their wine abound.
This verse gives us a unique window into David’s world, the time of harvest. The combination of “grain” and “new wine” would suggest that he is summing up the joy of the grain and grape harvests during the feast of tabernacles.
In peace I will lie down and sleep at once, for you alone, O Yahweh, make me dwell safely.
“...safely.”
The adverbial term “safely,” comes from the verb “to trust.” In this phrase we can see in David’s life the results of the activity to which he admonished his opponents in verse 5.
So What?
So What?
In light of the covenant relationship that stands behind this psalm, we may listen to the two voices of this psalm, that of David, which reflects this covenant relationship, and that of his opponents, who, at least in their rebellious state, fall outside covenant obedience.
We will take the voices in reverse order (so that we end on a positive note).
1. The Voice of Sinners
1. The Voice of Sinners
In verse 2, David addresses his opponents as “sons of man” Since the term used here is different from the one that normally designates humanity at large, it may indicate individuals of high standing, thus “nobles”. If these are the nobles who joined Absalom’s rebellion, then the king’s words in verse 4 are indicting, calling them to search their hearts. Actually, they do not answer the questions of verse 2, as we might expect them to, but we do hear them speak once in verse 6a: “Who will bring us prosperity?” (literally: “Who will show us good?”). This is the voice of the distressed, those who have engaged in rebellion no less, which offers us insight into how God deals with sinners.
2. The Voice of the Saved
2. The Voice of the Saved
In response to their inquiry, we hear the primary voice that dominates this song, that of David himself. Indeed, his prayer, phrased in the language of the priestly benediction, is the answer to their question. Being a covenantal blessing, it both welcomes these rebellious people back into the covenant community and asks Yahweh’s blessing upon them. It is David’s prayer of reconciliation, a model for our own disposition toward those who do us wrong, quite in keeping with Jesus’s own instruction that we pray for our enemies [[Matt. 5:44]].
But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
David encourages his opponents to truly repent and then offer the appropriate sacrifices. And historically speaking, it represents the program of reconciliation that David initiated toward those who sided with Absalom and whose cause was lost with Absalom’s death (2 Sam. 19).
This suggests that God deals with us, regardless of our circumstances, out of His covenant relationship with us—in Israel’s case, the Mosaic covenant, and in ours, the new covenant in Jesus Christ. This indeed is an Old Testament precedent for Jesus’s word of instruction. And the change of pronoun in the benediction from the singular “you” (in Num. 6:25) to the 1st person plural “us” in verse 6 shows that David, himself, is included among the recipients of grace—and by extension, each one of us.
In Conclusion:
As Key Themes of Psalm 4 offer:
By trusting in the Lord, we
▪ resist the temptation to brood over past wrongs
▪ confess inner peace & inner joy, and
▪ hold hope for our oppressors as children of God.
Are you praying for the salvation of your enemies? Perhaps you should start today.
Let’s pray!