Suffering in Silence

Expositor’s Bible Commentary

A. Silence before the lord (1-3)

B. Prayer for divine illumination (4-6)

C. Prayer for Deliverance (7-8)

A‘. Silence before the lord (9)

B’. Prayer for divine Sustenance (10-11)

C’. Prayer for Deliverance (12-13)

Gus

A. Silence because what the wicked might do

B. Prayer for divine illumination

C. Prayer for Deliverance

A’. Silence before the Lord because what he has done

B’. Prayer for divine relief

C. Prayer for deliverance

Psalm 39:1–3 (CSB): 1 I said, “I will guard my ways

so that I may not sin with my tongue;

I will guard my mouth with a muzzle

as long as the wicked are in my presence.”

2 I was speechless and quiet;

I kept silent, even from speaking good,

and my pain intensified.

3 My heart grew hot within me;

as I mused, a fire burned.

I spoke with my tongue:

Intro:

Isaiah 55:8 (CSB): For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

and your ways are not my ways.”

Introduction:

Many of you know how I love lament. In my mind it is the most important thing for a ChristIan to know how to do. Most of us know how to go to sing praises to God during the good times, but we often fail to turn to him in our pain. Many times, even for the Christian, even if we turn to God in our pain, he doesn’t grant our request for reprieve. There are two Psalms that speak to those circumstances, Psalm 88 and Psalm 39. Now many of you also know that Psalm 88 is my favorite Psalm. Then I studied Psalm 39 and I have to tell you, Psalm 88 is still my favorite. Psalm 88 is called the darkest Psalm But I would wager that Psalm 39 is darker. While Psalm 88 seams to speak to psychical pain, the emotional pain that is expressed in 39 is difficult to wade through. Particularly because the Psalmist in 39 expresses very well the pain that comes from not only suffering, but suffering in silence. The hopelessness that comes from not being able to speak out against situations that are causing pain.

The outline for the Psalm that we will be following is this:

Silence before the wicked (v 1-6)

Silence before God’s people (7-11)

Silence from God (12-13)

Psalm 39:1–3 (CSB): 1 I said, “I will guard my ways so that I may not sin with my tongue; I will guard my mouth with a muzzle as long as the wicked are in my presence.” 2 I was speechless and quiet; I kept silent, even from speaking good, and my pain intensified. 3 My heart grew hot within me; as I mused, a fire burned. I spoke with my tongue:

This, for me was the hardest part of the Psalm to understand. Many commentaries that I read said that the Psalmist did the right thing. He kept his tongue. But then you read verse 3 and see the result of keeping his tongue was, essentially, torment. Even those theologians who praised the psalmist for his silence, recognized the price that his silence brought. How do we hold these things in both hands then? How do we understand the Psalmist accuratly so we know correctly what is God’s message for His church?

The answer is the author’s circumstance he was describing and his audience

The author’s circumstances

The Psalmist circumstances is evident. “As long as the wicked are in my presence.“ While the author was with those who are not God’s people, he kept silent.

The reason, “I guarded my ways so that I may not sin with my tongue.“ The author did not want to sin, so he muzzled himself. Why would he sin if he didn’t keep silent? I’m glad you asked.

His intent was to keep those around him, the wicked, from fueling their fire against God.

Psalm 39:1 (PCL:HC): it is generally understood … lest he should give occasion of blasphemy to the wicked, who, as soon as they see the children of God fail under the weight of their afflictions, insolently break forth into derision against them, which amounts to a contempt of God himself. - Calvin

He didn’t want to talk about what he was going through because he didn’t want the wicked ones around him to trap him or give credence to their arguments against God.

The author’s audience

As given in the tile “Psalm 39:title (CSB): For the choir director” this Psalm is to sung by God’s people.

The Psalmist was describing to God’s people his circumstances and informed them of the result of his actions. The results can be found at the end of verse 2 and into 3:

Psalm 39:3 (CSB): and my pain intensified. 3 My heart grew hot within me; as I mused, a fire burned.

The Psalmist’s decision to keep silent tortured his very soul. That is why I believe these first three verses are more descriptive than prescriptive for God’s people. Meaning that God is not declaring through Psalm 39:1-3 that he wants you to stay silent about your struggles and trials among those who are not God’s Children. It seems like the Psalmist is describing what he did, why he did it, and the result of such a decision… torment.

Verses 1 - 3: Application - Silence = Suffering

Voicelessness is one of the most horrible things that a person can experience. It’s one of the worst things that a victim of physical or sexual abuse or even poverty experience.,

The feeling of not being able to say something, either because it wont be heard or because of the repercussions, is devastating.

Abuse shatters one’s person. Their identity, The image of God who is imprinted on them. The definition of a person is one who has a voice, relationship, and power.

When God created man, he created them in his likeness. We share in God’s nature. Part of God’s nature is to speak. He communicates his thoughts and his very self to us. We were meant to have a voice. I’m not saying that we were all meant to create sound waves with our mouths. I mean we were all designed to communicate. What do we communicate? In a sinless world, everything we communicate would be worship. It would be exalting God and edifying God’s people. Does that mean we would only be speaking hymns? No, I don’t believe that for a second.

Our voice is meant to be an extension of ourselves. Meaning, if you are in the image of God, that which you speak is communicating who God is.

God’s word explains himself to us. Our word explains ourselves to others. When we communicate, we are expressing our essence, who we are. That is why, out of the heart, the mouth speaks.

When a voice is muzzled, when silence is forced on a person, their person/their essence is shattered.

This is what Christ does for us. Sin stripped us of our voice. We were cast out of the garden, as we learned a few series ago, out of God’s first tabernacle or God’s presence, we lost our voice. When Christ comes, he restores our voice before the throne (Romans 8:34).

Ariel

This last month for us doing foster care has been really tough. As our foster daughter feels more and more secure, the more she feels comfortable sharing and expressing her pain. This last month, we discovered a new depth of her pain. I won’t go into detail but when my wife, Charis, shared on the stand what happened, the Judge looked at her and said why are you still here!?!

My wife answerved very well and said, because she deserves a safe place to find healing and restoration. That she should know that no matter what her big behaviors are, she is worth loving and we aren’t going to give up on her.”

That’s who Christ is for us! And what we are meant to communicate to other people. You are in the image of God and you have a voice. If you feel like you don’t have a voice, we like Christ, can say. I believe in a sovereign God who sets our boundaries. Meaning it’s not a mistake that you and I crossed paths. Like Christ advocates for me before the throne, let me advocate for you. Before in my life of sin, I know what it’s like to not have a voice. Let me help restore your voice, like Christ restored mine before the Father.

That’s just the first three verses…

Psalm 39:3–6 (CSB): I spoke with my tongue: 4 “Lord, make me aware of my end and the number of my days so that I will know how short-lived I am. 5 In fact, you have made my days just inches long, and my life span is as nothing to you. Yes, every human being stands as only a vapor. Selah 6 Yes, a person goes about like a mere shadow. Indeed, they rush around in vain, gathering possessions without knowing who will get them.

This is more evidence of the torment of voicelessness. Like a hostage wondering when they will be released or a prisoner counting the days. The psalmist longs to know when it will be over.

His circumstances and God’s silence causes him to reflect on little he is compared to the almighty. His life is nothing in light of the eternal God. Him and every other human is as a vapor.

Have you ever watched steam coming from a tea pot? How it spews out so fast but disappears so quickly. Imagine trying catch or watch a single molecule of steam coming from that pot. It would be virtually impossible because of how fast it disappears. It’s there one micro second and gone the next. In fact if you were to remove that single molecule, it probably would go unnoticed.

That’s how the Psalmist feels. Unimportant, little influence, extremely temporary.

This to is how voicelessness can feel. Can’t speak, even if you could, it’s not going to change anything. Like that single molecule of water. Would anyone notice if I were here? God, would you notice?

Verse 6 goes even deeper. Comparing life to a shadow. A shadow is worse than a vapor. Less important. A vapor can be felt and possibly caught. It can accomplish something right!! But a shadow… a shadow cannot be caught. It cannot influence anything.

Silence on it’s own is suffering. Silence is suffering.

Silence before the wicked was hard enough. Let’s talk about feeling voiceless before God’s people.

Psalm 39:7–11 (CSB): 7 “Now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in you. 8 Rescue me from all my transgressions; do not make me the taunt of fools. 9 I am speechless; I do not open my mouth because of what you have done. 10 Remove your torment from me. Because of the force of your hand I am finished. 11 You discipline a person with punishment for iniquity, consuming like a moth what is precious to him; yes, every human being is only a vapor.

Turning to God, the Psalmist questions God, His only hope… What do I wait for!?!

So, when he says in verse 9 that he his speachless to me that means that he has no right to say anything regarding his circumstances, especially in the presence of God’s people. Might as well shut up.

Unfortunately, there are many stories of the church responding poorly to those who find themselves in a difficult situation. Especially a situation that they may have contributed to.

Hoping to find people they can trust, they receive taunts.

Hoping to find a place of peace, they receive prejudice.

Looking for a place of rest, they find ridicule.

You don’t know how many stories of premarital pregnancies, domestic violence victims, sexual abuse victims get confronted with how they contributed to the situation.

Where single moms gets called horrible names, by God’s people.

Where DV victims, are told, “why don’t you just leave.” Or overhears comments about “if they really wanted to leave, they would just leave.” By God’s people.

Where sexual abuse victims get critiqued on what they wear, how much they had to drink, or where they found themselves at that time of night…. From God’s people.

Probably the worst feeling in the Psalm, is in verse 11. “Consuming like a moth.” Moths are silent destroyers. You could loose a whole wardrobe and not hear a sound. They can’t turn to the wicked and be heard, they can’t turn to God’s people and be heard and so, the Psalmist feels like they and everything they hold deer are being silently destroyed. Because silence is suffering.

Then the Psalmist reaffirms his and everyone else’s inconsequential existance.

Psalm 39:12–13 (CSB): 12 “Hear my prayer, Lord, and listen to my cry for help; do not be silent at my tears. For I am here with you as an alien, a temporary resident like all my ancestors. 13 Turn your angry gaze from me so that I may be cheered up before I die and am gone.”

The worst silence though is when God, the Psalmist only hope, is silent.

In the OT time, aliens were grouped with orphans and widows, the oppressed of society.

The Psalmist, feels angry, voiceless, and with God silence, hopeless.

But, just because we feel something, doesn’t mean that it’s true.

In our walks as Christians, we will suffer. When we suffer, and pray for relief or healing, and our requests aren’t fulfilled, it’s easy to view God as silent. To feel like he’s not there.

Looking at this Psalm, it would be an easy conclusion to draw. There is no upside to this Psalm. There is no relief for the Psalmist. If this were an ice breaker, there would be an awkward silence at the end.

Here’s the thing. The last sermon I gave here was on Exodus 5, how Satan is defiant, divisive, and destructive. Satan would love nothing more than for you to feel like you have no voice and that God is silent towards you.

Church do you know how blessed we are? Those in OT times put their hope in the messiah that was to come. All they had to work off of though was the words of the prophets. We can look back to a historical fact and know that God is not silent towards our circumstances. He not only spoke into our circumstances, he, through the Holy Spirit, speaks into our circumstances.

We no longer have to suffer in silence, because he has silenced satan.

Not only are we able to speak directly to God, as 1 John 5 tells us, because of His Son. And even if all we can manage is groans, the Holy Spirit interprets them to the Father (Romans 8:26).

While we may feel God is silent, we know He is a God who has spoken at the cross, is speaking through the Holy Spirit the comforter, and will speak in our blessed hope.

In closing, while the work of our salvation is finished, our work as a church is not. We have some work to do in ensuring those who feel voiceless have a voice. Yes they have a voice before the throne, but that shouldn’t be the only place. We have work to do in our church community to receive those who are suffering and make sure they aren’t suffering in silence and aren’t suffering from silence. Proverbs 31:8 says speak up for those who have no voice, for the justice of all who are dispossessed. To advocate for them and to befriend them and pray for them. So they know they don’t have so suffer in silence, but in their suffering, they have a savior.

That is why, one of the best things we can do for someone who has been abused, is to listen to them! Someone who is a victim of any kind of abuse of power, hear them! Advocate for them! When we do, we help restore their identity. Their image of God. We help restore and heal them. In a response to verse 2 and 3, we will help calm their pain and their heart.

Pray