Psalm 4

When you trust in God and encourage others to do the same, but our circumstances worsen rather than improve, how do you respond? That’s the situation David finds himself in as God’s king. As he encouraged the people of Israel to trust in God, they experienced some tough times, bringing David’s credibility into question as their leader.

Though none of us can fully empathize with the high level of authority and responsibility that David carried as God’s chosen king, we know what it’s like to follow Christ as God’s ultimate king only to land in a tight spot we can’t seem to resolve. When this happens, people easily turn against us and question the credibility of our faith and values.

In such difficult moments and periods of life, we should trust in God and not run after other solutions. Doing so is easier said than done but begins with prayer. Turning to God in prayer leads to greater gladness and peace than outward solutions can ever provide. Why is this so? As this song reveals, true peace comes when we realize that true happiness comes not from material prosperity and public affirmation but from a close and trusting relationship with God.

To the lead musician, with stringed instruments, a psalm of David.

These preliminary remarks provide us with helpful information about this song:

• The “lead musician” supervised the musical aspects of temple worship. By addressing the song to this person, the writer included this song in a collection of psalms that was used regularly in temple worship. So, not all psalms were used this way, and this would be a song that Israel sang often in their worship gatherings.
• “Stringed instruments” specify the instruments used to accompany this song whenever it was sung for worship. These were instruments, like harps and lyres, played by plucking strings – more like guitars than violins. Though the musical notation or style of psalms have not been preserved, modern Jewish worship music offers a helpful point of reference due to the Jewish tendency to preserve cultural practices. This music features a wide range of musical expression, from mournful and reflective to celebratory and lively, with repetition, distinctive rhythms, and catchy melodies that express the emotional mood and aid with memorizing the lyrics.
• “A psalm of David” acknowledges King David as the author of this song, but unlike Psa 3, it doesn’t reveal the circumstances behind the song. We have to rely on details within this song to piece together what David may have been experiencing when he wrote it.

David wrote this song in three sections, similar to how we build a sandwich. We place a slice of bread on the top and bottom and a chunk of meat in between. David’s words to God are the “bread” (top and bottom) and his words to the people are the meat in between. Knowing this structure helps us digest the message of this song as we read it. From this song, we learn that true peace comes when we realize that true happiness comes not from material prosperity and public affirmation but from a close and trusting relationship with God.

God’s people turn to him for relief in tight times.

When I call out, answer me, God of my righteousness!

            In the narrow straits, you made a wide space for me;

            have mercy upon me and hear my prayer.

Psalm 4:1

To whom do you turn when you’re in a tight place and when people seem to be turning against you, talking behind your back, or not taking your input seriously? From this song we see that David turned to the right place. He didn’t turn to his friends for sympathy or even to his critics to defend himself or to ruin their reputation in return. He turned to God.

This song opens with a serious call for help and clear expectation for God to respond. In his opening address, David calls God the “God of my righteousness.” This way of speaking to God reveals why David turned to God in the first place – God was his total source righteousness. David knew he was a guilty and indefensible person. He was not “in the right” because he was innocent from wrongdoing nor because had earned or achieved that status somehow. He was right only because God has chosen to bless him and forgiven his sins.

The preacher James Montgomery Boice asks, “Is there such a thing as a totally righteous sufferer? Is anyone ever really innocent? The answer is: of course not, unless we are thinking of the Lord Jesus Christ … None of us is ever utterly innocent, but there are nevertheless times of relative innocence in which evil people really do heap injustices on us. There are times when we are falsely accused. At other times we are slandered. Someone may want to advance himself by getting us out of the way. Or an attack may be occasioned by pure envy.

When a citizen of Athens was asked why he had voted for the condemnation of Aristides, called “the Just” – he was one of the most outstanding statesmen that nation had produced – the citizen replied, “I voted against him simply because I was tired of hearing him called ‘the Just.’”

We don’t know exactly why David was suffering here and we know he had committed his own share of sins, but what distinguished him from his critics is that he was genuinely trusting in God and they were not.

Distress or trouble describe circumstances that were difficult because they were limiting, narrow, pent up, small, or restrictive. David and the people of Israel seem to have suffered from something like being cornered on a battlefield or facing limited options, diminishing resources, or time running out – and these restricted circumstances were weakening David’s reputation as God’s king.

We also see that God had already rescued David from a comparable trial by opening up “a wide space” for him somehow. We all know what it’s like to feel as though circumstances are “closing in on us” and what it’s like for things to “open up” and give us “breathing room” again.

• Your bills and debt are piling up and an influx of cash clears it up.
• No one suitable is available to marry and then you meet someone new.
• You struggle to find a good job and then an amazing offer falls into your lap.
• Doctors continue giving discouraging reports and then you get a clean bill of health.

Facing a new set of tight circumstances, David turned to God once again and asked for mercy. By asking for mercy, we see that David acknowledged he deserved to suffer. He prayed to God because he wanted to be rescued, not because he deserved to be.

This mindset is important to understand for ourselves. When we ask God for relief from our suffering, we should not question why God allows us to suffer as though we’re entitled to better. We know we are sinners who deserve to suffer but seek God’s mercy instead.

Having expressed his reliance upon God, David now shifts his attention from speaking with God to speaking to the people who doubted his wisdom, leadership, and guidance.

They urge others to trust in Yahweh, too.

Sons of man, how long will you turn my honor into shame?

            How long will you love empty claims and inquire after false gods? Selah.

Yet know that Yahweh sets apart the godly for himself;

            Yahweh will listen when I call to him.

Tremble and do not sin;

            think within your hearts on your beds and be silent. Selah.

Offer the right sacrifices,

            and put your confidence in Yahweh.

Psalm 4:2-5

Here David speaks to other people, esp. the people who are causing his problems. He also reveals a little more about the restrictive circumstances he was facing.

• They were belittling or reducing his reputation. He was God’s chosen king but they weren’t treating him that way.
• They were spreading unsubstantiated claims, saying things about him which were empty, useless, and of no true value.
• They were seeking after gods other than Yahweh. The word sometimes translated falsehood also refers to false gods, which contrasts well with David’s emphasis here on trusting in Yahweh instead.

Despite the attempts of these people to discredit David’s reputation as God’s chosen king, David informs them that Yahweh “sets apart the godly for himself.”

• Godly here refers to people who are loyal to Yahweh, a quality which describes David, despite his many flaws. These are people who don’t withdraw from trusting God and turn to other gods when times get tough.
• Set apart for himself means to treat someone differently than others by giving them special attention and treatment that others do not receive.

Because God gives special attention to those who trust in him, David reminds his accusers and critics that Yahweh will listen and respond to his call for help but not to theirs. Then he tells them how to respond to this news since they were not among those who are loyal to Yahweh and trusting in him.

• Tremble (quake, be agitated, angry) warns them to move from a cocky, self-assured mindset to being concerned over their vulnerable standing before God.
• Do not sin (do not offend, do not miss the mark) warns them to stop racking up infractions by doing and saying things that offend a holy God.
• Think within your hearts (talk to yourself internally) urges them not only to be afraid due to their vulnerable position but to think carefully about what that means for them – and in particular, this is what they should think about when they go to bed at night.
• Be silent instructs them not only to stop spreading false accusations about David’s reputation and but to stop talking entirely – to be quiet and let the reality of their standing before God sink deeply into their hearts.

David concludes his instructions to his critics with a surprising invitation, one that should influence how all who follow Christ respond to our accusers. It differs markedly from how he talked about his accusers in Psa 3 by how he now talks to them, differing also in how he switches from wishing God’s judgment on them to offering them God’s salvation.

Rather than encourage his critics to go away or wait for God’s judgment, he invites them to trust Yahweh with him. “Offer the right sacrifices” refers not so much to following the meticulous instructions in Leviticus for how and when to offer different kinds of offerings (burnt, grain, peace, purification, guilt), choose the right kind of sacrifice (sheep, cow, dove, grain), or prepare to offer sacrifices (proper hygiene and protocol). It refers to sincere honesty, humility, and repentance that admits their sin and seeks forgiveness.

You will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

Psalm 51:16-17, cf. v. 19

David concludes this middle section with a simple offer to “trust in Yahweh,” to place full confidence in him rather than in their own arrogant, self-reliant plans or in some false god. As God’s chosen king, David encourages his adversaries to trust in Yahweh and we should do the same. We should invite nonbelievers to trust in God through Christ. Even though they make things hard for us in life, we should invite them to trust in Yahweh.

Yahweh gives gladness and peace to all who trust in him.

Many are asking, “Who will show us anything good?

            Lift up the light of your face over us, Yahweh!

You put gladness in my heart –

            greater than when their grain and wine flourish.

In peace I will both lie down and sleep,

            for you Yahweh alone cause me to live with confidence.

Psalm 4:6-8

In the third and final section of this song, David changes his audience again by shifting his words back towards God.

First, he reports what people are saying: “Who will show us anything good?” This may be a case in which Israel was facing an agricultural dilemma, with crops needing rain and struggling to grow. In such a case, they considered shifting their loyalty to some false fertility god, like Asherah, Ashtoreth, Baal, Dagon, or Marduk. As their crops continued to struggle, a growing number of people questioned David’s advice to trust in Yahweh.

That David mentions this question here hints that people were asking this even though David had already offered them a solution. Though he had encouraged them to trust in the Lord, they acted as if they hadn’t heard him or taken his guidance seriously.

After acknowledging this popular question, David asked Yahweh to respond. David knew he couldn’t solve their problem by himself. He needed God to intervene.

“Lift up the light of your face over us” describes God’s presence as though it were a sun rising in the morning to scare away the nighttime darkness and shine life-giving light on the earth. This request recalls the priestly blessing offered in Temple worship.

“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” (Num 6:24-26).

Next, David recalls how God had blessed him in the past. Gladness refers to feelings of happiness, joy, and pleasure. It envisions joyful banquets, feasts, and celebrations, only here David emphasizes internal joy (“in my heart”) over external, material pleasures. Heart refers to a person’s whole being: body, mind, spirit, emotions, and will.

David contrasts his glad feelings and mindset with the fearful, troubled feelings and mindset that people should have who are not trusting in God. He claims that God had given him joy that transcended the feelings people experience when they celebrate an abundant harvest. So, here David shifts his focus from a request for a fruitful harvest to a request for God’s close, personal presence.

Knowing he was trusting in God and that God’s favor was guaranteed, David affirms his ability to rest well knowing that Yahweh was the only God he needed to rely upon to live with confidence. His relationship with God encouraged him to persevere even when many people questioned his guidance and leadership as king due to circumstantial, financial, or material limitations and struggles.

“In peace” is “in shalom,” which describes a state of mind and heart that is encouraged, healthy, refreshed, restful, satisfied, and tranquil due to God’s blessing and favor.

Contrast the fearful, restless minds of those who are not trusting in Yahweh with the calm, confident minds of those who are trusting in him.

Are you enjoying gladness and peace that comes from trusting God?

From this psalm, we are reminded that we can enjoy true peace when we learn that true happiness comes not from material prosperity and comfortable circumstances but from a close relationship with God.

• Could it be that you are suffering from anxiety and doubts today because you have turned your focus away from God?
• Perhaps you are troubled because you are more concerned about your financial, material, and professional success or about what nonbelievers think of you than you are about being loyal to God?

If these questions describe how you’re feeling today, then no matter what your difficult circumstances may be, let me encourage you to first acknowledge that you are a sinner who deserves to suffer not an entitled person who deserves to be blessed.

Let me encourage you to think about your relationship with God (or lack thereof) until you realize how frightening your situation truly is. Then let me encourage you to put your complete trust in Jesus Christ, God’s chosen king.

If you have already believed on Christ as your God and Savior, then let me encourage you to be like David. Talk to God about your troubles and give your cares to him. Don’t let difficult circumstances and the opinions of other people steal your gladness and peace. True peace comes when we realize that true happiness comes not from material prosperity and public affirmation but from a close and trusting relationship with God.