Thoughts On the Psalms: Psalm 4

Today, we are into the fourth Psalm. The third Psalm tied in very nicely with the last day of Unleavened Bread, and the fourth one, as we shall discover, ties in very well with Pentecost. David was a man after God’s own heart, and these Psalms come out of that devotion to God. They are inspired works of scripture, beautiful poetry, and the prayers and songs of a man utterly devoted to God. 

David had his women, very beautiful women at that, but his first and truest love was always his God. That is where his devotion and fulfillment came from, not from his wives, and I think there is a lesson in that for each and every one of us, men or women. We have a spot within us that can only be filled by a relationship with God, and all too often, we try to fill that empty place with our relationship with the opposite sex. Our relationship with God takes priority over all other relationships, and it only exists in the first place because He chose us to be His first fruits. 

Pentecost comes at a time of the end of the first harvest, AKA the harvest of the first fruits. It is a time when God chose His people and paid down the first payment of His Holy Spirit to the disciples gathered together in that room. A rather large room, for later we find at least three thousand people gathered there! The Church has begun, and God has a new chosen people. The wild olive branch has been grafted in where the native branch was plucked out (Romans 11). We have been grafted into Christ out of God’s mercy for us, but also for Israel. We are a new people, spiritual Israel!

Psalm 4:1 NKJV To the Chief Musician. With stringed instruments. A Psalm of David. Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have relieved me in [my] distress; Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer.

In the opening verse of Psalm 4, David starts out with a synonymous structure. He begs God to hear him and reminds God that He has given him aid in the past, and then he asks for mercy once again in his time of great distress. We don't know what time of great distress this was written in, but David certainly had quite a few to choose from.

Psalm 4:2 NKJV How long, O you sons of men, [Will you turn] my glory to shame? [How long] will you love worthlessness [And] seek falsehood? Selah 

In verse two, David changes who he addresses and turns his attention to men. Again, he uses the synonymous structure that will appear throughout the rest of the Psalm. David is frustrated by the wickedness that he sees all around him and cries out against it. Even though the king is righteous, the people are still seeking after wickedness. Though not all the people, as it turns out.

These words are still so true today! How many of the things that we engage in (*cough* social media, YouTube, tictac  *cough cough*) are worthless? They bring us no value, they distract us from God, and they waste our time. 

If the Devil can get at you no other way, he will waste your time! — Ron Dart

We can see it wasting our time, yet we love it! It is like junk food for our minds, yet we still seek it out! It perpetuates many falsehoods, yet we love it and seek it out. 

Psalm 4:3 NKJV But know that the LORD has set apart for Himself him who is godly; The LORD will hear when I call to Him.

In contrast with the wicked, God has set apart the godly, those who, like David, seek Him devotedly. We are the Sons of God through the promise and the downpayment of the Holy Spirit. We are no longer sons of men. We are a special people to God, and He will hear our cries.

1 Peter 2:9 NKJV But you [are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

These words are very similar to the words that God once spoke to the nation of Israel as they wandered in the desert.

Deuteronomy 7:6 NKJV "For you [are] a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth.

When Israel rejected God, He formed a new nation out of those He called. God chose us first, and then we had to choose Him in return. His nation is no longer determined mainly by nationality; instead, whoever He calls is a part of His holy nation when they choose Him in return.

God has set us apart, and this is symbolized through the Feast of Pentecost, which this Psalm parallels. We are a nation set apart, ambassadors of a foreign country. Because we are His set-apart ones and because we seek Him, YHWH will hear us when we call to Him!   

Psalm 4:4-5 NKJV Be angry, and do not sin. Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still. Selah 

5 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, And put your trust in the LORD.  

David continues addressing the set apart through verses 4 and 5. The King James translates “be angry” as “stand in awe” which would seem to fit much better here. The word is ragaz, which means to tremble violently with any emotion. We are to be afraid of God and stand in awe of what He has done for us! He set us apart as a holy people to Himself in His great mercy. Our part is to stand in awe of Him and what He has done and not sin. We keep His laws and statutes, in other words. Here, we see a glimpse of the theme we mentioned in the first Psalm, God’s Law.   

David spent a lot of time thinking about God and praying to Him, and he passed the product of that to us. He also advises us to do the same. 

Philippians 4:8 NKJV Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things [are] noble, whatever things [are] just, whatever things [are] pure, whatever things [are] lovely, whatever things [are] of good report, if [there is] any virtue and if [there is] anything praiseworthy--meditate on these things.

We are supposed to wait on God and see what great things He will do for us! When we have done everything that we can do, it’s time to be still and wait on God. We offer our sacrifices of righteousness through our prayers and keeping His commandments, doing what He says, and then we put our trust in Him that He also will do what He says. He will take care of us, whether that means giving us our rest or delivering us in another way from our troubles. 

The important thing is to put our trust in the Lord. He is our stronghold, and when it comes right down to it, we cannot deliver ourselves. In this election season, everyone is looking for a man to come and deliver them, but true deliverance is from God. No political party is going to save anyone, and their only interest is in furthering their own aims and the aims of Satan.

Psalm 4:6-8 NKJV [There are] many who say, "Who will show us [any] good?" LORD, lift up the light of Your countenance upon us. 

7 You have put gladness in my heart, More than in the season that their grain and wine increased. 

8 I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; For You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.

David finishes the Psalm with a synthetic structure, bringing the idea of the Lord’s deliverance through to the very end. Many question our sanity for trusting in God and obeying Him. They can’t understand why we keep His law and His appointed times, and yet they don’t understand why they or their loved ones suffer. “Who will show us any good? If God is real, why is He so cruel?” 

God has filled us with a joy that can only come from Him. People want happiness from God, but YHWH cannot give happiness apart from Himself, for there is no such thing. We cannot have true happiness apart from God. When men turn from God, they bring cruelty upon themselves, for true hell is not a place that you go upon death; it is here upon earth now. Living in separation from God is the greatest hell anyone can ever bring upon themselves.  

Once again, we see an allusion to a time of harvest and that brings us back to Pentecost and the promise God has given us. He has put great gladness in our hearts and called us into a deep relationship with Him. We know what the end of the story is, and we are able to rejoice because we have a relationship with our creator. Even the greatest physical suffering pales before the great joy of being in love with our God! All throughout the Psalms we will see a pattern where David is down and suffering, but then he seeks out his one true love and takes his rest in God. He finds his true joy with the only one who can give it. I will both lie down in peace and sleep; For you alone, O YHWH, make me dwell in safety. 

P.S. I recommend reading the account of Pentecost in Acts 2 and the instructions for Pentecost given in Leviticus 23 as companion reading.

©Kyle Bacher 2024