Psalm 4: The Path to Peace
I wrote in my Saturday 7 about my new Bible Study method of dissecting the Psalms line by line. I struggled a little with Psalm 4. It seemed so random at first. But then I started to make connections, and loved the end result. This is one that has stuck with me since I did it, so I thought I'd share it with you. Some of my observations are pretty obvious, but some were eye opening to me.
Psalm 4
1. Answer me when I call to you, O my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; be merciful to me and hear my prayer.
- Mercy: not getting what we deserve. David asks God to withhold his wrath and hear his prayer.
2. How long, O men, will you turn my glory into shame? How long will you love delusions and seek false gods?
- Reminds me of Romans 1:23 "[they] exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images . . ."
- Why do we worship anything other than God? Because it's easier, tangible. But they're delusions! They
have no power!
3. Know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself; the Lord will hear when I call to him.
- God hears the prayers of those who are set apart.
4. In your anger do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent.
- These verses seem so disconnected. What do prayer, idols, and anger have in common?
- Don't sin when you're angry. Search your heart for the root of the issue and be silent - the most likely sin one will commit while angry is saying something he shouldn't.
5. Offer right sacrifices and trust in the Lord.
- Trust God with the situations that cause anger.
6. Many are asking, "Who can show us any good?" Let the light of your face shine upon us, O Lord.
- God is the only good. The only one who won't disappoint.
7. You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound.
- Why do we continue to worship idols and chase worldly happiness when God is the true source of joy??
8. I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.
- When we present our petitions to God (v. 1), surrender our idols (v. 2), trust God with our anger (v. 5), and find our joy in him (v. 7), we will have peace (v. 8)!
Since doing this, I've been reminding myself to choose God over my idols (laziness, selfishness), because I'm going to get more joy from him than I will from those other things. This Psalm was also a good reminder not to sin in my anger. I know that, of course, but sometimes I need to be reminded. :-)
Psalm 4
1. Answer me when I call to you, O my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; be merciful to me and hear my prayer.
- Mercy: not getting what we deserve. David asks God to withhold his wrath and hear his prayer.
2. How long, O men, will you turn my glory into shame? How long will you love delusions and seek false gods?
- Reminds me of Romans 1:23 "[they] exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images . . ."
- Why do we worship anything other than God? Because it's easier, tangible. But they're delusions! They
have no power!
3. Know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself; the Lord will hear when I call to him.
- God hears the prayers of those who are set apart.
4. In your anger do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent.
- These verses seem so disconnected. What do prayer, idols, and anger have in common?
- Don't sin when you're angry. Search your heart for the root of the issue and be silent - the most likely sin one will commit while angry is saying something he shouldn't.
5. Offer right sacrifices and trust in the Lord.
- Trust God with the situations that cause anger.
6. Many are asking, "Who can show us any good?" Let the light of your face shine upon us, O Lord.
- God is the only good. The only one who won't disappoint.
7. You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound.
- Why do we continue to worship idols and chase worldly happiness when God is the true source of joy??
8. I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.
- When we present our petitions to God (v. 1), surrender our idols (v. 2), trust God with our anger (v. 5), and find our joy in him (v. 7), we will have peace (v. 8)!
Since doing this, I've been reminding myself to choose God over my idols (laziness, selfishness), because I'm going to get more joy from him than I will from those other things. This Psalm was also a good reminder not to sin in my anger. I know that, of course, but sometimes I need to be reminded. :-)
I love how in-depth this is... that you're really thinking about each verse. I might do this after we're done reading the Bible in a year, because I think I might learn even more this way.
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