SERMON TITLE: Psalm 4
TEXT: Psalm 4:1-8
SPEAKER: Jon McKanna
DATE: 3/14/21
You can watch the sermon here.
You can find the sermon notes here.
Good morning everyone my name is Jon and I’m the Campus Pastor and Worship Leader at our North Main Campus, it’s great to be with you this morning. Welcome to those who are joining us online, and of course my favorite people at Gateway Church, the North Main Campus. I’m excited that it’s week two of reopening there and thankful for everyone who is making the services happen. I’m also thankful for this opportunity to be sharing from God’s Word with each of you today.
This year, we've started a series walking through the book of Psalms. Thanks to some crazy Ohio weather, we started in Psalm 2 as Mike Norman talked to us about how we're blessed when we take refuge in God. Then we went back to Psalm 1 with Cody showing us the contrasting ways of the "Blessed Man" and the "Wicked.” Then Pastor Robert walked us through Psalm 3 as David was seeking salvation from the Lord. Next weekend, we'll be continuing to look at the book of Psalms as Scott Miller is going to be taking us through chapter 5. So make sure you are back with us for one of our services in person or online.
Today we're going to be taking a look at Psalm 4, so go ahead and turn there in your Bibles or your phone if you’re following along on the Gateway App. While you're doing that, I want to give you some background information we have about this Psalm. First, we know that it is written by David, to the Choirmaster, and is to be played with stringed instruments. The people of Israel seem to be experiencing a drought or lack of yield in their crop. That's it for the background, but as we read through the passage, there should be some things that are familiar to us after going through the first 3 chapters of the book: we see the Lord's hand of guidance like Psalm 1; we see the safety and security that is found in God as mentioned in Psalm 2; and we see a plea for deliverance that's similar to Psalm 3.
But before we get to our passage for today, I need you to do something for me. I need you to think of a time in your life where you needed deliverance, you needed help. Maybe you bought a house and the inspection didn't quite find all of those hidden problems and the list of needed repairs just kept getting longer and longer...costing you more and more money. Or maybe you invested in a friendship only to find out that the person has all kinds of baggage and you just aren't the one to help them unpack it all.
The first thing that comes to mind for me, happened on vacation a couple of years ago. In the process of moving to OH I ended up buying a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited. It was a vehicle I'd always wanted and after having it for a while, confirmed that they are a lot of fun! So when we planned a vacation up to our friend's house in the UP, I had to find some trails. There was no way we were going to be up there for a week and not some have fun in that Jeep! Once we arrived in town and looked at the weather forecast, we chose the day that would be best. I talked with a couple people in town, got the proper ORV tags, and we set out on an adventure. We were driving along and sure enough the road turned from pavement to dirt and then we went across this little one lane bridge. After that started to climb and we went through some mud puddles with ease. Everyone was cheering and having fun at this point, except mom. But like every good dad, I looked past the concern next to me and went with the cheering crowd.
Then we arrived at these back to back puddles which seemed harmless, just like the last 3 or 4. Only when I got through the first and into the second...we didn't come out the other side. (JEEP PIC) I tried rocking back and forth and whatever else I could. I got out and assessed the situation a little better. I put dead tree branches under tires and tried all I could to get us out of the hole, but to no avail. We needed someone else to pull us out! We definitely needed help.
Now in case you were wondering, in our passage today, David isn't stuck in a mud hole in the UP or isn't in the situation you're thinking of. His circumstances weren't the same as found in the previous chapter. But he is in a situation where he calls out to God for deliverance. He calls out to God for help. So with that, let's read Psalm 4:1-8.
1 Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer! 2 O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame? How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? 3 But know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself: the Lord hears when I call to him. 4 Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. 5 Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the Lord. 6 There are many who say, "Who will show us some good? Lift up the light of your face upon us, O Lord!" 7 You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound. 8 In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety. (Psalm 4:1-8, ESV)
Right away we can see the passion or even urgency that David is experiencing and writing with. In the very first verse, we find 3 imperative statements, meaning David is making demands of God, which are followed by exclamation points. You can see the urgency. Let's look at verse 1 again.
1 Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!
David is calling out to God in a time of distress, in a time of need. Did you notice those three demands I was talking about: "answer me", "be gracious to me", and "hear my prayer"? At first glance it might seem like David is approaching God with pride and being very selfish here. But right in the middle of the 3 demands, he humbly acknowledges who God is and his dependence on God. We see this in the phrase, "O God of my righteousness.” David's saying that God alone is the one who makes him right...even in this situation. Then he follows that up acknowledging to God and reminding himself of past experiences where God's been that relief he needed. Psalm 3, remember, David proclaimed that Salvation belongs to the Lord. Charles Spurgeon said this about verse 1, “This is another instance of David’s common habit of pleading past mercies as a ground for present favour.”
How many times in the last year have we found ourselves in David's shoes, and maybe we've forgotten God's past mercies? You know, when there were situations in our lives, or maybe for someone very close to us, that brought about feelings of great distress and a sense of urgency. I know for my family there have been multiple situations like that. There were moments in the last 12 months where I knew I couldn't handle one more cancer diagnosis because 4 was more than enough. They started with my aunt and uncle in Missouri, but then it was my mom and now my grandma is doing all she can to fight a losing battle. There were moments in the last 12 months where I couldn't handle one more person from Gateway or family member of mine in the hospital, preparing for one more funeral or seeing one more friend losing a loved one. And I know that many of you had the same experience. But in those moments, how did we respond? Did we just throw in the towel? Did we turn to another person, a hobby that took up our time and occupied our minds? Or did we turn to a substance to try and mask the symptoms, even if it only helped us get through one more day? In this passage and throughout the book of Psalms, we see David respond by turning to God. We see him turn to the God of his righteousness, the God of his salvation. And as hard as it may seem, we need to follow David's example.
Let's move on to verses 2 and 3.
2 O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame? How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? 3 But know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself: the Lord hears when I call to him.
We see David turn his attention away from God and address those causing his distress. I'm just going to call them his enemies. There is contrast in his audience in the first two verses. He goes from demanding things of the God who alone can make him right, to addressing those trying to undo what God has done. At the same time, he is showing everyone how ridiculous it is for these enemies to think that they are powerful enough to do such a thing. God, the Creator and Sustainer of all things, is the one who saves David and sets him apart. Yet these enemies of David think that their words can undo that in some way. When in reality their words are doing nothing but creating some division or maybe recruiting others to join their cause against David.
We also see two words repeated in verse 2, “How long”. David's questioning how long they will continue to stand in opposition to him and in opposition to God. Wouldn’t it be great if we were able to stop and ask ourselves this question? Here is a simple example that you may be able to relate with, of course it's completely hypothetical. You’re on the verge of road rage because of the driver in front of you...who obviously has never seen a snowflake let alone driven with some of them scattered on the ground. I mean it feels like their vehicle isn't even moving. You need to drop your daughter off to practice and she can’t be late AGAIN, so you launch a verbal assault. You don't stop to think that the driver in front of you can’t hear a thing you're saying and they have NOTHING at all to do with the previous 5 times your daughter's been late. Yet the assault begins...again, completely hypothetical.
Wouldn’t it be great if you could just stop and ask yourself "how long"? How long am I going to continue this nonsense, which is accomplishing nothing? How long am I going to continue setting this example for my daughter? HOW LONG? And just a quick clarification, I'm not suggesting that this is something you want to ask someone else, especially not your spouse. I’m simply suggesting we may need to ask it of ourselves from time to time...how long?
Then David follows the question for his enemies by showing great confidence in verse 3. Notice that it's not confidence in himself, but confidence in God. He has confidence in being set apart by God. And this idea that God has set David apart takes us back to the truth found in Psalm 1:6, "For the Lord watches over the path of the Godly…" David knows this to be true and therefore is not backing down. This should serve as a further warning for his enemies that they are messing with God and not him. David continues with that warning in verses 4 and 5. Let's read on.
4 Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. 5 Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the Lord.
David continues to address his enemies and issues an imperative warning for them, "Be angry, and do not sin." They can get angry or agitated, that's fine with him. There are times in life where we have reason to be angry. But don't let it lead to sin. Don't let it lead to you standing in opposition to God. This may sound familiar to you. Paul quotes this verse in his letter to the church in Ephesus. In Ephesians chapter 4 (we were just there two weeks ago with our guest speaker), Paul is writing to them about the importance of unity in the Body of Christ and this new way of life as they've responded to the Gospel. He tells them in Ephesians 4:26, "Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger." Both David and Paul are telling their audience to not let anger lead to sin.
In our passage, David says to "ponder in your own hearts.” Other translations use the word “meditate.” David wants them to focus their minds on what God's Word says and then compare that with what they're saying or what they're doing. He's asking them to really think about their thoughts, words, actions, and realize what is truly going on, before the day is over. David wants them to see where their anger has led them to sin and he wants them to stop.
How much better would this world be if everyone simply put David's words into practice, from verse 4-5? Before you respond by saying those hurtful words, before you post that passive aggressive attack on social media, before you hit send on that message… What if in those moments when our emotions are going to cause us to stand in opposition to God's Word...we would ponder it in our own hearts, AND BE SILENT... Let's be honest, this is tough and very few get it right the majority of the time. I know I don't.
Not only are we filled with passion for our side of the story or our point of view on the given situation, but we live in a world where everyone is told that they need to have their voice heard or they need to speak up and be a voice...and hear me out, I'm not saying there aren't times when we need to speak up. When there are situations that are contrary to God's Word, by all means we need to have our voice heard. And our voice would be speaking the truth of God's Word. BUT there are also times when the things we say or the actions we take don't glorify God, but stand in opposition to him. That's because it's so easy to mistake our opinions for the truth of God's Word. We often miss that step of pondering or meditating that David mentions. The step that would help us see any differences between our thoughts, words, or actions from what God's Word says. And it's in those moments, it would be good to heed his warning and be silent.
David concludes his warning with a hope that repentance will take place as a result of their pondering. He's hoping his enemies will be obedient to God. Because that is the only way they can offer "right sacrifices." David is hoping that his enemies will listen to the warning. He's hoping that in taking time to think and process their actions and their words, they'll realize that they're standing in opposition to God and they'll repent. This was something very common to the Israelite people. He longs for them to be in right standing with God.
Earlier in the Bible we find what's referred to as the Levitical Law. If you read through the book of Leviticus, there are many verses about sacrifices that need to be made so that God's people could be in right standing with him. There were very intricate details for each sacrifice that needed to be followed by Aaron and his sons, as well as the people bringing the animals for sacrifice. There needed to be obedience to God and this obedience had great reward that would be applicable to their circumstances, if we remember the background for this Psalm. We can see the rewards mentioned in Leviticus 26.
3 “If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, 4 I will send you the seasonal rains. The land will then yield its crops, and the trees of the field will produce their fruit. 5 Your threshing season will overlap with the grape harvest, and your grape harvest will overlap with the season of planting grain. You will eat your fill and live securely in your own land.
6 “I will give you peace in the land, and you will be able to sleep with no cause for fear. I will rid the land of wild animals and keep your enemies out of your land. 7 In fact, you will chase down your enemies and slaughter them with your swords. 8 Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand! All your enemies will fall beneath your sword.
9 “I will look favorably upon you, making you fertile and multiplying your people. And I will fulfill my covenant with you. 10 You will have such a surplus of crops that you will need to clear out the old grain to make room for the new harvest! 11 I will live among you, and I will not despise you. 12 I will walk among you; I will be your God, and you will be my people. 13 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt so you would no longer be their slaves. I broke the yoke of slavery from your neck so you can walk with your heads held high. (Leviticus 26:3-13, NLT)
David was living for God and knew that there was great reward for obedience. He longed for those who were accusing him to stop, not simply so he wouldn't have to deal with it. But he also longed for them to be obedient so they could experience the reward. He longed for them to see once again how great and powerful God is. He trusted in God to fulfill his promise for those who lived in obedience.
I can't help but ask the question, is that our hope? Pastor Josh talked about this not too long ago when he spoke on Justice. He mentioned that our typical response is for others to "get what they deserve.” That's not how David's responding in this situation. He has hope for his enemies. He wants them to repent and be in right standing with God. He has hope for them to receive God's blessing. Is that our hope for others, when they "love vain words and seek after lies" about us? Do we long for them to live in obedience to God and experience his mercy, grace, and love? To experience how great he is? For them to draw near to God?
Let's continue in our passage with verse 6.
6 There are many who say, "Who will show us some good? Lift up the light of your face upon us, O Lord!"
Here we see David turn his attention back to God, starting by acknowledging that some have begun to doubt whether or not God is going to come through for them in their current situation. That isn’t the case for David. He is trusting in God and asking for his blessing. He's asking for his divine favor. That blessing that we just read about in Leviticus. In the midst of what appears to be a drought that they have been experiencing, David is asking for God to intervene.
Another place this concept of asking God for blessing and favor can be found is Psalm 80. Asaph is writing with even more passion and urgency than David is using in our passage for today. Three times in that chapter Asaph says this, "Turn us again to yourself, O God, Make your face shine down upon us. Only then will we be saved." (Psalm 80:3, NLT) This is repeated in verses 7 and 19 of that chapter. In those two verses he adds to the title he gives God, from "O God" in verse 3 to "O God of Heaven's Armies" in verse 7 and "O Lord God of Heaven's Armies" in verse 19. We can almost feel the urgency building. If they don't receive God's favor, it appears they won't even be able to survive their current circumstances. But did you notice what had to come first. There's something that had to take place before the blessing or favor would happen or before they would be saved. They had to turn again to God. There needed to be repentance. And notice who does the turning. Asaph sees this as something that God is going to have to bring about. The people couldn't do it for themselves.
Both of these passages are making reference to the priestly blessing that is found in Numbers 6. Let’s read verses 22-27.
22 The Lord said to Moses, 23 “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: 24 “‘“The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”’ 27 “So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.” (Numbers 6:22-27, NIV)
Both authors in the Psalms knew that with God’s blessing they were able to have peace in the midst of any circumstance. They were able to be confident in God’s protection and favor.
Now let's finish out our passage reading the last two verses.
7 You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound. 8 In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.
David speaks to the results of being obedient to God. He was able to have great joy and peace in the midst of his distress. If you remember, David mentioned where this joy comes from in Psalm 2. It ends with "But what joy for all who take refuge in him!" (Psalm 2:12b, NLT) Here he ends our passage having peace because the Lord makes him dwell in safety. Because the Lord is with him. David knew that the blessing of God's presence was far greater than the material blessings. He knew this so well he was able to lie down and sleep, despite all that his enemies were doing.
So in light of this last verse I had to ask myself and also ask you...what has been keeping you up at night? You know what I mean. What are the things in life that have been weighing on you and most likely consuming your thoughts? What's keeping you from living with the joy and peace that David has in the midst of his circumstances?
When we were stuck in the mud, you know in the middle of nowhere Upper Peninsula, MI, there wasn't much peace. We were in an unfamiliar area and the closest tow company was an hour away. I barely had cellular service for the phone call, let alone to see a map and try to describe where we were. There were tears being shed because we were "going to die" out there. Someone else may have made the statement that they "knew something like this was going to happen.” We had to wait over an hour for the tow truck to show up. You can imagine how patient and loving everyone was with each other during that time, right? It was an adventure we will never forget!
But when that tow truck showed up, everything changed. Just his presence brought peace to everyone. Then the sense of peace grew as he told us how he's in that very spot 3-4 x's every weekend pulling people out. This was going to be no big deal. He even told us about the next hole around the corner that people get swallowed up in because you can't see how deep it is. Glad we didn't make it that far! Then in addition to the peace, joy followed as the Jeep came up out of that hole with great ease. (JEEP VIDEO?)
I can tell you that in the past year, the distress hasn't been something to look back and laugh about, like our time getting stuck in the Jeep. Most likely the situations that you thought of weren't either. But we are still here. God is not done with us yet. So my hope and prayer for today is that we all have a renewed sense of joy and peace as we call out God in our distress. We don't know if the circumstances will change, but we can know that God is with us and that alone brings us joy and peace.
Maybe you're here today and you've been responding to the distress in ways that leave you standing in opposition to God. But you see the need to stop and repent. Maybe your whole life up to this point could be described as standing in opposition to God. Scripture is clear that none of us are righteous because of sin, because we choose things that are in opposition to God. And the penalty of that sin is death. But God provided payment for our sin penalty through his Son Jesus when he died on a cross. Today is a great day to turn from that life of sin and turn to God. To respond to the Gospel and to his call on your life. To allow the work that Christ did on the cross to change your life and deliver you from the consequences of your sin.
I pray that regardless of our circumstances today, we are all able to enjoy God's presence and the blessing of it. Knowing that no matter how it is that we got here or how deep we are in the mess, we can call out to God and be confident that he hears us and that he is with us. We can still lie down and sleep at night because of him.
For those who need to repent
For those who need to respond to the Gospel
For all of us to remember that God is with us and we can have joy and peace knowing that truth
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