To the chief Musician on Neginoth, A Psalm of David

1 Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress: have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.

2 O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? how long will ye love vanity, and seek after leasing? Selah.

3 But know that the LORD hath set apart him that is godly for Himself: the LORD will hear when I call unto Him.

4 Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.

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

6 There be many that say, Who will shew us any good? LORD, lift Thou up the light of Thy countenance upon us.

7 Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased.

8 I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for Thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.

The Point:

The righteous live and sleep in faith, a sharp contrast with the unbelief and rebellion manifested in the lives of the wicked.

How do we feel in the recitation of this psalm?

We are confident that God hears us when we pray: especially when we think of the ways He has helped us in the past. Others may doubt the goodness of God, but not us! Even as a little child snuggles into his bed at night knowing that he is in the safety of his father’s home, so we can sleep contentedly each night knowing that our lives are safely in the hands of God.

What does this psalm teach us?

Verse 1. The psalm begins with a short prayer for mercy. Indeed, this is the position of every man of God. Without God’s mercy we could not pray, we could not rejoice, and we would not be saved. David bases his prayer in what he already knows about God. Life is filled with burdens of all these kinds. But as the weight of these burdens weigh heavier upon us, God will enlarge and strengthen the believer to bear the heavier weight. If, through eyes of faith, you look back over the distance you have already covered in the Christian walk, you will see that God has helped you navigate a very long road over the mountain of life.

Verses 2–3. Now comes the contrast between the wicked and the godly, separated by a Selah. The wicked are defined as those who persecute the righteous and are drawn to vain superficiality and lying. One obvious example of this in our day are those ungodly people that make a big deal out of their material things. For some, the most important objects in their life come down to such vain things as a spherical ball lobbed around a court or a 6,000-square-foot home. David informs us that the ungodly love these things even more than they love God Himself. Inevitably, you will find unbelievers prioritizing materials and entertainment over the discipleship of their children in the fear of God or church relationships and worshiping God with the saints on Sunday morning.

Then, David introduces the godly in contrast with the wicked and the contrast is sharp. He speaks of the one God has set apart for Himself. These “set apart” ones are known as “saints” in the Bible. In fact, those who are part of the church in the New Testament, whether they be fathers, mothers, or children, are called “saints” or “holy ones” (1 Cor. 7:14). That is because anybody that is part of the church of Jesus Christ is set apart to God. Here the Psalmist describes himself as one of those set-apart ones because he knows the Lord hears his prayers.

Verses 4–5. Following the contrast between the godly and the ungodly comes this simple exhortation to those set apart for God: “Stop sinning!” But how, you may ask, does one stop sinning? In these verses David produces some great insight into the Christian battle against sin. First, it begins with the right heart attitude towards God—it begins with standing in awe of Him. This is, as David’s son, Solomon, put it in the final verse of the book of Ecclesiastes, “the whole duty of man.” Fear God and keep His commandments, concludes wise Solomon. If obedience begins with a heart attitude of faith, love, and reverence for God, it should never surprise us that those who do not have this heart attitude fail to obey God. Sometimes it is important for us to stand before God’s mighty creation or before the mighty cross of Jesus Christ, and let such awe-inspiring sights take our breath away. That is where you will stop your sinning.

David brings a second exhortation to the godly in verse 4, encouraging us to commune with our own hearts on our beds. There are times when we must get off the merry-go-round of our busy lives to be still and meditate on our God. As we assess the sins and the struggles of our lives, we must confess them to God and rely on Him for deliverance. Drawing close to God in quiet meditation is an important part of the Christian life and should be precious times for us. Even the Lord Jesus, when He walked the earth 2,000 years ago, would spend long hours in communion with His heavenly Father. Sometimes He would withdraw from the crowds for the length of a night as He communed with His Father in prayer and meditation.

Verse 5 continues with several more exhortations to the godly. Worship God by means of sacrifice. In New Testament worship we find these sacrifices to be our praise, our tithes and offerings (Heb. 13:15–16), and the sacrifice of our own bodies (Rom. 12:1). These are the sacrifices that please our heavenly Father. Finally, after exhorting the godly to meditation on God, obedience, and worship, David calls us to put our trust in God. Whether we are a 10th century B.C. Jewish family or a 21st century A.D. Christian family, God’s requirements for us are the same. Godly people trust, obey, and worship God.

Verses 6–8. Now the unbelieving wicked enter the picture again and express their doubts in God. “Who will show us any good?” The weak and unbelieving must see to believe and their chief desire is not God but only some good thing they might get from Him.

But the believer is satisfied with God Himself. To know God and to know that God is near is enough for the godly man. It is far more important to us that we experience God’s smile and favor than it is to merely receive God’s gifts. As believers, we experience deep and lasting joy and we know that God is the source of this joy. Typically, people experience a sort of joy when they receive a million dollar check in the mail or when their boss increases their pay. But the joy we receive from God is much deeper and lasts much longer than the buzz of excitement we get when we receive a material gift.

God gives both joy and peace: that peace comes from the knowledge that God is taking care of us. People seek security from many sources. Sometimes they trust in their own strength, or in their guns for protection. Or they may trust in the government. But our trust is in God and because of that, there is nobody who can sleep in peace as we can.

How do we apply this psalm?

One of the best tests as to the strength of your faith in God’s sovereign care over you, is whether you can sleep at night. While some toss and turn in anxious concern over the uncertainties in life, the Christian falls asleep in the arms of God. Do we trust our lives and souls in the hands of a God like this?

How does this psalm teach us to worship God?

1. Worship is made up of a recognition of the antithesis (or the difference between the world and the church, the godly and the ungodly, truth and error). But we do not dwell on this. The pattern of this psalm moves from the contrast to exhortation and declaration of confidence in God. Here is the flow of the psalm.

– A cry for God’s mercy

– A contrast between the wicked and the godly

– A call to obedience and faith for the godly

– A challenge from the faithless wicked

– A confession of strong confidence in God.

2. Our hearts yearn for relationship with God in worship. Therefore, we cry out to God in worship with words like these: “Lord, I want to see the light of Your countenance shining on me. Draw near to me. Give me a sense of Your love and Your presence. You alone can give me peace and joy.”

Questions:

1. Give an example of a Deliverance psalm.

2. What psalm would be good to sing at times when the kings of the earth are treating God’s law and Christ’s church with disrespect?

3. Give an example of a Faith psalm.

4. How does one stop sinning?

5. What does this psalm exhort the godly to do?

6. What is a good test as to whether you trust in God or not?

7. What sacrifices of righteousness can we bring to God?

Family Discussion Questions:

1. How do you sleep at night knowing that there are enemies out there that might want to attack you?

2. If the ungodly love vain and foolish things, what is it they value the most?

3. Does this family fear God?