Psalm 4 was written by David when he was falsely accused of something. The circumstances are not revealed in the Psalm. Some have speculated that it was when Absalom came against him, turning the people against him. We don’t know.
David starts, like he does with all his lament Psalms by appealing to God. He realizes, as we need to know, whatever events are happening on earth, God is our ultimate help. It has been said that one of the common experiences everyone has is being falsely accused. Whether a misunderstanding or someone who believes the accusation, false accusation is part of the human experience. It is normal to be defensive when accused of something. If we are shocked by the outlandish false accusations that can come, it is normal to want to vindicate ourselves, prove our innocents and prove the accuser wrong, for good measure.
David starts by going to God. He cry out to God in desperation. He recounts when God has given relief in the past. David also realizes that every answer to pray is an act of grace. No one deserves anything from God, especially answers to prayer, but God graciously answers us.
David then writes an open letter to the accusers. For us I think it is good to write down what is happening. Put it into words, to see what it sounds like. David is upset because they are trashing his honor. He has looked at their accusations and determined them to be lies. This is a good time to examine the accusation and see if we have any part in it, if we egged them on or pushed the issue. David is clear, these are lies.
David then sees his place with God. In David’s time God had set apart the Jews. This is clear from Scripture. Today, we also know that God has set apart Christians for himself. True believing Christians are in a different kingdom than the world. We have a different relationship with God than the world. When we pray, God guarantees to hear our prayer and answer. That promise is not held by the world. Sure God hears their prayer, but the unsaved have a different relationship with God. We can honestly say that we, as believers are set apart.
David continues by saying that he will think about what is going on here. He will examine his heart. In the same way, when something unpleasant happens to Christians, they need to think about it and examine it. They need to think about their part in it. Recognize any sin they committed to make this happen. David says that if he had sinned he will present the correct sacrifice. Today Christians do not do that. Instead, we follow 1 John 1:9 and confess our sins to God. We put our trust in God that we are forgiven.
David then recognizes that God is the source of his joy. Even in this difficult time, God can give joy. David then sleeps the sleep of peace. In the same way, today, we can move beyond false accusations and sleep. We can sleep without worry but with perfect peace. We can, as believers in Jesus Christ give every burden to God and leave them there and sleep.
David starts, like he does with all his lament Psalms by appealing to God. He realizes, as we need to know, whatever events are happening on earth, God is our ultimate help. It has been said that one of the common experiences everyone has is being falsely accused. Whether a misunderstanding or someone who believes the accusation, false accusation is part of the human experience. It is normal to be defensive when accused of something. If we are shocked by the outlandish false accusations that can come, it is normal to want to vindicate ourselves, prove our innocents and prove the accuser wrong, for good measure.
David starts by going to God. He cry out to God in desperation. He recounts when God has given relief in the past. David also realizes that every answer to pray is an act of grace. No one deserves anything from God, especially answers to prayer, but God graciously answers us.
David then writes an open letter to the accusers. For us I think it is good to write down what is happening. Put it into words, to see what it sounds like. David is upset because they are trashing his honor. He has looked at their accusations and determined them to be lies. This is a good time to examine the accusation and see if we have any part in it, if we egged them on or pushed the issue. David is clear, these are lies.David then sees his place with God. In David’s time God had set apart the Jews. This is clear from Scripture. Today, we also know that God has set apart Christians for himself. True believing Christians are in a different kingdom than the world. We have a different relationship with God than the world. When we pray, God guarantees to hear our prayer and answer. That promise is not held by the world. Sure God hears their prayer, but the unsaved have a different relationship with God. We can honestly say that we, as believers are set apart.
David continues by saying that he will think about what is going on here. He will examine his heart. In the same way, when something unpleasant happens to Christians, they need to think about it and examine it. They need to think about their part in it. Recognize any sin they committed to make this happen. David says that if he had sinned he will present the correct sacrifice. Today Christians do not do that. Instead, we follow 1 John 1:9 and confess our sins to God. We put our trust in God that we are forgiven.
David then recognizes that God is the source of his joy. Even in this difficult time, God can give joy. David then sleeps the sleep of peace. In the same way, today, we can move beyond false accusations and sleep. We can sleep without worry but with perfect peace. We can, as believers in Jesus Christ give every burden to God and leave them there and sleep.
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