Psalm 4: David cries out to God.

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!
O men, how long shall my honour be turned into shame?
How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? Selah
But know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself;
the LORD hears when I call to him.
Be angry, and do not sin;
ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah
Offer right sacrifices,
and put your trust in the LORD.
There are many who say, “Who will show us some good?
Lift up the light of your face upon us, O LORD!”
You have put more joy in my heart
than they have when their grain and wine abound.
In peace I will both lie down and sleep;
for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.

Comment: The prophet Amos said ‘I am not a prophet nor the son of a prophet.’ Well I’m not a poet nor the son of a poet, and sometimes in reading these poem/song/prayers of the writers of the psalms I get a a bit lost. Who is speaking? Who does the ‘him’ or ‘us’ or ‘they’ or ‘men’ that the writer is talking about refer to? In summary it means something like this to me.

• God I know that You are good in all Your ways. You have been very good to me in the past. Please listen to me now.
• God answers and says that mankind constantly dishonour Him, loving vanity and lies. Selah – think hard about that!
• David states that God is on the side of the ‘good’ and will hear me, presumably if I fit into the good category.
• Get stirred up about what is going on, but don’t let it lead you into sin! Think deeply and learn to listen rather than ‘carry on’.
• There is a lot about what constitutes right sacrifices in the Bible. Basically they are from an honest heart, with true heart-felt sorrow, and in accord with what God requires. In the NT we read that God wants us to give Him ourselves as living sacrifices!
• God alone can show us true goodness. And when He looks on us in favour we find true joy and peace and are much more enriched than those who seek their answers in material things (grain and wine). I am now at peace for I can trust You, O Lord.

Prayer: Teach me to find the answers to life in You, O Lord.