Written by David to the chief Musician on Neginoth.
We can divide this Psalm into three segments:
- David talking to GOD (4:1);
- David talking to sons of men (4:2-3);
- David talking to himself (4:5-8).
Though David is worried about what he is going through, he finds peace and refuge in the LORD who has set him apart from the chaotic world.
Devotional portion: Psalm 4:1-3
Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness!
You have relieved me in my distress;
Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer.
How long, O you sons of men,
Will you turn my glory to shame?
How long will you love worthlessness
And seek falsehood? Selah
But know that the Lord has set apart for Himself him who is godly;
The Lord will hear when I call to Him.
1. David talking to GOD (4:1)
David prays with passion as he needed an immediate answer to his situation. In his prayer, he addresses GOD as ‘the GOD of his righteousness.’ “David knew that his righteousness came from God and not from himself. He calls upon the God who makes him righteous.” (David Guzik) He humbled himself before the LORD and did not try to say/brag about what all he had done or how he walked before GOD. A contrast to this can be seen in the life of Hezekiah (Isaiah 38). When he was in despair, he prayed to GOD proclaiming everything that he had done and how he walked before the LORD (Isaiah 38:3). Though he was in trouble, David proclaims what GOD has done for him (Psalm 4:1b). It’s not what we do for GOD that makes us righteous, instead it’s what He does for us that makes us righteous.
Further reading:
Matthew 5:20: “For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Isaiah 64:6: “But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away.”
As a Christian, we have to be careful not to fall into the trap of self-righteousness. Many people fail in the tests of life as they hold on to self-righteousness than holding on to/depending on GOD. The people who call themselves holy and righteous have blind spiritual eyes that they don’t know that they are holding onto filthy rags! What they count worth is worthless in His eyes and every work without Him is an absolute zero.
God works for us when we move from self-righteousness to His-righteousness. Self-righteousness grows in a person when they allow the fleshly man to grow over the spiritual man. And to shed it off, they have to go through a process of molting or a process like when a vulture breaks its beak as it own beak becomes a hindrance for its nourishment. Discern and repent before it’s too late.
Yes, David waited for GOD in prayer by counting the blessings He has done in his life and his prayer contained humility, submission and brokenness of heart!
2. David talking to sons of men (4:2-3)
David asks a valid question- “How long?” He is confident that the LORD who sees everything has set an appointed time for them all, but the sons of men rebel as if they have no end and they are enjoying the sins they do. Even when the whole world seeks after worthlessness and falsehood, GOD always has a set apart generation (vs. 3), who seeks His kingdom and righteousness, and whose prayer is, “Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things, and revive me in Your Way.” (Psalm 119:37). They follow a lifestyle that matches His standards and their hearts stick on to GOD and they please Him all the time.
David was confident that he is one among the ‘set apart’ group of Godly men. And this confidence made him say, “The LORD will hear when I call unto Him.”
Reflection: Have confidence that we are living in His-righteousness than in self-righteousness. Be among the group which is ‘set apart’ by GOD.
