Psalms Four Commentary

Contents

I. Introduction

Our purpose is to render a commentary on Psalms Four.

We will follow this format:

Verse of Scripture utilizing the YLT text followed by an NASB mouseover of that verse. Key words in the YLT text will be footnoted with a link to a word study based on the Hebrew text, and/or a general discussion relative to the given word. We are not biblical Greek or Hebrew scholars, please consider our grammatical constructions with a critical eye.
Commentary We shall be commenting on this passage keeping before us at all times the crucial fact that every jot and every tittle comprising these verses came forth under the inspiration of the blessed Holy Spirit. We pray that He, by His grace, helps us along the way.

II. Psalms Four Commentary Verses

4:1-O God of My Righteousness, Gracious, Hear Thou

YLT TEXT: To the Overseer [1] with Stringed Instruments. — A Psalm of David. In my calling [2] answer [3] Thou me, O God of my righteousness [4]. In adversity [5] Thou gavest enlargement [6] to me; Favour [7] me, and hear [8] my prayer [9]. (Psa 4:1).

COMMENTARY-O That discord; vain, betwixt… But thy Baton, how it straighteneth, sweepeth through, attuneth; my prayer thou hearest. And I am enlarged, thou Conductor mine, Symphonic. Ever mine Thee, thy Score; yea, I am enlarged.

What blessedness answered prayer is; prayer that has been heard (Psa 16:8-9). It makes glad the heart, is cause for the soul to rejoice; it enables the beggarly flesh in the matters of life the flesh is sore deficient in, lacking: “…In adversity Thou gavest enlargement to me…”, in the matters of life the flesh is in sore need of a compassionate ear and a helping hand: “In my calling answer Thou me…”, and it undergirds faith in God, which faith redounds to more answered prayer (Mat 14:28-31, 17:20, Mar 9:23).

Here David recollects Jehovah’s mighty acts on his behalf beforetime, thus reminding himself of his God’s willingness to step into the savage mix on his behalf: “…In adversity Thou gavest enlargement…” This is declarative praise (the sweet melody of stringed instruments if you will…) that compliments God and helps to secure David’s confidence in his God to act and bring victory as before (cf. Brother Nehemiah: “Nehemiah Chapter One Commentary”). Moreover David addresses God in a manner that shows Him acting on David’s behalf as a Standard Bearer (another compliment to God): “…O God of my righteousness…” That is to say: ‘…Thou upholdest my cause; hast vindicated me; yea, by the very favor thou hast shown me, thou, none but thee, holy God of my righteousness [not of my own cometh it, nor of idolatrous fancies, but through thee]…’ And so David having stirred his memories of the God who showed him such favor beforetime, and having praised his God thus with no pretensions of his own capacity, merit, or sufficiency, or worse—with no hidden idolatrous dependencies and tethers, sets his need/s before God at the present, confident: “…Favor me, hear my prayer…”

There is in this prayer maybe presaged the prayer of the believer, in that believers in Jesus Christ come before God in the name of Jesus, who is our Righteousness: ‘Great God, in my calling unto thee in Jesus’ name, the Righteous One (1Jo 2:1), He, the very God of my Righteousness, answer thou me…’, “…In my calling answer thou me, O God of my righteousness…” (Jhn 14:13-14, 15:16, 16:23-24, Hbr 4:14-16).

4:2-5-Whereto Trust Ye Sons of Men?

YLT TEXT: Sons of men! till when is my glory [10] for shame [11]? Ye love a vain [12] thing, ye seek a lie [13]. Selah [14]. And know ye that Jehovah Hath separated [15] a saintly [16] one to Himself. Jehovah heareth in my calling to Him. ‘Tremble [17] ye, and do not sin;’ Say ye thus in your heart on your bed, And be ye silent. Selah. Sacrifice [18] ye sacrifices of righteousness, And trust [19] ye unto Jehovah. (Psa 4:2-5).

COMMENTARY-Ouch. What a shame, embarrassment; what a travesty, Sin, that the One who loves us with an immeasurable love (Jhn 3:16) must needs speak these words to us: “…Sons of men! Till when is my glory for shame? Ye love a vain thing, ye seek a lie. Selah…” Please notice that “Sons of men” here is general address and transcends the ages; the complaint (heartache) is for our age and all ages, except for a remnant: “…And know ye that Jehovah Hath separated a saintly one to Himself…”, that is, saints, past, present, going forward, are thus separated—here is the efficacy of the Cross reaching backward and forward in time (“A Letter of Invitation”). The saints of God have Him as the object of their trust and worship, thus they call upon Him alone in adversity, and are blessed (enlarged): “…In my calling answer Thou me, O God of my righteousness. In adversity Thou gavest enlargement to me; Favour me, and hear my prayer…”, and again: “…Jehovah Hath separated a saintly one to Himself. Jehovah heareth in my calling to Him…” Thus is the blessedness of the saints of God, faithful unto Him, trusting Him; they have His ear and His heart and His holy bared right arm.

The text has in view the heart-sin of idolatry: “…Ye love a vain thing, ye seek a lie…” (“Revelation Chapter Seventeen Commentary”); it (idolatry) is the chief complaint (heartache) here by God. Idolatry. That age-old Sin idolatry that persists and persists across the ages; that age-old Sin that deflects affection and due infatuation and trust away from God and onto vain things. Precisely what enemy of Jehovah God would thus wag the tongue at God and presume to launch such a persistent frontal assault against Him? “…Ye love a vain thing, ye seek a lie…” Hast thou (and I) collaborated with His enemy and thus sinned? Hast thou thus burnt thy pinch of incense at the altar of money? Self? Praise of men? Modernity? Licentiousness? And on it goes. Doth thy idolatry cause thee to tremble? If yea, thou hast indeed but stumbled, and it pleaseth God to hear thee out; turn to Jehovah God; repent (Hbr 7:25, 1Jo 1:9, et al.): “…’Tremble ye, and do not sin;’ Say ye thus in your heart on your bed, And be ye silent [that thou mightest hear God’s admonition and further instruction to thee]. Selah…” (red font added). But if thy idolatry causeth thee not to tremble, thou certainly hast no heart for God, but art joined to another/s. Turn thou to Jehovah God. In the spirit of this passage, how does one manifestly turn to God? The theme is consistent in the passage—by offering sacrifices of righteousness and trusting in Him says the text: “…Sacrifice ye sacrifices of righteousness, And trust ye unto Jehovah…” The former is tantamount to worshiping God in that it involves concerted effort to offer up, to align oneself with, that which He stands for: “…O God of my righteousness…”, and of course so too is trusting Jehovah tantamount to worshiping Him. Thus Scripture instructs one to turn to Jehovah God by (1) worshiping Him—by doing that which shows Him to be who He says—here particularly the God of righteousness—which involves effort (sacrifice; the disciple-worshiper counts this cost), and by (2) singularly trusting in Him. And this turning to Jehovah God, in manifest worship of Him, is to the humiliation of Jehovah’s enemy, who would have it otherwise down through the ages—Satan (the main enemy inferred) is again a loser here in that Jehovah God has separated to Himself: “… know ye that Jehovah Hath separated a saintly one to Himself…” a not so insignificant remnant by any reckoning that resolves to worship their God Jehovah and to repent with sincere trembling if they stumble; to repent with sincere remorse, and with sincere heartache, for they sincerely love their God, and are sincerely pained when they grieve and cause Him pain (cause Him heartache; His heart surely aches somewhat like ours does when we are betrayed, for we are created in His image).

4:6-8-In Thee Alone I Dwell Secure Great Jehovah God

YLT TEXT: Many are saying, ‘Who doth show [20] us good [21]?’ Lift [22] on us the light of Thy face [23], O Jehovah, Thou hast given joy in my heart, From the time their corn and their wine Have been multiplied. In peace together I lie down and sleep, For Thou, O Jehovah, alone, In confidence [24] dost cause me to dwell [25]! (Psa 4:6-8).

COMMENTARY-The Holy Spirit elicits a thought-provoking, elicits a look-yonder-deep-inside-question from David. He moves David, and elicits a personal, and at the same time a people-wide question from him: ‘… Look inside David, look about David…’ Thus it materializes in Davids heart: “…’Who doth show us good?’…” ( good per note twenty-one; red font added). It is necessary to ask that question inwardly from time to time, especially in light of the heart-sin idolatry concerns of the prior verses. And, straightaway, the answer (see how David knows the answer): “Lift on us the light of Thy face, O Jehovah, Thou hast given joy in my heart, From the time their corn and their wine have been multiplied…” In short: ‘…Thou dost show us good Father God…’ He says this “to his Overseer with stringed instruments” if you will, for thus melodious it must surely sound in his God’s ears (notice how he uses “us” both times and also “Who”<>”Jehovah”): “…Who doth show us good?…”, and now his heart-response to the Spirit-prompted question: “…Lift on us the light of thy face [glory], O Jehovah…” Is not his demeanor Godward here beautiful: ‘…Thou but shine thy face (glory) upon us Father God and it is all-manner-wise sufficient; so too in our day thou shinest thy glory upon us through thy Son, our blessed Savior Jesus, in whose face we see thy Good ever usward…’ (Fig. 1). He says it further in this manner: “…In peace together I lie down and sleep, For Thou, O Jehovah, alone, in confidence dost cause me to dwell…” (cf. Lam 3:22-26). It is fitting that this song of praise, this blessed psalm, so laden with the painful heartache-words of our exceedingly good God Jehovah, betrayed, ends on a note that embraces Him alone as the One trusted (David here is typical of a “remnant” ever faithful to Jehovah God): “…For Thou, O Jehovah, alone, in confidence dost cause me to dwell…” How close this man David was to His God Jehovah (to Jehovah alone). So too but a remnant show themselves close to Jehovah God down through the ages. That indifference or worse really tugs at the heart. By thy grace Father God keep us ever tightly tethered to thee.