Psalm 39

Sin separates!

Intro

√ A companion Psalm!

Psalm 39 is a companion to psalm 38.

David had sinned and was now suffering the consequence of his sin through the Lord's chastisement. David tells us that…

Sin hurts - psalm 38

Sin separates - psalm 39

So, we find David praying to be restored to the sweet fellowship he once enjoyed with the Lord.

Ap. Written with us in mind!

So that we would not have to make the same mistakes; or if we have, that we would know the way to restoration.

Muzzle my mouth! (vs. 1-3)

Ps. 39:1 “I will guard my ways, Lest I sin with my tongue; I will restrain my mouth with a muzzle, While the wicked are before me.”

Ps. 39:2 I was mute with silence, I held my peace even from good; And my sorrow was stirred up.

Ps. 39:3 My heart was hot within me; While I was musing (or "meditating"), the fire burned. Then I spoke with my tongue:

√ Muzzle my mouth!

You'll remember from psalm 38 that David's enemies took advantage of his poor health and used the opportunity to attack him.

They…

Slandered his name

Brought false accusation

Mocked him in his weakness

David's first response, like ours, would normally have been to defend himself against his attackers.

Yet, here we find David practicing restraint so that he does not add to his sin! Note vs. 1…

Ps. 39:1 “I will guard my ways, Lest I sin with my tongue; I will restrain my mouth with a muzzle, While the wicked are before me.”

David understood that he was suffering as the result of his own sin. While he had every right to defend himself against his attackers…

…he wanted to be very careful in his response so that he wouldn't heap up more sin in his life by speaking while he was angry!

So, David said…

"I will restrain my mouth with a muzzle, While the wicked are before me.”

Good advise! I'm sure that we have all said something while we were angry that we later regretted!

There's great wisdom for us in David's instruction - that we might learn to hold our tongue when we're angry and wait for God's peace to return to our heart before we speak.

Save us and others a lot of heart ache!

James echo's the same wisdom…

Jam. 1:19 So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath;

Jam. 1:20 for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

Ap. God designed us with 2 ears and only 1 mouth!

Remember, when people attack you verbally you don't have to speak to defend yourself.

Sometimes silence is the best defense, for to speak would only result in greater sin on our part, or add fuel to the enemies accusations.

So, like David let's learn to muzzle my mouth!

Make me to measure! (vs. 4-6)

Ps. 39:4 “LORD, make me to know my end, And what is the measure of my days, That I may know how frail I am.

Ps. 39:5 Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths, And my age is as nothing before You; Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor. Selah

Ps. 39:6 Surely every man walks about like a shadow; Surely they busy themselves in vain; He heaps up riches, And does not know who will gather them.

√ Make me to measure!

The Lord's chastisement in David's life produced more than just repentance, it also produced a refreshing humility as David was confronted with his own mortality.

Thus David cries out in vs. 4…

“LORD, make me to know my end, And what is the measure of my days, That I may know how frail I am."

God then revealed to David that his life here on earth was short, like unto a…

"handbreadths" - the shortest unit of measure

"vapor" - gone with the heat of the sun

"shadow" - erased by the darkness

The point is that David's prolonged sickness had given him ample opportunity to evaluate his life, and what he found is that life is very frail…

…that he was mortal like every other human being!

Confronted with his own mortality, David then prays that God would help him to measure his days with wisdom.

That is, that David would from that point on never take life, health, and strength for granted.

Instead, that he would use what time God given him to do God's will rather than chase after the sins of his flesh.

We wonder how David ever got to the place that he willfully sinned against the Lord and so bring judgement upon himself?

Ex. Perhaps David's victories in life had produced within his heart a sense of invincibility.

As a boy he had killed…

Bear

Lion

Giant

As a man he had gained great military victories over…

The Philistines

The Edomites

All those who arrayed themselves against him

…it would be easy then for any man to begin to see himself as "untouchable", or "invincible".

Ex. Teens and auto accidents

Most teenagers have no real concept that they could actually kill themselves by the way they drive!

√ May I suggest that it is this kind of thinking which produces a dangerous pride in our lives that left unchecked will lead us right into sin.

Believing that while everyone else might suffer for their sins…

…that I can somehow get away with it because God is for me!

When we look at David's life we find that it was when he was firmly established as king, with no real enemies to worry about, it was then that he sinned against God.

Pride kills. The quickest way that God can destroy pride is to put a person in a sickbed where they can be confronted with their own mortality.

Ap. Measure your days

We all believe that we'll make it home tonight and that we've got many years ahead of us.

But none of us is guaranteed tomorrow.

Therefore, let's learn from David's experience in life and use everyday that God has entrusted to us for His glory and not for the pursuit of sin.

"Make me to measure my days"

My only hope! (vs. 7-11)

Ps. 39:7 “And now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in You.

Ps. 39:8 Deliver me from all my transgressions; Do not make me the reproach of the foolish.

Ps. 39:9 I was mute, I did not open my mouth, Because it was You who did it.

Ps. 39:10 Remove Your plague from me; I am consumed by the blow of Your hand.

Ps. 39:11 When with rebukes You correct man for iniquity, You make his beauty melt away like a moth; Surely every man is vapor. Selah

√ My only hope!

In the midst of his suffering David recognizes that God alone can deliver him.

For only God could deliver him from his…

Sins

Sickness

Enemies

Chastisement

David's sin had opened the door for all of his suffering, but David could not deliver himself from the trouble his sin brought into his life.

Ap. Friends, David reminds us that we always make a bigger mess than we can fix!

Ex. Phil and the tricycle

The sobering truth is that sin is easier to get into, than out of!

Sin is like a trap, once we step into it we find that we are powerless to free ourselves.

The reason is that the sin nature is stronger than we are. To be free of sin requires that someone stronger than sin come and rescue us.

David finds himself trapped by the consequence of own sin and powerless to free himself.

So, he calls to the Lord - his only hope - the only One strong enough to free him.

Ex. The man "Legion" - powerless to free himself

Jesus is our only hope, He alone can free people from their sin and from Satan, because we are powerless to free ourselves.

1Ti 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope,

And…

1Pe 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

Jesus has freed us from our sin and from the second death!

So, with David we can proclaim of God that He is…

"My only hope!"

My prayer to you! (vs. 12-13)

Ps. 39:12 “Hear my prayer, O LORD, And give ear to my cry; Do not be silent at my tears; For I am a stranger with You, A sojourner, as all my fathers were.

Ps. 39:13 Remove Your gaze from me, that I may regain strength, Before I go away and am no more.”

√ My prayer to you!

David's final prayer in the psalm is that God would…

Hear him

Speak to him

It would seem that to this point that David felt as if his sin had made him to be like a stranger to God.

In the midst of his suffering he was no longer sure that God was listening to his prayers…

…or that God would ever speak to him again.

Sin always brings separation and fear.

Ex. Adam & Eve hiding in the Garden

The separation was created by Adam & Eve, not by God. So it is with all our sin.

When we sin we become acutely aware of just how unrighteous we really are - especially in the light of God's perfect holiness.

Our natural reaction is to retreat from His holiness and hide ourselves away. The result is that we feel a million miles from God.

√ The Father's heart

God however is always trying to bring us closer to Himself.

He came looking for Adam

Jesus came looking for Peter

May I suggest that the Bible tells us that Jesus came looking for you!

Ex. The lost sheep - Luke 15

The Good Shepherd is ever seeking to bring us back into an intimate relationship with Him.

It is the devil and our own sin-tainted conscious that keeps us separated from God.

Rom. 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

Learn to discern the difference of the voice that speaks to your consciences.

Condemnation - is from the devil and will always

push you away from Jesus.

Conviction - is from the Holy Spirit and will

always draw you closer to Jesus.

So, like David don't let your sin stand between you and the Lord. When you find yourself feeling like a stranger to God…

…remember it isn't God who moved - it was you! So, move back toward the Lord.

Close

√ Lessons learned

Muzzle my mouth so that I don't sin more!

Make me to measure my days so that I use them for the Lord!

That God alone can save us from our sins!

That God will hear us when we cry!