September 14, 2023 -- Psalm 39:1-5 -- The Psalm Series: Considering how fleeting our lives are

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

I said, “I will guard my ways,
    that I may not sin with my tongue;
I will guard my mouth with a muzzle,
    so long as the wicked are in my presence.”
2 I was mute and silent;
    I held my peace to no avail,
and my distress grew worse.
3     My heart became hot within me.
As I mused, the fire burned;
    then I spoke with my tongue:

4 “O LORD, make me know my end
    and what is the measure of my days;
    let me know how fleeting I am!
5 Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths,
    and my lifetime is as nothing before you.
Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath! Selah
Psalm 39:1-5 ESV

What you're reading is an intense and very personal opening to this psalm. David had vowed to guard his mouth whenever the wicked were in his presence. This teaches us that David, though a powerful king and a man after God’s own heart, had people in his life who were wicked. It is too easy to think of David as a man who would not have to face the same kinds of struggles we do.

Why does he muzzle his mouth? Does he realize his thoughts are sinful? Does he not want to answer a fool according to that fool’s folly? Does he compare his circumstances to that of the wicked and feel as if he is not getting what he thinks he deserves while wicked men seem to prosper? There is no answer to those questions. Any one of those suggestions could fit the circumstances described. The pressure is building up in him. You can feel it in the reading. David’s distress increased. His heart burned hotter and hotter. What brought relief?

He prayed: “Make me know my end and what is the measure of my days, let me know how fleeting I am!” Knowing the end of our days brings relief. The righteous and the wicked will be judged at the end of time. The length of our days on this planet are few when compared to eternity in the presence of the Living God. Think of it, King David lived around 3000 years ago. So as of today David’s brief life of around 80 years on earth has already been eclipsed by about 37 times in eternity. And eternity has no limit of joy and blessedness in the presence of God our Savior. Even the wicked who seem so strong at the time King David faced them have a life that is as short, so if you tried to measure the span of the life of the wicked it would as small as the distance from your thumb to your pinky, while after death the length of eternity stretches out into the fading, unseeable future as a length of thousands of light years.

Our Father in heaven hallowed be Your Name. When confronted with the wicked, who seem to surround us on every side, by Your Spirit and Your Word help us to understand the victory of Jesus Christ at the cross. He disarmed the devil and took away from us the wrath of God which had been stacked up against us. Jesus’ work on the cross makes the sinfulness of the wicked even more vile and punishable because of their refusal to bend their knees in humble awe and need of the Wondrous Savior. God of unimaginable splendor, we fall to our knees in humble faith and awe before You. Triune God of glory, help us to know our days, how fleeting our lives truly are and in view of the quickly approaching judgment of Jesus, when He returns with all His holy ones, give to us a greater sense of urgency to pray for those who persecute us. O God, Who hears the prayers of the humble, enable us by Your Spirit us to express our love for Jesus as we walk in ever greater assurance of this blessed salvation He has given showing such assurance by keeping His commandments. Amen.

https://youtu.be/yxCb6l3jkis?si=09RbO-fWYhJfJ2j5 “I am not my own”

Copyright © 2023 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.