Psalm 4 - An Evening Prayer Of Trust Series

Psalms 4:1-8 KJV To the chief Musician on Neginoth, A Psalm of David. Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer. [2] O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? how long will ye love vanity, and seek after leasing? Selah. [3] But know that the LORD hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the LORD will hear when I call unto him. [4] Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah. [5] Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the LORD. [6] There be many that say, Who will shew us any good? LORD, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us. [7] Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased. [8] I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.

I. INTRODUCTION—LOOKING BACK TO WHERE WE HAVE BEEN

-There is a richness in the Word of God that comes to those who desire to know it and understand it. The Psalms, the prayers of Israel and the praises of Israel, all pour forth from the various writers in this book.

-There are more than seven men who composed the Psalms. Some of those men are easily identifiable while others are hidden to us and will only be known to us when we get to heaven.

• David—Wrote at least 73 of the Psalms.

• The sons of Korah—Accounted for ten of them (42; 44-49; 84-85; & 87).

• Asaph—Wrote 12 of them (50; 73-83).

• Solomon—Wrote two (72, 127).

• Moses—Wrote one (90).

• Heman—Wrote one (88).

• Ethan—Wrote one (89).

-The remaining fifty psalms remain anonymous to us, although Ezra is thought to be the writer of some of those.

-What makes the Psalms even more compelling is when you consider who the author was and what the conditions were that surrounded the writing of that psalm.

-When I started preaching through the Psalms toward the end of last year, I had no idea how much it would draw me in to the Lord. I trust that they have been beneficial to you as well. For those of you who have made a choice to write them out, I am certain that the Lord has used this spiritual discipline to speak clearly and directly to your heart. As you write them out, give great consideration to the fact that what you are doing is an act of worship because if affords an opportunity for you to withdraw from the desperate pace of this world.

-Here is where we have been. . .

• Psalm 1—The Two Trails of Life

• Psalm 2—God Cannot Be Stopped

• Psalm 3—The Dark Hour of Sunrise

• Psalm 13—From Sinking to Swimming

• Psalm 27—The Lord of Light and Salvation

• Psalm 42—Hope for a Downcast Soul

-Now. . . Psalm 4. . . An Evening Prayer of Trust.

II. PSALM 4—AN EVENING PRAYER OF TRUST

-This psalm introduces us to the first of fifty-five assignments to the director of the worship. We find that in the superscription of this psalm. To the chief musician. There is also another word that is noted there. The word is Neginoth. It literally has the meaning of “smitings.” There are other Psalms that are connected with this word also: 4; 6; 54; 55; 61; 67; and 76.

-There is also a connection with Psalm 3 and Psalm 4. Psalm 3 is a morning psalm (3:5) and Psalm 4 is designated as an evening psalm (4:8). In Psalm 3, David is running from his own son, Absalom, and is in physical danger. The character of Psalm 4 changes a bit in that David is now in a place where there is malicious slander and lies being thrown at him. It is his reputation that is under fire instead of his physical person.

-All of us have been in situations before where our character was being maligned. Real enemies were using their tongues on us to destroy us. James 3:1-12 is the place in the Bible that tells us of the deadly nature of the tongue. If ever there were a time that we needed sanctified, holy, restrained, and guarded tongues it is now. Look at what James had to say about the tongue:

• A little member

• Boasts great things

• Can cause a great fire

• A world of iniquity

• Defiles the whole body

• Sets on fire the course of nature

• Set on fire by hell

• It cannot be tamed