Answer
me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have relieved me
in my distress; Be gracious to me and hear my prayer. O sons of men,
how long will my honor become a reproach? How long will you
love what is worthless and aim at deception? Selah. But know that the Lord has set
apart the godly man for Himself; The Lord hears when I call to
Him. Tremble, and do not sin; Meditate in your heart upon your bed, and be
still. Selah. Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, And trust
in the Lord. Many are saying, “Who will show us any good?” Lift
up the light of Your countenance upon us, O Lord! You have put gladness
in my heart, More than when their grain and new wine abound. In peace I will both lie
down and sleep, For You alone, O Lord, make me to dwell in safety. {Ps.
4 }.
The choir director does not impart the full implication of this song. The Hebrew word means conductor, the head of the entire Temple Orchestra.[1] David desired a beautiful instrumental that would sear the song upon the hearts of people for generations to come,
“The subtleties and intricacies of the Temple music stress that the art of musicology is an essential wisdom, for melodies have the power to arouse the soul as nothing else.”[2]
The root of the word, natsach (naw-tsakh') can
be translated in two ways. One is eternity, and the other is victorious. This is so powerful. The first meaning
speaks to David’s intentions with his songs; they had eternal
implications. The second interpretation is quite fitting; David was no stranger
to victory; God fought many battles on his behalf—and handed him the victory.
The Talmud interprets this word as
a reference to God; “To Him who causes victory, a song unto David.”[3] David had complete
confidence in the God that fought and won many victories for him. He trusted
that he could cry out to God again and that the Lord would deliver him.
You have relieved me in my
distress; be gracious to me and hear my prayer {v.1}.
The Tehillim translates the
verse:
When I call, answer me, God of my
vindication, You have relieved me of my distress, be gracious to me and hear my
prayer {v.
2}.[4]
When David called out, he knew he
stood righteous before God, When I call answer me—God
of vindication. The
word used here is literally my righteousness.
When we stand righteous before God and cry out to Him in trouble, He will
vindicate us—set a table for us in the presence of our enemy. Your enemy may be a circumstance and not a person; God will be your vindication. This does not necessarily mean you will get the outcome you are asking for, but righteousness is on your side. When David presented this psalm to the
conductor, it was for all generations to come. We can find encouragement and
trust that the same God that saved David and gave him the victory will fight
on our behalf and give the victory. He is fighting for you.
David speaks out to his enemies;
O sons of men, how
long will my honor become a reproach? How
long will you love what is
worthless and aim at deception? Selah. But know that the Lord has set apart the godly man for
Himself {vv.
2-3}.
The righteous can always stand
before the Lord in confidence {see
Heb. 4:16}. David knew that Absalom was being deceived by someone and being used as a pawn in a much bigger scheme in this attempted coup; but David trusted God
and knew that he would be given the victory.
David is our teacher in challenging times,
“This declaration is an eloquent expression of one of David’s most cherished
credos. Never be discouraged by the terrible burdens and pressures of life.
Every frustrating enfeebling situation is, in reality, a divinely given
opportunity to overcoming adversity.”[5] When we learn to
overcome adversity, it empowers us to persevere.
But know that the Lord has
set apart the godly man for Himself; the Lord hears
when I call to Him {v.3}.
I love the rendering in the Tehillim Commentary;
“Recognize that just as Hashem
distinguished His devoted one, Hashem will listen when I call upon Him.”
This is a direct warning to his
enemies, tread carefully. I will call on the Lord, and He will answer me. God
has called us to be a peculiar people, not to be like the nations. When you are
devoted to God, He will be devoted to you, and He will answer when you
call.
Tremble, and do not sin; Meditate in your heart upon your bed, and
be still. Selah. Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and trust in the Lord.”
{vv.
4-5}.
David repeatedly admonishes the righteous to trust the Lord. This is one of our secrets to enduring trials. Sleep is one place where God speaks
to us; there are no distractions. Many times, our dreams are the illustration
of our soul, it is a way of working through issues we face. When David admonished through his
song to tremble, “The Sages of the Talmud interpret this…A person should
constantly arouse his good inclination, to battle against his evil inclination.”[6] When we lay down those
things that bring us trouble, we can be still and at peace, trusting in God, whose banner of righteousness is over us.
Lift up the light of Your countenance upon us, O Lord!
You have put gladness in my heart, More than when their grain and new wine
abound. In peace I will both lie down and sleep, For You alone, O Lord,
make me to dwell in safety. Many are saying, “Who will show us any good? {vv.6-8}.
Nothing in the world can bring true
contentment. Without God, all our treasures, and all the plans we have, do not
bring happiness and contentment. When we have laid aside our trouble {cast your
cares on Him 1
Pet. 5:7} and find our contentment in the Lord, He enables us to sleep in
peace, no matter the depth of trial we are facing. When we live right before
Him, He is Jehovah
Tsidqenu—the Lord our Righteousness; and He reigns as Jehovah Shalom
our peace, and we can rest in Him our Shiloh.
[1]
Unless otherwise noted, all biblical passages referenced are in
the New American Standard Version (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995).
[2]Avrohom Chaim Feuer, trans., Tehillim, The Book of Psalms, “Psalm
4” (Brooklyn: Mesorah Publications, 1995), 82.
[3]
Ibid.
[4]
This translation’s verses differ; the translators regard the heading as verse
1. This is translated verse 1 in major translations.
[5]
Ibid., 83.
[6]
Ibid., 86.
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