Psalm 4 seems to be an evening prayer (see verse 8). The psalmist has apparently been facing the slander of enemies. He is confident that God will answer his prayer for help, having experienced God's help in the past.
Like almost all of the psalms in Book 1 of the psalter, Psalm 4 is classified as a psalm of David, and the content of the psalm is consistent with Davidic authorship. The slander of the psalmist's enemies has "turned his honor into shame" (v 2), something that happened at various times in David's life.
The psalmist has some good advice for those enemies. Since God will come to his aid (v 3), their plots against him are futile. Rather than attack God's anointed (and therefore God himself), they should repent sincerely and seek God's forgiveness (vv 4-5).
Verse 4 begins, "Be angry, and do not sin" (ESV). A footnote in the ESV says "be agitated" rather than "be angry". Van Gemeren gives the alternate translation, "Tremble with fear and stop sinning." David would like his accusers to work out their problems with God privately rather than attack him publicly.
In Eph 4:26 Paul also advises, "Be angry and do not sin. Do not let the sun go down on your anger." In verse 31 he adds, "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice." He wants believers to promote peace and not let anger lead them to sin, much as David was recommending to his accusers.
David was concerned that many Israelites were frustrated about how things were going. He prayed that God would make his blessings evident. He thanked God for the blessing of joy, something no enemy could take from him, and went to sleep at peace with God and the world.
No comments:
Post a Comment