Psalms Through the Summer 10 A Psalms of Self
- Psalms 39:1-13
You know something that is really great about being a Christian? Yes, there are a lot of great things about Christianity. Things like a home in heaven and eternal life are ours just by putting our faith in Jesus as our savior and that is really great. But, this morning I want to look at something that is great but doesn’t wait until we die in order to begin. This great thing is possible because God is a God of forgiveness, of second chances and second winds. This means that even the most defeated, devastated and depleted Christian can turn to God after failing miserably and completely and God forgives and says, “Okay, let’s take what you’ve learned and go on from here.” Now that is really is great.
It’s a little like the story of the man who was working his first day on the job. He was a truck driver for a glassware company. He was pulling out of the factory with his first load, when he lost control of his truck and ran into a side-swiped a brick wall right outside the factory gate. All the glass came loose from the truck and crashed into the street. All the traffic stopped and because it was a busy downtown street a crowd gathered around. The truck driver got out and looked at the mess knowing he was in trouble.
A well-dressed older gentleman walked out from the crowd and walked up to the driver. “Son, are you alright?” he asked. “Yes, sir,” the driver replied. “What do you think is going to happen because you wrecked this truck?” “Well, sir,” I guess I’m going to lose my job.”
The old man turned to the crowd, quite large by now and said, “Good people, this man is going to lose his job because of the unfortunate wreck he had today. I wonder if all of us could put just a little in the hat to help him out.” With that he threw in a $50 bill. The rest of the people were so moved by the example of kindly old man that they generously gave. When the hat was return there was over $1000 dollars for the driver.
“Here, the man said, Give this to your supervisor, tell him what happened and you won’t get fired.” Then he handed the money to the driver, put on his hat and walked away.
One of the bystanders walked up to the driver and said, “That sure was a kind-hearted man.”
“Yes, replied the driver, “And he’s a pretty smart boss, too!”
That’s the way it is with our God. I can mess things up terribly but in Him I am still able to find victory in defeat, strength in weakness and success in failure.
The Path of the Summer Psalms So Far (Background and Review)
I thought I would be out of the 30s last week, but then I read Psalm 39 and its theme seemed relevant to us as well-meaning but fallible humans, it is another Psalms that has that supernatural ability to show me myself and in spite of my mistakes and failures give me hope.
This is the 10th sermon in the series. Look back for a moment at what we discovered in the books of Psalms.
In Psalms 1 we were given the theme to the overall collection of the 5 books of the Psalms and in a sense the theme of our life as a child of God. Psalms 1:1-2 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
In Psalms 8 we learned who and what man is through a personal relationship with his creator. Psalms 8:4 What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
Then in Psalms 20 We saw the importance of remembering and trusting in God. Psalms 20:7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.
Psalms 23 was a song of praise for the protection the Lord Our Shepherd. Psalms 23:1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
Next we jumped all the way to Psalms 127 to celebrate Father’s day and our children’s dedication.
Psalms 127:3 Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
Psalms 27 was a Psalms about overcoming fear, Psalm 27:1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
Psalm 33 was about God and our country Psalms 33:12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.
Psalm 32 was a Psalms of Forgiveness, Psalms 32:1 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
And then last week we were in Psalm 31 which dealt with both our fear and our faith, existing at the same time in us. Psalms 31:1 In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed.
Introduction to Psalms 39 This morning we are in Psalms 39. Let me give you a little background. The Psalms is written to “Jeduthun” whose name occurs in the superscriptions of psalms 39; 62 and 77. He was one of David’s three chief musicians, the other two being Asaph and Heman. It may be that David sent the Psalms to Jeduthun, who was also known as Ethan, in order for him to set it to music or to prepare it for singing by the Levitical choir in the Temple.
The 39th Psalms is a confession psalm though it is not counted in the seven “Penitential Psalms” we talked about before. In this Psalms, David begins by trying to do something right but that despite his best intentions, he fails. And though that failure he learns a great deal about himself and about his Lord. Look at vss. 1-3
Self-Righteous Failure - Psalm 39:1-3
I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me. I was dumb with silence, I held my peace, even from good; and my sorrow was stirred. My heart was hot within me, while I was musing the fire burned: then spake I with my tongue.
David’s Intention Inverted
David set himself good goal. He was determined to do something good, something for the Lord. It’s here in vs. 1, I said, I will take heed to my ways so that I won’t sin with my speech. I will control my words while in the presence of unbelievers, the wicked.
Now that is a good goal, that is something admirable. Every child of God should understand that our speech is a reflection of us and our God to a lost world and be careful with our words.
Many places in the Bible teach this truth. Just take a glance at one place in the book of Proverbs.
Proverbs 12:16-19 A fool's wrath is presently known: but a prudent man covereth shame.
He that speaketh truth sheweth forth righteousness: but a false witness deceit.
There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health.
The lip of truth shall be established for ever: but a lying tongue is but for a moment.
So David understood this and he wanted to speak and act right. So far, so good, but I want you to notice the use of the first person in David’s goal.
I will take heed, I will keep my mouth.
His intentions were good, but in relying upon himself ultimately, he failed.
You can see the result of David’s reliance on his own self-righteousness in vs. 2. He says, “I was dumb with silence, I held my peace even from good and my sorrow was stirred.” That is not the result he was looking for. He didn’t want to become mute and unable to say anything, even something good or praiseworthy.
Ultimately, in this task he set for himself he fails. In vs. 3 we read, “My heart was hot within me, then spoke I with my tongue.” The very thing he said he wouldn’t do, he did. He couldn’t hold it in and so when the self-control of his tongue got to be too much, he lost control of his speech and failed in the good goal he had set for himself.
Trying and Failing
Now doesn’t that sound familiar? Isn’t that like us? We are determined to do good but too often we fail. Our own attempts at setting goals and trying to do what is good and right, instead are turned upside down and inside out.
Yes, you have the best of intentions, the highest ideals that you want to achieve.
It might be like David’s watching what I say, not speaking in anger, or profanity or taking the name of the Lord God in vain.
James in his epistle speaks strongly about this, James 3:5-6, 9-10 Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. … Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.
But our goal for good can be something else beside our speech that we are trying to control. It could be a sinful habit. A sinful habit is one that has the potential to destroy your reputation, your family, your walk with God or even your body. It can be something like smoking, or alcohol, or pornography, or drugs or sexual immorality or maybe just laziness. What the Bible calls being a sluggard. (There’s a word you don’t need a theological dictionary to understand.)
It might also be a character flaw that causes sin, like anger, gossip, or bitterness.
It could even be our own soul’s salvation. Either in trying to obtain it or trying to keep it by my own goodness or self-righteousness.
If we determine as David did, that in my own power I will do this or I will do this, then also like David we will fail. Like the poet and King of Israel, the best we can come to is a paralysis of our self, unable to do anything good or bad. Can I give you another good word that fits here. We become moribund, in a state of dying. Finally, in our frustration, we just quit trying and we fail. I’ve been there, you have been there and many children of God having arrived at this state of dying, just give up and quit. That is not the result David arrived at, it is surely not what God intends.
It is not the goal that was wrong, it was the way we tried to get to the goal. We simply can’t find victory or salvation in our own power, our own self-righteousness.
Paul teaches about this very aspect of the believer’s struggle in Romans 7:13-15 Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful. For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.
The idea of bringing about good or being good by your own self-righteousness is what the Pharisees believed. And look at what Jesus said to them in Matthew 23.
Matt. 23:25-28 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
If you could fool yourself into thinking you can do good and great things for God in your own power and righteousness, that is a form of legalism and Jesus condemned the Pharisees for that very flaw.
Kill The Spider
Once there was a man who always prayed the same “full of good intentions” prayer, “Oh, Lord, I need to sweep the cobwebs of sin out of my life” and then he would name various sin cobwebs that kept cluttering up his life. Finally, one day he was in a prayer meeting next to an old deacon of the church, who had heard this “cobwebs of sin” prayer for years and when the man said, “Lord, I need to sweep the cobwebs of sin out of my life,” the deacon interrupted and said, “Lord if you don’t mind, would you just kill that lousy spider.”
What we need to understand is that only the Lord can defeat sin, on my own it will always defeat me, just like it did David.
And that brings us to the next part of this psalm about self. We must understand that we will fail if we try in our own self-righteousness, our own power or our own goodness. When we know that, then we can move on to find real fulfillment through an honest self-evaluation.
Self-Evaluation Fulfillment - Psalms 39:4-6
LORD, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am. Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreadth; and mine age is as nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity. Selah. Surely every man walketh in a vain shew: surely they are disquieted in vain: he heapeth up riches, and knoweth not who shall gather them.
David’s Inward Inspection
After his failure David does some soul searching, some self-evaluation. He turns to the Lord and prays, “Make me to know my end, the measure of my days, how frail I am.” He asks God to help him understand how weak and impotent he is. David, see this as God reveals how short life is.
He then comes to the self-realization about himself and an understanding about God. He says in vs. 5, “thou hast made my days as an handbreadth; and mine age is as nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state (as good as he ever can be) is altogether vanity.”
Everything that man can do, all his accomplishments, all his riches are just empty because life is short. Riches are heaped up and left for someone else.
Again, James echoes this same truth in James 4:13-14, “ye say, To day or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.”
That is the truth that David’s self-evaluation showed him. From the perspective of eternity, from the perspective of God in relationship to him, his power and goodness cannot compare to God’s power and goodness. Our goodness compared to God is like our life on this earth compared to God’s eternity. Now David understands this and in turning his failure over to God, he finds the fulfillment he originally sought by trying to good. It wasn’t in his goodness for God, but it his surrender to God.
Searching and Finding
Most of us, most of the time can’t, don’t or won’t examine ourselves correctly and truthfully and because we can’t see ourselves as God sees us we can’t overcome the things that cause us to fail even when we have the best of intentions to do what is right.
Paul speaks of the need for self-evaluation, self-examination twice in his letters to the church at Corinth. In 1 Corinthians 11:28 speaking about the Lord’s supper he says, “But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.” Later in the second letter to the church he writes in 2 Corinthians 13:5, Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves.”
Well, how do we “examine” ourselves as believers, as Christians? The Bible tells us that the heart is desperately wicked and so we can’t depend on our feelings or even our own conscience. What we need is an outside arbitrator, an unbiased appraisal, and the only place we can find that is in the Word of God. There we can see ourselves as God sees us and then the Holy Spirit can show us who we really are.
In Hebrews 4:12-13 Paul tells us, “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.” That sword that divides soul and spirit, joints and marrow. That sword that discerns thought and intents, that sword will not allow any to hide from God’s eyes is meant to be used upon ourselves. As we read it, as we study it, as we hear it the Holy Spirit wields that sword and shows us ourselves through God’s eyes.
And the Sword of God’s Word reveals so much.
It tells us we are sinful. Psalms 14: 2-3 The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
It tells us as it did David, that we are weak, life is short and we waste it if we fight God, Psalms 90: 9-12 For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told. The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away. Who knoweth the power of thine anger? even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath
The Bible tells us that we need God and if we call, He will save. Psalms 61:1-4 Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Selah.
Self-examination from God’s perspective, through God’s word, is eternally imperative. Yet, many refuse to see the truth of who they are, the truth of who we all are. The truth from God’s viewpoint is that we are sinful, weak and we cannot help ourselves. And there can be no change, no help until we see ourselves in that truth. Face the truth for there is salvation and hope on the other side of that examination.
I once had a man in my church, he was my song leader and a sweet, sweet man, but he was also often afraid of facing some truths in his own life. Not spiritual truths in this case but let me give you an example of what I mean. He once came to me for prayer because he was afraid he might have cancer. So, we talked and we prayed and I asked him what the doctor had said. He replied, “Oh I haven’t gone to the doctor.” I asked, “Well why in the world haven’t you gone to the doctor? He said, “Because If I go to the doctor, I’m afraid he’ll tell me I really do have cancer!” Now this was before the internet where you can look up all manner of diseases to give yourself without seeing a doctor.
Another time he asked the church to prayer for his eyes because he thought he was going blind. This went on for weeks, maybe months. We put him on the church prayer list for his deteriorating eyes. Then one day he came to church full of joy and with a big ol’ smile on his face and he had a great smile. He told us that God had answered the prayers about his eyes. It turned out, he exclaimed, he only needed new glasses! Yes, that’s right. He was so afraid of being told he was going blind that he wouldn’t go in for an eye exam and instead walked around in fear for months squinting at everything.
Now we can see the humor in that situation but when it comes to seeing ourselves in the light of God’s word and eternity, that is not something we can afford to laugh at. Its not something we dare ignore or delay. “Exam yourself” in God’s word now.
So now, David tried in his own righteousness, and he failed. But, in that failure he turns to God and asks, “Lord, make me to know my end and the measure of my days. Show me who I am in light of your eternity.” What’s next after David’s journey of self-discovery? Look at vss. 7-13 where David comes to a finale of self-realization, the last stanza of this Psalm and the finish line for a child of God.
Self-Realization Finale - Psalms 39:7-13
And now, Lord, what wait I for? my hope is in thee. Deliver me from all my transgressions: make me not the reproach of the foolish. I was dumb, I opened not my mouth; because thou didst it. Remove thy stroke away from me: I am consumed by the blow of thine hand. When thou with rebukes dost correct man for iniquity, thou makest his beauty to consume away like a moth: surely every man is vanity. Selah. Hear my prayer, O LORD, and give ear unto my cry; hold not thy peace at my tears: for I am a stranger with thee, and a sojourner, as all my fathers were. O spare me, that I may recover strength, before I go hence, and be no more.
David’s Indestructible Identity
David comes to this realization, this truth, this reality, that his only hope is in the Lord. Psalms 39:7 “Lord, what wait I for? my hope is in thee.”
David after his failure and through examining himself, calls upon God.
He now knows his own strength will fail. He understands that his best intentions will collapse. That there is no hope in himself but in God there was a deep and vast well of hope that would never run dry. When David sees himself in God then he is indestructible.
In vss 8-11 he confesses his sin and recounts how God works even through failure, to show the reality of who he is. Then, using his own experience, David says this is true for all men. Psalms 39:11 “When thou with rebukes dost correct man for iniquity, thou makest his beauty (his pride, his strength, his goodness) to consume away like a moth: surely every man is vanity.” Every man, no except to this rule, every man is nothing.
Now we come to the final part of David’s self-discovery and this is what he realizes about himself. That in order to discover and know himself, David must go outside himself to God.
Look at vss. 12-13 Hear my prayer, O LORD, and give ear unto my cry; hold not thy peace at my tears: for I am a stranger with thee, and a sojourner, as all my fathers were. O spare me, that I may recover strength, before I go hence, and be no more.
He sees himself and he calls out in sorrow “at my tears,” he calls out in loneliness “a stranger and a sojourner and he calls out in weakness “that I may recover strength.”
What did David finally realize? That there was nothing in himself without God. That the only power, goodness or strength in David had to come through God, “What wait I for? My hope is in Thee.”
Confessing and Understanding
I don’t have to tell you that confessing is an essential element in the Christian life and in our relationship with God. Here is what I must confess after I try and fail, “My hope is in Thee.”
Oh, yes, I am weak, but God is powerful. I’m no good but God is utterly holy. I will fail over and over again, but God has never lost a single battle or made a single mistake. I am nothing and I can offer nothing but in God, though Jesus Christ, I have all things.
2 Peter 1:3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
Yet, this does not come passively to my life. It is not an automatic infusion. No, for in order to find the strength, goodness and the victory in myself, I must call upon God. This is exactly what David did here in, Psalms 39:12 Hear my prayer, O LORD, and give ear unto my cry. That is exactly what I must do.
It’s also what the blind man on the Jericho Road did. He had no pretense of anything he could do. He just needed Jesus.
The Blind Man on the Jericho Road. Mark 10:46-52
And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. 48 And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me. 49 And Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise; he calleth thee. 50 And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus. 51 And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight. 52 And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus in the way.
The best Bartimaeus could do was sit by the side of the road that ran from Jericho to Jerusalem and beg. He couldn’t be a dedicated farmer, he couldn’t be a brave soldier, he couldn’t be a wise scribe. His best was just to be a beggar. Until he heard that Jesus was passing by, and he knew that if things were to change, if he would have sight, then he had to call out to Jesus. No matter how much they told him to be quiet, he just called out louder, a deal more, “Jesus, Messiah, Son of David have mercy on me!”
When they brought him to Jesus, he found everything he did not have and could never have. It was all right there, found in Jesus.
Conclusion:
And what of us this morning? Isn’t David’s Psalm of good intentions but ultimate failure our Psalm also? Isn’t Bartimaeus life of blindness our life as well? Then shouldn’t David’s prayer and Bartimaeus cry also be ours?
“What hope have I? My hope is in thee. Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.”
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