GOD’S PROTECTION
October 5, 2021
A. Starting point: 1 Tim. 2:1-6

B. Praying from: PSALM 4

A Psalm of David: David prays for audience, Man’s happiness in God’s favour
PRAYERFULNESS
“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.
FALSEHOOD
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.
THE ELECT
3 But know that the LORD hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the LORD will hear when I call unto him.
MEDITATION
4 Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.
TRUST GOD
5 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the LORD.
DIVINE FAVOR
6 There be many that say, Who will shew us any good? LORD, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us.
GLADNESS
7 Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased.
PEACE
8 I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.”

I. The petition—v. 1
PRAYERFULNESS
A. Plea—“Hear me when I call, O God.” God, who vindicates me (lit “God of my righteousness/justice”) is an appeal to God’s justice specifically as it relates to the psalmist’s just cause. Affliction pictures the idea of being hemmed in or trapped by enemies. In response, God freed me (lit “made a broad place for me”). The verb expresses completed action and probably indicates the confidence of the psalmist that God would rescue him.
B. Provision—“Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress.” God helped the Psalmist when in trouble.
C. Prayer—“Have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.”
II. The perversion—v. 2
FALSEHOOD
How long is an expression that shows concern about the duration of one’s condition and is used in similar contexts in other psalms (79:5; 89:46). The enemies are called exalted ones. In Hebrew this is literally “sons of a man” and refers to people of high social status or influence (62:9) and is sometimes contrasted with the poor (49:2). The same expression is found in Egyptian and Babylonian texts to describe prominent and respected people who are to be distinguished from the poor.
Two of man’s greatest mistakes, which hurt him and also hurt God and His work.
A. Shame. Turning God’s glory into shame. This is done by rejecting God and renouncing God. Man, who was created by God for God’s glory, turns away from God.
B. Self. Man’s worst enemy. Self becomes an idol. Selfish plans and ambitions come before God. God gives man twenty-four hours per day, yet how much time daily is given back to God?
III. The promise—v. 3
THE ELECT
Set apart is not the normal expression for “make holy” but is a word that means “distinguish” or “separate”. The Lord makes a clear distinction between the faithful (those loyal to him) and the “exalted ones” in how he relates to each of them (Exod. 11:7). Therefore, the psalmist could have confidence that the LORD would hear when he called out to him.
A. Purity. Those who live pure lives are set apart by God. Jesus taught that the pure in heart would see God—Matt. 5:8.
B. Promise. The Lord does hear those who call upon Him in simple prayer—Jer. 33:3; Matt. 7:7–9. God answers all prayers of man. He answers yes, no, or wait.
IV. The prayer—vv. 4, 5
MEDITATION
The Hebrew word translated be angry means to “shake” or “tremble” and is sometimes used literally for physical shaking (18:7; 77:18). When used of people it can mean trembling with fear (Exod. 15:14; Deut. 2:25), quarrelling (Gen. 45:24), or a fit of rage (2 Kings 19:27–28). It can also refer to provoking God to anger (Job 12:6). The basic sense of the term when it is not used literally seems to be agitation. The Septuagint translates it as “be angry”, which is quoted by Paul in Eph 4:26. Though trembling with fear certainly works in the context of this psalm, the idea of anger also works if one assumes that this is a challenge to the angry enemies not to sin. In other words, their anger should not lead to attacks against God’s people.
A. Serious. Be careful how you live. Don’t sin. Others are watching you. Read 1 Peter 4:17, 18.
TRUST GOD
B. Sacrifices—v. 5. Sacrifices of righteousness. Live right and put your trust in the Lord.
A further challenge to the enemies is to offer sacrifices in righteousness, which means those that are in keeping with God’s righteousness that he has prescribed. The final challenge is for these enemies to turn from their ways by trusting in the LORD.
V. The protection—vv. 6, 7
DIVINE FAVOR
GLADNESS
The quotation here seems to be coming from those who were restless and pessimistic about their own situation and fate. This is an example of those within the community of God’s people who were not trusting the Lord. The prayer for these people is that God would let the light of his face shine on the entire community. The Hebrew here is “lift up on us the light of your face” and is reminiscent of the Aaronic blessing in Num. 6:24–26.
A. Doubt—v. 6. The ungodly doubt if we Christians have any good in serving God. The non-Christian can’t understand why we live without all the things of the world. Yet, we have more enjoyment than they.
B. Delight—v. 7. Gladness in our hearts. It comes from knowing the Lord. It is more than fun—it’s joy. It’s lasting joy.
VI. The peace—v. 8
PEACE
The psalmist’s own experience is in contrast to the pessimist’s view in v. 6. He has both an abundance of joy and a sense of security because of his relationship with the Lord. The same description of lying down and sleeping occurs in 3:5.
A. Peace—“I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep.” All about us may be war, problems, and trouble, but we have the peace of God within our hearts.
B. Protection—“For thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.” Note David’s words in Ps. 26:4.
VI. THE A-MEN OF ROMANS 16:20, 24, 27
16:20 “And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. A-men.”
16:24 “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. A-men.”
16:27 “To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. A-men.”