Merry Meditations

Psalm 4

A Sunday Evening Sermon

To the Chief Musician. With Stringed Instruments. A Psalm of David.

    1      Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness!

    You have relieved me in my distress;

    Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer.

    2      How long, O you sons of men,

    Will you turn my glory to shame?

    How long will you love worthlessness

    And seek falsehood?

Selah

    3      But know that the LORD has set apart for Himself him who is godly;

    The LORD will hear when I call to Him.

    4      Be angry, and do not sin.

    Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still.

Selah

    5      Offer the sacrifices of righteousness,

    And put your trust in the LORD.

    6      There are many who say,

    “Who will show us any good?”

    LORD, lift up the light of Your countenance upon us.

    7      You have put gladness in my heart,

    More than in the season that their grain and wine increased.

    8      I will both lie down in peace, and sleep;

    For You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.

Evangelism begins with PRAYER – (put prayer first on your to-do list)

            Whatever faults King David had; he was also a man after God’s own heart. He was king, but his desire was to win hearts for the KING of kings. What we have here is an evangelistic Psalm! When our hearts are won by this Psalm of David, notice these Bible verses, if followed will gain you, not just a good night’s sleep, but beloved sleep. They give you sweet sleep and the peace of God. Deep sleep is a gift from your Heavenly Father. Good days, good times, good work, peaceful sleep, all are from God’s right hand. All are from our Lord Jesus.

Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness! Psalm 4:1 A

1. We cannot reach men for God without God’s help –

⁵ “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. John 15:5 (NKJV)

A. We should always speak to God before speaking to men –

¹     Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have relieved me in my distress;

Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer. Psalm 4:1 (NKJV)

B. David saw God as the God of his righteousness; this is a Gospel vision –

²¹ But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, ²² even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; ²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴ being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, Romans 3:21–24 (NKJV)

2. That David sees this, seems confirmed by the Apostle Paul –

⁶ just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works: ⁷  “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, And whose sins are covered; ⁸  Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin.” Romans 4:6–8 (NKJV)

3. Note in Psalm 4:1 David acknowledges God has “relieved me in my distress” He has perfect peace.

But he still prays for “mercy” and a hearing of his prayer …

But his prayer turns to a pleading with men –

²     How long, O you sons of men, Will you turn my glory to shame? How long will you love Worthlessness And seek falsehood? Selah Psalm 4:2 (NKJV)

Honestly, I believe this is Jesus Christ speaking through David, calling men to repentance!

It is God, Christ Who have “glory”

Men distort God’s glory because while created in His image in knowledge, righteousness and holiness they distort that image knowledge becoming ignorance and stupidity, righteousness is replaced by sin, and holiness is replaced by spiritual & moral adultery as men bow to and serve every false god and goddess.

III. David’s first argument for God is God’s favoring of the godly – 

³     But know that the Lord has set apart for Himself him who is godly; The Lord will hear when I call to Him. Psalm 4:3 (NKJV)

4.Answered prayer is one of the great and glorious things that we have that the ungodly world LACKS –   ³¹ What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? Romans 8:31  Through God’s Holy Spirit, we experience God’s love, He answers our bedtime prayer

5. God has denied hearing of prayer to unlawful / ungodly men –

⁹     One who turns away his ear from hearing the law, Even his prayer is an abomination. Proverbs 

28:9 (NKJV)   Listen to and read the Word of God

David’s second argument for God is an argument against sin –

⁴  Be angry, and do not sin. Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still.  Selah Psalm 4:4 

1. The Hebrew word translated “be angry” רגז ra-gaz can mean, be agitated, stand in awe, tremble, be fearful, be angry with sin, eat the bread of anxious toil, or with yourself for indulging in it, seeing it has put you in a fearful, dangerous situation. Sin deserves sleepless night
2. David’s counsel to “meditate” means “think, think, think, think seriously about sin and the destruction it is likely to bring you.

The law of depravity is a lot like gravity, it always brings you down, down, down!

Down to sin, down to death, down finally to the eternity of Hell’s relentless fires!

Arnold Brevick

3.Too many people say peace, peace to the sinner, TOO SOON –

¹⁴    They have also healed the hurt of My people slightly, Saying, ‘Peace, peace!’ When there is no peace. Jeremiah 6:14 (NKJV)

²²   “There is no peace,” says the Lord, “for the wicked.” Isaiah 48:22 (NKJV)

There is no peace,” Says my God, “for the wicked.” Isaiah 57:21

Fearful things around your bed … Grandma Liz (for sinners this is true)

“Sinner, is thy heart at rest? Is thy bosom void of fear? 

Art thou not by guilt oppressed? Speaks not conscience in thine ear?

Can this world afford thee bliss? Can it chase away thy gloom?

Flattering, false, and vain it is! Tremble at the worldling’s doom!

Think. O sinner, on thy end, See the judgment-day appear,

Thither must thy spirit wend, There thy righteous sentence hear.

Wretched, ruined, helpless soul, To a Savior’s blood apply;

He alone can make thee whole, Fly to Jesus, sinner, fly!”

A restless heart, a sleepless night. Sleepless hours fil the hard time.

Trusting God is a good thing. Trust the promises of God. 

David’s continued counsel: offer sacrifices, trust God – 

⁵     Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, And put your trust in the Lord. Psalm 4:5 (NKJV)

1. Old Testament sacrifices point to the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ –

¹⁷    The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart— These, O God, You 

will not despise. Psalm 51:17 (NKJV)

1. Faith in God, not in self is the Way of Salvation –

²²    “Look to Me, and be saved, All you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. 

Isaiah 45:22 (NKJV)

2.The LOUD Pessimistic Objection to David’s evangelistic instruction –

⁶     There are many who say, “Who will show us any good?”…  Psalm 4:6 A (NKJV)

• “I’ve developed a new philosophy. I only dread one day at a time.” Charlie Brown/Charles M. Schulz

• “It is easy to cry, when you realize everyone, you love will reject you or die.” Chuck Palahniuk 

• “The pessimist is the one who complains about the noise when opportunity knocks.” Oscar Wilde

In the case of Psalm 4, David was knocking, God / Christ is knocking, Opportunity is knocking, even tonight Pastor Arnie is knocking …

“God is so good, God is so good, God is so good, He is so good to me!” “Shu wa, subarachi,  Shu wa, subarachi, Shu wa, subarachi, He’s so good to me!

David’s Positive Prayer to God –

… Lord, lift up the light of Your countenance upon us. Psalm 4:6 B (NKJV)

1. This is a prayer for the sunshine of God’s SMILE! For the coming of the Lord! For God’s Favor!
2. David had already experienced the answer to this PRAYER –

⁷     You have put gladness in my heart, More than in the season that their grain and wine 

increased. ⁸     I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in 

safety. Psalm 4:7–8 (NKJV)

3. David knew the gladness, the heart gladness that only God can give –

4. It is a SUPERIOR GLADNESS – More than in the season that their grain and wine increased. 

It is spiritual, it is moral! It is eternal! It is beyond grain, a staple! It is beyond wine, a luxury!

It is a gladness, a joy that is not dependent upon circumstances –

¹¹ “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. John 15:11 (NKJV)

5. David was a king, he had a LOT, but the best thing he had was a relationship with God –

⁴     One thing I have desired of the Lord, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the 

Lord All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord, And to inquire in His temple. 

Psalm 27:4 (NKJV)

6. His prayer is for the spread of God’s SMILE, the light of His countenance upon others, note the word, “us.” Psalm 4:6

the light of Your countenance upon us

There is sunshine in my soul today, more glorious and bright Than glows in any earthly sky, For Jesus is my light.

Refrain: Oh, there’s sunshine, blessed sunshine, When the peaceful, happy moments roll; When Jesus shows His smiling face,
 There is sunshine in my soul.

There is music in my soul today, A carol to my King;
 And Jesus, listening, can hear the songs I cannot sing.

There is springtime in my soul today, For, when the Lord is near,
 The dove of peace sings in my heart, The flowers of grace appear.

There is gladness in my soul today, and hope and praise and love,
 For blessings which He gives me now, For joys laid up above. 

Eliza E. Hewitt

1. Not only “joy” but comfortable PEACE – I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety. Psalm 4:7–8 (NKJV)   

Matthew 6:9-13

⁹ In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. ¹⁰  Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. ¹¹  Give us this day our daily bread. ¹² And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.  ¹³   And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Matthew 6:9–13 (NKJV)

My parents, even though they were not yet believing Christians, taught my brothers and I the Lord’s Prayer to pray before we went to sleep at night.

Because it was not a big deal to them whether we got the PRAYER right or not, they NEVER corrected my brother Dan’s interpretation of verse :13

“Lead us not into the gas station!”

When our Lord Jesus taught this prayer to His disciples, I believe He wanted them not only to know the correct wording of the prayer, but also

He wanted them to know the God, the Heavenly Father they were praying to!

1. Our Father is a heavenly, royal Father, hallow His name, treat Him with the highest respect –

⁹ In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. ¹⁰  Your kingdom come… Matthew 6:9–10 A

1. Because of Jesus’ dying on the cross our calling God, “father” is made possible.

• J. I. Packer in his great book Knowing God, has an entire chapter on God being our father – He says it is the biggest difference between Old & NT.

• The apostle Paul has us calling God “abba” –

Romans 8:15 (NKJV)

¹⁵ For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”

Abba = Daddy and implies cheerful intimacy with God!

Yet, we are never to forget God is our Heavenly Father, He is the Great King, He is worthy of the Highest reverence, even fear, definitely RESPECT!

1. Our Father is a ruling and right Father, pray for the coming of His Kingdom, keep His commands and trust Him in all circumstances –

¹⁰  Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:10

1.  God’s kingdom is priority #1 –   

³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Matthew 6:33

• God’s will must be before our own:

1. God’s prescriptive will, His will we follow – like a doctor’s prescription …

¹²  “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long

upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you. ¹³  “You shall

not murder. Exodus 20:12–13

• God’s decretive will, His will we fall into (we must still consider it good)-

¹⁸ in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Romans 8:28–29 (NKJV)

²⁸ And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. ²⁹ For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.

His decretive will is like a prescription too, because He writes it, even when pains and difficulties come into our lives, we still trust Him because these things are meant to make us more like Jesus Christ!

1. Our Father is a rich Father, believe He will provide for all your needs –

¹¹  Give us this day our daily bread. ¹² And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. Matthew 6:11–12

1. God provides for our material needs –

³¹ “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. ³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Matthew 6:31–33

Not only bread, but even BACON which we will LORD willing eat tonight is part of God’s provision for us —

• God provides for our spiritual needs –
• Forgiveness – ¹² And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. Matthew 6:12

• With forgiveness, we have every spiritual blessing –

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, Ephesians 1:3

1. Our Father is the biggest and strongest. Trust Him to defeat all your enemies –

¹³  And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil

one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Matthew 6:13 (NKJV)

As a child did you ever say to a friend… my father is stronger than your father?  Or my dad can beat up your dad?

That may or may not have been true about our natural fathers….

But God as a father of Christian, can and does beat Satan …

He also beats sin and every temptation —-

As believers we should LEARN –  Ephesians 6:10 (NKJV)

¹⁰ Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

We learn to PRAY –  lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil

one.

He is the ONE TRUE KING Who is ALL POWERFUL –

For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Matthew 6:13 (NKJV)

³  For You have been a shelter for me, A strong tower from the enemy. Psalm 61:3

Genesis 16:16 to 17:1

¹⁶ Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram. 17 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless. Genesis 16:16–17:1 (NKJV)

​

​    In Genesis 16:16 we find the number eighty-six and in the very next verse, Genesis 17:1 we find the number ninety-nine. In Genesis, these numbers tell us Abram’s age while in the sitcom, they are the agent numbers of the stars of the show agent 86 Maxwell Smart, and his lovely girlfriend, later fiancée and later wife, in the show 99. 

            Maxwell Smart Agent 86 seems comparable to 86-year-old Abram in Genesis 16, sadly messing up by going into Hager, a slave girl who becomes Abram’s second wife. Yet, at the beginning of chapter 17, God’s call to Abram is “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless….” Genesis 17:1

             Now, here in chapter 17, Abram (called to be blameless) is 99, and the character Agent “99” in “Get Smart” played by Barbara Feldon, is pretty perfect as a woman, as an agent, and as a companion and wife to Max. If there is any woman on TV that embodies perfection and blamelessness, it is the character 99. In Genesis 17, God promises to make Abraham’s son Ishmael a great nation. Maxwell Smart, a great leader for Control, fights for a great nation. 

​

Abraham & Maxwell Smart have a lot in common:

​

I. Maxwell Smart and Abraham are both fighters for what is good –

​

1. Abram had his own mini army –

¹⁴ Now when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his three hundred and eighteen trained servants who were born in his own house, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. ¹⁵ He divided his forces against them by night, and he and his servants attacked them and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is north of Damascus. ¹⁶ So he brought back all the goods, and also brought back his brother Lot and his goods, as well as the women and the people.

Genesis 14:14–16 (NKJV)

​

2. Maxwell Smart was the top agent for Control (the good guys) –

“Smart is also resourceful, skilled in hand-to-hand combat, a proficient marksman” Wikipedia Description of Maxwell Smart

As agents 86 & 99 fought KAOS, so Abram, becoming Abraham, fought lack of faith and sin. 

3. We are also called to battle sin & Satan –

¹² Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.

Romans 6:12 (NKJV)

II. Yet, while both Abram / Abraham and Maxwell Smart are heroes, both were bunglers as well.  –

¹⁶ Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram. Genesis 16:16 Was just one of Abram’s faithless mistakes concerning Sara, his wife – 

1. Twice he made his wife Sarah lie saying she was his sister –

 Once as Abram, married to then Sarai –

¹³ Please say you are my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and that I may live because of you.” Genesis 12:13 (NKJV)

2. Later as Abraham –

20 And Abraham journeyed from there to the South, and dwelt between Kadesh and Shur, and stayed in Gerar. ² Now Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah. Genesis 20:1–2 (NKJV)

This is also something Abraham and Maxwell Smart had in common, both had beautiful wives. 

Sarah & 99 were both ridiculously beautiful women …. both find themselves in difficult situations due to having beautiful wives. 

3. Maxwell Smart was also a regular bungler –

Wikipedia’s fuller description of Maxwell Smart – “Maxwell “Max” Smart, Agent 86, (Don Adams) is the central character of the series. Despite being a top-secret government agent, he is absurdly clumsy. Yet Smart is also resourceful, skilled in hand-to-hand combat, a proficient marksman, and—most importantly—incredibly lucky; all of this makes him one of CONTROL’s top agents.”   But luck was not really luck.

Being blameless or perfect is not something Abram, or Max or any of us have in and of ourselves. We are dependent upon Almighty God as He is described in Genesis 17:1. Despite bungling the authors of the Get Smart TV show made sure he was invincible.

4. We are blameless, perfect even beyond the character 99 by Jesus Christ’s righteousness imputed to us, yet we are called despite our weaknesses –

²⁶ For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. ²⁷ But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; ²⁸ and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, ²⁹ that no flesh should glory in His presence. 1 Corinthians 1:26–29 (NKJV)

Our victory is because of Jesus!

III. Get Smart and Abraham both bring Laughter –

⁶ And Sarah said, “God has made me laugh, and all who hear will laugh with me.” ⁷ She also said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? For I have borne him a son in his old age.” Genesis 21:6–7 (NKJV)

As the TV show was a brilliant comedy, Abraham would have a son named Laughter. Isaac means laughter. 

            Recently, I have seen a meme on the internet that said, “God does not want us to be happy, He wants us to be holy.” I hate memes like this. Why? Because they pit two good things against one another, and this one makes God out to be a Cosmic Killjoy. He is not a Cosmic Killjoy! God wants us to be both holy and happy.

            The person who requires we take the swing out of the parakeet cage on the sabbath / Lord’s Day is going overboard. 

I have enjoyed watching 86 & 99 battle evil Kaos and seeing their numbers in consecutive Bible verses, FOR ME, ties them to the joy Abraham and Sarah had when they finally had their son Isaac (whose name means Laughter).

            Abraham ultimately found his “joy” in Jesus Christ.  ⁵⁶ Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.” John 8:56 (NKJV)

⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Philippians 4:4 (NKJV)

​

​

IV. Maxwell Smart & Abraham have similar reasons for always winning –

1. God was on Abraham’s side –

12 Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you. ²  I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. ³  I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Genesis 12:1–3 (NKJV)

2.   Abraham could not lose because God was with him –

One of the people Abraham lied to was Abimelech, who could have killed Abraham if it were not for God’s interceding but instead of killing Abraham he rewards him –

¹⁴ Then Abimelech took sheep, oxen, and male and female servants, and gave them to Abraham; and he restored Sarah his wife to him. Genesis 20:14 (NKJV)

​

 3. Because God was with Abraham, no one could be against him –

³¹ What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? Romans 8:31 

​

 4. This is not true for Abraham only but for all of us who love God and Jesus Christ –

²⁸ And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. ²⁹ For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. ³⁰ Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. Romans 8:28–30 (NKJV)

5. Maxwell Smart was destined to Win, to conquer evil despite his silly, even hilarious mistakes because the authors of the TV show made him such a winner….

6. For us, Jesus is the Author & Finisher of our faith –

12 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, ² looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1–2 (NKJV)

7. Following Jesus, walking by faith, not by sight, trusting and obeying means we will win –

¹⁷ By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, ¹⁸ of whom it was said, “In Isaac your seed shall be called,” ¹⁹ concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense. Hebrews 11:17–19 (NKJV)

Chief: “You’ll be risking your life every moment.”

Max: “and loving it!”

⁴¹ So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. Acts 5:41 (NKJV)

¹¹ And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. Revelation 12:11 (NKJV)

​

The angel of the LORD also took care of Hagar –

7 Now the Angel of the LORD found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur. Genesis 16:7 (NKJV)

​

Abraham is also called the father of many nations, his natural descendants inherit the land of Canaan, but his spiritual descendants Heaven. The human mind cannot conceive of the wonders of that place. Hope to see you there, we get there through Jesus Christ –

8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.” 9 So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham. Galatians 3:8–9 (NKJV)

Welcome to WordPress! This is a sample post. Edit or delete it to take the first step in your blogging journey. To add more content here, click the small plus icon at the top left corner. There, you will find an existing selection of WordPress blocks and patterns, something to suit your every need for content creation. And don’t forget to check out the List View: click the icon a few spots to the right of the plus icon and you’ll get a tidy, easy-to-view list of the blocks and patterns in your post.

Welcome to WordPress! This is a sample post. Edit or delete it to take the first step in your blogging journey. To add more content here, click the small plus icon at the top left corner. There, you will find an existing selection of WordPress blocks and patterns, something to suit your every need for content creation. And don’t forget to check out the List View: click the icon a few spots to the right of the plus icon and you’ll get a tidy, easy-to-view list of the blocks and patterns in your post.

Welcome to WordPress! This is a sample post. Edit or delete it to take the first step in your blogging journey. To add more content here, click the small plus icon at the top left corner. There, you will find an existing selection of WordPress blocks and patterns, something to suit your every need for content creation. And don’t forget to check out the List View: click the icon a few spots to the right of the plus icon and you’ll get a tidy, easy-to-view list of the blocks and patterns in your post.