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)