Psalm Chapter 39

To the chief Musician, even to Jeduthun, A Psalm of David.

Psalm 39:1 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.

This is probably the hardest thing to do. While we must be used of the Holy Spirit to reprove sin and correct error by the word of God, we must be careful not to be hasty and sin with our tongues. Speaking out in anger and reacting to someone in a wrong spirit could cause a soul to be lost. One thing that is a weakness for me is becoming irritable and saying things I should not when I'm irritated. My prayer is always to have a sweet spirit and I know the Holy Spirit is with me to help me in this but I don't always yield to that precious Holy Spirit God has given me.

Again we see that the wonderful word of God studied and read daily gives us the desire and motive to speak that which is good. Let us use the wisdom of Proverbs.

Proverbs 14:29 He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding: but he that is hasty of spirit exalteth folly.
Proverbs 29:20 Seest thou a man that is hasty in his words? there is more hope of a fool than of him.

We sometimes too are such bad listeners and are quick to try to give responses before the speaker is done speaking. Pride causes this. Humility waits, pride goes forward without considering the other person. Perfect love would bring all these things into subjection to God's spirit.

Ecclesiastes 5:2 Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.

Sometimes we tend to prefer to hear someone who is eloquent in speaking. We vote for the man who can give great speeches and is good at debating, but we must be careful for we can be deceived if we measure a person by how well they speak. Moses was a meek man that had trouble speaking. Hitler was a great speech maker. See what I mean?

Ecclesiastics 7:9 Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.

Wait until we calm down before doing anything that may cause problems. I can't count the times when I was glad I did not say what I was going to say to someone in a moment of anger.

Psalm 39:2 I was dumb with silence, I held my peace, even from good; and my sorrow was stirred.
3 My heart was hot within me, while I was musing the fire burned: then spake I with my tongue,
4 LORD, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am.
5 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.
6 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.

Any life that lives without the Lord and outside of the Lord's will is truly living in vanity. It is a complete waste of time. All the money earned is left behind at the point of death. All is for nothing unless we live for God and use our time, money and talents for His purpose. This is because what we do for God counts for eternity. The best thing we can do with our life here is to bring others to Jesus Christ and save their souls from spending eternity in hell. The best thing a mother can do is teach her children to live for Jesus Christ and be an example to those children to follow. This applies also to the fathers.

Psalm 39:7 And now, Lord, what wait I for? my hope is in thee.

David sums up most of his writings with hope in the Lord. He recognized the fact that he had absolutely no strength in himself. Although he was one of the greatest kings in history, he was helpless without God and he knew it. It was only when he forgot this on occasion did David fall into sin.

Psalm 39:8 Deliver me from all my transgressions: make me not the reproach of the foolish.

This should be our desire to be delivered from all our transgressions. This is why Jesus Christ came into the world, to save us from sin.

Psalm 39:9 I was dumb, I opened not my mouth; because thou didst it.
10 Remove thy stroke away from me: I am consumed by the blow of thine hand.
11 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.

The letter of the law actually kills. It shows us our sin and how awful our sin is. It shows us our hopeless condition and our weakness to save ourselves. This is good because we can see ourselves as sinners in need of salvation.

When Jesus came, we see a way out of this mess. We see hope. When we come to Jesus and repent of sin, He forgives and gives us His Holy Spirit to empower us to reject any future sin. We can still refuse to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit but He is there to instruct, teach, comfort and give us power to witness to others about Jesus Christ.

Psalm 39:12 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.
13 O spare me, that I may recover strength, before I go hence, and be no more.

This is a cry of the soul that needs God. This is in every human being. In every one of us is an inner need to return to the creator who made us. Jesus is the bridge and is the only one who can bring us back to the Father by first removing the sin that separates us from God our Father. -DC

Psalm 40

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