1I said, "I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin;
I will put a muzzle on my mouth
as long as the wicked are in my presence."
2But when I was silent and still, not even saying anything good, my anguish increased.
3My heart grew hot within me,
and as I meditated, the fire burned;
then I spoke with my tongue:
4"Show me, O LORD, my life's end and the number of my days;
let me know how fleeting is my life.
5You have made my days a mere handbreadth;
the span of my years is as nothing before you.
Each man's life is but a breath. Selah
6Man is a mere phantom as he goes to and fro:
he bustles about, but only in vain;
he heaps up wealth, not knowing who will get it.
7"But now, Lord, what do I look for?
My hope is in You.
8Save me from all my transgressions;
do not make me the scorn of fools.
9I was silent; I would not open my mouth,
for You are the one who has done this.
10Remove Your scourge from me;
I am overcome by the blow of your hand.
11You rebuke and discipline men for their sin;
You consume their wealth like a moth--
each man is but a breath. Selah
12"Hear my prayer, O LORD, listen to my cry for help;
be not deaf to my weeping.
For I dwell with You as an alien,
a stranger, as all my fathers were.
13Look away from me, that I may rejoice again
before I depart and am no more."
In this psalm, David makes an attempt, on his own, to live righteously (vss. 1-3). But the anguish of attempting such a thing brings David face to face with man's frailty and mortality (vss. 4-6). He then comes to realize that his only hope for salvation is through God (vss. 7-11). He concludes the psalm with a prayer for deliverance (vss. 12-13).
By the way, the inscription says that this psalm was written "For Jeduthun". The name "Jeduthun" means "one who gives praise."[8] Thus, Jeduthun was quite possibly the name given to the one in charge of musical worship.
1I said, "I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin;
I will put a muzzle on my mouth
as long as the wicked are in my presence."
2But when I was silent and still,
not even saying anything good, my anguish increased.
3My heart grew hot within me,
and as I meditated, the fire burned;
then I spoke with my tongue:
4"Show me, O LORD, my life's end and the number of my days;
let me know how fleeting is my life.
5You have made my days a mere handbreadth;
the span of my years is as nothing before you.
Each man's life is but a breath. Selah
6Man is a mere phantom as he goes to and fro:
he bustles about, but only in vain;
he heaps up wealth, not knowing who will get it.
In this psalm, David describes how he tried to be righteous on his own, through his own works, under his own strength. He defiantly resolves: "I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin" (vs. 1). His resolve was weakened, however, when the wicked were in his presence, corrupting him with their evil influence, most likely stirring up sinful desires of revenge in his heart. In that environment, David, in order continue in his own righteousness, "put a muzzle" on his mouth (see vs. 1). It got to the point where David could not trust himself to do anything (lest he stumble in his way) or say anything (lest cursing, derision or blasphemy corrupt his words); instead, he remained "silent and still... not even saying anything good" (vs. 2). Despite his determination and his attempts to carry out his resolution, his "anguish increased" and his "heart grew hot" within him. As "the fire burned", he exclaims in his despair: "Show me, O Lord, my life's end and the number of my days" (vs. 4).
We all, at one point or another, think that we can make it on our own. We say, as William Ernest Henley, "I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul". David, in the first three verses of this Psalm, thought that his own determination and resolve was all that he needed to be righteous. Stating his independence in those verses he proclaimed: "I will", "I will", "I", "I", and "I".
Such a resolution as David's will necessarily end in anguish. Man cannot attain righteousness through his own means. He will always be surrounded by corrupt influences. Even if he employs extreme measures, such as muzzling his mouth or remaining forever "silent and still, not even saying anything good" (vs. 2), yet his anguish will only increase and his heart will burn. He will come to the realization that, in his frailty, he cannot make it on his own, he cannot attain the righteousness he had resolved to achieve.
David realized this, and so exclaims: "Show me, O Lord, my life's end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life" (vs. 4). David was, in effect, asking the Lord for perspective. He asked the Lord to prove to his own heart that he cannot make it on his own. David wanted to be convinced of his own frailty, so as to strengthen his dependence on and, thus, his relationship with God. There are times when we intellectually realize that we need to improve our relationship with God, but at the same time, we cannot get our hearts to get with the program. During these times, we should ask the Lord to give us the desire to improve our relationship with Him. David in effect did this very thing when he asked God for perspective. David knew that perspective concerning his own frailty would turn his heart toward God.
David asked for perspective and God gave him perspective, for David states in the next verse: "You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Each man's life is but a breath" (vs. 5). David realized the frailty of his life, the shortness of it as compared to eternity. We can ignore God in this life and pursue a righteousness of our own, and pursue our own desires and interests, but what have we gained? All we gain is a perceived control over a life whose span is a "mere handbreadth". In doing so, we hazard giving up eternity. As Jesus said: "What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?" (Mark 8:36).
David goes on to point out the emptiness of such a life: "Man is a mere phantom as he goes to and fro: he bustles about, but only in vain; he heaps up wealth, not knowing who will get it" (vs. 6). So much time, money and effort is spent on that which will not last. When we recognize the brevity of life, we cannot help but see the futility of living our lives for the temporal things, things that will pass away. This realization will either drive one to despair or drive one to seek eternity, and eternity is gained only through Christ, for "whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16) and "whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life" (John 3:36).
7"But now, Lord, what do I look for?
My hope is in You.
8Save me from all my transgressions;
do not make me the scorn of fools.
9I was silent; I would not open my mouth,
for You are the one who has done this.
10Remove Your scourge from me;
I am overcome by the blow of your hand.
11You rebuke and discipline men for their sin;
You consume their wealth like a moth--
each man is but a breath. Selah
12"Hear my prayer, O LORD,
listen to my cry for help;
be not deaf to my weeping.
For I dwell with You as an alien,
a stranger, as all my fathers were.
13Look away from me, that I may rejoice again
before I depart and am no more.
So, the only solution to the despair that comes from the realization that man is frail and that life is futile is to turn to the Lord. We must get our eyes off the temporal and turn them to the eternal. David was in anguish when he was saying "I", "I", "I", as he did in the first three verses; but now his anguish is turned to hope when he gets his mind off himself and turns it toward the Lord: "But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in You" (vs. 7). "The right use of the perceived vanity of all things under the sun, is, that we should be sent by that consideration unto God, to rest on Him."[9] David realizes that, far from being able to be righteous on his own, he needs salvation from his sins from God. He entreats God: "Save me from all my transgressions" (vs. 8).
David also came to realize that his current troubles were the result of his sin, and moreover, his current troubles were sent by God as discipline for his sin: "I was silent; I would not open my mouth, for You are the one who has done this" (vs. 9). God often disciplines us for our good, just as any good father disciplines his children (see Heb. 12:7-10). "The education of his saints is the object He has in view. It is training for the kingdom; it is education for eternity... It is the discipline of love... There will be no needless suffering. Were this but kept in mind, there would be fewer hard thoughts of God amongst men, even when His strokes are most severe."[10] Most probably, God disciplined David in order to get David to turn back to Him. Recall that at the beginning of the psalm, David was attempting to be righteous on his own, with no help from the spirit of God. Now, David is speaking to God concerning his troubles.
At first, when David realized that his affliction was God's discipline, David stubbornly continued in trying to separate himself from God. Again, David said: "I was silent; I would not open my mouth, for You are the one who has done this" (vs. 9). But then, presumably when God turned up the heat, David in desperation shouted in anger to God: "Remove Your scourge from me; I am overcome by the blow of Your hand. You rebuke and discipline men for their sin; You consume their wealth like a moth--each man is but a breath" (vss. 10-11). The purpose of God's discipline (presumably) was to bring David back to Him. David could have saved himself much pain if he had maintained a close relationship with God, rather than trying to make it on his own. God loved David and knew that things were best for him when he stayed close to God. Therefore, in His love, God disciplined David in order to turn David back to Him.
God's discipline accomplished its purpose. After David's initial anger in vss. 10-11, he then turns to God in prayer. First he pleads with God to answer His prayer: "Hear my prayer, O LORD, listen to my cry for help; be not deaf to my weeping" (vs. 12a). Then, David acknowledges to God his own lack of understanding of God and His ways: "For I dwell with You as an alien, a stranger, as all my fathers were" (vs. 12b). Oftentimes, especially in times of trouble, we do not understand why God does what He does. This is OK. God is infinitely more wise than we are. Why would we ever think we could understand everything that He does? Finally, David asks God to turn away His hand of discipline: "Look away from me, that I may rejoice again before I depart and am no more" (vs. 13).
Father, help us to remain close to You, so as to avoid Your discipline. And in times of trouble, by Your Spirit make our hearts turn to You. Also, give us the perspective to realize that our only hope for a meaningful life and a blessed eternity is in You. Guide us, by Your Spirit, into an existence that makes the most of our brief time on earth, in service to Your Kingdom. We praise You that You have provided a way, through Your Son, for us to be credited with the righteousness that we need to enter Your presence. In the name of Jesus, through whom we receive salvation, we pray these things, Amen.
