Psalm 4

Haystack bible commentary

"Stacks and stacks of commentary...."

==psalm 4:1:

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.

December 31, 2024: Lynette Kittle wrote at Crosswalk: Throughout history, humans have searched for relief from the countless pressures of living on this earth. The 1976 Rolaids classic commercial, “How do you spell relief?” was a big hit with not just people dealing with excessive stomach acid but those facing all kinds of uncomfortable situations. As well, Alka Seltzer’s 1976 jingle “Plop, plop, fizz, fizz, oh what a relief it is!” rang true with people dealing with heartburn, upset stomach, and headaches and also became a catchy jingle to sing for a variety of settings. Obviously, these “relief” advertisements became popular because people are looking for relief from the stresses of life, and even through simple statements, these classic commercials brought a certain amount of relief to countless people.

==psalm 4:2:

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.

==psalm 4:3:

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

By "the godly" is meant, of course, the psalmnist. He is sure that he belongs to God and is set apart, so that no real evil can touch him; but does he build this confidence on his own character or on Jehovah's grace? The answer depends on the meaning of the word rendered "godly," which appears for the first time in the Psalter. So far as its formed concerned, it may be either active, or one who shows chesed (lovingkindness or favor), or passive, one to whom it is shown. But the usage in the Psalter seems to decide in favor of the passive meaning, which is also more in accordance with the general biblical view which traces to all man's hopes hopes and blessings, not to his attitude to God but to God's to him, and regards man's love to God as a derivative, "Amati amamusm amantes amplius meremur amari" (Bern). Out of His own deep heart of love Jehovah has poured His lovingkindness on the psalmist, as he thrillingly feels, and He will take care that His treasure is not lost; therefore this conviction, which has flamed up anew since the moment before when he prayed, brings with it the assurance that He "hears when I cry" as he had just asked Him to do.

January 5, 2015: At Desiring God Jonathan Parnell wrote: God Hears You: A psalmist is writing about fret, which means it’s happened before. But also, and more specifically, the psalmist is exhorting God’s people about fret, which means God knows what’s going on. God isn’t a stranger to this. He has heard his people then, and he hears us now.
The psalms as a whole make this wonderfully clear. It is even thematic, as I think we can see in the first few psalms. What begins to stand out when we read the first handful together is that David has this unremitting confidence in God’s nearness — that God listens to him and cares. “I cried aloud the the Lᴏʀᴅ, and he answered me from his holy hill” (Psalm 3:4); “The Lᴏʀᴅ has set apart the godly for himself; the Lᴏʀᴅ hears when I call to him” (Psalm 4:1, 3); “O Lᴏʀᴅ, in the morning you hear my voice” (Psalm 5:3); “The Lᴏʀᴅ has heard the sound of my weeping. The Lᴏʀᴅ has heard my plea; the Lᴏʀᴅ accepts my prayer” (Psalm 6:8–9).
This is the great reminder that even in the thick of our fret, we never find God “indifferent or helpless or caught by surprise.” And that even when it seems like no one else hears, that our friends have all deserted us, we can turn the page with David to Psalm 38:9, “O Lord, all my longing is before you; my sighing is not hidden from you.” God hears, always.

==psalm 4:4:

4 Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.

Ray Ortlund

As I try to navigate the crosscurrents of my own anger, a number of verses have helped guide me.
Be angry, and do not sin;
ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. (Psalm 4:4) I don’t think David is commanding us to get riled up. (Do we need to be told?) He is allowing anger for good reasons and dignifying legitimate anger. But he is also calling us to examine ourselves. The wise are self-aware enough to filter out the bad feelings mixed into their anger before they let it out. But “a fool gives full vent to his spirit” (Proverbs 29:11). See how Psalm 4:4 calls us to restraint? The “be angry” at the beginning is matched by “be silent” at the end, with “do not sin” and “ponder” in between. It’s a total package. The right kind of anger is not hotheaded, not impulsive, not screaming rage, but careful and thoughtful. Wise anger is calmly deliberate. Derek Kidner makes it practical: “Sleep on it before you act” (Psalms 1–72, 73). Or before you tweet.
--Ray Ortlund; Do Not Trust Your Anger; 10/14/20

==psalm 4:6-8:

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.

The many ask. Who?; he prays, "Lord." They have vague desires after God; he knows what he needs and wants. Therefore in the brightness of that Face shining upon him his heart is glad. The mirth of harvest and vintage is exuberant, but it is poor beside the deep, still blessedness which trickles round the heart that craves most of the light of Jehovah's countenance. That craving is joy and the fruition is bliss. The psalmist here touches the bottom, the foundation on which every life that is not vanity is based, and verifies itself in every life that is so based. Strange and tragic that men should forget it and love vanity which mocks them, and, though won, still leaves them looking wearily round the horizon for any glimmer of good! The glad heart possessing Jehovah can, on the other hand, lay down in peace and sleep, though foes stand round.

August 24, 2021: Kathy Brumbaugh wrote: In Psalms 4, 5, 6 and 9, David speaks to God for peace and safety; to defend us and heal us, to deliver us from times of trouble; to ask God for his justice and to praise him in song. Psalm 4 begins with, “Answer me when I call to you, O my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress, be merciful to me and hear my prayer.” Verse 8 gives us comfort when David writes, “I will lay down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.”