Psalm Saturday: Psalm 4

Psalm 4

Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness!
You have given me relief when I was in distress.
Be Gracious to me and hear my prayer!

O men, how long shall my honor be turned to shame?
How long will you love vain words and seek after lies?
Selah.
But know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself;
the Lord hears when I call to him.

Be angry and do not sin;
ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent.
Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the Lord.

There are many who say, "Who will show us some good?
Lift up the light of your face upon us, O Lord!"
You have put more joy in my heart
than they have when their grain and wine abound.

In peace I will both lie down and sleep;
for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.
__________________________


Do you remember when you talked about correlations in math class? You know, how when one thing increases or decreases, something else increases or decreases in proportion to it? For example, if x = y, then as x increases by 4 (x + 4), then y would increase by 4 as well (y + 4). So, x + 4 = y + 4. Remember? Yeah, I know, you hate math, but you at least know what I'm talking about now.

Throughout this Psalm, there seems to be a direct correlation between righteousness and peace. From the very beginning, David asks God to answer his distress call on account of the fact that David has been righteous, and this theme prevails throughout the Psalm.

David also notes the fact that people who do not seek after righteousness will not attain peace. Men turn honor into shame, love vain words, and seek after lies. As a result, even when "their grain and wine abound," David says that their joy and peace are not complete, because they are not from God.

David, however, finds peace even in the midst of difficult situations. Even when he cries out to God for help, he is able to lie down and sleep at night, because he knows that only the Lord can bring peace.

For us, if we expect to find true peace and fulfillment in life, it can only come in the form of righteousness. We would do well to put our trust in the Lord instead of men and the things of this world. Otherwise, we'll never be truly satisfied. Why?

Righteousness = Peace. How's that for a math equation?