Lord’s Day, Vol. 9 No. 3
Peaceful Sleep
Psalm 4:8 I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.
This psalm is commonly known as an evening psalm. The psalmist writes at the close the day when he prepares to close of the day, settle in and rest, that he may find good sleep. As a child of God, how should one, as it were, prepare for bed? For the psalmist, this is his testimony at the closing moments of his day when he testified – “I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.” (v8)
You notice how he commits himself to the LORD. There is a sense of calm and serenity in his mind, all the turmoil of the day seemed to have been shut out and kept under control and there is a great assurance that he experiences of God’s protection over him as he closes his eyes and rest his mind. This is a picture of God’s care in the believer’s life. There is that intimate knowledge of a personal relationship with his LORD whom he expresses with confidence of complete help.
Is life so easy for the psalmist? Is he experiencing a care-free life? No. When psalmist begins the psalm at the close of his day, he expresses distress. What was the secret of his calm frame by the time he closes his eyes to sleep? It was his prayer life. He finds peace and contentment through prayer. God’s presence overwhelms and calms his heart. Here is a life consecrated to the will of God and to the care of God. He awakes refreshed from his sleep to begin a new day.
Observe this:
(1) Casting Your Burden Upon God (v1)
(2) Confident of God’s Care (v2-5)
(3) Contentment and Peace (v6-8)
(1) Casting Your Burden Upon God (v1)
1 To the chief Musician on Neginoth, A Psalm of David. 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.
This psalm begins with a prayer. The psalmist calling out to God to answer his prayer for relief. His heart seemed to be filled full with distress. The word “distress” literally means “narrow” or “straits” and it means also “adversary” or “foe”. He is distressed as a child of God living for God’s honour and glory because he faces opposition as he sought to do God’s will in his life. He addressed his God as the “God of my righteousness”.
Spurgeon observed well in “The Treasury of David”, “It is not used in any other part of Scripture. It means, Thou art the author, witness, the maintainer, the judge, and the rewarder of my righteousness; to thee I appeal from the calumnies and harsh judgments of men.”
He seeks God’s vindication for the false accusation that was hurled upon him and great disturbs his heart. He plead with God to show mercy and favour to him. His heart does not rebuke him for the matter at hand, he felt that his conscience was clear and he sought his God who is infinite, eternal and unchangeable in His justice to vindicate him. He will not take matters into his own hands but ask God to return his innocence. His appeal is to his God.
Recall the widow who was in great distress for some matter that confronted her and she sought an unjust judge to vindicate her wrong. Jesus gave this story to teach the lesson “man ought always to pray and not to faint.” (Luke 18:1). The lesson in this parable is to have faith in God to help us through the distresses in life.
(2) Confident of God’s Care (v2-5)
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.
Spurgeon said well, “In this second division of the Psalm, we are led from the closet of prayer into the field of conflict. Remark the undaunted courage of the man of God.”
3 But know that the LORD hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the LORD will hear when I call unto him.
He expresses confidence that his LORD who has set him apart for Himself as His child would also help him to fulfil His will for his life. He is confident that all gainsayers will be silenced because God is there for him.
4 Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah. 5 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the LORD.
Tremble and sin not. Rather than plotting mischief while we are awake in their bed search our own hearts if there be any wicked way, to confess our sins and make right with God. This exercise of examining one’s innermost self is reflected in David’s prayer in Psalm 139:23-24 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? When he has searched himself he may say as Sir Galahad in Tennyson, “My strength is as the strength of ten because my heart is pure” when one has ten-fold strength from a sense of one’s accepted standing before God, then one can rejoice in the Lord despite tauntings hurled from every quarter. (Timotny Tow, Meditations from Psalms).
(3) Contentment and Peace (v6-8)
6 There be many that say, Who will shew us any good? LORD, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us. 7 Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased. 8 I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.
He is happy in his heart because he understands that although situation seemed bleak with men, it is not so with God who is able to work out all things for good to His children who loves Him. He experiences joy in his heart, the kind of joy that is more gratifying than getting a pay rise and receiving a physical bounty. “Gladness” is joy. As he rests in the Lord, he finds strength in his heart to rest in Him (Nehemiah 8:10).
He was also to find a sense of calmness of God’s presence protecting and prospering his ways. He has the assurance in his heart of God’s ability to help him through the web of his distress. He dozed off and have a good rest. All praise and glory to God.
Yours lovingly,
Pastor Lek Aik Wee