Psalm 4 is a cry for help (verses 1 and 2), but the prayer is dominated by the psalmist’s confidence in the Lord’s loving care of his people. There is great distress and great confidence existing simultaneously.
“It is a Psalm that reflects the anguish of the innocent and oppressed, or of the righteous suffer. And thus it is a particularly important kind of psalm, for it addresses a fundamental human experience, the experience of injustice, suffering, and oppression.” (P.C. Craigie)
God can give relief to his people when they are in distress. The psalm begins with a brief prayer based on God’s dealings with him in the past. (vs 1) David uses the term “God of my righteousness”, meaning that God maintained or vindicated David’s righteous cause against those who oppressed him.
The proven confidence of the people of God should be a warning to those who try to disgrace their faith. (v 2-5)
-The people of God may be confident that God will answer their prayers in spite of false claims. The psalmist addresses his enemies by beginning with rhetorical questions. These rhetorical questions are based on his confidence that God will answer his prayer and deliver him. Verse 3 strikes the note of confidence: they should know that God has set apart the godly (the beloved, the one who has entered into covenant with the Lord by divine love) for himself. God will not abandon his people to the wicked.
-The people of God may confidently warn their antagonists to abandon their sins and put their trust in the Lord. David calls his enemies to repentance and faith. “Be angry” is a call for them to be shaken to the core so that they will stop sinning.
-The faithful find greater joy in God’s provision of peace and security than the joy at the time of harvest (6-8). The antagonists are asking for something good, some evidence of divine favor (as seen in fruit from the ground) But David asks for divine favor ("Lift up the light of your face upon us”) and declares that God has given him greater gladness than that which comes with full granaries and vats.
David’s confidence was in the Lord; therefore, he could lie down quietly and sleep in peace.
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