Have you ever been so angry that you physically shook? When I was growing up, I once witnessed a classmate being verbally assaulted and threatened with physical violence, and there was nothing I could do. He and I walked away trembling, not so much in fear—though it was a frightening experience—but out of rage that the thugs seemed able to act without fear of consequences. What is the answer for those who live under the shadow of others’ hatred and oppression? In Psalm 4, the Holy Spirit, speaking through David, assures us that God will finally deliver His people, and that in the meantime we can wait patiently for Him to act.
David opens by pleading with God to listen to him: “Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness!” God’s faithful help in the past leads him to pray for more help in the present (v. 1). In effect, David says, “You’ve always rescued me; please have mercy and rescue me again today!”
Why is he so urgently praying? Because there are hateful men who despise what God calls good, who seek to embarrass those who obey God, who love worthlessness and lies (v. 2). It isn’t merely that they aren’t nice; these are the kinds of words David uses for Doeg the Edomite in Psalm 52, the one who gladly slaughtered the priests and their families for unwittingly helping David escape from Saul. These are people who have systematically built their lives around what God hates, people who resent God and those who remind them of Him. David has reason to fear.
But David has reasons not to fear, too. He has an answer for those who love evil and hate God and His people: the LORD has set apart His people, and He has promised to answer them when they pray (v. 3). The reign of terror won’t last forever, because God Himself upholds His children. He has never lost one of His own, and He won’t start tomorrow with you.
But what do we do in the meantime, while the bad guys are still running rampant? The Holy Spirit’s prescription, quoted and further explained in the New Testament, is to “Be angry, and do not sin” (v. 4). The word translated “be angry” gives the idea of quivering with emotion; the New American Standard translates it as “tremble.” Trusting God doesn’t mean acting like everything’s okay, or that nothing bothers us. It is right to oppose sin. But there is also a warning: “do not sin.” As has been often noted, we sinners have a tendency to respond to sin by sinning back. Righteous anger does exist, but it is dangerously rare. Am I angry because the person is fighting against God’s law, or because it hurts or inconveniences me? When I respond, am I trying to get even (revenge), or to correct the sinner and point them toward reconciliation with God and others? My motives and my goals will tell me much about whether my anger is what God wants.
How do I check myself and keep right anger from souring into vengeance or bitterness? First, “meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still” (v. 4b). This doesn’t mean continually rehearsing the offense—we’re probably already doing that, and it doesn’t tend to move us toward godliness. Rather, David is calling us to keep reminding ourselves that God does hear us and will answer; we recognize the wrong done and talk to God about it, but then we feast on His promises of justice and tear-drying, waiting for the day when He will fulfill all of those promises to the uttermost. That’s why such meditation leads us to “offer the sacrifices of righteousness” (v. 5a)—and Romans 12:1 says that our entire lives are to be sacrifices in response to God’s undeserved love toward us. How do I know if I’m on the right track? I’ll be trusting the LORD to handle the situation, not shrugging in apathy toward justice, but waiting for God’s perfect time for that justice to fall (v. 5b; see also Rom. 12:17-21).
When we’re surrounded by vicious attackers, it’s easy to wonder when or even whether that day will come. Given how many wicked people hate what is good and seem to be getting away with it (v. 2), who will benefit the godly (v. 6a)? But verses 6b-8 answer: when the LORD looks on us with favor, there is a gladness that cannot be matched by any feast, any party (v. 7). As pastor and author Tedd Tripp points out, verse 7 was written in a culture where harvest time was the only time a person got fresh food—that’s as good as it gets, and yet the LORD’s blessings are even better![1]
And there is not only joy in following the LORD, even in the midst of opposition. We also find a confidence, a peace of mind that lets us lie down and sleep, because only the LORD is able to give us safety, and no one else can take it away (v. 8). As David wrote in Psalm 3:5, he found security in the direst of times because God Himself was protecting him. That doesn’t mean walking around ignoring avoidable dangers; David wasn’t going out looking for trouble. It does mean that when troubles come, we do not face them alone, nor do we have to face them in our own strength. The God who has reserved us for Himself through the blood of Christ delights in blessing and caring for us; we need not fear that He will fall short of His goal. Are we resting confident in His arms, waiting for Him to silence the liars and scoundrels? “Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the LORD.”
Grace and peace, Mike Yates
For further thought and discussion: When was the last time you were angry? How did your response line up with David’s—and the Holy Spirit’s—counsel on how to deal with anger? How could your anger better please Christ next time?
[1] Tedd and Margy Tripp, Instructing a Child’s Heart (Wapwallopen, PA: Shepherd, 2008), 98.
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