Joyful Rest - Psalm 4 (Psalms 4)

0:56But 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 and 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 are. Abound. In peace, I will both lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.

1:40Titled this message, Joyful Rest. And it does come out of times of troubles or times of trials and distress. And it is considered a sister psalm to the one that we looked at last week, Psalm 3. If you put this together in what's taking place in the Psalter, Psalm 1, if you turn to Psalm 1:1, first word you come to, and I'm reading from the ESV, and I'm doing that because all the Psalters are in ESV out there. I've got a good deal on the, but the first word in Psalm 1 is what?

2:21Blessed. So circle that word. And Psalm 1 speaks about the blessed man. The blessed man is the one who does not listen to the counsel of the wicked, but he is growing in the knowledge of the Lord. He delights in the law of the Lord. He sits under his counsel. He lets that go through his mind, and he is blessed. Look at Psalm 2. Psalm 2 is really about the king. God has raised up a king. Doesn't matter why do the nations rage and the people plot in vain. God, verse 6, I have. Set my king on Zion, my holy hill. And so the exhortation in Psalm 2 comes at the end, verse 12: kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. And I think a better translation may be quickly kindled, for his wrath could be quickly kindled at any moment. And once it is, there is no way out of it. So blessed, there's that word again. Circle it. Blessed are all who take refuge in him. So the blessed are the ones who meditate on God's Word and the ones who kiss the Son, who take refuge in Christ or in the King, God's King. And of course, by the time you get to the New Testament and Acts chapter 2, it's very clear. Peter makes it very clear. It's the name of Jesus. This is his king. This is the one whom they crucified. And so that is his name, and that we are to call upon his name. So then, as you come into Psalm 3 and 4, we naturally go in and can answer the question: what does taking refuge look like? Psalm 3 and 4 really answer that question. We know the blessed are the ones who meditate upon. God's Word. We know the ones, blessed are the ones who take refuge in God's king. We know him to be Christ by the New Testament. Blessed are the ones who take refuge in him. So then, what does taking refuge look like? Well, refuge, Psalm 3, we looked at it last time.

4:51Psalm 3 is actually, in some places, it is called the morning prayer of trust. And Psalm 4 is called the evening prayer of trust. So you can see how they go together. It's very likely or possible that these two are written about the same time. David flees from Absalom in Psalm 3. But at the beginning of Psalm 3, you can see this rising tide of distresses coming up, like overwhelming the psalmist. In Psalm 4, it starts out like this. Verse 1, answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness. You have given me relief when I was in distress. So the beginning of Psalm 4 is again this picture of distress. And distress here is pictured as something that is confining or oppressing or suffocating the psalmist. It's not seen as a tide overwhelming. It is something that's pressing down and confined. And incarcerating and beating him down into the ground. And that's where we begin Psalm 4. So it is again in these trials of life, in these times of distress, and sometimes that's exactly how stress and the perplexities and the anxieties of life feel. They feel like they're weighing down on us and pressing us into suffocating. And certainly, it's what the psalmist here is experiencing. And so, but through this psalm, David finds rest, not just rest, but a joyful rest. And so, just to give you an overview of where I've drawn the lines or made the divisions in Psalm 4, there's the first one right after Psalm 1. You can see it up there.

6:59David begins by having a conversation or a little bit of a conversation with God, internal thinking, conversation. And then I take the next verses, verses 2 through 5, and there he's kind of having a conversation with his enemies. So I draw another line after verse 5. And then verse 6 is right in the really the middle or the The pivot point of the psalm, and that is where a very important question is asked and the main answer, the answer is given. And so, and then out of that seven and eight, then comes God's answer and the joyful rest that we're talking about. It's pictured there. So, the psalmist goes from deep despair into our deep, deep distress, something weighing heavily upon him, and to a joyful rest or a blessed relaxation, to a and it's the truth that we're going to mine tonight that takes us from the depths of distress or the suffocating pressures of distress to a joyful rest. Not just rest, but a joyful rest. So, we just want to trace that movement through this psalm. So, those are the four main blocks, and we'll just take them as they come. So, first of all, joyful rest begins by remembering God's previous actions. God's previous actions. Look at verse 1. Answer me when I call. O God of my righteousness, you have given me relief. You have given me relief when I was in distress. So he's recalling a time.

9:12You have given me relief. And the idea of relief is you've brought me into a broad space. And keep in mind the idea of this distress is something that's confining. And relief is being brought out into the open. The relief, the broad space, you have given me relief when I was in my distress. Be gracious to me. That's one of those earnest pleas, one of those commands, imperatives, where he's saying, be gracious. You must be gracious to me and hear me, understand me, hear my prayer, hear my plea. So he starts by recalling, by remembering what God has done in the past. So in future times, what he's saying is, in future times of distress, as you have done in the past, hear my prayer.

10:23So he lifts up this prayer for this stress-relieving favor. Gracious, show favor upon me. Show favor here, show favor, have mercy. It's the idea of turning your attention to and lifting me out onto spacious, remove this suffocating pressure. And that's really what stresses of life can do. And so he begins by remembering, and isn't that a good place to begin, right? Remember what God has done in the past. And by the way, this does come out of a joyful, I mean, I call this joyful rest, and it could be subtitled In Times of Trial, but really this is just an evening prayer, a morning prayer, a prayer, a disposition that is applicable at all times. Don't wait for the times of distress, but certainly in the times of distress, remember God's previous actions. He is a God who has saved all that speaks about him. He is the God of salvation.

11:49So the first element of joyful rest is that it begins by remembering God's previous action. And as we move, To the next phase, joyful rest then goes on. You see this movement, it denounces foolish confidences. Look at verses 2 through 5. It denounces foolish confidences. So at verse 1, he's having this conversation with God, and then he turns in his mind and starts talking to his enemies. Kind of a conversation with those who have foolish minds. And look at what he says, verse 2. O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame?

12:49How long shall you turn my honor? And the idea of honor is heaviness, my weightiness, my significance, my importance. How long shall you turn my honor into shame or insult my honor? How long will you turn my honor into shame? Look at what he says. How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? How long will you desire? How long will you flirt? With that which is empty. And there's a comparison here. That which is honor, honorable, or weighty compared to that which is empty and shallow and hollow and vain. How long will you love or flirt with vain words and seek after lies?

13:52So the first thing, like the what the foolish are doing is that they are trusting in lies. And certainly the it's that it's that picture, you know, you think about like what would you rather like if you want to feed your kids, okay, if you want to give them something, what's better for them, steak and potatoes or cotton candy? Yeah, it depends on what the occasion is. But let's say you want them to be healthy, right? And they're needing nourishment, right? That's the idea. There's something that is weighty, something that is substantive, something that will strengthen and good and build up the body. And then there's that which isn't going to do anything for it. And the same is true in a spiritual sense.

14:51There is that which is good and which strengthens the soul, and then there is vanity and lies that which is empty. And he says this: How long are you going to flirt with that? How long do you desire? And he says in verse 3, but no, but no. And here's a command: speaking to these foolish ones, these enemies. But no, no. Make sure you understand this. Know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself, and the Lord hears when I call to him.

15:33Know this. In other words, it's like, how long are you going to insult my honor? The godly are mine, they belong to me, and I answer when the godly call to me. It would be everlasting dishonor to God if he did not answer those in true need. How long will you insult my honor? The godly are mine. Know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself, and the Lord hears when I call to him.

16:25God has established his covenant. His king. And so he goes on to still speak to these foolish. Be angry. The word is really tremble. Be trembling. Shake, quiver, be angry and do not sin. Ponder this. The idea, meditate upon this in your own hearts, upon your beds. Take this to heart. Understand the Lord has set apart the godly for himself, and the Lord hears when I call to him. Let that sink in. Ponder in your hearts, on your beds, and be silent. Be still. Even the word is wail.

17:31Wail. Be astonished. Be still. Then he says, says, think through this. Think through what you're trusting in. Think through these things. And do so in fear and in silence. So he's talking, and maybe this is an internal issue with him. He's come. He's contrasting, he's in distress and may be tempted to trust in lies himself. And he is rehearsing in his mind. He's speaking to his foolish enemies, and he's saying, Look, trust in the Lord. Verse 5, put your trust in the Lord. And though he may be speaking to the enemies, he's certainly counseling his own soul, right? He's saying, Look, this is a foolish confidence. The right confidence is to trust in the Lord. Offer right sacrifices, verse 5.

18:38That's his command. Offer the right sacrifices and put your trust in the Lord. And the idea for offer there is slaughter. If he translated this, slaughter the right animals. Slaughter the flesh of animals without a blemish. So offer the right sacrifices. What a graphic image. It's the picture. It's a graphic image to do what's right or command to do what's right. Sacrifice those animals without a blemish. And it's what a picture of putting down the flesh, right? Putting down the flesh. Graphic image. Offer the right sacrifices.

19:43Put down, do what is pleasing in the sight of God. And oftentimes, that is contrary to fleshly impulse, right? And put your trust in the Lord. That's the sacrifice. That's where he wants. Offer the right sacrifices. Get rid and put in your trust in the Lord. So joyful rest really begins by remembering God's previous actions. It denounces foolish confidences. It goes from trusting in vanities and lies to trusting in the Lord. Take refuge in, blessed is the one who takes refuge in the Lord, in his Son, his king. And by the way, the whole picture of the king in chapter 2 is he has appointed his king over humanity. And that king, it's not just that we are to think of him as a political king, like a king like we would see in a government or here governments of men, but he is the.

21:00Definition of what humanity ought to be. So it's more than just an external government. It is an internal disposition. This is what humanity is to be. And so you respond to him and you take refuge in him. And so put your trust in the Lord. So it begins by remembering God's previous action. It denounces foolish confidences and then it calls upon the Lord. It calls upon the Lord. That's where joyful rest comes. You want to have joyful rest, then you call upon the Lord. Call upon the name of the Lord. And we know who that is. Come to the New Testament. It is clearly Jesus, the name above all names. So we know. And the blessed are the ones who call upon his name, to take refuge in him. And the ones who take refuge with him in the storms of life, in the trials of life, in the issues of life, what do they do? They come and they put their name of the Lord and they seek him and take refuge in him.

22:30Verse 6, there are many who say, who will show us some good? Who will show us good? Who will show us well-being? Who is the one who will cause us to experience well-being? And many are saying, well, who is this? And maybe even derogatory. Who is the one? Who shows us good? Who is there to bring good upon us? In our times of distress, who is there to bring good? Who's the one that's going to show us good? And look at the answer to the psalmist. Look what he says. Lift up the light of your face upon us, O Lord. There are many who are saying, who will show us good? And we know that is you. You are the answer to that question, Lord. You are the one who puts us in a state of well-being and seeing good. That is you. Who will show us some good? It is you, Lord.

23:38And so here's his plea right in the middle of verse 6. Lift up the light of your face upon us. Isn't that a picture? That's again that picture of favor. Turn your favor upon us. Lift up the light of your face upon us. You are the The answer. You are the one who puts us in a state of seeing good. And that's what refuge looks like, right? Calls upon the name of the Lord. I'm not going to trust in these other confidences. I'm not going to put my trust in anything else. I'm going to remember what you've done in the past, and I'm going to call upon your name. That is the blessed one. Psalm 2. That's the one who is blessed, the one who takes refuge in Him. He is the answer to the main question. He is the answer to you, to me. Who is the one who will cause us or put us into a state of well-being and seeing good? There is no one other than the Lord Himself.

24:57Fourth principle, joyful rest. And this is where we come to it. God answers those who call upon Him by giving them, by leading them, by bringing them into joyful rest, blessed relaxation. You look at verse 7. And look at, so here's the answer. Here's the Here's the question. The first request was in verse 1: answer me when I call. And then in verse 6, here is the call. Lift up the light of your face and shine upon us.

25:47And now you see what happens to a soul when the face of God turns and lifts up his favor upon them. Listen, what happens to a soul? And here comes the answer: it's joyful rest. Verse 7: joy. You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound. Now, that's an expression of celebration, right? The new harvest, the new grain, the vats overflowing, the new wine, the celebration and celebrations associated with this in ancient Jewish culture. You have put more joy. That is, you have put more delight, more feasting. It's a word for feasting and gladness and happiness.

26:43It's this picture, it's this banquet of joyful celebration. That's what he's picturing here in these words. You have put more joy in my heart. You have put a banquet of joyful celebration. In my heart. Now, keep in mind, this guy's going through some severe, distressing times. And here he is, right in the midst of it all. What is the secret? To be joyful, well, it's calling upon the name of the Lord. It is the response of our Heavenly Father, God Himself, the Lord, lifting His light of His face upon.

27:36So life isn't about circumstances. It's about a right relationship with God. From the very beginning of the Bible to the very end, this is what it's describing. So the answer comes is joyful rest. You see the joy in verse 7, and look at verse 8. You see in peace. I will both lie down and sleep. For you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety. So it's a picture of complete peace. We go from this picture of this joyful celebration and this picture of complete peace. I will both lie down and sleep. And if this is associated with Absalom's rebellion, as Psalm 3 was, he is able to wake. Because the Lord sustains him, he's able to sleep. And same thing in here, it's that same picture, in peace. And the word is shalom, speaks of soundness, completeness, wholeness, in completeness. I am in soundness, in complete peace, lacking nothing. I am going to lie down and sleep. For you alone, O Lord.

29:00In other words, no one else can put my soul in a state of safety and well-being. No one else can. And no one else can put your soul into a state of well-being save the Lord Himself. And that's why He is the blessed one, is the one who recognizes that and takes refuge in Him. For you alone, no one else can do this, O Lord. You're the one who makes me dwell in safety. You put me in a state of safety.

29:43And He's not just saying this is a promise of prayer, this is like, or this is just a reality. It's not just wishful thinking. For you, O Lord, are the only one who could possibly put me in safety. He's saying, no, Lord, you're the one who makes me dwell in safety. And so it's upon the realization: this guy is in the midst of some very distressing times, but there is an internal peace, a joyful rest, because he knows who the Lord is, and because he takes refuge in him, and because he takes refuge in him, God's honor is at stake, and God will put his soul in a state of safety.

30:42And this is how life is to be lived. We meditate upon the thoughts of God, we trust in the Christ that God has revealed, and we take refuge in him, and we let that shape who we are. It's interesting. It's like if you look at this person from the outside, you can't quite grasp what's going on, right? He's in a state of distress, yet there's joy, there's rest. You know, we need to see the unseen. We see the physical, but there's something going on inside the hearts. There is.

31:30Something going behind what moves a person to action, what moves a person to think and feel the way they do. You ever wonder why a smile shows up on a person's face? Something unseen is happening, right? And sometimes it's obvious, right? But sometimes it's completely counter-intuitive. Take Paul in Acts chapter 16. He's in the Philippian jail. They beat the tar out of him. And my mom would say growing up, beat the wham out of him. That's what she'd tell me. I'm going to beat the wham out of you.

32:22I didn't know what the wham was, but I know I didn't. I wanted to keep mine. But here's Paul in the middle of the Philippian jail. And he's singing. What is going on in the unseen spiritual world? What causes a man to be treated so unjustly, so unfairly, and in a place of in a dungeon? And what's he doing? He's singing. Psalms. I wonder if this had come across his mind. I don't know. But he's singing psalms because he trusts in him. And the smile on his face and the joy in his heart is something that is happening at the heart level.

33:24And so his joy was a reflection of the favor of God upon his life. He took refuge in him. And this is how he answers. And then God, through that event, was able to really, that was the beginning point, the first time the gospel ever made it to Europe. And in a few short centuries, the Roman Empire has completely changed because of the joy in the heart of God's people. Any thoughts? Anybody want to add any comments to this before we close?

34:21Questions? Well, then let's pray. Heavenly Father, help us just to meditate through the psalm and pray. Process and as we go about our week, morning and evening, Father, we are called to put our trust in you. We're to meditate upon your word. We are to take refuge and kiss the Son, the name of the Lord that you have raised up. We know him to be Jesus. And Father, help us each day to take refuge in him, in you, through him.

35:00And let that refuge, let us understand that that is confidence, that is trust, that is calling out upon your name and letting you bring peace and joy in our souls. Even if the circumstances do not change, we know that you can change us as you lift your countenance upon us. And so, Father, I just pray as we face another week with all of its uncertainties and with all of the issues that we will face, Father, we pause and we give you thanks and we turn our trust to you now.

35:41And help us as the day, as the week unfolds, to continually be putting our trust and calling on your name and experiencing the joy that only you can give and the joyful rest that comes about in any season of life, in any station of life, and in any circumstance of life. That truly characterize your people, not because it's just a good principle, but because your favor has truly turned and shone upon us. Thank you in Jesus' name. Amen.