“Lord, make me to know my end, And what is the measure of my days, That I may know how frail I am. Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths, And my age is as nothing before You; Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor. Selah Surely every man walks about like a shadow; Surely they busy themselves in vain; He heaps up riches, And does not know who will gather them. … “And now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in You. Psalm 39:4-7
Putting Pain in Perspective
Hope in the LORD
David asks God to help him sense the impermanence of life. Now admitting his pain is due to his sins and honoring God for His justice, David’s hope is restored (vv.7-11) and he prays to God for relief. Psalm 39 is a wisdom psalm in the form of a psalm of individual lament. The title indicates that this is a psalm of David composed for Jeduthun*. Psalm is unusual in many respects. It speaks of a determination to be silent against foes, whereas most psalms speak boldly against enemies. Moreover, it ends with a request that God leave him alone, a stance that is remarkably like sections of the Book of Job.
** Jeduthun – lauder; praising – the name of one or two men in the Bible . A Levite of the family of Merari, and one of the three masters of music appointed by David. (1 Chr. 16:41, 42; 25:1-6) His office was generally to preside over the music of the temple service, Jeduthun’s name stands at the head of the 39th, 62nd and 77th Psalms, indicating probably that they were to be sung by his choir.
** handbreadth – any of various units of length varying from about 21/2 to 4 inches based on the breadth of a hand.
7 “And now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in You. 8 Deliver me from all my transgressions; Do not make me the reproach of the foolish. 9 I was mute, I did not open my mouth, Because it was You who did it. 10 Remove Your plague from me; I am consumed by the blow of Your hand. 11 When with rebukes You correct man for iniquity, You make his beauty melt away like a moth; Surely every man is vapor. Selah
*** Life is short. My life remaining is even shorter. And the way things are happening now, I don’t think I’ll die of old age. So, I feel that it’s going to be really short. Knowing it and acting accordingly is a wisdom. Am I ready for my life’s end? No. Am I ready to enter a coffin and be lowered into the black hole of the earth? No. Do I trust my God to carry me from this life to death to eternal life? Yes. God is my only hope.
39 1 To the Chief Musician. To Jeduthun. A Psalm of David. I said, “I will guard my ways, Lest I sin with my tongue; I will restrain my mouth with a muzzle, While the wicked are before me.” 2 I was mute with silence, I held my peace even from good; And my sorrow was stirred up. 3 My heart was hot within me; While I was musing, the fire burned. Then I spoke with my tongue: 4 “Lord, make me to know my end, And what is the measure of my days, That I may know how frail I am. 5 Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths, And my age is as nothing before You; Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor. Selah 6 Surely every man walks about like a shadow; Surely they busy themselves in vain; He heaps up riches, And does not know who will gather them.
7 “And now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in You. 8 Deliver me from all my transgressions; Do not make me the reproach of the foolish. 9 I was mute, I did not open my mouth, Because it was You who did it. 10 Remove Your plague from me; I am consumed by the blow of Your hand. 11 When with rebukes You correct man for iniquity, You make his beauty melt away like a moth; Surely every man is vapor. Selah 12 “Hear my prayer, O Lord, And give ear to my cry; Do not be silent at my tears; For I am a stranger with You, A sojourner, as all my fathers were. 13 Remove Your gaze from me, that I may regain strength, Before I go away and am no more.”
