Golden Year's Message by Preacher Lek Aik Wee

A Devotional Study of the Psalms

A Time to Keep Silence - Cultivation of a Quiet Spirit

PSALM 39

Who is Jeduthun? He is the chief musician in the courts of King David whose work to put to music David's spiritual experiences with God, "to give thanks to the LORD, because His mercy endureth for ever." (1 Chronicles 16:41 , c.f. 1 Chronicles 26:5 , Psalm 62 ) The other appointed musicians in King David's courts are Asaph and Heman.

It is a most difficult control of the will, not to murmur against God in adversity and not to retaliate when sorely provoked, yet most needful. For the quiet spirit distinguishes the Christian from the uncouth ways of the world.

Dear brethren, what is your response when we are faced with afflictions, when problem comes our way? What is the correct attitude to deal with afflictions?

In controlled silence before men (verse 1-3 ), stilling the disquietness in our hearts by calling upon God and acknowledging the hand of God in our present dire circumstances - our waywardness and sin like in pursuing the deceitful riches of this world (verse 4-6 ), confessing and acknowledging our sins in deep contrition knowing that the hope of restoration is in God alone having experienced God's chastising hand in drawing us back to Him, that we may be forgiven and restored to our former strength (verse 7-13 ). (Summary Statement)

King Solomon wrote in the Book of Ecclesiastes in his old age. This is his sanctified observation, Ecclesiastes 3:1-7 "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted. A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up. A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance. A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing. A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away. A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak.

You remember the wife of Job who advised him when Job was afflicted with the loss of wealth, health and children to curse God and die? She charged Job to complain against God, blaming God for all that has come upon him. But Job did not do that. What was the Godly response? Job 2:10 But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips, In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly. He acknowledged the Sovereignty of God in his life.

David said in verse 1 "I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me." The bridle is the instrument with which a horse is governed and restrained by a rider; consisting of a head-stall, a bit, and reins, with other appendages, according to its particular form and uses. It served to restrain, curb, control and check. David withheld his tongue so that he may not sin against God and men by his words. That restraining of the tongue was most difficult and he has to describe the use of a bridle to "hold his horses."

Observed Richard J. Foster (1942- ) a Christian writer, "One reason we can hardly bear to remain silent is that it makes us feel so helpless. We are so accustomed to rely upon words to manage and control others. If we are silent, who will take control? God will take control; but we never let him to take control until we trust him. Silence is intimately related to trust."

We observe here that David seeks God, he does not practice what commonly the world would teach to be assertive to demand our rights.

What is Assertive behavior?

1. It is standing up for one's rights no matter what the circumstance.

2. It is correcting the situation when one's rights are being violated.

3. It is seeking respect and understanding for one's feelings about a particular situation or circumstance.

4. Verbal "I" statements, where individuals tell others how they feel about a situation, circumstance, or the behavior of others.

The Christian's response to adversity is quite different. He does not run to and fro to different people of "influence and status with our complaints, often making things worse, and quarrelling with the will of God for our lives. Instead, in his afflictions, he sat alone and keeps silence, he retired into privacy with God.

The Apostle Peter described such a man in his disposition in times of adversity thus 1 Peter 3:4 "But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price." The ornament of a meek and quiet spirit is in the sight of God of great price.

Ponder this statement "A man at war with himself will be at war with everyone else." -- Dag Hammarskjold This is not so for the Christian he is silenced and at peace with himself searching his own soul that all that is wanting may be confessed and repented of. Though he is quiet, it is one of quiet strength. This is the man that is submitted to the authority of God by keeping quiet.

The word "musing" (verse 3 ) means meditating, thinking deeply and at length.

Such is the blessed ornament of a quiet spirit. He waits in quietness and in prayer to understand God's plan in afflicting him. Having bridled his mouth in silence before God and men (verses 1-3 ), he examines his own ways and his own heart (verses 4-6 ) before God.

David observes his own frailty for he wants to know what the end of his life will be like and how long will he live (verse 4 ). These searching questions will reveal to man that he is not in control of his destiny. The bible clearly taught us "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment" (Hebrews 9:27 ).

The Hebrew word for the "man" in verse 5 is the earthly man, made out of the dust of the ground (Genesis 2:17 ) cursed as a result of the Fall - "In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return." (Genesis 3:19 )

David acknowledges the vanity of storing up treasures in this world (verse 6 ).

1 John 2:15-17 "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever."

How then can we overcome this love for the world?

1 John 2:14 "I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one."

Firstly, having a saving knowledge God through the gospel of Jesus Christ by the effectual working of the Holy Spirit and secondly the word of God - That he (Christ) might sanctify and cleanse it (the church) with the washing of water by the word. (Ephesians 5:26 )

David acknowledged his Maker and his sinfulness before God (verse 4-6 ).

He then flees to God, His only hope! (Verse 7 )

He confessed all his transgressions before God for cleansing that he may be delivered from foolish men. The Hebrew word for that is pronounced "Nabal" and is the description of the man of extreme foolishness in the Bible, a wicked and vile person. He is adamant, and shuts his ears against any good advice. Yet, he loudly insists in public that he is right, denoting an evil character, shamelessly immoral. The word is often associated with based and unnatural lewdness (Genesis 34:7 , Deuteronomy 22:21 , Joshua 7:15 ). Isaiah 32:6 describes in detail the destructive attitudes and conduct of this wicked man. Abigail described her husband Nabal as "this man of Belial" or "ill-natured fellow" "for as his name is, so is he" (1 Samuel 25:25 ).

David acknowledged his transgressions before God. The Hebrew word for transgression expresses a rebellion against God and His laws. Man will not easily acknowledge his sins, God had to reveal it and call His people to accountability. It also conveys the guilt that comes from the transgression. David acknowledged God's chastising hand upon him when he cried in confession "Remove thy stroke from me: I am consumed by the blow of thine hand," (verse 10 )

In times of God's chastening, there is humiliation and man is humbled before God - "When thou with rebukes dost correct man for iniquity, thou makest his beauty to consume away like a moth: surely every man is vanity (futile, worthless)." (Verse 11 )

The Hebrew word for iniquity is the outward manifestation of the inward rebellion against God, by missing the mark of God law, by a crooked and perverted behaviour.

Look at Nabal's behaviour 1 Samuel 25:36 And Abigail came to Nabal; and, behold, he held a feast in his house, like the feast of a king; and Nabal's heart was merry within him, for he was very drunken: wherefore she told him nothing, less or more, until the morning light."

Nabal knew not his position and indulges himself in liquor and what was appealing and pleasant to the senses, a total lack of self-control, doing what comes naturally.

David pleads with God with desperate tears of entreaty before God with contrite spirit in prayer. Spurgeon beautifully describes such saintly tears "Tears speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues; they act as keys upon the wards of tender hearts, and mercy denies them nothing, if through them the weeper looks to richer drops, even to the blood of Jesus. When our sorrows pull up the sluices of our eyes, God will ere long interpose and turn our mourning into joy. Long may he be quiet as though he regarded not, but the hour of deliverance will come, and come like the morning when the dewdrops are plentiful."

David's tears before God with the feeling that he is a stranger before God (verse 12 ). One writer describes the waywardness of man from His Maker when he said "God made the world, sustains it, and owns it, and yet men treat him as though He were a foreign intruder; and as they treat the Master, so do they deal with the servants. It is no surprising thing that we should be unknown." But for David, he repents from this sin and comes as it were "crawling back to God".

David laments of all the good he has done for Nabal, ".Surely in vain have I kept all that this fellow hath in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that pertained unto him: and he hath requited me evil for good." (1 Samuel 25:21 ) Read the account in 1 Samuel 25:2-42 )

David said "I was dumb (voiceless, mute), I opened not my mouth; because thou didst it."

God delivered David from Nabal, when David restrained himself, with the advice from Nabal's wife Abigail - 1 Samuel 25:32 "And David said to Abigail, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, which sent thee this day to meet me. And blessed be thy advice, and blessed be thou, which hast kept me this day from coming to shed blood, and from avenging myself with mine own hand. For in very deed, as the LORD God of Israel liveth, which hath kept me back from hurting thee, except thou hadst hasted and come to meet me, surely there had not been left unto Nabal by the morning light any that pisseth against the wall. So David received of her hand that which she had brought him, and said unto her, Go up in peace to thine house; see, I have hearkened to thy voice, and have accepted thy person."

Though it was a human bridle in the entreaty of Abigail, It was God who made David realized the foolishness of making matters into his own hearts to confront Nabal in his foolishness.

David closes his prayer "O spare me" - "cause thy gaze to turn away from me" (BDB) is the sense of this entreaty, that the wrath of God be turned from him."

God judged Nabal who died in 1 Samuel 25:37-38 "But it came to pass in the morning, when the wine was gone out of Nabal, and his wife had told him these things, that his heart died within him, and he became as a stone. And it came to pass about ten days after, that the LORD smote Nabal, that he died."

Dear brethren, have you been sorely provoked? Do not retaliate nor take matters into your own hands but know that our Lord has paid it all for us, we know where we are going, we bridle our tongue, we also confess our sins in contrition where we tried to use our own way to solve our problems. We are complete in Christ, therefore take heart.