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Commentary on Psalms 39 verses 7–13
The psalmist, having meditated on the shortness and uncertainty of life, and the vanity and vexation of spirit that attend all the comforts of life, here, in these verses, turns his eyes and heart heaven-ward. When there is no solid satisfaction to be had in the creature it is to be found in God, and in communion with him; and to him we should be driven by our disappointments in the world. David here expresses,
I. His dependence on God, Psa 39:7. Seeing all is vanity, and man himself is so, 1. He despairs of a happiness in the things of the world, and disclaims all expectations from it: "Now, Lord, what wait I for? Even nothing from the things of sense and time; I have nothing to wish for, nothing to hope for, from this earth." Note, The consideration of the vanity and frailty of human life should deaden our desires to the things of this world and lower our expectations from it. "If the world be such a thing as this, God deliver me from having, or seeking, my portion in it." We cannot reckon upon constant health and prosperity, nor upon comfort in any relation; for it is all as uncertain as our continuance here. "Though I have sometimes foolishly promised myself this and the other from the world, I am now of another mind." 2. He takes hold of happiness and satisfaction in God: My hope is in thee. Note, When creature-confidences fail, it is our comfort that we have a God to go to, a God to trust to, and we should thereby be quickened to take so much the faster hold of him by faith.
II. His submission to God, and his cheerful acquiescence in his holy will, Psa 39:9. If our hope be in God for a happiness in the other world, we may well afford to reconcile ourselves to all the dispensations of his providence concerning us in this world: "I was dumb; I opened not my mouth in a way of complaint and murmuring." He now again recovered that serenity and sedateness of mind which were disturbed, Psa 39:2. Whatever comforts he is deprived of, whatever crosses he is burdened with, he will be easy. "Because thou didst it; it did not come to pass by chance, but according to thy appointment." We may here see, 1. A good God doing all, and ordering all events concerning us. Of every event we may say, "This is the finger of God; it is the Lord's doing," whoever were the instruments. 2. A good man, for that reason, saying nothing against it. He is dumb, he has nothing to object, no question to ask, no dispute to raise upon it. All that God does is well done.
III. His desire towards God, and the prayers he puts up to him. Is any afflicted? let him pray, as David here,
1.For the pardoning of his sin and the preventing of his shame, Psa 39:8. Before he prays (Psa 39:10), Remove thy stroke from me, he prays (Psa 39:8), "Deliver me from all my offences, from the guilt I have contracted, the punishment I have deserved, and the power of corruption by which I have been enslaved." When God forgives our sins he delivers us from them, he delivers us from them all. He pleads, Make me not a reproach to the foolish. Wicked people are foolish people; and they then show their folly most when they think to show their wit, by scoffing at God's people. When David prays that God would pardon his sins, and not make him a reproach, it is to be taken as a prayer for peace of conscience ("Lord, leave me not to the power of melancholy, which the foolish will laugh at me for"), and as a prayer for grace, that God would never leave him to himself, so far as to do any thing that might make him a reproach to bad men. Note, This is a good reason why we should both watch and pray against sin, because the credit of our profession is nearly concerned in the preservation of our integrity.
2.For the removal of his affliction, that he might speedily be eased of his present burdens (Psa 39:10): Remove thy stroke away from me. Note, When we are under the correcting hand of God our eye must be to God himself, and not to any other, for relief. He only that inflicts the stroke can remove it; and we may then in faith, and with satisfaction, pray that our afflictions may be removed, when our sins are pardoned (Isa 38:17), and when, as here, the affliction is sanctified and has done its work, and we are humbled under the hand of God.
(1.)He pleads the great extremity he was reduced to by his affliction, which made him the proper object of God's compassion: I am consumed by the blow of thy hand. His sickness prevailed to such a degree that his spirits failed, his strength was wasted, and his body emaciated. "The blow, or conflict, of thy hand has brought me even to the gates of death." Note, The strongest, and boldest, and best of men cannot bear up under, much less make head against, the power of God's wrath. It was not his case only, but any man will find himself an unequal match for the Almighty, Psa 39:11. When God, at any time, contends with us, when with rebukes he corrects us, [1.] We cannot impeach the equity of his controversy, but must acknowledge that he is righteous in it; for, whenever he corrects man, it is for iniquity. Our ways and our doings procure the trouble to ourselves, and we are beaten with a rod of our own making. It is the yoke of our transgressions, though it be bound with his hand, Lam 1:14. [2.] We cannot oppose the effects of his controversy, but he will be too hard for us. As we have nothing to move in arrest of his judgment, so we have no way of escaping the execution. God's rebukes make man's beauty to consume away like a moth; we often see, we sometimes feel, how much the body is weakened and decayed by sickness in a little time; the countenance is changed; where are the ruddy cheek and lip, the sprightly eye, the lively look, the smiling face? It is the reverse of all this that presents itself to view. What a poor thing is beauty; and what fools are those that are proud of it, or in love with it, when it will certainly, and may quickly, be consumed thus! Some make the moth to represent man, who is as easily crushed as a moth with the touch of a finger, Job 4:19. Others make it to represent the divine rebukes, which silently and insensibly waste and consume us, as the moth does the garment. All this abundantly proves what he had said before, that surely every man is vanity, weak and helpless; so he will be found when God comes to contend with him.
(2.)He pleads the good impressions made upon him by his affliction. He hoped that the end was accomplished for which it was sent, and that therefore it would be removed in mercy; and unless an affliction has done its work, though it may be removed, it is not removed in mercy. [1.] It had set him a weeping, and he hoped God would take notice of that. When the Lord God called to mourning, he answered the call and accommodated himself to the dispensation, and therefore could, in faith, pray, Lord, hold not thy peace at my tears, Psa 39:12. He that does not willingly afflict and grieve the children of men, much less his own children, will not hold his peace at their tears, but will either speak deliverance for them (and, if he speak, it is done) or in the mean time speak comfort to them and make them to hear joy and gladness. [2.] It had set him a praying; and afflictions are sent to stir up prayer. If they have that effect, and when we are afflicted we pray more, and pray better, than before, we may hope that God will hear our prayer and give ear to our cry; for the prayer which by his providence he gives occasion for, and which by his Spirit of grace he indites, shall not return void. [3.] It had helped to wean him from the world and to take his affections off from it. Now he began, more than ever, to look upon himself as a stranger and sojourner here, like all his fathers, not at home in this world, but travelling through it to another, to a better, and would never reckon himself at home till he came to heaven. He pleads it with God: "Lord, take cognizance of me, and of my wants and burdens, for I am a stranger here, and therefore meet with strange usage; I am slighted and oppressed as a stranger; and whence should I expect relief but from thee, from that other country to which I belong?"
3.He prays for a reprieve yet a little longer (Psa 39:13): "O spare me, ease me, raise me up from this illness that I may recover strength both in body and mind, that I may get into a more calm and composed frame of spirit, and may be better prepared for another world, before I go hence by death, and shall be no more in this world." Some make this to be a passionate wish that God would send him help quickly or it would be too late, like that, Job 10:20, Job 10:21. But I rather take it as a pious prayer that God would continue him here till by his grace he had made him fit to go hence, and that he might finish the work of life before his life was finished. Let my soul live, and it shall praise thee.
For my part, I realized that this happens to me with your permission, and I waited longer in the knowledge that I would receive help from the same quarter from which comes also the allowance of my suffering.
"I became dumb; and I opened not my mouth" [Psalm 39:9]. But it was to guard against "the foolish man," that "I became dumb, and opened not my mouth." For to whom should I tell what is going on within me? "For I will hear what the Lord God will speak in me; for He will speak peace unto His people." But "There is no peace," says the Lord, "to the wicked." [Isaiah 48:22] "I was dumb, and opened not my mouth; because it is Thou that made me." Was this the reason that you opened not your mouth, "because God made you"? That is strange; for did not God make your mouth, that you should speak? "He that planted the ear, does He not hear? He that formed the eye, does He not see?" God has given you a mouth to speak with; and do you say, "I was dumb, and opened not my mouth, because You made me"? Or does the clause, "Because You made me," belong to the verse that follows?
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SUMMARY
Psalms 39:9 marks a profound pivot in the psalmist's lament, transitioning from an initial resolve to guard his speech and a subsequent outpouring of anguish to a posture of absolute and silent submission before God. David, having wrestled with the brevity of life and the vanity of human existence, arrives at a deep recognition that his suffering, whatever its form or intensity, originates directly from the sovereign hand of God. This verse encapsulates a mature and unwavering trust in divine authorship and purpose, even when the reasons for hardship remain undisclosed or profoundly painful, leading to a cessation of all complaint.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
The primary literary device at play in Psalms 39:9 is Apostrophe, as David directly addresses God ("thou didst it"), shifting from internal monologue and general reflections on humanity to a direct statement of submission to the divine "Thou." There is also profound Irony embedded in the psalmist's journey: he initially resolves to guard his mouth to avoid sinning against men (Psalms 39:1), but ultimately, his deepest silence comes not from fear of man, but from a reverent, submissive acknowledgment of God's sovereign hand. The phrase "I was dumb, I opened not my mouth" employs Parallelism, specifically synonymous parallelism, where the second clause reiterates and intensifies the meaning of the first, emphasizing the completeness and intentionality of his silence. This profound silence itself functions as a powerful Symbolism of absolute trust and surrender in the face of overwhelming divine power and inscrutable wisdom, representing a mature faith that rests in God's ultimate control.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
The profound silence expressed in Psalms 39:9, rooted in the acknowledgment of God's sovereign hand, resonates deeply with core biblical theology concerning divine discipline, human suffering, and the necessity of humble submission. It echoes the wisdom found in the book of Job, where suffering is not always a direct consequence of personal sin but can be part of God's larger, often mysterious, and redemptive purposes. This posture of silent acceptance is a hallmark of mature faith, recognizing that God's ways are infinitely higher than human ways and His thoughts deeper than human thoughts. It challenges the innate human tendency to demand explanations, to protest against perceived injustice, or to question God's character, instead calling for a humble surrender to the divine will. This submission is not a passive resignation to fate but an active, faith-filled trust in God's ultimate goodness, wisdom, and righteousness, even when His actions are painful or incomprehensible to the human mind. It is a profound act of worship in the midst of adversity.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Psalms 39:9 offers a profound and challenging lesson for believers navigating the inevitable complexities of suffering, unanswered questions, and the trials of life. In a world that often encourages vocal protest, demands for immediate justice, and insists on comprehensive explanations, David's example calls us to embrace a different kind of strength: the strength found in silent, trusting submission to God's sovereign will. This posture does not negate the validity of honest lament, heartfelt prayer, or even wrestling with God in our pain, but it points to a deeper spiritual maturity where, after pouring out our hearts, we arrive at a place of trusting that God is ultimately in control, and His purposes, though sometimes painful and often inscrutable, are always good and ultimately for our sanctification. It challenges us to critically examine whether our complaints stem from a lack of trust in God's perfect wisdom or from a desire to control circumstances that are ultimately beyond our grasp. Embracing this posture of silent submission can transform our suffering from a source of bitterness and rebellion into an opportunity for deeper reliance on God, fostering patience, humility, and a profound peace that transcends human understanding.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Does "because thou didst it" mean God causes all suffering directly?
Answer: This phrase in Psalms 39:9 indicates David's profound recognition of God's ultimate sovereignty and active involvement over all circumstances, including his personal affliction. It doesn't necessarily imply that God directly causes every single instance of suffering in a mechanistic or arbitrary way, but rather that nothing happens outside of His divine will, permission, or overarching plan. God can use suffering for various purposes: as discipline for His children (Hebrews 12:5-11), to test and refine faith (James 1:2-4), to build perseverance and character (Romans 5:3-5), or to bring about His greater redemptive plan, as seen in the story of Joseph (Genesis 50:20). David's statement is an acknowledgment of God's ultimate control and authority, leading him to a posture of humble submission and trust rather than rebellion or complaint.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Psalms 39:9 finds its ultimate and most profound fulfillment in the person and redemptive work of Jesus Christ. While David's silence was an act of personal submission in his own suffering, Christ's perfect silence before His accusers and during His crucifixion was the supreme embodiment of this principle, demonstrating perfect obedience to the Father's will. The prophet Isaiah foretold of the Suffering Servant, declaring, "He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, so He opened not His mouth" (Isaiah 53:7). This prophecy is directly and powerfully fulfilled in the Gospels, where Jesus, though utterly innocent, remained silent before Pilate and Herod, refusing to defend Himself or protest the profound injustice being inflicted upon Him (Matthew 27:12-14; Luke 23:9). His submission was absolute, not out of resignation or weakness, but out of perfect obedience to the Father's sovereign plan, knowing that His suffering was "because thou didst it" – the Father's divine will to redeem humanity. Christ's silent endurance on the cross, the ultimate "it" of divine action, was the perfect, redemptive act that secured salvation for all who believe, demonstrating a perfect trust in God's purpose even unto death (Philippians 2:8). He is the Lamb of God who silently bore the sins of the world, making His silence a powerful, redemptive act of perfect submission to the divine will.