St. Herman of Alaska Orthodox Church
Mystical Psalter: Psalm 4
Psalm 4
1 Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: You have given me room when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.
2 O sons of men, how long will you turn my glory into shame? How long will you love vanity, and seek after falsehood?
3 But know that Yahweh has set apart him that is godly for Himself: Yahweh will hear when I call to Him.
4 Be angry, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still.
5 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in Yahweh.
6 There be many that say, "Who will show us any good?" Yahweh, the light of Your countenance has been signed upon us!
7 You have put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their grain and their wine increased.
8 I will both lie down in peace, and sleep: for You, Yahweh, only make me dwell in safety.
In this psalm, David again calls upon the God of his righteousness—that is, the God who vindicates him. In the past, God had given him room when he was in distress. When he was in a tight spot (such as the times he was pursued by Saul; compare 1 Sam. 26) God had enlarged him, He had given him room to move, and saved him. Now David asks that God again have mercy on him, and hear his prayer for help.
Trusting in God, David turns on his foes, who are mere sons of men. Ironically, he asks them how long will they turn his glory into shame, paying him dishonour instead of honour, persisting in such a futile course. How long will they love vanity, and seek after falsehood, repeating slanders about him? It is all a waste of their time, for Yahweh has set apart and chosen him that is godly for Himself. God will protect His righteous devotee, so their schemes are all useless. Yahweh will hear David when he calls to Him, and protect him from their schemes.
David addresses all those who are righteous, but who are, like him, under attack. He tells them that they may indeed be angry at their foes, but they should still sin not, never despairing of God’s help. Let them commune with their own heart upon their beds, re-thinking their situation, and be still, waiting for God’s rescue. Let them offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and not turn to evil, giving up their integrity. God will save them in due time. Let them put their trust in Yahweh.
It was true that there were many that say, "Who will show us any good?" Cynics abounded, those who said that one must fight fire with fire, and adopt the ways of the world in order to survive. David does not argue with them. Rather, he turns to God in prayer, and cries, "Yahweh, the light of Your countenance has been signed upon us! You have lifted up Your countenance upon us and marked us for blessing (compare Num. 6:26)—bless us still and prove these cynics wrong!
The psalm ends on a note of peace. God has put gladness into David’s heart, more than men have in the time that their grain and their wine increased. The proverbial joy of harvest is nothing compared to the joy that God gives. David trusts in that bounty, and declares that he will both lie down in peace and sleep at once, without any worry or restless tossing, for Yahweh only makes him dwell in safety.
In the Church’s liturgy, this psalm serves for feasts of the Cross. Though verse 6 in the Hebrew reads, "Lift up the light of Your countenance upon us", the Greek translation (followed here) reads, "the light of Your countenance has been signed upon us". This "sign" is the sign of the Cross, signed upon us by the priest in baptism and chrismation, and retraced upon our brow each day when we bless ourselves and make the sign of the Cross in our prayers. Read in this way, the psalm teaches us that the light of God’s presence comes to us through the Cross. It is through the power of Christ’s Cross that we find safety and salvation in this age. Each night, before we lie down to sleep, we sign ourselves with the Cross, entrusting ourselves and our souls to God. He is the One who makes us dwell in safety, both in this age, and also in the age to come. Though men and demons assail us, we take refuge in the Cross of our Saviour, and Christ, the God of our righteousness, will vindicate and save us.
1 Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: You have given me room when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.
2 O sons of men, how long will you turn my glory into shame? How long will you love vanity, and seek after falsehood?
3 But know that Yahweh has set apart him that is godly for Himself: Yahweh will hear when I call to Him.
4 Be angry, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still.
5 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in Yahweh.
6 There be many that say, "Who will show us any good?" Yahweh, the light of Your countenance has been signed upon us!
7 You have put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their grain and their wine increased.
8 I will both lie down in peace, and sleep: for You, Yahweh, only make me dwell in safety.
In this psalm, David again calls upon the God of his righteousness—that is, the God who vindicates him. In the past, God had given him room when he was in distress. When he was in a tight spot (such as the times he was pursued by Saul; compare 1 Sam. 26) God had enlarged him, He had given him room to move, and saved him. Now David asks that God again have mercy on him, and hear his prayer for help.
Trusting in God, David turns on his foes, who are mere sons of men. Ironically, he asks them how long will they turn his glory into shame, paying him dishonour instead of honour, persisting in such a futile course. How long will they love vanity, and seek after falsehood, repeating slanders about him? It is all a waste of their time, for Yahweh has set apart and chosen him that is godly for Himself. God will protect His righteous devotee, so their schemes are all useless. Yahweh will hear David when he calls to Him, and protect him from their schemes.
David addresses all those who are righteous, but who are, like him, under attack. He tells them that they may indeed be angry at their foes, but they should still sin not, never despairing of God’s help. Let them commune with their own heart upon their beds, re-thinking their situation, and be still, waiting for God’s rescue. Let them offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and not turn to evil, giving up their integrity. God will save them in due time. Let them put their trust in Yahweh.
It was true that there were many that say, "Who will show us any good?" Cynics abounded, those who said that one must fight fire with fire, and adopt the ways of the world in order to survive. David does not argue with them. Rather, he turns to God in prayer, and cries, "Yahweh, the light of Your countenance has been signed upon us! You have lifted up Your countenance upon us and marked us for blessing (compare Num. 6:26)—bless us still and prove these cynics wrong!
The psalm ends on a note of peace. God has put gladness into David’s heart, more than men have in the time that their grain and their wine increased. The proverbial joy of harvest is nothing compared to the joy that God gives. David trusts in that bounty, and declares that he will both lie down in peace and sleep at once, without any worry or restless tossing, for Yahweh only makes him dwell in safety.
In the Church’s liturgy, this psalm serves for feasts of the Cross. Though verse 6 in the Hebrew reads, "Lift up the light of Your countenance upon us", the Greek translation (followed here) reads, "the light of Your countenance has been signed upon us". This "sign" is the sign of the Cross, signed upon us by the priest in baptism and chrismation, and retraced upon our brow each day when we bless ourselves and make the sign of the Cross in our prayers. Read in this way, the psalm teaches us that the light of God’s presence comes to us through the Cross. It is through the power of Christ’s Cross that we find safety and salvation in this age. Each night, before we lie down to sleep, we sign ourselves with the Cross, entrusting ourselves and our souls to God. He is the One who makes us dwell in safety, both in this age, and also in the age to come. Though men and demons assail us, we take refuge in the Cross of our Saviour, and Christ, the God of our righteousness, will vindicate and save us.
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