Psalm 39
Substantial Hope in a Fleeting World
The announcement of the first successful Polio vaccine. The first man in space. JFK and MLK assassinated. Margaret Thatcher elected as first female Prime Minister. Collapse of the USSR and the wall in Berlin. Launch of the World Wide Web. Genocide in Rwanda. 9/11. The first iPhone.
One of the few constants during this period was Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. She was the ever present reality for many Britons in their lives, most knowing no other Monarch. Yet on 8th September 2022, her reign and life ended.
This Psalm is a reminder of the fleeting life of all mortals, whether Kings or hotel maids. We are all a mere breath in the face of eternity.
Yet recognising this, there is a substantial and everlasting hope to which we can cling on.
For the director of music. For Jeduthun. A psalm of David.
1 I said, ‘I will watch my ways
and keep my tongue from sin;
I will put a muzzle on my mouth
while in the presence of the wicked.’
2 So I remained utterly silent,
not even saying anything good.
But my anguish increased;
3 my heart grew hot within me.
While I meditated, the fire burned;
then I spoke with my tongue:4 ‘Show me, LORD, my life’s end
and the number of my days;
let me know how fleeting my life is.
5 You have made my days a mere handbreadth;
the span of my years is as nothing before you.
Everyone is but a breath,
even those who seem secure.6 ‘Surely everyone goes around like a mere phantom;
in vain they rush about, heaping up wealth
without knowing whose it will finally be.7 ‘But now, Lord, what do I look for?
My hope is in you.
8 Save me from all my transgressions;
do not make me the scorn of fools.
9 I was silent; I would not open my mouth,
for you are the one who has done this.
10 Remove your scourge from me;
I am overcome by the blow of your hand.
11 When you rebuke and discipline anyone for their sin,
you consume their wealth like a moth –
surely everyone is but a breath.12 ‘Hear my prayer, LORD,
listen to my cry for help;
do not be deaf to my weeping.
I dwell with you as a foreigner,
a stranger, as all my ancestors were.
13 Look away from me, that I may enjoy life again
before I depart and am no more.’
Where we find David here is surrounded alone by the irreverent (v1). He has no allies in whom he can confide. And so he has committed to hold his tongue. He refuses to sin with his lips. But more than that, he declines to speak at all in the presence of his foes. This is the promise he made. And it is the commitment he keeps until it becomes too much.
All that is pent up needs to be vented.
Have you ever tried to hold in your anger? It feels like it bubbles up and heats you up from the inside. It feels like the only way to deal with it is to free it. Like opening up a vent to release the the air from a hot and stuffy room. And in that moment, it feels so good.
So David says he breaks his vow of silence. But his prayer takes an unexpected direction at this point. He does not voice his indignation or vexation, which many of the Psalms do. He does something different here and invites us to follow him down this unanticipated avenue.
Instead he asks for perspective.
He requests to be made aware of the number of his days left and when his end will be. He asks to be reminded how transient and short his life will be. He seeks to know once more how fleeting his existence is.
The imagery here is vivid and evocative. Three times in this Psalm he uses the word hebel (5,6,11). It’s the word translated vanity in Ecclesiastes. Its base meaning is breath or mist. It’s a picture of something that is there one moment and gone the next. You might think of a cold winter morning when you can see your breath. There one moment and gone the next. The key line is the end of v5. Even those who seem secure will find their life is mist like.
Our lives when put against the canvas of eternity are fleeting. The pursuits and concerns which dominate our minds are breath like. It does not mean they are unimportant or that God does not care. But David wants to put his life into perspective.
His fleeting life and his suffering (8-11) remind him that the trinkets of earth pale in comparison to the treasures of heaven. He recalls that ultimately his home is not here but looks toward something greater (12-13).
The heart of this Psalm is v7. The superpowers of this age will wither in the centuries to come. Those family heirlooms will rust. The photo albums will be lost.
But one thing stays ever the same. God himself. The Lord is immutable and immoveable. He is the great I Am.
And so this is where the King is leading us to. It’s the teaching of Jesus. Steer clear of what moths can eat and thieves can steal. Don’t place your hopes in them. But rest your faith in Jesus. For he is the one who died but the worms and entropy could not take a hold on him. Neither could the grave or death. Jesus is risen to eternal life. And all who trust in him will receive the everlasting treasure of the new creation.
Glory be to God the Father, who does not change like shifting shadows.
Glory be to God the Son, who is the same yesterday and today and for ever.
Glory be to God the Spirit, the guarantee of eternal life.
Ever three and ever One.