Psalm 39

1. In verse 1, David gives us one very good way to avoid sin. When we are around those who are evil, we need to guard our way and muzzle our mouth. If we can keep our head on our shoulders and truly guard what we say, we will avoid many sins.

2. However, David admits in verse 2 that this silence, in many ways, caused his suffering to get worse. While it might have been the right thing to do, it wasn’t the easy thing.

3. Verse 4 is not asking to die, rather it is a prayer of reminder. David wants to make sure he remembers how brief life is. While that may seem like a morbid thought at times, it is something of which we need to be reminded often. Verses 5 and 6 are a poetic statement showing that David did remember how brief his life really was. The language is similar to James 4:14 and many statements in the story of Job.

4. The emphasis turns in verse 7 to remembering what God can and will do (again, similar to Psalm 37).

5. Verse 9 shows why David decided not to speak (or to answer his enemies). It could be that he knew God would answer, or it could be that he didn’t want to be just as guilty as they were by something he said. We need to remember to hold our tongue because of God, too.

6. In verse 12, David is lamenting the fact that his relationship with God has been hurt in some way. He is a stranger in God’s presence. While he knows that is not literally the case, it feels that way.

7. Verse 13 is a conclusion of verse 10. David is being punished for something and now he asks for relief.