Alright, let's look together
here at the 39th Psalm. Dealing with Old Testament pictures
of Christ. And it tells us this is the Psalm
of David. Psalm of David. David was a man
after God's own heart. Scriptures tells us that very
plainly. David was a man that was very
active. and he also had lots of afflictions. But David was a man totally committed
to the cause of God, totally involved, completely involved
in God's kingdom, its warfares, its conflicts, and its glory. David wasn't a man who was indifference
to the purpose and providence of God. He participated. Even when he was taking care
of the sheep, He killed a bear and a lion and when he was just
a boy he went out and faced Goliath when nobody else would. He went
out there with a sling and five smooth stones and he put down
a nine foot man with one stone and killed him. David was involved
in God's kingdom and wherever you find him You find him involved. Even when he had an opportunity
to kill Saul, he said, I can't do it because he's the Lord's
anointed. And Saul sought him to kill him time and time again.
And David was a man of strong, strong feelings and passions. And he loved people. He is a
man who loved people. You know he loved Jonathan. Loved
Mephibosheth. showed him great kindness and
great grace and great love and he is also a man who was humble
when he was dancing before the ark his own wife said look what
a fool he is because he is dancing before the ark as they brought
him back into Jerusalem and David also was a man of strong faith
strong strong faith I mean look over here at Psalm 27 I believe
it's Psalm 27, 13. Yes, look at this
with me. David was a man of a strong faith. And there was a time that he
didn't believe God, whatever the circumstances. Even when
Nathan came and rebuked him, David said, Oh, he just couldn't
get over what sin he'd committed. But look what he said here in
verse 13. I had fainted. I had just given
up. I'd just about down. I couldn't hardly go. Unless,
unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the
land of the living. I would have fainted had it not
been for me waiting and believing that God was going to show us
His goodness, show me His goodness. And this psalm was written in
a time, a great time of great trouble and sorrow and trial
and conflict for David. I'll just give you a few things
that he said in here. First of all he said, my sorrow
was stirred. He said, how frail I am. Deliver
me from all my transgressions. Every man is vanity. Hold not
thy peace at my tears. And O spare me, spare me, that
I may receive strength. I hope we can learn some things
here from how God dealt with David, this man that was so strong
in his passions and his love and faith and yet so tempted
and tried. Start there in verse 1. David
said, I said, I said, you know, here's a man who talked to himself,
communed with himself. He's speaking to himself. And
I'll tell you what, that's sometimes, you know, that's, that's, he
said one place, he said, I communed with thee upon my bed. David
talked to himself, spoke to himself this way. And it's a wise man
who spends lots of times communing with his own heart. Communing
with his own heart. That's what Paul meant when he
said, examine yourselves. Whether you be in the faith or
not, whether Christ be in you, lest you be a reprobate. And
I tell you, David, David here, you know, he was communing with
his own heart. And that's what we need to do,
commune with our own hearts. David was evidently under a strong
burden of trial. And I tell you, God afflicted
him. It tells us here plainly that God did this to him. Just
like he did Job. Job said, listen, this is from
the hand of God. Shall we not see good in his
hand? Shall we not also receive evil? He was under strong trial
and God did it. God afflicted him. And he didn't
understand a lot of it. And he didn't have to understand
a lot of it. God don't always reveal his purpose
to us and why he does things to us. And he don't have to reveal
his purpose. If he had to reveal his purpose
to us, we wouldn't need faith. We wouldn't need to wait on the
Lord. We wouldn't need to cry out to the Lord. But he didn't
know, you know, some of the things that happened to him, he didn't
understand it. We don't understand things that happen to us. But
we still believe. We believe to see the goodness
of the Lord in the land of the living. And oh my, David said
to himself, and this is what he said. He said, you know what
I'm going to do? I'm going to take heed to my
ways that I sin not with my tongue. That's what I'm going to do.
I'm going to take heed to my ways. You go your way and you do the
things you want to do. But I'm going to, he said, I
talked to his own heart. He said, I'm going to do things, you know, I'm going to do things
my way here. He said, I'm going to take heed
to my ways, not somebody else's. And that I sin not with my tongue.
He is like Job. who didn't charge God foolishly
when God tried him so greatly. And he said that I sin not with
my tongue. You know the tongue is such a
tiny, tiny member in our whole body. But oh my! But it's capable of some of the
greatest evil that we can imagine. This tongue is. And it's especially,
especially evil if it's not speaking right in reverence to God and
the things of the spiritual things that's in His precious Word.
Oh, how evil is a tongue that does not give God all the glory. How evil is a tongue that attributes
anything to man. How evil is a tongue that attributes
glory to man and don't give God all the glory and everything.
And we see that in this world today. The world's listening
to everything the doctors say about this virus, what the world
says about it, but they're not saying a thing in the world about
what God says about it. What does God say about it? So they said, oh, we've got to
listen to this fellow and that fellow. Well, listen, I'm going
to listen to what God has to say. I want to hear what God's got.
And that's why He said, so listen, every man, and I don't mean to
be cruel here, But oh my, to not give God the glory. And he went on to say, he went
on to say here in this first verse, I'm going to keep my mouth,
I'm going to put a bridle on my mouth. I'm going to put a
bridle on, oh my. And you know why he said he's
going to put a bridle on his mouth? While the wick is before
me. by the weakest before me. You
know we got to be very careful of how we talk and the words
we use. Especially, especially when we're
in the presence of the world or the presence of unbelievers.
And the reason being that they will misuse or misunderstand
things that we say. And I tell you may God make us
and give us grace and wisdom to learn this one verse right
here and practice it. Muzzle my mouth, subdue my tongue. Oh God. Then look what he said
in verse 2. I was dumb. He said, I was dumb
with silence. I held my peace even from good,
even from good. My heart, sorrow was stirred
with heart. My heart was stirred with sorrow.
He said, I held my silence even about speaking anything good.
He said, I was determined. What he's saying is, I'm determined
in my affliction. I'm going to be dumb. I'm not
going to say anything. I'm going to be silent. I'm going
to hold my peace, even from good. And he's saying here, I'm determined
in whatever God's afflicted me, not to speak in complaint. And
I'm surely not going to try to instruct anybody. Because if
I begin to talk, I say things that I should not say. Now you
know something about our age, and I'm as bad as anybody else
about it, is that we got a world full of
talkers. We got a world full of talkers.
Nobody, nobody hesitates to express their opinion about anything. I tell you what I think. It's what I, you know, listen.
Everybody wants to express an opinion, even about the mysteries
of God Almighty. But David was only concerned
about one thing. About murmuring against God.
I don't want to murmur against God. And about speaking carelessly
and uninspired about the good things of God. So he said, I'll
just be silent. Look what Job said over here
in Job 42 and verse 3. Job right before the book of
Psalm. Look what he says here in Job
43 and verse 2. 42 and verse 3. Look what he
says here. So he said, I'll just be silent.
I don't want to murmur against God. I'll even hold my tongue
about saying good things. Because I'm afraid that I'll
be offensive. Look what he said here in verse
3. Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? Therefore
have I uttered things that I understood not. This joke said, I uttered
things that I did not understand. Things too wonderful for me,
which I knew not. I got to talking about things
that was too deep for me and tried to show folks what I knew
and what I understood. And then look what he says in
verse 3. He said, but my heart was hot
within me. While I was musing, while I was
thinking, while I was talking to myself, while I was musing
with myself, the fire burned. It's like those disciples on
the immense throne, their hearts burned within them. Then David
said, then I spake with my tongue. He meditated on these things
he was talking about. He said, I'm not going to speak
evil. I'm not going to speak good.
But yet while his heart burned within him, that wouldn't let
him keep silent. A man whose heart's been regenerated,
who is a believer, his heart will not keep still before God. His heart has to cry out to God. Because it's with the heart that
a man believes God. It's the heart that the love
of God is shed abroad in. And that's what he means here.
So listen, you know what he went to Muse and you know what the
things he said? When he did begin to speak, you know what he said
with his tongue? You know what the first thing he said? Verse 4. Lord, make me to know mine end
and the measure of my days, what it is that I may know how frail
I am. David made a threefold request
here. Make me to know my end. What's
going to be the end of my life? What's going to be the end of
this trial? What's going to be the end of this burden that I'm
carrying? What's going to be the end of
it? What's the goal of it? What's the purpose of it? What's
going to be the end of my life? What's going to be the end of
my desires? What's going to be the end of all things that's
going on in my life? I said, I want to know the end.
And then one time he said, I'll tell you this, he said, I know
what my one thing about my end is, is that I know I'll be satisfied
when I awaken your likeness. I will be. And let me tell you
something, all things, now listen to me, all things that we're
involved in should be judged by their end. If you're going
to start on something, try to figure out what the end's going
to be. Will it be worth the end being good? That's what I'm saying,
huh? Look what he said here in Psalm
73 and verse 17. Psalm 73 and verse 17. You know, so many people don't,
David didn't, he didn't see the end of what he was doing with
Bathsheba. He didn't see the end of what
had happened with him murdering Uriah. But the end of it was
that he was heartbroken. The end of it was that God never
let the sword leave his house. The end of it was that he said,
oh God, oh Lord, I sinned against you and you only. Please have
mercy on me. Please forgive me. Forgive my
iniquities. But here in Psalm 77 and verse
13 to 17. Did I say 17? Psalm 73, 17. I'm sorry. Did I say 73, 17? Alright. I'll get there. Now
here's David. He's going through all these
things that's been happening here. And he was wondering what
all was going to be going on. And then until, he said in verse,
until I went into the sanctuary of God, until I went into the
presence of God, then I understood the end of these people here. I understood the end. And so
you see, beloved, our end, we all got an end. Every trial has
an end. Every burden has an end. Every
life has an end. There's a goal to it. There's
an end to it. Like Christ is the end of the law for righteousness
to everyone that believes. There's an end. So, listen. All things should
be judged by their end. In Christ, our end and goal is
to be like Him. And we shall be one of these
days. And then He says, secondly, make me to know the measure of
my days. And when he says that, he says how short they are upon
this earth. Oh, how short they are upon this
earth. Listen, I come down here, I was
a kid, 24 years old. Where did them years go? Where
did they go? Could that baby that I brought
home from the hospital in Dayton, Ohio, James Michael Bell, brought
him home from the hospital and held him, he's 50 years, 51 years
old in August. And I can remember yesterday
bringing him home. Huh? Make me to know my end,
Lord, listen, my days. Measure my days. Every day that
goes over, it says, one less day. No wonder the apostle said,
redeem the time. And then he says, no, listen
to this. This is, oh, this is something. Not only make me to
know the measure of my days and how short they are on the earth,
but make me to know how frail I am. How frail are we? How frail are we? Oh, so frail. I know this, that
God, when He gives us an understanding of our frailty, and our flesh,
and how weak it really is, it will make us fall down before
Him, make us desire more than anything a relationship with
the Lord Jesus Christ. Hopefully it'll make us be more
patient with others and especially wean us from this world And cause
us to rest and trust in Christ in Christ alone And then look
what he says in verse 5 Behold, thou hast made my days
as of hand breath, and mine ages as nothing before thee. Verily,
every man at his best state is altogether famished. My days
is as a hand's breath. This is one of the shortest measures. A man doesn't need a long line
to measure a short life. When he says, Thou hast made
my days as of hand breath, hold your hand up every day. And that's
how long your life is. My days as a hand breath. That's
how it is. That's your measuring stick.
Some people got to get out a great big old long measuring stick
cause they got so much accomplished and got all this things to do.
But hold that up right there. That's your measuring stick.
That's God's measuring stick. Huh? That's God's measure. I said, hold it up! Thou hast
made my days. That's a hand's prayer. Huh? Oh my. We carry our measure with
us every day with us. And then look what he says, my
age is as nothing before thee. Methuselah lived 979 years. I
think that's right. Over 900 years. 979 years. But his age, even that long,
the sight of God is nothing. Nothing. Huh? Considering God
being eternal. He said a day with the Lord is
as a thousand years and a thousand years as a day. And he tells
us that, that he don't measure time the way we do. And here's
the thing. He says my age is as nothing
before thee. Whether you're first born or
you're 90 years old or 95 years old or 100 years old. God says
your age is nothing. Your age is nothing. Nothing
to be. And listen, that's why it's so imperative that we have
a relationship with the blessed Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Then he says here, every man, every man at his best state is
altogether vanity. Now I don't know what a man is
at his best state. I really don't. Maybe when he's
born, I don't know. Maybe when he's in his youth. Maybe when he's 30. I don't know.
But man, whatever the best state he ever has in his life, he's
altogether vanity. And you know what that word vanity
means? Empty. Unprofitable. Unsatisfactory. You know what man's good at?
Doing that which is bad. Huh? And men are bad only and
wise in foolishness. And man is consistent only in
their inconsistency. And at the best moment in a man's
life, it's vanity. It's emptiness. And then he says,
Selah. That means pause. Say it again. This is the end
of the matter. Amen. And then look what he says
here in verse six. Oh my. Surely every man walketh
in a vain show. Surely they are disquieted in
vain. He heapeth up riches, and know not who shall gather them.
You know it says when man walks in a vain show, you know what
it says in the margin there? He walks with an image. He produced,
trying to set forth an image. An image. That's what he's trying
to do. Make himself to be something
he's not. And I tell you what, you're talking
about every man walketh in a vain show. The vanity of man at his
best state is illustrated in three things. The vanity of joys
or sorrows. He walks in a vain show. Here's
men, you know, they get in a parade. They all dress up. act out a
part. I remember one time in the D.A.R.,
Daughters of American Revolution, went to one of their chin digs
and everybody had to dress up like somebody else. Somebody's Dolly Parton, somebody
else is Betsy Ross, and you know they all had to dress up like
these different people. And they put on the clothes,
and done all that, put on all this show. But it was an image,
it's not the reality of it. And that's what man is, he walks
in a vain show. He walks with time to project
an image that he is really something. It's like a little baby rooster.
He thinks he's going to rule the whole chicken lot. He's only
about that big. That's the way man is. He thinks
he's something. And that's what he said. He's
just trying to put on an image. Sad that people are that way.
And then the vanity of our griefs and sorrows. He says they're
disquieted in vain. Our griefs and sorrows, we're
disquieted in vain. Why do we get up and say, oh
my soul, why art thou disquieted in me? Hope thou in God. Even
the turmoil and distress that we go through is for nothing
when it's all said and done. Time's going to just erase it.
Just going to erase it. And then the vanity of our possessions,
look what he's saying. He eats up riches. Piles them up. Piles up the riches. Builds a house and a stranger
moves in it. He saves his money and somebody
else ends up spending it. And oh my! He accumulates the
chaff of this world and God's gonna burn it. Gonna burn it. This world consists of just fruitless
honor, needless cares, and useless riches that God is going to just
destroy all of it one of these days. All of it. All vanity, vanity, all is vanity
says the preacher. And look what he said in verse
7. And now Lord, what wait I for? For my hope is thee. David thought
on all these things of life and what he was going through. And
all the vanity and all the troubles and all the sorrows and all the
grief and the shortness of life. Just in all of it. And he said,
Oh, what in the world am I waiting for? What is there in this world
that chants me so much? What is there to take me and
take all my attention? What is there to keep my interest? My hope is in you. My hope is
in you. My hope is in your grace. My
hope is in your mercy. My hope is in my Redeemer, the
Lord Jesus Christ. My hope is on that mercy seat
where the blood was put. In Christ we'll live when everything
else dies. In Christ we'll be full when
everything else is empty. And we'll stand before Him when
everything else falls and fails. Oh, we got a good hope. Blessed
hope. Oh, God help me. Help me. And then David says this in verse
8-10. Deliver me from my sins. Do you remember what he said in
Psalm 51? Oh Lord, don't let Thy loving kindness
depart from me. Forgive me. I'm sorry for my sin. You wash
me and I'll be whiter than snow. You cleanse me and I'll be...
Oh Lord, forgive me. Please forgive me. Don't let
your love and kindness depart from me. And oh my, deliver me
from my sins. All my transgressions. And then he says, you know, make
me not the reproach of the foolish. Don't allow me to show impatience
and affliction and give the wicked room to reproach me or anybody
that's a believer. He said in verse 9, I was dumb
and opened my mouth, and just listen to this now, because you
did it. You did this to me. You afflicted
me. You taught me these things. I'm
not going to open my mouth before you. Deliver me. Afflictions
in the lives of God's people are sent by God and they're removed
by God in His time. In His time alone. And that's
why He said in verse 10, Remove thy stroke away from me. He said,
I'm consumed by the blow of your hand. Your hand's heavy on me. Old Scott used to use that phrase,
his hand's heavy on me. He puts his hand heavy on people.
Heavy on people. Then look what he says in verse
11. When thou with rebukes dost correct a man for iniquity, and
he will, he will, He'll make us to know our sins, cause us
to weep over them, cause He corrects us. And then look what He says,
and He'll make our beauty to consume away like a moth. Moth
who gets around that light, getting away from that light, he just
turns to powder. Turns to powder. Surely every man is vanity. Oh
my, He'll make our righteousness become his filthy rags. Huh? And then he says, hear my prayer,
O Lord. Hear me, Lord. Give ear unto
my cry. Hold not your peace at my tears. When I'm weeping and crying over
my sin. Weeping and crying over burdens.
Weeping and crying for others and what they go through. Hear
my prayer and give ear unto my cry. Hold not your peace at my
tears. I'm a stranger. Lord, you're
a stranger in your world. I am too. You're a soldier in
your world. And all my fathers were. And
this here just, this right here just, you're talking about a
capstone. Oh spare me. Oh Lord, spare me. That I may recover strength.
You have so afflicted me that my strength is gone. O spare
me that I may recover strength before I leave this place, and
I'll be here no more." Huh? Boy, some lessons to learn there,
ain't it? There's some things to learn there. Some things to
learn. God teach it to us. Make us,
make us to know that I tell you, I, I think one of the most blessed
things a person can have in this world is have a teachable spirit,
God to give him. And I tell you, Lord, put your hand on us if
that's what's necessary to wean us off this world and make this
flesh to be nothing. Lord, whatever you do, conform
us to the image of your blessed Son, for Christ's sake. Our Father, our precious Father,
in the Lord Jesus' name. Oh Lord, I just get overwhelmed
with your Word. It speaks to our hearts so powerfully
to me. Makes me know just how vain I am. Lord, have mercy. God bless you
people. Add to the church daily as it
should be. And Lord, save you people in this place.
Bring glory to yourself for Christ's sake. Amen. Amen. There is a name I love to hear. I love to sing His word. It sounds like music in my ear. The sweetest name on earth. how I love Jesus. Oh, how I love Jesus. Oh, how I love Jesus. Because He first loved me.