Read Psalm 39:
A Psalm of David.
1 I said, “I will guard my ways, that I may not sin with my tongue; I will guard my mouth with a muzzle, so long as the wicked are in my presence.” 2 I was mute and silent; I held my peace to no avail, and my distress grew worse. 3 My heart became hot within me. As I mused, the fire burned; then I spoke with my tongue:
4 “O LORD, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am! 5 Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath! Selah 6 Surely a man goes about as a shadow! Surely for nothing they are in turmoil; man heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather!
7 “And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you. 8 Deliver me from all my transgressions. Do not make me the scorn of the fool! 9 I am mute; I do not open my mouth, for it is you who have done it. 10 Remove your stroke from me; I am spent by the hostility of your hand. 11 When you discipline a man with rebukes for sin, you consume like a moth what is dear to him; surely all mankind is a mere breath! Selah
12 “Hear my prayer, O LORD, and give ear to my cry; hold not your peace at my tears! For I am a sojourner with you, a guest, like all my fathers. 13 Look away from me, that I may smile again, before I depart and am no more!”
To the choirmaster.
Understand Psalm 39:
David exhorts his people to corporate worship and confession as Psalm 39 considers man’s frail state before the Lord.[1] In this psalm, David expresses four ways God humbles us by the brevity of life.
A. Humility in Speech (vv. 1–3)
First, God humbles us in our speech because life’s too short to waste our words. David remembers how he had once professed, “I will guard my ways, that I may not sin with my tongue; I will guard my mouth with a muzzle, so long as the wicked are in my presence” (v. 1). In other words, “If you can’t say anything good, don’t say anything at all.” David practices such well-worn wisdom though surrounded by the wicked (see Pss 34; 35; 36:1-4; 37:1-2, 35). He refuses to compound his problems with sinful speech or to give his enemies any reason to defame his God. Such restraint, however, requires great humility. A muzzle was meant to keep wild animals from biting or making noise, yet here David willingly muzzles himself. This foreshadows the coming Messiah, who would be “like a sheep that before its shearers is silent [muzzled], so he opened not his mouth” (Isa 53:7; see Matt 27:12-14).
Initially, David’s restraint seems ineffective: “I was mute and silent; I held my peace to no avail, and my distress grew worse. My heart became hot within me. As I mused, the fire burned” (Ps 39:2-3b). David’s blood begins to boil as enemies accuse him falsely. In times like these, we are tempted to excuse our sinful speech: “I couldn’t help myself. I just had to say something.” The more we think about the injustice, the more we grow distressed. Psalm 39 exhorts us, however, to muzzle our mouths until our hearts are right before the Lord.
Humility teaches us not only when to be silent, but also when to speak up. As David relates, “Then I spoke with my tongue” (v. 3c).[2] His heart’s first cry, however, is not to rebuke his enemies, to justify himself, or even to call on righteous counselors. No, David laments before the Lord. Likewise, our first response to harsh people should be humility in prayer. We become “slow to speak” and “slow to anger” as we live each day in the presence of our God (Jas 1:19b).
Fervent prayer slows down our speech when people speak nasty words of us. As Paul taught in Philippians 4:6-7, prayer is the pathway to peace: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Do we want peace in our life and relationships? Then pray. Do we want Christ Jesus to guard our hearts? Then pray. Do we want to be known as people who are wise with our words? Then pray. Do we want to specialize in the gentle answers which turn away wrath? Then pray. Prayer is the pathway to peace as it fills us with the mind of Christ (2:5).
B. Humility of Days (vv. 4–6)
In verses 1-3, David guards his speech. Then, in verses 4-6, God humbles him by his limited days on earth: Life’s too short to store up earthly wealth. David pleads, “O LORD, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am!” (v. 4). He speaks these words before Yahweh, Israel’s covenant-keeping God, whom he knows to be eternal, omniscient, and omnipotent: “Help me to remember that life is short. Teach me, O Lord, to number my days.”
David counts his life as but “a few handbreadths” (v. 5a)—one of the smallest units of length (e.g., 1 Kgs 7:26).[3] He claims before the Almighty God of the universe, “My lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath!” (Ps 39:5b-c). That word for breath, hebel, is frequently repeated in Ecclesiastes: “Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity” (Eccl 1:2; see 12:8). A human life is extinguished in the time it takes to suck in breath, for life is a vapor in comparison to eternity. Therefore, any worldly pursuits are nothing more than vanity.
“Surely a man goes about as a shadow! Surely for nothing they are in turmoil; man heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather!” (Ps 39:6).[4] According to Genesis 1, man was created to bear God’s “image” (tselem). Yet he becomes a mere “shadow” (tselem) as he pursues the emptiness of idols (Isa 44:9-18). Man stores up treasures on earth without knowing to whom it will belong in the future. He labors in the shadowlands instead of coming into the light (John 3:19-21). David’s critique reaches a climax as he laments the brevity of life. Yet this is no mark of unbelief, for David complains to the Lord and not about him. His despair over this life fills him with the hope of glory. Then, as he numbers his days, God grants him “a heart of wisdom” (Ps 90:12).
How might we live differently if we knew for certain that our days would be cut short? Would we change our diet or way of life? Would we invest more time in our relationships with loved ones or spend less hours at work? Would we become generous givers instead of trying to heap up earthly rewards? This earthly life is much too short to merit the bulk of our time, treasure, and thoughts. Instead, we must focus our hearts on eternity and pray, with David, that God might teach us to measure our days and receive a heart of wisdom. For God is our only Substance in a world of shadows—the solid Rock in our vaporous existence. He is our Creator and we his created ones who were made to bear his image.
C. Humility through Discipline (vv. 7–11)
A third way God humbles us by the brevity of life is through discipline for sin: Life’s too short to stray from God. David’s prayer turns into confident declaration: “And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you” (Ps 39:7). David confesses his sin and cries out to be forgiven (v. 8). Instead of protesting against the verdict of his righteous Judge, he cries out for mercy to the only one who can grant it (vv. 9-10). The Lord’s discipline has consumed all his earthly treasures like when a moth flies too close to a flame (v. 11a). So, once again, he concludes, “Surely all mankind is a mere breath! Selah” (v. 11b).
David admits in essence, “Lord, your discipline puts me in my place and reminds me that life is nothing in comparison to you. Therefore, do not make me either the fool or the sufferer of fools.” For the fool does not change his ways even while enduring discipline. The fool denies even the existence of Almighty God and spits in his face (Ps 14:1; e.g., 1 Sam 25). As Jesus would warn the wealthy: “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15, see vv. 16-21). Instead, “do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing” (vv. 22-23).
David humbly confesses his sin, then calls for the Lord to remove his discipline: “Remove your stroke from me; I am spent by the hostility of your hand” (Ps 39:10). Yet how could God withhold such punishment deserved? How could a righteous judge release a criminal without the penalty being paid? We’d cry, “Injustice! Unfair!” Yet God’s redemptive plan is always greater than our own.
Most importantly, though all are made in the Creator’s image, sin distorts our right reflection of God (v. 6). Every man since Adam is but a “shadow” (or phantom) of the real thing. So, in his humility, David points forward to a coming Savior in Jesus Christ, the second Adam, whose life also would be cut short by the sinful anger of others. He would endure injustice on our behalf and the discipline of his Father as he took our place (Isa 53:4-6). Yet Jesus would not revile those wicked fools who insulted him (v. 7). Instead, he would be humble in speech, humble in death, and humble before his God (Phil 2:5-8). He alone would perfectly reflect his Father’s likeness as “the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation” (Col 1:15). He alone would be the Light of the world to lead mankind from out of the shadows: “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit” (2 Cor 3:18). None of us can ever measure up to Christ. Yet as we gaze on him, we are increasingly made like him and will soon be perfected in his glory. Christ alone is our blessed hope both in this brief life and the eternal life to come.
D. Humility as Sojourners (vv. 12–13)
God humbles us in both speech and silence, in our shortness of days, and through his loving discipline. Finally, he humbles us as sojourners in a land not our own: Life’s too short to build our kingdom on this earth. Psalm 39 concludes, “Hear my prayer, O LORD, and give ear to my cry; hold not your peace at my tears! For I am a sojourner with you, a guest, like all my fathers” (v. 12). How is it that Yahweh, the covenant Promise-Keeper, might not hear the anointed king of Israel? How could the compassionate God be unaffected by David’s tears? How could the king himself be a mere sojourner in the land he rules—a guest like all his fathers? And why does he press the Lord to look away from him and not to look upon him? David laments how he feels like a stranger in God’s kingdom, but who will accept him if not his Father in heaven? Likewise, this world is not our own and this life is not our portion (17:14). We are citizens of heaven, thus pilgrims on this earth (Phil 3:20; 2 Pet 3:13). Our trials fill us with anticipation for the coming King (Ps 110:1) and for a better city “whose designer and builder is God” (Heb 11:10, 13). So, in many ways, it’s good that life is short.
David acknowledges the discipline of God as right and just, but he pleads with the Lord to turn away his wrath: “Look away from me, that I may smile again, before I depart and am no more!” (Ps 39:13; see Job 7:19; 10:20-21). God would one day answer David’s prayer by looking away from David’s greater Son. He would remove his wrath from sinners, by pouring out his wrath on Christ (Rom 3:24-26). Thus, we have been forgiven because Jesus was forsaken (Matt 27:46). We have been healed of deadly wounds because the perfect Lamb was struck (Isa 53:4) and called God’s righteous ones because he was called a sinner (2 Cor 5:21). We are no longer threatened by the discipline of heaven (Rom 5:8) because the King became a sojourner on earth. He was unwanted and unaccepted, so that we might become the “children of God” (John 1:9-12). He lived a life cut short by sin when he gave himself up as a ransom (Mark 10:45).
Therefore, let us make the most of this short life. Let us live for Christ who died for us as we sojourn through these shadowlands of which heaven is the substance. Let us rejoice that “this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison” (2 Cor 4:17). And when we emerge on the other side of glory, may all of us be changed (1 Cor 15:51)!
Apply Psalm 39:
- What makes it so hard to hold your tongue when critics attack you (Ps 39:2-3b)? How can you cultivate your heart to make prayer your first response when surrounded by your enemies (v. 3c)? How does Paul connect prayer with peace in the midst of anxiety (Phil 4:6-7)?
- Hold up your hand with all four fingers pressed together. How long is your handbreadth in comparison to God’s timeline of eternity (Ps 39:5)? Measure your years in relation to the infinite God (vv. 4, 6; 90:12). Does this reminder make each day of your life seem more or less important?
- How would you live differently if you knew you had only one year left on earth? How would you view your wealth and possessions (Luke 12:15-21)? Where would you invest your time, treasure, and thoughts? In what way does thinking about death help you to live a better life?
- Reflect on the following truth claims:
- Life’s too short to waste my words (vv. 1-3).
- Life’s too short to store up earthly wealth (vv. 4-6).
- Life’s too short to stray from God (vv. 7-11).
- Life’s too short to build my kingdom on this earth (vv. 12-13).
Counsel Psalm 39:
Our counselees often labor under the false premise that this life is all that matters as they build their little kingdoms on this earth. We can show them how to practice humility in speech, patience as they number their days, confession when they face God’s discipline, and eternal hope from remembering their identity as sojourners. Ultimately, we can point them to Jesus Christ who made the most of his short life in order to redeem ours.
Projects for Growth (Psalm 39)
- In what situations do you most need to “muzzle your mouth” until your heart can get right with God (v. 1)? What can you learn from the examples of both David and our Lord Jesus Christ (Isa 53:7)?
- Meditate on David’s images describing life’s brevity: a few handbreadths (Ps 39:5a), a drawn in breath (vv. 5b, 11b), a shadow (v. 6a), a moth too close to the flame (v. 11b), a sojourn in a strange land (v. 12c). Then, read Isaiah 40 and reflect on the attributes of the infinite, eternal God.
- Look back on your thoughts, words, and actions this past week. How much of what you accomplished will truly matter in eternity? What specific changes will you begin to make in order to store up treasures in heaven (Matt 6:19-21)?
- Prayerfully discuss with your family both short-term and long-term financial investments in meaningful kingdom ministry. Begin to set aside those funds in your personal budget.
- How has God taken away certain earthly securities to compel you to confess your sin (Ps 39:7-11)? How does your Father’s discipline lead you to seek his mercy and forgiveness (Heb 12:5-6)?
- Read Jesus’ parable of the wealthy fool (Luke 12:15-21). How does this warning help you find peace in the midst of anxiety (vv. 22-34) and prepare you for your Master’s return (vv. 35-40)? How does a sojourner mentality keep you from building a kingdom on earth?
- Pray Psalm 39:
- Guard my speech and help me be slow to anger (vv. 1-3).
- Teach me, O Lord, to wisely measure my days (vv. 4-6).
- Father, cleanse me by your loving discipline (vv. 7-11).
- Then, grant me relief from your righteous wrath (vv. 12-13).
[1] Many links occur between Psalms 38 and 39, pointing to the answer found in Psalm 40. Psalms 38-41 all include a confessional approach before the Lord as a fitting conclusion to Book 1 of the Psalter (see Pss 38:1, 18; 39:8; 40:12; 41:4).
[2] The phrase, “with my tongue,” brackets verses 1-3 to focus on David’s humility in speech.
[3] If we hold up our hand and keep four fingers together, the distance across those fingers is one handbreadth—about three inches. This measurement came from the practice of ancient potters who shaped the neck of clay vessels. They would place their fingers inside the curvature to hollow out the rim such that the diameter of the opening was called a handbreadth (e.g., Exod 25:25).
[4] Psalm 39:6 reveals image-bearing as the focal point of the chiastic structure (Hamilton, Psalms, 1:420). The three “surely” statements in verses 5-6 focus the reader’s attention on the brevity of life. The selah also gives cause for reflection on the “mere breath” of life as it concludes both the second and fourth stanzas (vv. 5, 11).
39:1–3, I Am Silent
39:4–5, Perspective: Life Is Short
39:6, The Image
39:7–11, Perspective: Yahweh Delivers from Sin’s Consequences
39:12–13, Be Not Silent
