Psalms · psalm 4 of 150
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Psalm 4 is an evening prayer of David. He asks God to hear him in distress, warns those who dishonor his name, urges people to offer right sacrifices and trust the Lord, and confesses that the joy God gives is greater than that of a good harvest. He ends by lying down in peace, because the Lord alone makes him dwell in safety.
Psalm 4 belongs to the first group of David's psalms and is the companion of Psalm 3: that one is a morning prayer and this one an evening prayer. Its title directs it to the choirmaster, with stringed instruments. It is an individual lament with much trust, and it carries a pastoral message for people who doubt God.
David begins by crying out to God, whom he calls the God of his righteousness. He recalls that in distress God gave him relief, and he asks for mercy and an answer.
Then he turns to the men who turn his honor into shame, who love vain words and seek after lies. He reminds them that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself and hears when he calls. He urges them to be angry without sinning, to ponder on their beds and be silent, to offer right sacrifices and to trust the Lord.
Many ask who will show them some good. David asks the Lord to lift up the light of his face upon them and confesses that God has put more joy in his heart than others have when grain and wine abound. The psalm ends with a simple prayer: in peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone make me dwell in safety.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
David advises being angry without sinning and pondering quietly on one's bed. Paul quotes this verse in Ephesians 4:26: anger is not sin in itself, but it must be handled carefully and not carried into the next day.
Many ask who will show them some good, and David asks God to lift the light of his face upon them. True prosperity is God's presence and favor, not only what a person earns or owns.
God has put more joy in David's heart than others have when grain and wine are plentiful. The joy that comes from the Lord does not depend on favorable circumstances.
David lies down and sleeps in peace because the Lord alone makes him dwell in safety. Sleep is a picture of the trust of someone who has surrendered to God's care.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: He gave him relief, that is, brought him out of a tight place. — Psalm 4:1
Answer: He has set him apart for himself and hears when he calls. — Psalm 4:3
Answer: Be angry without sinning, ponder on your bed and be silent. — Psalm 4:4
Answer: Right sacrifices, trusting in the Lord. — Psalm 4:5
Answer: More joy than others have when grain and wine abound. — Psalm 4:7
Answer: David lies down and sleeps in peace because the Lord alone makes him dwell in safety. — Psalm 4:8
Psalm 4 is a good guide for closing the day. By evening, worries, resentments and unfinished conversations pile up. David teaches us to bring anger into God's presence, to reflect in silence and to hand the day over to the One who holds our lives.
It also challenges our idea of well-being. Many look for good in the harvest, the paycheck or recognition; the psalmist looks for the light of God's face. In a group you can ask what gives us a joy today that does not depend on a bank balance or on other people's approval.
Psalm 4 ends with a simple scene: a believer sleeping soundly. Psalm 5 answers with the morning prayer, in which David again lays his case before the Lord at the start of the day.
The psalm does not forbid all anger; it warns against letting anger rule and lead to sin. Paul quotes it in Ephesians 4:26 and adds that the sun should not go down on our anger. The key is to reflect and calm down before God.
It is a picture of God's favor and blessing, like a smiling face. It connects with the priestly blessing of Numbers 6:24-26, which asks the Lord to make his face shine on his people.
The title does not say so, but the references to the bed and to sleep in verses 4 and 8 have led readers to treat it as an evening prayer, the partner of Psalm 3.