Psalm 39
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 people for their sins,
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.”
August 29th, 2008 at 8:46 am
It’s remarkable to me that even back in the day, folks were still rushing around trying to heap up wealth. (Personally, I find myself rushing around quite a bit though I’ve been less successful in terms of heaping up wealth.) It raises a question for me about just what kinds of wealth/things people were rushing around for. I don’t know much about the Ancient Near East living standards, but I’m pretty sure there’s almost nothing in the life of a middle to upper class Israelite from the Psalmist’s time that would be remotely tempting to me today. Those clowns didn’t even have electricity!
However, if I flip the motivations from “wanting more stuff” to “desiring to escape suffering and poverty”, this Psalm makes more sense to me. After all, when I think about the lifestyle of a poor Israelite of the day, I can understand the motivation to do anything to escape such a fate. And it seems closer to the author’s own struggle with feeling the lack of God’s blessing in some way or another.
The message, then, for me is clear: whether it’s wanting more stuff or escaping suffering, the only long term hope is to be found in the _source_ of all good things … and not in hoarding the good things/accolades/experiences/power/relationships themselves. I hope I can take this to heart.
I also wonder who Jeduthun was.
August 31st, 2008 at 11:56 am
I looked up Jeduthun. He was one of the 3 worship leaders David appointed from the Levites to provide music at the tabernacle/temple. I don’t know why the psalm has a dual dedication: ‘For the director of music. For Jeduthun.’ Seems a bit redundant. But I like the idea that David wrote him a song–perhaps a welcome gift as he started his job? I can just imagine the talk of the day: ‘Have you heard David’s new one? Man, that guy Jeduthun sure can play.’