Psalm 39 — 40
preacher used verses 2–3 for a sermon text, and his "points" were: God brought him up, God stood him up, and God tuned him up! David had a new beginning with a new song of praise in his mouth (18:49; 22:22; 33:3). God helped David because he trusted the Lord, did not show respect to the arrogant who opposed God, and remained true to the God of Israel. "Lies" in verse 4 refers to idols. Unlike David, King Saul was a proud man who trusted in himself and made himself more important than God. In looking back on those years as an exile and a hunted man, David saw the greatness of God's works (wonders) and the wisdom of His plans (v. 5). This is his version of Romans 8:28.
joys and sorrows. The world is a "vain show" (v. 6)— John Bunyan called it "Vanity Fair"—and God's people are aliens and strangers here (119:19; Gen. 23:4; Lev. 25:23; 1 Chron. 29:15; Heb. 11:13; 1 Peter 1:1; 2:11). We are not strangers to God, for He knows us and we know Him, but we are strangers with God as His welcomed guests (90:1; 23:6). He hears our prayers and cries, and He sees our tears. "In the world you will have tribulation," Jesus told His disciples, "but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world" (John 16:33 nkjv). His closing prayer was that God would turn away His frowning face and give him strength to return to life with its duties and burdens, and then one day enable him to pass into eternity. The phrase "no more" doesn't suggest annihilation or the absence of an afterlife, but that David would "no more" be on his earthly pilgrimage. "I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever" (23:6).
Give God All That He Asks (vv. 6–10) David has moved from the pit to the rock, and now he goes to the sanctuary of God. After all God had done for David, how could the king express to the Lord his appreciation for His mercies? He could bring sacrifices to the altar, but that wasn't God's first desire. This doesn't mean that such sacrifices were wrong, or that God didn't want His people to offer them, but that God wanted their hearts first of all. Throughout the Old Testament, the Lord made it clear that He could not accept sacrifices unless the worshipper showed sincere devotion, dedication, and obedience. No doubt David heard how Saul learned that important lesson— too late (1 Sam. 15:22). (See 50:8–15; 51:16–17; Prov. 21:3; Isa. 1:11–17; Jer. 7:22–23; Hos. 6:6; Mic. 6:6–8; Mark 12:32–33.)