Chapter 471 of 1163

PSALM 39

God’s silence to David. David had sinned, and God was correcting him. Chastening is a sign of God’s love (Heb. 12:5–11), so submit to His will and let Him have His way. God had been silent to David (v. 12), and that worried him. Was he going to die (Ps. 28:1)?

David’s silence to God. David was silent before the Lord and did not argue with Him (v. 9; see also Lev. 10:3; 1 Sam. 3:18). David accepted God’s will and submitted meekly. He prayed that God would forgive him and help him, and God answered in His mercy.

David’s silence before the wicked. When wicked men came to visit him in his sickness, David tried to be silent before them (Matt. 7:6). But he finally had to speak and remind himself and them that man was frail and life was short. Life is only a handbreadth long, a vapor that comes and goes (James 4:14) and a mere shadow. We are strangers and sojourners (v. 12), and the journey is not a long one. Why gather riches when you cannot take them with you when you go?

Silence sometimes is louder than speech. Know when to speak and when to be silent.

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