Psalm 39 7And so, what is there for me to look forward to, Lord? You are my hope!
When we are consumed by our sins and we realize how short our lives are, we, like David, may have this thought, “what is there for me to look forward to, Lord?” At best, we die and that is the end of it. At worst, we die and face the consequences of our sins. Everything in this world rots and decays eventually. Yet, he is able to tell the LORD, “You are my hope!” Turning to the LORD and making Him your hope is better than all our best thinking. Putting your hope in the LORD will correct your thinking and give you a more faithful outlook on your existence.
8Save me from all the wrong I’ve done, and don’t make me the scorn of fools. 9I am silent and don’t open my mouth — if you would only act! 10Take away from me the suffering You inflicted; because You have struck me with Your hand, I am finished.
David realizes that much of what he is suffering is because of the wrong he had done. Indeed, many of our problems are of our own making. If we examine ourselves critically, we have acted from selfishness and fear instead of faith and hope in God. We’ve stepped on people’s toes trying to get what we want and didn’t realize it because we were only thinking about ourselves. David prays the LORD to remove his suffering because he does not want to be the scorn of fools.
He had been silent about what he had been going through and thought everything would be better if the LORD would act. He wants the LORD to remove the suffering He’s inflicted on David because of his sin. Who in the midst of our sins, when we start feeling the consequences of their sins, doesn’t feel this way? At least David recognizes at this time he is reaping what he sowed. When the LORD’s hand is upon us because we have unresolved sin issues, we too think we are finished.
11When You punish men by correcting their sin, You make what is precious to them crumble as if eaten by a moth. Surely every man is just a vapor.
While no one likes being corrected, chastised, and punished for our sins, it is a merciful thing for the LORD to do so to us. He is trying to change our minds from their sinful state to looking to Him alone for every good. Why would the LORD crumble and dissolve something that is precious to us? Most likely because we have made that thing more precious than God. We end up serving that thing with sin, selfishness and the like and spurn loving others because of it. The best thing for us is for God to remove it so we can see our mistaken devotion to it. It is not good for us to have such attachments to people, places and things, all which change, die, and are temporary at best. David repeats the phrase, “man is just a vapor.” We ourselves have only this moment and then we are gone. Better for us to remember this and live our brief, short lives here accordingly.
Heavenly Father, have mercy on us and be kind to us when you discipline us for our sins. Give us your Holy Spirit so we may repent rightly and turn to You with faith and hope. May You alone be our most precious possession. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.