The Song of Sleep

Psalm 4, like the previous psalm, was written by David, and this is the first psalm that mentions musical directions. It’s addressed “to the choirmaster,” maybe for a special occasion of worship, and it’s to be played “with stringed instruments.” Remember: the psalms are not just prayers but a songbook for God’s people, even when the person speaking or singing is an individual. In Psalm 4, David prays, “Answer ME when I call, O God of MY righteousness.” We’re invited to identify with David, to put ourselves in his shoes and be shaped by his prayers. And what are his prayers? In verse 1, he starts simply by asking God to hear him as he has done in the past. “Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!” Even the most mature followers of God will at times need to remind themselves that God will listen when we talk to him, that he has been gracious in the past and he will be gracious today too. The phrase “God of my righteousness” is very spiritual-sounding and not very clear, but it tells us something important. In the Bible, “righteousness” is not just holy living but a right relationship with God and with other people. It’s loving God and loving neighbor, so David begins his prayer with this title of God to say, “As I call to you, God, I do so not because I am righteous but because you are, and by your grace, you show me the right way that I should go.

Psalm 4 is structured with an opening call for hear and a closing prayer of confidence. The last verse says, “In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.” David is ending the day trusting that peace and safety come not from circumstances but from the presence of the LORD. In the middle of the psalm, there are three stanzas that all describe a different kind of distress. It’s as though David is preparing for sleep, his head is on his pillow, but before he can close his eyes, he runs through three burdens on his heart and lays them out before God. The first situation are those who slander him: “O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame? How long will you love vain words and seek after lies?” But then David reminds himself and his detractors that God sets apart those who are “godly,” or the literal meaning is those who are loyal to the God who is loyal to his people. So the truth about our identity is determined not by the winds of public opinion but by God’s standard. The second burden is the temptation toward bitterness or anger. The phrase “be angry” could also mean “quake” or “tremble.” These are the strong emotions that well up inside and, if they’re not processed appropriately, could spill out in sinful ways. But David resolves to ponder, reflect in silence, offer right sacrifices (which is both the ritual sacrifices under the Mosaic law but also points to his heart as the offering that God desires most). When the feelings of the day wash over you, the right response is to give them to God and work them out with him. Finally, the third distress that David feels is about those who are discontent with their circumstances and want God to bless them materially: “ There are many who say, “Who will show us some good? Lift up the light of your face upon us, O LORD!” But David knows that true, inner joy comes not from full harvests or plenty of riches but a relationship with God who places joy in our hearts like a jeweler places a gemstone in a ring. In all these things, it all comes back to trust. Will we trust God no matter what?

Many people see Psalms 3 and 4 as companions, with Psalm 3 as the morning psalm and Psalm 4 as the evening psalm. There are some intentional connections between them. Psalm 3:5 reads, “I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me,” and Psalm 4:8 is “In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.”  In both psalms, David cries out to God because of his many opponents and troubles. In 3, he says that God is the lifter of his head, and in 4, he asks God to lift up the light of his face upon him, which is a clear reference to Aaron’s blessing in Numbers 6. The rebellion of David’s son Absalom, which was the background for Psalm 3, could also be the background here in Psalm 4, and together they give the sense of morning and evening reliance on God, waking and thanking him for protection in the night and then lying down for sleep and finding rest in his presence. In the first verse of Psalm 4, David prays, “You have given me relief when I was in distress.” The sense of the Hebrew is being in a narrow place, squeezed and claustrophobic, and then God brings you to wide, open spaces where you can finally breathe again. Over the course of the day, weights accumulate on our shoulders, which the middle of the psalm describes. We are burdened by the ways others have harmed us, by the way our hearts get overwhelmed and lead us to sin, by the way circumstances have not played out how we might have wanted them to. But one by one, David casts his cares on the Lord, little by little relieving his soul from distress and coming to a place of peace. This psalm is very personal for me. When I was in one of the darkest times of my life, I remember being unable to sleep, distraught and trapped. I decided to read Psalm 4 on a whim, and when I came to the last verse, I heard for the first and only time in my life, an audible voice behind me say, “Go to sleep.” I believe that was God saying, “You don’t need to stay in distress, I can set you free.” In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.