PSALMS 41

     We will begin this lesson by giving the 39th Psalm in metre.

                   THE PSALMS OF DAVID IN METRE

                          Chapter 39

Verse 1  "I said, my ways I'll guard with care, Lest with my tongue I
          sin; In sight of wicked men my mouth With bridle I'll keep
          in.
Verse 2  "With silence I as dumb became, I did myself restrain From
          speaking good, but then the more increased my inward pain."
Verse 3  "My heart within me was inflamed, And, while I musing was,
          The fire was kindled, and these words I from my tongue let
          pass:"
Verse 4  "My end, and measure of my days, To me, Jehovah, show What is
          the same, that I thereby How frail I am may know."
Verse 5  "Lo, thou hast made my days a span, As nothing are my years;
          Before thy sight, each man at best But vanity appears:"
Verse 6  "Yea, each man walks in empty show; They vex themselves in
          vain; He heaps up wealth, and knoweth not To whom it shall
          pertain."
Verse 7  "And now, O Lord, what wait I for? My hope is fixed on thee.
          Deliver me from all my sins; The fool' scorn make not me."
Verse 8  "As dumb I opened not my mouth, Because this work was thine.
          Thy stoke remove, for by the stroke of thy strong hand I
          pine.
Verse 9  "With thy rebukes thou dost correct Man for iniquity, And
          waste his beauty like a moth: Each man is vanity.
Verse 10 "Lord, hear my prayer, and at my cry, And tears not silent
          be: I sojourn as my fathers all, And stranger am with thee."
Verse 11 "O spare thou me, that I my strength Recover may again,
          Before from hence I do depart, And here no more remain.

     We will now begin the verse by verse study of the 39 chapter of
Psalms. Psalms 39:1 "{To the chief Musician, [even] to Jeduthun, A
Psalm of David.} I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not
with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked
is before me."

     David was not the only one who committed sin with his tongue. The
tongue is like a weapon that cuts into the very soul of man. I would
say, that more damage has been done with the tongues than has been
done in all the wars combined. James 3:6 "And the tongue [is] a fire,
a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it
defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and
it is set on fire of hell."  James 3:8 "But the tongue can no man
tame; [it is] an unruly evil, full of deadly poison."  No, man can not
tame his tongue. Both of these Scriptures above tell us why it is
important for Christians to turn their tongue over to God. We can not
tame our tongue, but God can. Notice, in the following Scriptures how
God cleans up the speech of Isaiah. Isaiah 6:6 "Then flew one of the
seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, [which] he had
taken with the tongs from off the altar:"  Isaiah 6:7 "And he laid
[it] upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and
thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged."  I would ask you
one question; have you allowed the fire of God to touch your tongue
and cleanse your speech?

     Psalms 39:2 "I was dumb with silence, I held my peace, [even]
from good; and my sorrow was stirred."

     David is really saying here, perhaps, if I just don't talk at
all, I will not sin with my tongue. He determines not to say anything,
good or bad. This not speaking, did not stop his heart from hurting.

     Psalms 39:3 "My heart was hot within me, while I was musing the
fire burned: [then] spake I with my tongue,"

     Probably, one of the worst things a person can do {for their own
feelings} is to bottle things up inside. Sometimes if we can just tell
someone, it helps us. This bottling up of his feelings made it seem as
if there were a fire burning in his heart.

     Psalms 39:4 "LORD, make me to know mine end, and the measure of
my days, what it [is; that] I may know how frail I [am]."

     The fact that David called God LORD is a step in the right
direction. David is aware that God knows what his end will be. David
is asking God, am I to die in my sin, or will I have a better end?
He is telling God that he is weak within himself. He knows he cannot
depend on his own goodness. Does this strike home? We have all felt
like this sometime in our life. LORD, why am I living? Can I not be of
some use to you on this earth? God am I going to die in my sin? Of
course God knows the answer to our question, too. God sent us a
Saviour, Jesus Christ the righteous. I may be frail within myself, but
I do not have to depend on myself, I depend on Jesus.

     Psalms 39:5 "Behold, thou hast made my days [as] an handbreadth;
and mine age [is] as nothing before thee: verily every man at his best
state [is] altogether vanity. Selah."

     Every person past 50 years of age will agree with David that this
life is as a handbreadth. Even if you live to be a 100, this life is
like a vapour. It is here today and gone tomorrow. It really does not
matter whether you are wealthy, and have great world power, or not.
When God says it is over, it is. Why, then, are men so vain to want
all this world power and wealth? It is very short lived. If this life
is all that there is, it is a waste of time. Praise God! We are
preparing for all of eternity in heaven. We should have our eyes fixed
on the eternal life, and not this temporary one we are existing in
here. We are in this world, but not of this world, if we are a
believer in the Lord. We should be eagerly awaiting the trumpet blow
when we can go home with Jesus.

     Psalms 39:6 "Surely every man walketh in a vain shew: surely they
are disquieted in vain: he heapeth up [riches], and knoweth not who
shall gather them."

     All of the trophies you have won here on the earth, whether it is
money or importance, will remain on the earth when you die. You can
not take your big car and your big house with you. Someone else will
live in your house, and drive your car, and spend the money you made.

     Psalms 39:7 "And now, Lord, what wait I for? my hope [is] in
thee."

     Here is the answer. My hope is in thee. Lay all of the things of
this world down and live for Jesus. How sad the rich young ruler loved
the material things of this world so much that he traded eternal life
for material wealth.

     Psalms 39:8 "Deliver me from all my transgressions: make me not
the reproach of the foolish."

     Just as God sent Moses to deliver Israel from Egypt {symbolic of
the world}, He will deliver David. This is not limited to the Old
Testament. God sent Jesus Christ {His only Begotten Son} to deliver
you and me. Jesus, not only delivered us from hell and the grave, but
delivered us from our sins, as well.

     Psalms 39:9 "I was dumb, I opened not my mouth; because thou
didst [it]."

     David is cleansed of sin. He is without speech, because God has
done this for him. David had no words to explain how God purged him
from his sin.

     Psalms 39:10 "Remove thy stroke away from me: I am consumed by
the blow of thine hand."

     We see a prayer of thanksgiving from David. He is saying, with
just one blow of your hand, you could destroy me. You have removed the
blow of your hand against me.

     Psalms 39:11 "When thou with rebukes dost correct man for
iniquity, thou makest his beauty to consume away like a moth: surely
every man [is] vanity. Selah."

     God is not impressed with colorful clothes and great jewels, when
we stand before HIM. The high priest, when he went in to the holy of
holies to represent the people to God, wore nothing but white linen
garments. He did not wear any jewels, or fine clothing. We have
nothing to offer to God. The garments the high priest wore represented
the garments Jesus has clothed all the Christians in. These white
linen garments represent the garments of the saints, which have been
washed in the blood of the Lamb and made white. The beauty that man
has before God, is the righteousness that the Lord Jesus clothed them
in. The man without this garment that Jesus provides all who believe,
is filthy rags. Selah, in this case, would mean think on these things.

     Psalms 39:12 "Hear my prayer, O LORD, and give ear unto my cry;
hold not thy peace at my tears: for I [am] a stranger with thee, [and]
a sojourner, as all my fathers [were]."

     David is saying, this land is not my home. I am looking for a
city whose maker is God. I am just passing through this way. My father
and grandfathers passed this way, too. This was not their home either.
David is telling God that he has spoken of his sins, now please
forgive him and let him live.

     Psalms 39:13 "O spare me, that I may recover strength, before I
go hence, and be no more."

     David is speaking of his death to this world when he says, before
I go hence. His being no more is speaking of the fact that he will be
no more in this world. David wants to be assured that God has forgiven
him before he dies.

     All of us are facing death to this world. Our body is of the dust
of the earth, and to dust it will return. Praise God! My spirit body
will live on. I Corinthians 15:44 "It is sown a natural body; it is
raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a
spiritual body."  My natural body must die that my spirit body can
inherit eternal life.






























                             Questions 41

1.  David said he would take heed to his ways, that he might not sin
    with his _______.
2.  How was he planning to keep his mouth?
3.  What is the tongue called in James chapter 3 verse 6?
4.  Who can tame the tongue?
5.  How did God clean up the speech of Isaiah?
6.  Have you allowed the fire of God to touch your tongue?
7.  What is David really saying in verse 2 of the lesson?
8.  Probably, one of the worst things a person can do {for their own
    feelings} is to ________ things _______ inside.
9.  What are some of the questions we have all asked God about our
    life?
10. Who is the Saviour of all believers?
11. What one word did David use to show the shortness of life in verse
    5?
12. Who will agree with David that this life is very short?
13. What should we have our eyes fixed upon, besides the wealth of
    this world?
14. What happens to a man's riches when he dies?
15. Where did David place his hope?
16. Who did God send to deliver Israel from Egypt?
17. Where is Egypt symbolic of?
18. Who did God send to deliver you and me?
19. What did He deliver us from?
20. Why did the high priest wear linen garments, very plain when he
    represented us before God?
21. How have the saints' white linen garments been made white?
22. What does Selah mean in verse 11?
23. What is David saying in verse 12?
24. What does David mean, when he says, before I go hence?
25. Where do we find the Scripture in the Bible that tells us we have
    a spiritual body, as well as a physical body?