#719 Read At My Funeral

I said, “I will guard my ways,

that I may not sin with my tongue;

I will guard my mouth with a muzzle,

so long as the wicked are in my presence.”

2 I was mute and silent;

I held my peace to no avail,

and my distress grew worse.

3 My heart became hot within me.

As I mused, the fire burned;

then I spoke with my tongue:

4 “O Lord, make me know my end

and what is the measure of my days;

let me know how fleeting I am!

5 Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths,

and my lifetime is as nothing before you.

Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath! Selah

6 Surely a man goes about as a shadow!

Surely for nothing they are in turmoil;

man heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather!

7 “And now, O Lord, for what do I wait?

My hope is in you.

8 Deliver me from all my transgressions.

Do not make me the scorn of the fool!

9 I am mute; I do not open my mouth,

for it is you who have done it.

10 Remove your stroke from me;

I am spent by the hostility of your hand.

11 When you discipline a man

with rebukes for sin,

you consume like a moth what is dear to him;

surely all mankind is a mere breath! Selah

12 “Hear my prayer, O Lord,

and give ear to my cry;

hold not your peace at my tears!

For I am a sojourner with you,

a guest, like all my fathers.

13 Look away from me, that I may smile again,

before I depart and am no more!” Psalm 39 ESV

To Jeduthun, the chief musician - Not every song is a happy one, we do not worship God in always pretending at joy, but no, we worship Him in spirit and in truth. It is interesting when we consider the content of this and other laments, mourning, sorrows of David, that this was also recorded and released for public consumption. As sad as it may be upon first glance, their is a rainbow after the flood, a place of tender reflection where the heart can look for peace.

With a muzzle - As open a book as any life could be, as much as could be poured out upon the altar of confession, there were those times when even the singer grew silent. There were those swine that should not be given the pearls they cannot appreciate. There are men that will only twist what you say, hoping to hurt another, hoping to pull you into the confidence of their circles. I am not sure of David's exact situation, but he held his peace as long as the wicked were present. Lord put a guard before my mouth, let me not assume, put a guard even before my ears, let me not partake of any gossip, only know what is true and needful.

How fleeting I am - He waited to speak, and when he did he spoke to God. Show me, Lord, how quick is this life, how shallow is this puddle? Remind me again that all my days are as shadows, that I shall not grow younger, that strength is long gone away. 

Selah - Pause and consider, what do you lay up treasures on earth for? Who will reap of your labor or appreciate what did not come from their own hands? Even more, ask yourself, what are we in turmoil about, what of this life can you hold into eternity, and so why do we fight over what doesn't belong to us? I cannot keep myself here, cause my life here to continue beyond it's time, all is vanity. 

My hope is in you - It's not in youth, that has passed. It is not in beauty or strength, those candles have all but melted away. Why do I cling so hard to this life, and yet no more, for all I use to hold so dear does not compare to You.

Remove Your stroke from me - David does not see God as the Santa Klaus that so many preach about today. His God is love, but He is also Holy and therefore must be just as well. He is not an absentee parent, withholding correction and causing His children to stay in corruption. 

You consume like a moth - I was a warrior, now I am old and weary. My strength is eaten up, everything I held to be so dear you have shown me to be but shadows. Once the delusion of such securities is known then a man may look to eternity.

18so that your fasting will not be obvious to men, but only to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 19Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.…Matthew 6: 18-20

How blessed is the man who finds his rope to be but a thread before he trusts his weight to it.

Selah - Think hard on this my friend, what are you holding onto?

A sojourner with You - David was not an illegal in his country, not even a green card, but a king, but for those who talk of aliens, here is one. Abraham never knew the nation of Israel, only the promise. He dwelt in tents as did his son Isaac and his grandson Jacob. Why did God not just give it to them then? Because the land was only a shadow, heaven and earth, as we know and see them now, are passing away. 

9By faith he dwelt in the promised land as a stranger in a foreign country. He lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 11By faith Sarah, even though she was barren and beyond the proper age, was enabled to conceive a child, because she considered Him faithful who had promised.…Hebrews 11: 9-11

We live in the shadows of the reality of eternity, a breath, a vapor. God, I do not care to even be remembered here, for my memory will not keep me alive, but if You will remember me, Oh Lord, into Thy hands I commit my spirit.