What does Psalm 39:13 mean?

David closes his prayer with an unusual request: that God would look away from him. David has already expressed his confidence that the Lord is his one and only hope (Psalm 39:7). He has repented of sin and asked God to be merciful (Psalm 39:8–11). This request connects to the idea of being under God's holy and righteous judgment (Amos 9:8; Psalm 11:4). All sin is repulsive to God (Psalm 5:4–6). Part of repentance is recognizing that our sins have offended Him.

Having repented and admitted sin, David asks for God to give him a renewed sense of peace and confidence. He knew he would smile again with joy in his heart if the Lord would remove His discipline. He understood that life is fleeting and before long he would depart this life and "be no more." "Be no more" doesn't mean cease to exist. Rather, it means an end to David's earthly, temporary travel (Psalm 39:4–6, 12). In his famous shepherd psalm, David writes, "I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever" (Psalm 23:6).

Knowing that his martyrdom was imminent, the apostle Paul looked forward to the end of his earthly life. He was eagerly anticipating the beginning of his life in heaven with the Lord. He writes in 2 Timothy 4:6, "The time of my departure has come." He expected that departure to lead to a crown of righteousness (2 Timothy 4:8).