Psalm 4:1 - Printer Friendly

ESV: 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!

NIV: For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm of David. Answer me when I call to you, my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; have mercy on me and hear my prayer.

NASB: Answer me when I call, God of my righteousness! You have relieved me in my distress; Be gracious to me and hear my prayer.

CSB: For the choir director: with stringed instruments. A psalm of David. Answer me when I call, God, who vindicates me. You freed me from affliction; be gracious to me and hear my prayer.

NLT: Answer me when I call to you, O God who declares me innocent. Free me from my troubles. Have mercy on me and hear my prayer.

KJV: (To the chief Musician on Neginoth, A Psalm of David.) Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.

NKJV: {To the Chief Musician. With stringed instruments. A Psalm of David.} Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have relieved me in my distress; Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer.

David understands that God is the source of his righteousness. He also understands that God is righteous and therefore cannot do anything wrong. Christians, too, have a righteousness that is not of our own making but comes from God. In 2 Corinthians 5:21 the apostle Paul writes: "For our sake [God] made [Jesus] to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." Because Jesus paid the penalty of our sin, when we put our trust in Jesus as our Savior, God sees us as righteous (Philippians 3:9; Ephesians 1:3–10). Further, we can enjoy the satisfaction of knowing that God always does what is right. Whatever He allows to impact our lives is for our good and His glory (Romans 8:28–30; James 1:2–4).

David prays earnestly that God will answer his prayer. He affirms that God had given him relief from his enemies in the past and pleads with God to be gracious to him by answering his current prayer.

Psalm 4:1–5 discloses David's appeal to God for grace, and his appeal to his enemies to stop listening to hollow words and lies. They should recognize that the Lord is on David's side and answers his prayers. The prayer rises from the occasion referred to in Psalm 3:1. David was surrounded and pursued by his enemies, who supported the rebellious Absalom. Psalm 5 includes a similar prayer from David. Psalm 91 echoes the confidence David expresses in Psalm 3:3–4, 8. Also in Psalm 4:1–5, David gives wise spiritual counsel. He counsels Absalom's followers to stop listening to Absalom's lies and to know that the Lord has set David apart for the role of Israel's king. In addition, David advises his own followers to avoid sinning, to offer sacrifices to the Lord, and to trust in him.

Psalm 4 begins with David's prayer in which he asks God for grace. Then he addresses men, likely his current enemies, urging them to shun lies and stop rebelling against God. David encourages his own followers to avoid sin. Instead, they are to search their hearts, offer sacrifices to the Lord, and trust in the Lord. Despite all the enmity Absalom and his men were hurling against David, David's heart is full of more joy than farmers experience when they have an abundant harvest. The psalm closes with David testifying to peaceful sleep that the Lord gives him by causing him to dwell safely.

Psalm 4 shares themes with Psalm 3. Psalm 3 refers to David's rising up in the morning, whereas Psalm 4 refers to his nighttime sleep. It seems both Psalm 3 and Psalm 4 were written after David and his followers had left Jerusalem and crossed the Jordan River. At the time, Absalom, David's son had usurped the throne (2 Samuel 15—18). Despite horrific circumstances, David exercised trust in the Lord, bringing him joy and peace. Psalm 5 also focuses on David's prayer when his enemies tried to destroy him. When Jesus' disciples were greatly troubled, He told them not to let their hearts be troubled but instead trust in His Father and in Him (John 14:1). He gave them His supernatural peace (John 14:27). Psalm 17, like Psalm 4, features David's urgent prayer for deliverance from his enemies.

The book of Psalms is composed of individual songs, hymns, or poems, each of which is a ''Psalm'' in and of itself. These works contain a wide variety of themes. Some Psalms focus on praising and worshipping God. Others cry out in anguish over the pain of life. Still other Psalms look forward to the coming of the Messiah. While some Psalms are related, each has its own historical and biblical context.