Well-Seasoned Speech

class that I took at a secular school and yet again and again I have looked back on that class and said that it was one of the most important that I ever attended. The class was called Organizational Communication, and its design was to present the various communication models employed in corporate environments.

And the professor’s tagline is what I seized hold of. His description of the class was this, who talks to whom with what authority. Who talks to whom with what authority? And he repeated that descriptive subtitle frequently throughout the class. That’s an important protocol to establish, wouldn’t you say? Before you get too far in an organization without it, the absence of such guidelines can only lead to conflict within the organization. Paul was concerned about that issue as well. Who talks to whom? With what authority?

And he addressed it in both of his letters, Colossae and the letter to the Ephesians. A few years back in our study of Colossians, we noted that two wonderful epistles were written that those two epistles were written about the same time and from the same house arrest there in Rome. And as such, they contain many of the same themes and thoughts. One of the parallels in these epistles is Paul’s exhortation to the believers about their speech.

Ephesians 4.29 has a parallel in Colossians 4.6.

Ephesians 4.29 reads like this, let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. The word that stands out there to us is that word unwholesome, and it just refers to the evils that can proceed from our mouth. Slander, lies, and just foolish nonsense. Paul urges that believers allow only words that edify to emanate from their mouths so that they can build up those around them, not tear them down. The content will vary from person to person, he says, but God’s grace is the source.

The parallel passage, Colossians 4.6, says a very similar thing. Let your speech always be with grace. as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person. The source is still God’s grace, flavoring our speech as we do by putting salt on our food. And Paul reiterates the exhortation to the Ephesians that the speech is going to vary from person to person. God’s grace will enable us to respond, to speak accordingly. My point in all of this is that we will talk to different people in different ways, different tones, different inflections, different words.

Ephesians 4.29, Paul says, he urges that our speech should be according to the need of the moment.

And in Colossians 4.6, he prays that we would know how you should respond to each person. We don’t, at least we shouldn’t, talk to every individual the same way. And this, our psalmist exemplifies for us this morning in Psalm 4. Would God’s people turn there now, Psalm 4, It’s a relatively short psalm in which our writer makes three different addresses. See if you can detect the subtle differences in his speech as you follow along as I read. Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness. You have relieved me of my distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer. Oh, sons of men, how long will my honor become a reproach? How long will you love what is worthless and aim at deception?

Selah. But know that the Lord has set apart the godly man for himself. The Lord hears when I call to him. Tremble and do not sin. Meditate in your heart upon your bed and be still, Selah. Offer the sacrifices of righteousness and trust in the Lord. Many are saying, who will show us any good? Lift up the light of your countenance upon us, O Lord. You have put gladness in my heart more than when their grain and new wine abound. In peace, I will both lie down and sleep. For you alone, Lord, make me to dwell in safety.

It’s neither a lengthy nor a very complicated psalm. It’s just eight verses in which the psalmist makes three distinctive statements. The first one to a merciful God, the second one to hostile sinners, and his third to his gracious Lord. In the superscription, the author is identified as David, were not given the circumstances that he was facing when he wrote this Psalm. Many have attempted to pair it with Psalm 3 and the situation that David was facing there in Psalm 3, his ongoing skirmish with his son Absalom.

But there’s nothing here in Psalm 4 that tells us that the circumstance was the same. Here in Psalm 4, David does not seem to be dealing with physical peril, but rather with slanderous accusations. The situation is vague enough that almost any prophet could have reasonably written this psalm. And there are a great many occasions when David might have written it. The bottom line is that the psalm, neither the subtitle nor the content, give us any clue about the situation that David was facing.

Scholars and publishers have contributed to this confusion in their attempt to tie these two Psalms together by adding the man-made titles morning and evening Psalms. Perhaps your Bible even contains that. They call Psalm 3 a morning prayer and Psalm 4 an evening prayer. Psalm three is referred to as a morning prayer because of the line in verse five of that psalm. I lay down and slept, I awoke. But the Lord sustains me. Likewise, in Psalm four, it’s called an evening psalm because of the line in verse eight. In peace, I will both lie down and sleep. And now, just so you know, You are not violating a strict command if you happen to read Psalm 3 in the evening or Psalm 4 in the morning.

Other than identifying the author as David, the only other thing that the subtitle tells us is that little note for the choir director on stringed instruments. David gives direction to the choir director, the chief musician, the worship leader, that this is a particular psalm that is appropriate on stringed instruments, not exactly the material for a theological battle. It’s interesting that more than a third of the psalms have these musical instructions. These psalms, after all, were designed to be used in Israel’s worship.

Well, as we noted a moment ago, David makes three statements, each with a different purpose and tone. And he provides us with three examples of the fitting addresses of a godly man. The fitting addresses of a godly man. We find the first one in verse one.

I’ve called it well-seasoned speech, playing on both Ephesians 4.29 and Colossians 4.6. And the first fitting address of a godly man is his prayer to a merciful God. Verse one. Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness. You have relieved me in my distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer. Quite naturally, As this is a psalm, David begins by addressing God himself. And he makes three statements, a plea for God to hear and answer his prayer, an acknowledgement of God’s past mercies, and a reinforcement of his plea for God’s grace.

In that first statement, he calls upon The one he refers to is the God of my righteousness. God is called a lot of different things, referred to in many different ways in the Bible. He’s called the God of my salvation, the God of my life, the God of wrath. Those identifiers point to God as the ultimate source of those elements, whether salvation or life or righteousness.

Likewise, here, the God of my righteousness acknowledges two things. Pardon me. Number one, it acknowledges that God is himself righteous. And secondly, that he is the bestower and the sustainer of that righteousness. It’s David’s immediate and humble acknowledgment here that in and of himself, he’s a sinner who has no inherent righteousness of his own. Whatever righteousness he possesses is from the source and provider, God himself. And so there’s an unspoken implication in these words that if God has bestowed his righteousness upon David, he has already met his greatest need, then David may boldly come before him with lesser needs. Troubles presented by earthly foes.

Paul expresses the same equation masterfully in Romans 8.32. He who did not spare His own Son, the greater need, has delivered Him over for us all. How will He not also with Him freely give us all things, lesser needs? God has already done the greater thing in sending Christ to redeem us. How could we not come to Him for these lesser matters?

And so God, Because God’s righteousness, because God is righteous, and because God has bestowed upon him his own righteousness, David implores, answer me when I call. Not a command, it’s a plea. In a sense, David is bringing a case before God to judge. He desires an answer from the Lord. When we want a pure, unadulterated opinion, there’s no better place to go than to the God of righteousness, who will judge in righteousness. The only place to turn for the believer. This is not David’s first time in coming to God with his needs. He draws upon his past experience with God in that second line.

Glance there, you have relieved me in my distress. In previous times of trouble, and what he refers to here is distress, troubles from adversaries, David has called out to the Lord. It’s an image of an army. This distress is an image of an army surrounded on all sides. perilous situation, and yet in those situations David has called out to the Lord and found him to be faithful. Well, if distress can be thought of as being surrounded, then relief is a provision of escape from that circumstance. It means to enlarge, to provide room and space.

God opens a path. And David has come to God many times before, and God has always been faithful to relieve him of such troubles. If we would just pause and look back on all the ways and all the occasions that God has relieved us in distress, it would energize and give us confidence in our prayer, would it not? We may find that even in the Present dark hour, God again provides escape. This confidence, it stirs David’s heart.

And so in the third line, he essentially repeats his initial appeal, be gracious to me and hear my prayer. grace that he seeks is not the grace of salvation, but that unmerited favor that carries us through our daily lives. Just because we find ourselves saved doesn’t mean that we are done with God’s grace. We need God’s grace every day. For the believer, it’s a perpetual need met by God’s inexhaustible supply.

And so, As David has appropriately addressed his prayer to a merciful God, in an astounding turnabout, he makes an appeal to hostile sinners. So in this well-seasoned speech, his second fitting address, not only a prayer to a merciful God, but an appeal to hostile sinners. We find the beginning of it in verse two, and it will carry down all the way through verse five. When he calls out to the sons of men in verse two, he’s directly addressing the adversaries that he faces.

The phrase is translated several times elsewhere as men of high degree. those of rank or importance, perhaps even princes of various countries. Whoever it was that David was facing, these were important and powerful men. But they were assuredly unbelieving men because he’s going to try to point them in God’s direction.

He challenges, first of all, their slanderous speech. How long will my honor become a reproach? The equation here is simple. Whoever these enemies were, they were provoked to envy by David’s successes. They were jealous of David’s honor, his position, his victories, his influence over so many people. And so they lashed out at him with reproach, the attempt to humiliate and disgrace his character by their insults. Now, as we observed, this is a Psalm of David, and David is telling his story, but truly any child of God will experience the hatred and the reproach of the world. If you haven’t faced it yet, You will. You may even face difficulties and heartaches and challenges by other professing believers. We will face reproach. We will face slander. We know where to turn, as David knew where to turn.

David follows that initial question with another How long will you love what is worthless and aim at deception? He challenges their lengthy smear campaign with two descriptive word phrases. They love what is worthless and they aim at deception. Deception just refers to falsehoods, lies, totally groundless and fabricated stories that are intended to destroy David’s character.

David says that such childish and rude behavior is ultimately worthless. It will not stand. God will not be won over by slanderous lies. and therefore it will fail. Ultimately, this attempted character assassination will be in vain, empty, void, of none effect.

And he caps those two pointed questions with that little word that we’ve seen before, selah, which itself urges these unbelieving princes to pause, and think and reconsider their actions. We’re going to face this kind of treatment from people, people of the world, men of high degree, and most often our only recourse is to look to God for relief. God will protect, and we should cultivate in our own hearts the attitude that David projects here. A care and concern for the souls of the very ones that are bringing us reproach. That’s what David does. Pause, brother, and think about this. Pause, friend. Pause, enemy. Think about what it is you are doing. But David presents another argument to his woeful adversaries.

Verse three, know that the Lord has set apart the godly man for himself. That is a powerful statement. And I’m sure that when the enemy heard this, they gnashed their teeth. This is the sovereignty of God, the sovereignty of God in salvation, the doctrine that is especially detestable to unbelievers. Basically, David declares that he is among God’s elect, that he has been chosen not by a popular vote, but by God himself. Charles Spurgeon powerfully underscores this truth when he says, the godly are the chosen of God and are by distinguishing grace, effected by God himself, set apart and separated from among men. Election is a doctrine which unrenewed men cannot endure.

But nevertheless, it is a glorious and well-attested truth, and one which should comfort the tempted believer. Election is the guarantee of complete salvation, an argument for the success at the throne of grace. He who chose us for himself will surely hear our prayers. What a promise.

In David’s case, He was doubly chosen, not only for salvation, but he was also set apart, chosen as Israel’s king. And both of those truths would be repulsive to the men of the world. Not only was David set apart, he was also godly. But I want you to know, David was, as godly, he was loving and merciful and righteous, but he wasn’t set apart because he was any of those things, godly. He was godly because he was set apart. God’s work of grace had coursed through him and changed his life.

He makes another gripping statement here. Glance down at it, if you would. The Lord hears when I call him. That had to hit his enemies right between the eyes. I have a direct access to Almighty God. When I pray, he hears. David has this direct access to God himself. And David’s point in saying all of this is that these men are fighting against God himself. They have to take note of the work of a sovereign God. And in verses four and five, he extends a call, if you will, to salvation itself.

The call to repentance. Look at verse four. Tremble and do not sin. Meditate in your heart upon your bed and be still. Selah. Pause and consider that one. So many words David pleads with his enemies to repent. Tremble and do not sin. He calls these unreasonable men to godly fear. Trembling. You should be shaking in your boots to contend with the Almighty. David seeks to stir them in a recognition of God’s holiness and an appropriate reverential fear because of it. Rather than continuing in their sinful hostilities, they should humble themselves before God.

The second sentence of verse four only emphasizes this point. Meditate in your heart upon your bed and be still. He takes them We know this. He takes them to that vulnerable place, which every person knows. It’s that place when we are alone in the dark, just us, just our thoughts, just our conscience, and God. One writer called it a place of quiet contemplation. He basically tells them, think about what you’re doing. He pleads with them.

And that is what believers need most of all. They need some self-examination time before God. The problem is the world tends to live so fast that they allow their heads to be filled up with so much noise that they never slow down enough. They’re never quiet enough. to hear their own conscience, let alone the still small voice of God. Paul says in Romans 1 that they do everything they can to suppress the truth. They don’t want to hear it. They don’t want to interact with it. They can’t bear to engage their conscience.

Paul tells them to ponder it, meditate upon it, And should they be led to repentance for their thoughts and deeds, David effectively here preaches the gospel. Verse five, offer the sacrifice of righteousness and trust in the Lord. Repentance and faith.

David was living on the other side of the cross. He’s not suggesting an alternate approach here to salvation. or to reverting to a pre-Christ atonement. The sacrificial system pointed to the redemptive work of Christ on the cross. Christ has come. The sacrifice for sin was paid for in full.

And so what David is doing here is using the same basic elements of our own salvation on this side of the cross. Repentance. and faith, trust in the Lord, he pleads with these hostile men. The sacrifice of righteousness just means to come to God on his terms, to come in humility, to come in genuineness. What an act of mercy on David’s part here. Having truly come to know the God of redemption, he’s eager to point others to that same salvation. It’s a powerful moment. Do you realize that when you’re saved, you are immediately called into ministry of a sorts?

Paul says it this way in 2 Corinthians 5.19, he has committed to us the word of reconciliation. And then he adds this remarkable image. We are ambassadors for Christ. We are supposed to be out there appealing to others to be reconciled to a holy God through what Christ has accomplished through his Son, reconciling the wayward sinner to the Savior.

David utters a third fitting address, this time not to the more general and less formal God, the recipient of his first appeal, but much more formally here, and now to the very specific Lord in verses six through eight. This third fitting address, His prayer to a merciful God, his appeal to hostile sinners, and now here his praise to the glorious Lord.

Verses six through eight. Now, at this juncture, David withdraws among his people, and he immediately senses their discouragement. We know that the sentiments are no longer his alone, because he twice refers to us. In verse six, who will show us any good? Lift up the light of your countenance upon us, O Lord. Coming to the Lord on behalf of God’s people.

They’re discouraged. They’ve heard the catcalls. They’ve heard the criticisms of their king. And they are one with their king. And because of that, they are despondent. Who will show us any good? It’s a creative way of saying, where are you, God? In reality, their lamentations are unreasonable. They’re even ridiculous.

God has not abandoned his people, nor will he, but it takes David’s leadership to restore that hope to the people. And so David utters a simple prayer on their behalf. Lift up the light of your countenance upon us, O Lord. David may well have drawn that image from Aaron’s blessing upon the children of Israel in Numbers. Numbers 6, 25 and 26. It’s a familiar benediction. You’ve heard it. The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face to shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up his countenance on you and give you peace. That’s David’s prayer. This is what they needed most of all. It’s what we all need when we’re in the spiritual doldrums. We need the light of God’s countenance. We need the light of God to behold his countenance.

When things are bad, the familiar image of the Psalms is that God is, as it were, hiding from his people, off duty, asleep. So the desire that David expresses is for God to reveal his glory to his people once again, through his righteous power, in a colloquial sense, to smile upon them by demonstrating to them his divine power, granting them protection and peace and blessing. In such a moment of appeal, anyone who has experienced goodness from God, we cannot remain silent. And David, in an attempt to continue the encouragement of his people, tells of his personal happiness in the Lord. He’s only just now prayed that the Lord would be the one to encourage his people, just as he has done for himself.

So David exalts here, you have put gladness in my heart more than when their grain and new wine abound. It’s the Lord who has put gladness in his heart, not the world’s giddy, vapid and fleeting happiness. It’s akin to what we know as Christian joy. It’s the production of the spirit of God in our hearts, which no one can cause to dissipate. Joy, gladness of heart. David employs an enigmatic illustration about the extent of his gladness.

It doesn’t really translate to us. He says it’s greater than when their grain and new wine abound. Okay. Basically, he says season by season, harvest would vary. There are going to be good years, and there are going to be lean, bad years. Here, David points to an exceptional year.

And he does so as an illustration of the joy that God has put in his heart. The harvest of grain, the pressing of grapes that produce this fresh, unfermented grape juice, new wine, he says. It just refers to the blessings of God’s bounties. They’re plentiful.

God is the one who does good, Paul says in Acts 14. giving rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness. But David here just recognizes that it’s God who provides all of these things, the very things that make mankind happy. David closes with one final note, the note of peace in verse eight. It’s a twist that we noted at the outset regarding mornings and evenings, remember?

David says, in peace, I will both lie down and sleep. We know this challenge, don’t we? We’re dog tired. We head off to bed. We lay our heads on the pillow. And nothing. We lie awake, often stewing and fretting about the events of the day. It’s a part of the human condition. And so we can’t help but noting that David says not only did he lie down, he went to sleep.

And that he adds is because he is in peace, no stress, no anxiety, No worry about his life’s circumstances, no fear of others. It’s the assurance, he adds here, that the Lord makes him to dwell in safety. No other than John Calvin so clearly articulated God’s care of his children. When he said he is protected by the power of God, he enjoys as much security and quiet as if he had been defended by all the garrisons on earth.

Can you even imagine? All the armies of the world pointing outwards from you, protecting you. That, he says, is what the child of God enjoys. Nothing can touch us outside of God’s will. The Lord has so comforted and assured him, David, that he secures a good night’s rest. We need that, don’t we? A good night’s rest? Yes, of course. But more than that, we need the peace that comes from the confidence of knowing that we are God’s people. He will not forsake us. Would you humble yourself before him?

Our merciful God, we do rejoice in who you are and in what you have done on our behalf. You have relieved us on so many different occasions of the various trouble and distress in which we found ourselves. And Lord, that can, it should give us confidence to come to you anew and to bring whatever circumstances we’ve fallen into before you in prayer. Lord God, we are astounded that your word would include such a gracious appeal on behalf of enemies. Your word tells us that we are to pray for our enemies, Yet here we actually see David modeling that. Grant us that same grace, Lord, and help us to look to you in prayer and in confidence. The light of your countenance beaming down over us as we look about and recognize all the goodness that you lavish upon us.

As a people, as individuals, the church, as a nation, Lord God, we humble ourselves before you and we pray that you would encourage the hearts of believers in these truths. And Lord, we also recognize that among us, we certainly know that there must be unbelievers in our midst. We know that.

And so Lord, we pray that you would make them to know that it is not a matter of putting forth some sacrifice. Jesus Christ has paid it all by his brutal death on the cross. And ours now is to turn from our sin and to place our faith in the finished work of Christ for salvation. It could not be any simpler.

So we pray, Lord, that the same work that you’ve done in our hearts as believers, you would do in the hearts of our friends that are here even this morning. Father, we thank you for your word. We thank you for your grace at work in our lives. Lord God, we do ask your blessing on our week. We pray these things in Jesus’ name. Amen.