Psalm 39 — Seeking answers in a vain world
For the Chief Musician, for Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.
1 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.
2 I was dumb with silence, I held my peace, even from good;
And my sorrow was stirred.
3 My heart was hot within me;
While I was musing the fire kindled:
Then spake I with my tongue:
4 LORD, make me to know mine end,
And the measure of my days, what it is;
Let me know how frail I am.
5 Behold, thou hast made my days as handbreadths;
And mine age is as nothing before thee:
Surely every man at his best estate is altogether vanity. Selah
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.
7 And now, Lord, what wait I for?
My hope is in thee.
8 Deliver me from all my transgressions:
Make me not the reproach of the foolish.
9 I was dumb, I opened not my mouth;
Because thou didst it.
10 Remove thy stroke away from me:
I am consumed by the blow of thine hand.
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
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,
A sojourner, as all my fathers were.
13 O spare me, that I may recover strength,
Before I go hence, and be no more.
Much like what Moses asks in Psalm 90, David here asks for understanding in a vain world. The vanity stems from the reality of our short lives. Questions like, "What is the point when life is so short?" or "What's the point if this is all I can accomplish?" easily rise in our hearts. David needs help from God as he grapples with these problems.
Part of the vanity stems from the uselessness of our endeavors, particularly that many grow from disobedience. We've all turned everyone to our own way, at one point or another. These problems stack up to an insurmountable pile of difficulty. We need God to remind us of these problems and to give us wisdom to avoid them.
Truly, with God's help, we can see beyond the vanity. He himself lives outside the vanity and can give us purpose and fulfillment. This psalm can help motivate our hearts and thoughts to think clearly through a vain world.