Psalm 4 — Are the words laws?
For the Chief Musician; on stringed instruments. A Psalm of David.
1 Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness;
Thou hast set me at large when I was in distress:
Have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.
2 O ye sons of men, how long shall my glory be turned into dishonour?
How long will ye love vanity,
And seek after falsehood? Selah
3 But know that the LORD hath set apart him that is godly for himself:
The LORD will hear when I call unto him.
4 Stand in awe, and sin not:
Commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah
5 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness,
And put your trust in the LORD.
6 Many there be that say, Who will shew us any good?
LORD, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us.
7 Thou hast put gladness in my heart,
More than they have when their corn and their wine are increased.
8 In peace will I both lay me down and sleep:
For thou, LORD, alone makest me dwell in safety.
As we work to meditate on the message revealed by God we must also work to connect this communication with our hearts. God's word & will is more than intellectual ideas, it is also the law and order of the cosmos. This psalm reminds us that to focus our hearts on any other thing is to focus on a vain thing.
David is upset by the vanity and foolishness around him. He tries to remind himself and God about his commitment by the words of the psalm. He speaks of commitments to stand firm without sin, to offer sacrifices of righteousness, to silently & personally commune with his God in solitude. He speaks of a full commitment that has, as its fruit, trust. The fruit of others is the scoffing and doubtful complaint, "Who will show us any good?"
With this psalm we celebrate that God is the source of gladness in our hearts, just as in James 1, where we read that God is the source of every good and perfect gift. We need to try to trust these words and make them laws in our hearts, not just truisms. Don't walk away from this psalm reflecting on ideals. Meditate on these words as literal truth and your spirit will thank you. Your spirit will praise God.