Who can show us any good?

Psalm 4

This psalm starts out sounding like the psalmist is focused on “me” and setting out to blame others around him for his problems. But it becomes evident with the second part of verse 2 that any defensiveness here is on behalf of the Lord. This is related to the previous psalm, in that he is experiencing attack on his faith. He responds with genuine concern for the well being of the attackers. He wants them to know the Lord as he has come to know him. Verses 4-5 suggest that it is the weakness of their faith that leads them to be so critical, so the psalmist – in a way we would well emulate – focuses on the faith issue more than any personal issues (verse 5). They even ask what we would call today a “seeker” question (verse 6): “Who can show us any good?”

The psalmist does his part to show true good, and experiences great blessing (verses 7-8) as he follows where the Lord is leading.

Prayer:
Lord, as I encounter others today, let me see through anything that seems personally critical to any deeper issues behind the words, at the same time I pay attention to what I may need to hear. Through Christ. Amen.