I open my mouth and out comes words that I wish weren’t there. Maybe words that are unkind and hurtful to others. Perhaps words that are angry, or not completely honest. Or maybe they are words that show a lack of faith and trust in God. We all have occasions where we wish we would just keep our mouth shut. In our psalm for today, David recalls a time that he had said things that he wished he hadn’t. Let’s look into Psalm 39.
Sometimes we really need to put a muzzle on our mouth! This was something that King David wished he could do (vs. 1). He just wanted to tie his mouth closed so that those words he regretted saying would not get out! We put muzzles on dogs to keep them from biting. Our words can bite, as well. They can be hurtful in so many ways. We need to develop self-control to keep from saying wrong and hurtful things.
David knew that there were many ways he could be sinning with his words. We know, of course, that we can hurt others with our words. We can also use some very foul language that is not seemly for a believer to be speaking. Then there are words that show a lack of trust in God, that can cause others to stumble in their faith. Some Bible scholars believe that David had been complaining to others, or in other’s hearing about God and His perceived treatment of David, and why God was not punishing the wicked right away. That David felt He was letting the wicked get away with their sin.
When David realized that his words were not right, he decided to keep quiet, but the burden inside of him was too great (vs. 2-3). He tried to suppress his distress and complaint until he couldn’t hold it in any longer. Then David came directly to God, which is what he should have done from the start. Sometimes we hold off coming to God with our problems, needs, or feelings, but we shouldn’t. When David did come to God, he knew that He would hear him (vs. 12-13).
King David also realized that his words can give a bad witness or testimony in front of unbelievers. This is very true. Unbelievers are always watching the Christian. They listen to everything we say. They may not always act upon the godly things we say, and turn to Jesus. However, when we say something we shouldn’t, they take notice, and our words can turn them away from God. Never give anyone a reason to reject God because we’ve said something ungodly (Colossians 4:5-6).
David appealed to God for mercy because life is so brief (vs. 4-6). Apart from God, life is fleeting and empty. According to Scripture, our time and how we use it is important (I Corinthians 7:29). The time we have to do God’s work is limited, so we must use it wisely (Ephesians 5:16). We are on the earth for such a short time, we must be diligent to walk wisely. Since we could appear before God tomorrow, we need to live for him today. In spite of how brief and short life is, people spend so much time securing their lives on earth, and spend so little, or no thought about where they will spend eternity. We shouldn’t just spend time, we should invest it.
As we study this lesson from God that He inspired King David to write, let's learn some of the lessons that David himself learned. We need to talk less. The more we talk, the greater the chance of saying something stupid, hurtful, and regrettable. Before we do speak, pause and consider - are our words accurate? Are they kind or cutting? Are they necessary or needless? Are they wholesome words? Are they grateful to God and to others, or are they complaining?
Words are powerful, and once they are spoken, we can’t take them back. How many relationships were destroyed because of the wrong words? How many people carry the scars around for life because of hurtful or vicious words spoken to them? And we may never know how many people decided to turn away from accepting Jesus as their Savior because of some ill-spoken words that someone said. As David advised, sometimes we need to put a muzzle on our mouth!
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