2023-09-05 14:47:28
The Way of the Word: The Thirty-Ninth Psalm – A Contemplative Reading.
Psalm Thirty-Ninth – A Reflection – Audio
Monsignor Joji Vadakara, Vatican City
The thirty-ninth psalm is an exhortation in the form of a lament that a person near the end of his life offers to God in the face of his mental and physical pains and sufferings. Written with the title Psalm of David to Jaduthun, the choir leader, this psalm is a prayer of an elderly person who is going through severe pain and illness. His pains, which had endured all in silence in the face of evils, now rise into complaints about the transience and insignificance of life. Even in suffering he does not give up hope and hope. The psalmist prays for more days of happiness from the realization that his health and sickness, life and death are not beyond God’s will. In the thirty-eighth Psalm, David did not hesitate to defend himself against the conviction that his sins were the cause of his failings and sicknesses. But here, he wanted to be in silence, not judging others, so as not to become like the wicked and other sinners.
Evils and silence
In the first three verses of the psalm, the psalmist who strives to be silent in the face of evil gives an exhortation about spiritual life. The psalmist adopted a lifestyle of silence, not raising complaints and judgments about others, especially the wicked and enemies, living in evil. But in the excess of suffering, David’s life falls beyond what his heart can bear. David writes in the second verse, “My sorrow was increased; my heart was troubled within me” (Ps. 39, 2b). The psalmist opens his heart in lamentation to the God in whom he trusts and takes refuge even when pains and sorrows are beyond his reach. Part of wisdom is the wisdom to control one’s tongue before the sinner. But the excess of pain forces him to express his thoughts and words, his complaints beyond his resolutions and silence. It is a wise act to be critical of oneself rather than of others, and to open the heart before God.
The transience and triviality of life
In verses four through six, we see David breaking his silence and speaking his heart out before the Lord in a situation where his restraints may have been lost in the face of a life full of pain. He comes to the conviction that human life is fleeting and insignificant. He wants to know the length of his life, which is only a breath, and its end. Realizing that life is fleeting, instead of rushing to defend himself or make judgments about others, he stands before God in prayer and submission. It is from this conviction that David wrote, “Man is but a shadow, and his labor is vain, and man gathereth; he knoweth not who shall suffer” (Ps. 39, 6). The call before us is to grow to be able to think sensibly, to work and earn justly, without going to the senselessness of living without thinking and working, or the smallness of talking unfairly about others, and hoarding foolishly in front of the fleetingness of life.
A life of hope
In verses seven to nine of the psalm, we see David, who does not give up hope and hope in the face of his sufferings, and strives to live by relying on God: “Lord, what should I wait for? My hope is in you” (Ps. 39, 7). The aged David is convinced of his sins and transgressions. Therefore he shows the wisdom to pray “Deliver me from all my transgressions” (Ps. 39, 8). The psalmist expresses the conviction that there will be no pain in his life that God does not allow (Ps. 39, 9), who was silent in the face of the mistakes of others. But in these verses of David, we can see a believer who bows his head before the divine decisions.
Prayer and God’s will
In the tenth verse of the psalm we see David confessing to God the condition he is in, but at the same time praying for days of joy and healing. The psalmist shares the conviction that it is not possible for man to make claims before God, let alone pray. But as in other psalms, David repeats in this psalm a thought that man will be punished because of sin (Ps. 39, 11). In the psalms we also see the conviction that man is a guest on this earth and before God for a short time, and that it is God who gives moments of happiness in his transitory life (Ps. 39, 12-13). David must have written these lines from the conviction that sin separates man from God, and that sin causes sorrow and pain before God. If it were not for God’s mercy, if He did not forgive sins, if God did not allow it, what good and happiness could the insignificant and weak man achieve by himself?
Psalm in life
Recognizing the triviality and ephemerality of life and living with convictions, the thirty-ninth psalm contains the words of wisdom of David, the psalms invite us to grow with more awareness and trust in God. The conviction that we are only a breath should not lead us to despair or sadness, but to a sense of dependence on God and a responsible life. Let us strive to grow closer to God, in the conviction that human plans and actions are futile if not according to His will, and that we must find our refuge and joy in God. May we not judge others, but live the days of our own lives sensibly and experience the joy that God gives us, and make life meaningful.
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