"I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety."
Psalm 4:8
Part 3
Yesterday:
“And sleep.”
“…He giveth His beloved sleep” (Psalm 127:2b).
Today:
“For thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.”
If we miss this part of verse eight, we won’t be able to correctly put the pieces of the verse together. It is incredible what people will do to try to stay safe. Some build mighty homes like strong forts. Others even hire guards to keep watch of them and their families day and night. Several may also collect caches of weapons. In and of themselves, these things aren’t necessarily wrong, unless these things are where our trust for safety is—then it’s sin.
What was Israel’s key to safety in their new land? God told them,
“Wherefore ye shall do my statutes, and keep my judgments, and do them, and ye shall dwell in the land in safety” (Leviticus 25:18).
When they put the LORD in His rightful place in their lives, He provided their safety. Be careful about trusting in your strength, weapons, preparedness, or other tangible means for keeping yourself safe. One of the technologies for making war in David’s day was the warhorse. They were powerful, fast, and dependable in battle. The kingdom with the most horses, seemingly had the advantage in the war. What did God think about trusting horses in the fight? He says,
“There is no king saved by the multitude of an host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength. An horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength” (Psalm 33:16-17).
“The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the LORD” (Proverbs 21:31).
And right there is our key for protection. “Safety is of the LORD!” Believers should never forget this truth, especially in dangerous times (as are mentioned in 2 Timothy 3)!
“For thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.”
Quote: “If I could hear Christ praying for me in the next room, I would not fear a million enemies. Yet distance makes no difference. He is praying for me”[1] (Robert Murray McCheyne).
[1] Robert Murray McCheyne’s quote. Downloaded: Monday, June 29, 2020. From: https://www.christianquotes.info/top-quotes/19-beautiful-quotes-about-gods-peace/.