Tremble and[d] do not sin;
when you are on your beds,
search your hearts and be silent.
5 Offer the sacrifices of the righteous
and trust in the LORD. Psalm 4:4-5
King David has been in distress. He knows what to do to cry out to God. He says: “Give me relief from my distress; have mercy on me and hear my prayer.” And “How long will you people love delusions and seek false gods”
He says, “Tremble and do not sin.” This is good advice. To tremble does have negative connotations, but there is a time for everything. God is a God of Love, but we must also tremble before his awesome power and as we fear him we do not sin.
When my son is illegally playing with the dvd player and I walk in, he trembles. He knows he has been caught sinning, caught red handed. He knows he’ll get a smack. And hopefully he won’t do it again. Definitely not when I am around!
There is a key here about sin. When you sin, you have to pay the consequences. God has already told us what sin is, and The Holy Spirit convicts us when we are tempted to sin. As this Psalm says when we are on our beds we are to search out hearts and be silent. Here David says to offer the sacrifices of the righteous. In the OT that was the rule. In the NT the rule is we offer ourselves as a living sacrifice. And we trust in the Lord.
Lord , thank you that in the midst of storms and floods, you are our firm foundation. On Christ the Solid Rock I stand all other ground is sinking sand. Let the light of your face shine on us. Fill my heart with joy may grain and new wine abound. In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, LORD, make me dwell in safety. Amen.