For the music director, Jeduthun; a psalm of David.
David may have written this song before his death.
39:1 I decided, “I will watch what I say and make sure I do not sin with my tongue. I will put a muzzle over my mouth while in the presence of an evil man.”
As David was dying, he decided to remain silent among evil men.
39:2 I was stone silent; I held back the urge to speak. My frustration grew;
It frustrated David to remain silent among his enemies.
39:3 my anxiety intensified. As I thought about it, I became impatient. Finally I spoke these words:
David’s anxiety caused him to speak among his enemies.
39:4 “O Lord, help me understand my mortality and the brevity of life! Let me realize how quickly my life will pass!
David asked Jehovah to help him understand the shortness of life.
39:5 Look, you make my days short-lived, and my life span is nothing from your perspective. Surely all people, even those who seem secure, are nothing but vapor.
Life is like a vapor compared to eternity.
39:6 Surely people go through life as mere ghosts. Surely they accumulate worthless wealth without knowing who will eventually haul it away.”
Man wastes his time gathering wealth, because he will have to leave it all behind.
39:7 But now, O Lord, upon what am I relying? You are my only hope!
David’s only hope from the grave was Jehovah’s ability and willingness to raise him from the dead.
39:8 Deliver me from all my sins of rebellion! Do not make me the object of fools’ insults!
David asked Jehovah to deliver him from his own sins and rebellion. He did not want to be insulted by fools who had rejected God.
39:9 I am silent and cannot open my mouth because of what you have done.
The illness which Jehovah brought upon David kept him silent.
39:10 Please stop wounding me! You have almost beaten me to death!
David asked Jehovah to stop wounding him.
39:11 You severely discipline people for their sins; like a moth you slowly devour their strength. Surely all people are a mere vapor. (Selah)
Jehovah disciplines those who continually live in sin. Like a moth, death slowly devours the strength of a man. Men are just a vapor in eternity. David asked his congregation to meditate upon this doctrinal truth.
39:12 Hear my prayer, O Lord! Listen to my cry for help! Do not ignore my sobbing! For I am dependent on you, like one residing outside his native land; I am at your mercy, just as all my ancestors were.
David asked Jehovah to hear his prayer. He wanted Jehovah to listen to his cries for help. He did not want Jehovah to ignore his sobbing. David was completely dependent upon God. David was at God’s mercy, just as his ancestors were at God’s mercy. David and Israel were chosen strictly by the grace of God.
39:13 Turn your angry gaze away from me, so I can be happy before I pass away.
David asked God to forgive him before he died. It is possible that David had committed the sin unto death.