Psalm 39

Psa 39:1  I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me.

The Psalmist makes the following resolutions:
1.      “I will take heed of my ways.”
He will watch his behaviour. He will be cautious, circumspect, and prudent. Unguarded ways are generally unholy ones and so he will take every special precaution so that his enemies cannot find anything to charge against him. He will also not bring shame to his God.

The apostle Paul even goes a step further and will take heed to what he is eating so that he would not cause a weak brother to stumble (1 Corinthians 8:13). He does not want anyone to accuse him of stumbling him; he will take heed of his ways.

There are various reasons why we should take heed of our ways:
 a. We will not stumble others (Matthew 18:6).
 b. We will glorify God (Matthew 5:16).
 c. We will not sin (Psalm 119:11).

A person who does not take heed of his ways is bound to offend someone, embarrass God, and commit sin. Therefore, let us take heed to our ways.

2.      “I will not sin with my tongue.”
He will watch his words. It is easier to control our fists than to control our tongues. The tongue makes more enemies for us than any other members of the body. And for many, it is the only member in the body that gets them into trouble. It is no wonder we often hear one person chastising another: “Control your tongue.” Indeed, it is difficult to control the tongue: “But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison” (James 3:8).

A lot of sins have to do with the tongue. It gossips, spreads rumours, tells lies, makes false accusations, curses, swears, quarrels, slanders, utters profanity, and etc. “Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs; like a sharp razor, working deceitfully” (Psalm 52:2).

Solomon says: “A gentle tongue is a tree of life” (Proverbs 15:4). Though the tongue is a little pinkish soft piece of flesh, it is anything but gentle for most of the time. It has no bones but it can pierce the hearts of men. It is for this reason we must learn to control the tongue.

God wants us to have a gentle tongue that does not offend or kill: “Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man” (Colossians 4:6). Let us add some seasoning to our words so that when they come out from our mouths, they taste good.

3.      “I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me.”
He will watch his words when his enemies are present. There is a reason why God places the tongue inside the mouth: So that the mouth could shut it in. One of the jobs for the mouth is to control the tongue so that it does not run loose. When the tongue is loose, it runs wild. The mouth is supposed to open only when good words are coming out from the tongue. But a lot of times, the mouth fails to do its job properly and so it needs to be bridled. A bridle is a muzzle. It is put on a horse’s mouth to restrain or check or guide the horse. It is also used to fasten the mouth of a dog to prevent biting.

The Psalmist watches his words especially when he is in company of his enemies so that it does not give occasion for them to reproach him. He does not complain of a friend’s conduct in front of his enemies.

We must always be on our guard, when we are in the presence of wicked men, and be careful with our words. We must be watchful with our tongues, lest we offend God, or give our adversaries any cause to speak evil of us. The Psalmist knows it and keeps his mouth shut when his enemies are around.

A fish would not get into trouble if it knows when to keep its big mouth shut. Likewise, we will not get into trouble if we know when to keep our mouths shut. Let us also take heed to our ways, guard our tongues, and know when to keep our mouths shut.


Jimmy Lau
Psa 119:97  Oh how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day.