Psalm 4:8 Study Bible: In peace I will both lay myself down and sleep, for you alone, LORD, make me live in safety.

◄ Psalm 4:8 ►

I will lie down and sleep in peace, for You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.

In peace
The Hebrew word for "peace" here is "shalom," which encompasses more than just the absence of conflict. It signifies completeness, wholeness, and well-being. In the context of ancient Israel, "shalom" was a state of harmony with God, others, and oneself. This peace is a divine gift, reflecting a life aligned with God's will. The psalmist's use of "shalom" suggests a deep, abiding tranquility that comes from trust in God, transcending external circumstances.

I will lie down and sleep
The act of lying down and sleeping signifies trust and security. In the ancient Near Eastern context, night was often associated with danger and vulnerability. Yet, the psalmist expresses confidence in God's protection. The Hebrew verb "shakab" (to lie down) implies a deliberate act of resting, while "yashen" (to sleep) indicates a state of restfulness. Together, they portray a profound sense of safety under God's watchful care, encouraging believers to relinquish their anxieties to Him.

for You alone, O LORD
The phrase emphasizes the exclusivity of God's role as the source of security. "LORD" here is the translation of "Yahweh," the covenant name of God, highlighting His personal relationship with His people. The psalmist acknowledges that true peace and safety come solely from Yahweh, not from human efforts or other deities. This declaration of faith underscores the monotheistic belief central to Israel's identity and serves as a reminder of God's unique and sovereign power.

make me dwell in safety
The Hebrew word "betach" (safety) conveys a sense of confidence and assurance. To "dwell" (from the verb "yashab") implies a settled, enduring presence. The psalmist trusts that God provides a secure dwelling place, both physically and spiritually. This assurance of safety is not merely situational but is rooted in the eternal character of God. Historically, this reflects the Israelites' understanding of God's protection over their nation, and spiritually, it invites believers to find refuge in God's unchanging nature.

Persons / Places / Events

1. David
Traditionally attributed as the author of this Psalm, David was the second king of Israel, known for his deep relationship with God and his poetic contributions to the Book of Psalms.

2. The LORD (Yahweh)
The covenant name of God, emphasizing His eternal presence and faithfulness to His people.

3. Israel
The nation to whom David belonged and often the primary audience of his psalms, representing God's chosen people.

Teaching Points

Trust in God's Sovereignty
David's confidence in lying down and sleeping peacefully stems from his trust in God's control over his life. Believers are encouraged to cultivate a similar trust, knowing that God is sovereign over all circumstances.

Peace as a Gift from God
The peace David experiences is not self-generated but a gift from God. Christians are reminded that true peace comes from a relationship with God, not from external circumstances.

Safety in God's Presence
The assurance of safety in this verse highlights the protective nature of God's presence. Believers can find comfort in knowing that God is their refuge and strength.

The Role of Prayer in Experiencing Peace
Psalm 4 is a prayerful dialogue with God. Engaging in regular prayer can help believers experience the peace and safety that David describes.

Rest as an Act of Faith
Choosing to rest and sleep peacefully is an act of faith, demonstrating trust in God's provision and protection. Christians are encouraged to view rest as a spiritual discipline.

Bible Study Questions

1. How does understanding God's sovereignty help you find peace in your daily life?

2. In what ways can you cultivate a deeper sense of trust in God to experience the peace David describes in Psalm 4:8?

3. How does the peace of God, as described in Philippians 4:6-7, compare to the peace David experiences in Psalm 4:8?

4. What practical steps can you take to incorporate prayer into your routine to experience God's peace and safety?

5. How can viewing rest as an act of faith change your perspective on work and rest in your life?

Connections to Other Scriptures

Psalm 23
This psalm also speaks of God's provision and peace, illustrating the shepherd-like care of God that allows believers to rest securely.

Philippians 4:6-7
Paul speaks of the peace of God that surpasses all understanding, which guards our hearts and minds, similar to the peace David experiences in Psalm 4:8.

Proverbs 3:24
This verse promises peaceful sleep to those who trust in the Lord, echoing the sentiment of safety and rest found in Psalm 4:8.

Sermons

A Good Night Watchman		Psalm 4:8
How to Close the Day with God	Matthew Henry.	Psalm 4:8
Signs of a Quiet Spirit	T. Horton, D. D.	Psalm 4:8
Sleep	W. H. Ranken, M. A.	Psalm 4:8
The Christian Good Night	Contributors to, Tracts for the Times	Psalm 4:8
A Gentle Remonstrance	A. Maclaren, D. D.	Psalm 4:1-8
An Appeal for Mercy to the God of Righteousness	James Owen.	Psalm 4:1-8
An Evening Song in Perilous Times, Showing Us the Secret of Happiness	C. Clemance	Psalm 4:1-8
Enlargement in Distress	J. G. Lambert, B. D.	Psalm 4:1-8
Prayer and Answer to Prayer	Thomas Horton, D. D.	Psalm 4:1-8
Quieting Thoughts for a Time of Trouble	W. Forsyth	Psalm 4:1-8
Spiritual Enlargement	W. M. Statham.	Psalm 4:1-8
The Great Trials of Life	Homilist	Psalm 4:1-8
The Believer's Ground of Confidence	C. Short	Psalm 4:6-8
Three Great Things	W. Forsyth	Psalm 4:6-8

People

David, Psalmist

Places

Jerusalem

Topics

Alone, Bed, Cause, Chief, Confidence, David, Dwell, Lay, Lie, Makest, Musician, Myself, Nehiloth, O, Peace, Psalm, Rest, Safe, Safety, Sleep

Dictionary of Bible Themes

Psalm 4:8

     5057   rest, physical
     5387   leisure, pastimes
     5511   safety
     5533   sleep, physical
     5537   sleeplessness
     6701   peace, search for
     8117   discipleship, benefits
     8737   evil, responses to

Library

Out of the Deep of Death.
My heart is disquieted within me, and the fear of death has fallen upon me.--Ps. iv. 4. My flesh and my heart faileth, but God is the strength of my heart.--Ps. lxiii. 25. Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me.--Ps. xxiii. 4. Thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling.--Ps. cxvi. 8. What will become of us after we die? What will the next world be like? What is heaven like? Shall I be able …
Charles Kingsley—Out of the Deep

Prayer Out of the Deep.
Hear my prayer, O God; and hide not Thyself from my petition. Take heed unto me and hear me; how I mourn in my prayer and am vexed.--Psalm iv. 1, 2. In my trouble I will call upon the Lord, and complain unto my God; so shall He hear my voice out of His holy temple, and my complaint shall come before Him; it shall enter even into His ears.--Ps. xviii. 5, 6. The Lord is nigh unto them that call upon Him; He also will hear their cry, and will help them.--Psalm cxlv. 18, 19. In the day when I cried …
Charles Kingsley—Out of the Deep

Of the Love of Solitude and Silence
Seek a suitable time for thy meditation, and think frequently of the mercies of God to thee. Leave curious questions. Study such matters as bring thee sorrow for sin rather than amusement. If thou withdraw thyself from trifling conversation and idle goings about, as well as from novelties and gossip, thou shalt find thy time sufficient and apt for good meditation. The greatest saints used to avoid as far as they could the company of men, and chose to live in secret with God. 2. One hath said, …
Thomas A Kempis—Imitation of Christ

How we must Stand and Speak, in Everything that we Desire
"My Son, speak thou thus in every matter, 'Lord, if it please Thee, let this come to pass. Lord, if this shall be for Thine honour, let it be done in Thy Name. Lord, if thou see it good for me, and approve it as useful, then grant me to use it for Thy honour. But if thou knowest that it shall be hurtful unto me, and not profitable for the health of my soul, take the desire away from me'! For not every desire is from the Holy Ghost, although it appear to a man right and good. It is difficult …
Thomas A Kempis—Imitation of Christ

The Shadow of his Wings
Gerhard Ter Steegen Ps. iv. 8 The evening comes, the sun is sunk and gone, And all things lie in stillness and in rest; And thou, my soul, for thee one rest alone Remaineth ever, on the Father's breast. The wanderer rests at last each weary limb; Birds to their nests return from heath and hill; The sheep are gathered from the pastures dim-- In Thee, my God, my restless heart is still. Lord, gather from the regions dim and far Desires and thoughts that wandered far from Thee; To home and rest lead …
Frances Bevan—Hymns of Ter Steegen, Suso, and Others

An Evening Thought. --Ps. Iv.
An Evening Thought.--Ps. iv. While many cry in nature's night Ah! who will show the way to bliss? Lord, lift on us thy saving light; We seek no other guide than this. Gladness Thy sacred presence brings, More than the joyful reaper knows; Or he who treads the grapes and sings While with new wine his vat o'erflows. In peace I lay me down to sleep; Thine arm, O Lord! shall stay my head, Thine Angel spread his tent, and keep His midnight watch around my bed. …
James Montgomery—Sacred Poems and Hymns

My God Will Hear Me
"Therefore will the Lord wait, that He may be gracious unto you. Blessed are all they that wait for Him. He will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry; when He shall hear it, He will answer thee."--ISA. xxx. 18, 19. "The Lord will hear when I call upon Him."--PS. iv. 3. "I have called upon Thee, for Thou wilt hear me, O God!"--PS. xvii. 6. "I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me."--MIC. vii. 7. The power of prayer rests in the faith …
Andrew Murray—The Ministry of Intercession

Some General Uses from this Useful Truth, that Christ is the Truth.
Having thus cleared up this truth, we should come to speak of the way of believers making use of him as the truth, in several cases wherein they will stand in need of him as the truth. But ere we come to the particulars, we shall first propose some general uses of this useful point. First. This point of truth serveth to discover unto us, the woful condition of such as are strangers to Christ the truth; and oh, if it were believed! For, 1. They are not yet delivered from that dreadful plague of …
John Brown (of Wamphray)—Christ The Way, The Truth, and The Life

Fourth Sunday after Easter Second Sermon.
Text: James 1, 16-21. 16 Be not deceived, my beloved brethren. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation, neither shadow that is cast by turning. 18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. 19 Ye know this, my beloved brethren. But let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: 20 for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness …
Martin Luther—Epistle Sermons, Vol. II

Christian Graces.
FAITH. FAITH! Peter saith, faith, in the very trial of it, is much more precious than gold that perisheth. If so, what is the worth or value that is in the grace itself? Faith is so great an artist in arguing and reasoning with the soul, that it will bring over the hardest heart that it hath to deal with. It will bring to my remembrance at once, both my vileness against God, and his goodness towards me; it will show me, that though I deserve not to breathe in the air, yet God will have me an heir …
John Bunyan—The Riches of Bunyan

Rules to be Observed in Singing of Psalms.
1. Beware of singing divine psalms for an ordinary recreation, as do men of impure spirits, who sing holy psalms intermingled with profane ballads: They are God's word: take them not in thy mouth in vain. 2. Remember to sing David's psalms with David's spirit (Matt. xxii. 43.) 3. Practise St. Paul's rule--"I will sing with the spirit, but I will sing with the understanding also." (1 Cor. xiv. 15.) 4. As you sing uncover your heads (1 Cor. xi. 4), and behave yourselves in comely reverence as in the …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

Religion Pleasant to the Religious.
"O taste and see how gracious the Lord is; blessed is the man that trusteth in Him."--Psalm xxxiv. 8. You see by these words what love Almighty God has towards us, and what claims He has upon our love. He is the Most High, and All-Holy. He inhabiteth eternity: we are but worms compared with Him. He would not be less happy though He had never created us; He would not be less happy though we were all blotted out again from creation. But He is the God of love; He brought us all into existence, …
John Henry Newman—Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VII

Fifth Sunday after Trinity Exhortation to the Fruits of Faith.
Text: 1 Peter 3, 8-15. 8 Finally, be ye all like-minded, compassionate, loving as brethren, tender-hearted, humble-minded: 9 not rendering evil for evil, or reviling for reviling; but contrariwise blessing; for hereunto were ye called, that ye should inherit a blessing. 10 For, He that would love life, And see good days, Let him refrain his tongue from evil, And his lips that they speak no guile: 11 And let him turn away from evil, and do good; Let him seek peace, and pursue it. 12 For the eyes of …
Martin Luther—Epistle Sermons, Vol. III

Covenanting Adapted to the Moral Constitution of Man.
The law of God originates in his nature, but the attributes of his creatures are due to his sovereignty. The former is, accordingly, to be viewed as necessarily obligatory on the moral subjects of his government, and the latter--which are all consistent with the holiness of the Divine nature, are to be considered as called into exercise according to his appointment. Hence, also, the law of God is independent of his creatures, though made known on their account; but the operation of their attributes …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

Letter Xl to Thomas, Prior of Beverley
To Thomas, Prior of Beverley This Thomas had taken the vows of the Cistercian Order at Clairvaux. As he showed hesitation, Bernard urges his tardy spirit to fulfil them. But the following letter will prove that it was a warning to deaf ears, where it relates the unhappy end of Thomas. In this letter Bernard sketches with a master's hand the whole scheme of salvation. Bernard to his beloved son Thomas, as being his son. 1. What is the good of words? An ardent spirit and a strong desire cannot express …
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux—Some Letters of Saint Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux

Psalms
The piety of the Old Testament Church is reflected with more clearness and variety in the Psalter than in any other book of the Old Testament. It constitutes the response of the Church to the divine demands of prophecy, and, in a less degree, of law; or, rather, it expresses those emotions and aspirations of the universal heart which lie deeper than any formal demand. It is the speech of the soul face to face with God. Its words are as simple and unaffected as human words can be, for it is the genius …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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