My 119:11 Project, Pt. 4

Week four of my 119:11 Project, and it's still going very well. This week had some wrinkles, though. I memorized Psalm 4 fairly quickly, but then in reviewing the first four psalms, I found it easy to confuse parts of Psalm 3 and Psalm 4. Not only are they each eight verses long, but the flow and stanzas of the two psalms seem similar to me. But here's my Saturday attempt to type from memory Psalm 4, from the New Living Translation:

Answer me when I call to you,
O God who declares me innocent.
Rescue me from my troubles.
Have mercy on me and hear my prayer.

How long will you people ruin my reputation?
How long will you make groundless accusations?
How long will you continue your lies?

You can be sure of this:
The LORD has set apart the godly for himself.
The LORD will hear me when I call to him.

Don't sin by letting anger control you.
Think about it overnight, and remain silent.

Offer sacrifices in the right spirit,
and trust the LORD.

Many people say, "Who will show us better times?"
Let your face smile upon us, Lord.
You have given me greater joy
than those who have abundant harvests of grain and new wine.
In peace I will lie down and sleep,
for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe.

Eesh. Not my best effort.

I can't believe I wrote "Rescue" in v. 1 instead of "Free." I ALWAYS recite that line correctly.

I see I also have been "King-Jamesing" verses 3 ("The Lord HAS set apart" instead of "The Lord set apart") and verse 6 ("upon us" instead of "on us"). I'll try to correct those as I continue reviewing this psalm with the others.

Even so, memorizing this psalm has been a wonderful experience. Reciting and reviewing it repeatedly has uncovered many possibilities to me. For example, I wonder if David (it IS a psalm of David) was advising others or himself in verses 4 and 5. The more I've meditated on this psalm, the more I've come to think verse 1 was addressed to God, verses 2-3 to his enemies, 4-5 to himself, and then, of course, the remainder of the psalm to God. If that's the case, then the word "Selah" (which the NLT translates "interlude") after verses 2 and 4 is probably a musical cue only, and not indicative of a change of voice or thought.

In any case, I'm excited to begin memorizing Psalm 5 tomorrow.