“I said, “I will guard my ways, that I may not sin with my tongue; I will guard my mouth with a muzzle, so long as the wicked are in my presence.” I was mute and silent; I held my peace to no avail, and my distress grew worse. My heart became hot within me. As I mused, the fire burned; then I spoke with my tongue: -Psalm 39:1-3
The Psalmist hopes to apply his will power to his tongue that he doesn’t speak rashly in front of his enemies. The context is that he is suffering and he doesn’t want to say anything that will give them a handle by which they may grab ahold and accuse. He managed for a while but the anguish grew too great and he couldn’t help himself any longer so he spoke up.
“MacLaren uses a fitting metaphor to illustrate the point: ‘It is the heart, not the mouth, that has to be silenced. To build a dam across a torrent without diminishing the sources that supply its waters only increases weight and pressure, and insures a muddy flood when it bursts.’”
In a moment he broke a promise to himself to keep quiet and he likely cried out something like, “Why me, Lord?” By which we are reminded that trying harder to do better, doesn’t work for long. In our suffering, our only hope is to believe the gospel and preach it ourselves everyday!