Psalm 116:1-4 (Short)

Psalm 116:1-4

Christian Standard Bible Psalm 116

I love the LORD because he has heard

my appeal for mercy.

2 Because he has turned his ear to me,

I will call out to him as long as I live.

3 The ropes of death were wrapped around me,

and the torments of Sheol overcame me;

I encountered trouble and sorrow.

4 Then I called on the name of the LORD:

“LORD, save me!”

In May of 2009 two young men were out celebrating as they were approaching their high school graduation and transition into adulthood.

Late into the early morning hours of their celebration on the way to the next destination, one of the young men, the drive fell asleep at the wheel.

As a result the car drifted into the wrong lane and they struck another vehicle head on going around 50 mph.

The car that the two young men were in spun out of control into a field nearby. The driver of the car panicked as he saw his friend in the passengers seat not responding to his cries and physical shaking.

Eventually the young man in the passengers seat came too and began to exit the vehicle. Once out of the vehicle the passenger began to pray earnestly until the paramedics got there.

In our text tonight we see a definite statement from the Psalmist in verse 1. It says:

Christian Standard Bible Psalm 116

I love the LORD because he has heard

my appeal for mercy.

The term love here implies a covenantal relationship.

And we see that the psalmist has a reason for his declaration. That because he (meaning God) has heard his appeal for mercy.

To appeal here means to plead and so what we read is that the psalmist loves the LORD because he is listening to his plea for mercy.

Christian Standard Bible Psalm 116

Because he has turned his ear to me,

I will call out to him as long as I live.

CSB Study Bible: Notes Psalm 116

When the Lord turns his ear, the petitioner is granted his request. The Lord’s faithfulness led the psalmist to continue to call upon him.

The Wesleyan Bible Commentary, Volume 2: Job–Song of Solomon I. God Answers Prayer (Ps. 116:1–2)

This man’s love had a good foundation. It was a free response to God’s concern for him evidenced by answer to prayer.

The psalmist’s vow is very brief. He would give himself to continued prayer so that it would be the mark of his entire life.

Christian Standard Bible Psalm 116

The ropes of death were wrapped around me,

and the torments of Sheol overcame me;

I encountered trouble and sorrow.

CSB Study Bible: Notes Psalm 116

The psalmist compared the threat of imminent death to lethal ropes that would pull him down to Sheol

The Wesleyan Bible Commentary, Volume 2: Job–Song of Solomon II. God Delivers from Disaster (Ps. 116:3–9)

The poet described his troubles quite briefly. He had been at the very brink of the grave (Sheol). He was filled with trouble and sorrow. But when he prayed with earnestness God responded.

Christian Standard Bible Psalm 116

Then I called on the name of the LORD:

“LORD, save me!”

The Wesleyan Bible Commentary, Volume 2: Job–Song of Solomon (II. God Delivers from Disaster (Ps. 116:3–9))

God’s qualities of being gracious, righteous, and merciful are clarified by what God has done. He has saved me. The psalmist says

Id like to go back to our story from the beginning.

In that story there were two young men. After this traumatic crash the two young men would make decisions that would alter their lives forever.

The driver would continue to live life on his own terms and land in some legal troubles down the road.

The passenger, did as the psalmist did and pleaded for Gods mercy. And because God heard his cry he dedicated his entire life to do Gods work.

Something interesting about this text is how it parallels with Jonahs prayer in Jonah 2: “Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish: I called to the Lord in my distress, and he answered me. I cried out for help from deep inside Sheol; you heard my voice.”

Both the psalmist and Jonah felt that they were close to death and they both in their moment of despair cried out to God.

And in both cases God heard their prayer.

The story I told at the beginning was not a fictional sermon illustration but a true tlstemonity of Gods grace and love towards sinners.

The driver in the illustration was my best friend who never bent the knee to Christ and who always lived on his own terms.

The passenger in the illustration is me. God had been working on my heart and I ignored his calls. I knew how he was calling me to live and what he was calling me to but I ignored him.

This evening as we close I would like for you to consider these questions:

1. How has God been faithful to me?

2. In what ways am I actively giving God thanks and praise for the ways he has been faithful?