Psalm 63 Final

Scripture

Psalm 63 NASB95

A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah. O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, In a dry and weary land where there is no water. Thus I have seen You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory. Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips will praise You. So I will bless You as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. My soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness, And my mouth offers praises with joyful lips. When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches, For You have been my help, And in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy. My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me. But those who seek my life to destroy it, Will go into the depths of the earth. They will be delivered over to the power of the sword; They will be a prey for foxes. But the king will rejoice in God; Everyone who swears by Him will glory, For the mouths of those who speak lies will be stopped.

Introduction

C.S.Lewis Quote

“If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.”

Was it true of us, prior to salvation that we had a desire that the world could not satisfy?

What does a life with a desire that cannot be satisfied look like?

1: First, a life with a desire that cannot be satisfied seeks to fulfill the desire.

Everyone is born to desire something or someone.

Things desired can be material, wealth, honor, recognition, importance, money, etc...

Many live lives in pursuit of these things. We are born to desire things that fulfill desires we have.

Definition of Desire: A longing for something to take delight in.

We live lives where desires are directly connected to things we deem necessary.

We desire food. We need food. We desire water. We need water.

We desire water. We need water.

The same goes for our souls.

We desire friends. We need friends.

We desire a relationship. We need a relationship.

We desire to have a family. We need a family.

And I am not talking about absolute necessity but I am talking about the reason why we pursue these things.

Of course some

We pursue them because we desire them and feel a need to have them.

Seeking these things comes from wanting or desiring them.

But there is a problem. Beneath all the desires there is a desire that none of these things can fulfill.

2: Second, a life with a desire that cannot be satisfied settles for the temporary over the eternal.

Every person bears the image of God. Saved or unsaved.

Much like the woman at the well in John chapter 4, apart from Jesus Christ we seek in vain what only God can fulfill.

Apart from Christ we settle for the temporal. Which means that it leaves us with the deception that the desire we have as image bearers can be satisfied without God.

This is why people know in themselves that they are empty.

This is why people pursue relationships that fall short in fulfilling what only God can fulfill.

So they live lives in continual pursuit with no end and no solution to what lays beneath in every person.

They settle. They live lives void of true joy and fulfillment. And the fruit of that is their settling for things that have no eternal worth.

For some, they walk in circles. Going from one destructive pattern to another. From one destructive relationship to another.

Others may have settled for a nice family, with a nice house but are left with hope for this life only. They live thirsty and live only for the earthly and remain empty without living water.

3: Lastly, a life with a desire that cannot be satisfied suffers with laments

This Psalm today is a psalm of trust.

A lament

It reveals to us what happens when one has found God as their only satisfaction.

3: Lastly, a life with a desire that cannot be satisfied suffers with lament.

It is an inspired Psalm that reveals what happens to someone who has found the ultimate fulfillment that satisfies the desire that was made for another world.

More specifically, God who alone stands as the living waters.

Background

Heading: A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah.

This psalm comes with a heading.

The heading reveals that David was the writer of the Psalm and that he was in the wilderness of Judah.

In the book of 1 Samuel we are introduced to David as being the son of Jesse.

Israel at the time demanded a king which was a rejection of God being their king. We see this in .

Though done unfavorably, God gave them a king who’s name was Saul.

Saul ended up being disobedient to God. So through the prophet Samuel, God would favorably anoint a king which happened to be David because God had rejected Saul.

Saul’s reign would end unfavorably and David would transition in as king over God’s people.

Saul’s reign would end unfavorably and David would transition in as king over God’s people.

Saul, who was chosen because of the people wanting a king like the other nations, we see in Scripture David becoming king after him and he was chosen favorably by God.

During David’s reign he would write psalms. Psalms were songs or poems written to express, worship, praise and even laments.

David wrote many of them in the book of Psalms. Though he was a king, David was a worshipper and a writer of worship. He wrote many psalms dealing with lament. But he also wrote about trust, praise and worship to the Lord.David was called the sweet psalmist in .

This particular psalm was written as a psalm of trust. And it was written while he was in the wilderness of Judah.

Some have pointed out two possible reasons for David being in the wilderness of Judah around the time of this Psalm being written.

1: Saul’s persecution.

2: Absalom’s Coup.

In the first, Saul who was their first king, he had became jealous of David and sought to kill him. After an attempt on his life, David had fled to the wilderness.

In the second, Absalom, David’s own son, sought to overthrow David because of political ambition. David left Jerusalem and fled to the wilderness.

Some scholars say verses 2 and 11 give us hints as to when this was written.

Psalm 63:

Psalm 63:2 NASB95

Thus I have seen You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory.

2 Samuel 7:

2 Samuel 7:18–29 NASB95

Then David the king went in and sat before the Lord, and he said, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that You have brought me this far? “And yet this was insignificant in Your eyes, O Lord God, for You have spoken also of the house of Your servant concerning the distant future. And this is the custom of man, O Lord God. “Again what more can David say to You? For You know Your servant, O Lord God! “For the sake of Your word, and according to Your own heart, You have done all this greatness to let Your servant know. “For this reason You are great, O Lord God; for there is none like You, and there is no God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears. “And what one nation on the earth is like Your people Israel, whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people and to make a name for Himself, and to do a great thing for You and awesome things for Your land, before Your people whom You have redeemed for Yourself from Egypt, from nations and their gods? “For You have established for Yourself Your people Israel as Your own people forever, and You, O Lord, have become their God. “Now therefore, O Lord God, the word that You have spoken concerning Your servant and his house, confirm it forever, and do as You have spoken, that Your name may be magnified forever, by saying, ‘The Lord of hosts is God over Israel’; and may the house of Your servant David be established before You. “For You, O Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, have made a revelation to Your servant, saying, ‘I will build you a house’; therefore Your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to You. “Now, O Lord God, You are God, and Your words are truth, and You have promised this good thing to Your servant. “Now therefore, may it please You to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue forever before You. For You, O Lord God, have spoken; and with Your blessing may the house of Your servant be blessed forever.”

2 Samuel 7:12–16 NASB95

“When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom. “He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. “I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; when he commits iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men, but My lovingkindness shall not depart from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. “Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.” ’ ”

2 Samuel

Some believe that this was after the time of God making a covenant with David that spoke of one of his sons who would sit on his throne forever which is found in .

Afterwards in ,

2 Samuel 7:18 NASB95

Then David the king went in and sat before the Lord, and he said, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that You have brought me this far?

Verse 2 may have been speaking of that time where David sat before the Lord. Which would have had the ark of the covenant there.

Which would make sense of David speaking of God’s power and glory.

The second clue is found in verse 11.

God made a covenant with David that stated that his son would build a house for the Lord and that one of his sons would sit upon the throne of David forever and ever (). After this unconditional covenant was made, David went into the tent and sat before the Lord and prayed ().

Psalm 63:11 NASB95

But the king will rejoice in God; Everyone who swears by Him will glory, For the mouths of those who speak lies will be stopped.

David calls himself here “the king.” Which he would have done after Saul’s death.

Whether it was Saul or Absalom, what we do know is that David the king was not where he was supposed to be.

He should have been on his throne, not in the wilderness.

The wilderness is where David fled when in trouble.

We know from verse 9 that there were those who were seeking to destroy him.

But David in this Psalm reveals a very important truth to us today.

1: David seeking God (v.1)

2: David remembers, praises and blesses God (v.2-4)

3: David is satisfied with God (v.5)

4: David remembers and clings to God (v.6-8)

5: David’s enemies seek to destroy him (v.9-10)

4: David’s enemies seek to destroy him (v.9)

5: David’s enemies seek to destroy him (v.9)

6: David rejoices in God (v.11)

6: David’s enemies will be delivered to the sword (v.10)

7: David rejoices in God (v.11)

1: David seeking God (v.1)

Psalm 63:1 NASB95

O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, In a dry and weary land where there is no water.

Psalm

Verse 1a: O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly.

A Handbook on the Book of Psalms

In the gatherings of the early church, it was recorded that this psalm was read in the morning services.

(In the liturgy of the early church, this psalm was read in the morning service.)

David begins to exalt God as his God.

David prioritizes immediately who is to be sought.

The King James Version actually translates it this way:

“O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee”

Earnestly here is not only a term speaking of a sincere and intense conviction, but specifically it is talking about seeking God early.

He seeks God early because God is his God he seeks God early with conviction and an intense desire.

Because God is his God he seeks God early with conviction and an intense desire.

I posted a quote where it said,

Some people wake up and feel like a million bucks. Me? I wake up feeling like insufficient funds.

I do not think that this is a formula of when to seek God.

What is happening here is that God is being sought with a passion and desire.

No matter if in the morning, middle of the day or evening, God is deserving to be sought with sincerity and conviction.

The next part of verse 1 gives us what was going on in David’s heart.

Psalm 63:2 NASB95

Thus I have seen You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory.

Verse 1b: My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, In a dry and weary land where there is no water.

Here, we see why David is seeking God.

First, David is seeking God because his soul is thirsting for God.

David when speaking of his soul, he is speaking of that part of him that thinks, feels, wills and desires.

David is expressing Deuteronomy 6:4-8.

Deuteronomy 6:4–8 NASB95

“Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. “These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. “You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. “You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead.

Deuteronomy 4:6–8 NASB95

“So keep and do them, for that is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ “For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as is the Lord our God whenever we call on Him? “Or what great nation is there that has statutes and judgments as righteous as this whole law which I am setting before you today?

Not only is David expressing love for God, he is using thirst to express his need for God.

If one’s thirst is not quenched, they will die. David is seeking God because he is thirsting for God. He needs God.

Second, David is seeking God because his flesh is yearning for God.

The flesh here is literally his flesh and bones. Which we would immediately deem a negative. And rightly so.

But here, we are speaking of a genuine believer. One who has come to saving faith. One who is being set apart. David here is revealing that he is not living according to the flesh and its desires.

This is revealing David’s entire being is being consumed with a desire for God. Which is the point.

If he was, his flesh would not yearn for God.

David is seeking God with everything he has. Which brings remembrance, praise and blessing to the Lord.

2: David remembers, praises and blesses God (v.2-4)

Psalm 63

Psalm 63:2–4 NASB95

2 Thus I have seen You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory. 3 Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips will praise You. 4 So I will bless You as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name.

When seeking God a believer would remember, praise and bless God!

1: David remembers God.

Verse 2: Thus I have seen You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory.

1: David remembers God.

He remembers seeing God in the sanctuary.

David is recalling seeing God where there was worship, sacrifice and covenant community.

Remember that David is not where the sanctuary is. He is in the wilderness. Yet, he is remembering it.

John Calvin notes this:

“It is noticeable of ignorant and superstitious persons, that they seem full of zeal and ferver so long as they come in contact with the ceremonies of religion, while their seriousness evaporates immediately upon these being withdrawn.”

David is not where he wants to be. But David still has who he desires.

This is a lesson that we do not need the extra that many have made worship to be.

Have we depended on things other than God alone to stir our affections for him?

David did not need anything else but God.

David remembered God and that is all he needed.

He remembered God’s power and glory in the sanctuary. Which I believe to have been where the ark of the covenant was.

He remembered it when it counted the most. He did this while in the wilderness.

The lid of the Ark was called the mercy seat. In God would say of it that it would be there where he would meet with Moses to speak with the people.

declares, “There I will meet with you.”

David remembered God and he didn’t need anything but God.

Exodus 25:22 NASB95

22 “There I will meet with you; and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony, I will speak to you about all that I will give you in commandment for the sons of Israel.

Verse 3: Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips will praise You.

2: David praises God.

Verse 3: Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips will praise You.

The cause of David’s praise was the lovingkindness of God.

The lovingkindness of God speaks of God’s:

a. the unfailing love of God

loyal love n. — an unfailing love, kindness, or goodness; often used of God’s love that is related to faithfulness to his covenant.

b. the kindness of God

c. the goodness of God

d. It was often used of God’s love that is related to faithfulness to his covenant.

The love that God had for David here was based on God’s covenant with His people.

xd

His love for His people is unfailing. God’s kindness and goodness was given to His people because God had made a covenant to love His people.

This is better than life! Why?

Because God is committed no matter the circumstances.

Do you see why David would praise God!

3: David blesses God.

This results in David blessing God.

Verse 4: So I will bless You as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name.

To bless meant to pronounce. To announce favorably to the Lord. And he then lifts his hands in a weary land.

God’s lovingkindness gives strength to David to lift his hands while in a dry and weary land.

The source of David’s praise is in God. He shows that he needs God to praise God.

The very offering of praise to God needs God!

3: David is satisfied with God (v.5)

Psalm 63:5 NASB95

5 My soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness, And my mouth offers praises with joyful lips.

Verse 5a: My soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness.

Marrow and fatness can be attributed to the best of foods.

David is remembering the best of foods and their satisfying as an example of God satisfying His soul.

Remember. David when speaking of his soul, he is speaking of that part of him that thinks, feels, wills and desires. That part of him is satisfied.

This means that this part of David was full. And this was known in the wilderness. Away from Jerusalem where the table was laid out with a feast.

Is God that satisfying to us? No matter the circumstance?

My quote: I do not need someone’s passion to be passionate for God! I need God.

Verse 5b: My mouth offers praises with joyful lips.

Can your mouth offer praises to God joyfully? When away from where you saw God? Away from the familiar and while in the wilderness?

Can your mouth offer praises to God joyfully? When away from where you saw God? Away from the familiar and while in the wilderness?

David knew that he was made for another world because the world he was in could not offer him what he knew.

Namely, that God could only satisfy his soul.

This truth compelled him so much that not only did he desire to seek God in the morning, but even through out the night, he would remember and meditate on God!

4: David remembers and clings to God (v.6-8)

Psalm 63:6–8 NASB95

6 When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches, 7 For You have been my help, And in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy. 8 My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me.

Psalm 63:

Verse 6: When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches.

1: God was his help.

2: David was in the the shadow of His wings. Meaning that David was protected by God.

David’s souls clung to him and God would protect by the right hand of God protecting him.

Which is why David could be preoccupied with God and not his enemies.

In verse 1 we see David seeking God. Here we see David remembering God.

He meditates on the night watches.

Meditating meant to to think intently and at length of God.

Night watches were done to watch for enemies and to have time to warn people of any danger coming.

So even throughout the night when David should have been preoccupied with watching and looking for danger, his preoccupation was remembering God.

Verse 7: ​For You have been my help, And in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy.

David remembers how God had been his help. And because of that he could be preoccupied with God and not with danger or his enemies.

David could sing for joy because God had been his help.

He was recalling God’s faithfulness.

How God’s right hand upheld him.

Verse 8: My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me.

His motivations are seen in verses 7 and 8.

Psalm 63:7–8 NASB95

7 For You have been my help, And in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy. 8 My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me.

The right hand of God spoke of His might. It spoke of God’s protection.

David mediated throughout the night because:

1: God was his help.

David began this Psalm in verse one with his soul thirsting for God.

2: David was in the the shadow of His wings. Meaning that David was protected by God.

David’s souls clung to him and God would protect by the right hand of God protecting him.

In verse 5, we see that his soul was satisfied with God.

Which is why David could be preoccupied with God and not his enemies.

Here in verse 8, we see that his soul clings to God.

Cling here literally meant to pursue. To follow after. To chase.

David is in an intense pursuit of God. And he is doing so out of God protecting and sustaining him!

Even while his enemies are seeking to destroy him.

5: David’s enemies seek to destroy him (v.9-10)

Psalm 63:9–10 NASB95

9 But those who seek my life to destroy it, Will go into the depths of the earth. 10 They will be delivered over to the power of the sword; They will be a prey for foxes.

Psalm

Verse 9: But those who seek my life to destroy it, will go into the depths of the earth.

Life here literally meant soul.

“But those who seek my soul to destroy it, will go into the depths.”

David speaks of what will happen to his enemies. They will end up in the grave.

Verse 10: They will be delivered over to the power of the sword; They will be a prey for foxes.

David here is requesting that his enemies would die in battle.

Being that he was watching throughout the night for danger, this prayer would makes sense since it would be in battle that he would face his enemies.

Yet with his circumstance of being in the wilderness away from the sanctuary, away from the palace, away from where God had revealed himself powerfully, David still found himself rejoicing in God.

6: David rejoices in God (v.11)

Psalm

Psalm 63:11 NASB95

11 But the king will rejoice in God; Everyone who swears by Him will glory, For the mouths of those who speak lies will be stopped.

Verse 11: But the king will rejoice in God; Everyone who swears by Him will glory, For the mouths of those who speak lies will be stopped.

To swear by Him is simply calling on God as a witness to the oath one is taking.

Deuteronomy 6:13 NASB95

13 “You shall fear only the Lord your God; and you shall worship Him and swear by His name.

It is calling God as a witness to an oath. Everyone who calls on God as a witness will praise Him because God is faithful. God is a covenant keeping God!

to meditate (religious) v. — to think intently and at length, as for spiritual purposes.

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update Psalm 63

Psalm 63:1

1 O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly;

Psalm 63:1

My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You,

Psalm 63:2

2 Thus I have seen You in the sanctuary,

Psalm 63:3

My lips will praise You.

Psalm 63:4

4 So I will bless You as long as I live;

Psalm 63:6

6 When I remember You on my bed,

Psalm 63:6

I meditate on You in the night watches,

Psalm 63:7

7 For You have been my help,

Psalm 63:8

8 My soul clings to You;

Everyone who calls on God as a witness will praise Him because God is faithful.

This psalm spoke much about David in pursuit of God. David said

You are my God

You are my God

I shall seek You

My soul thirsts for You

My flesh yearns for You,

I have seen You

2 Thus I have seen You in the sanctuary,

My lips will praise You

I will bless You

4 So I will bless You as long as I live;

I remember You

6 When I remember You on my bed,

I meditate on You

You have been my help

My soul clings to You

David is talking about God.

And what we see in the incarnation, is the Lord Jesus Christ revealing to us that He is the God that David was talking about!

Matthew 22:

Matthew 22:41–46 NASB95

Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question: “What do you think about the Christ, whose son is He?” They said to Him, “The son of David.” He said to them, “Then how does David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord,’ saying, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Until I put Your enemies beneath Your feet” ’? “If David then calls Him ‘Lord,’ how is He his son?” No one was able to answer Him a word, nor did anyone dare from that day on to ask Him another question.

Jesus here reveals that the Messiah was not only going to be the son of David, but that He was the Lord appearing to us.

David was talking about God! He was talking about Jesus Christ.

David’s descendant would be Emmanuel, God with us and He would come revealing Himself as the God that David thirsted for!

Are you thirsty? Come to Jesus!

John 7:37–38 NASB95

Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’ ”

This text, along with others, is an exposure of deity!

Jesus is the source of life!