Untitled Sermon

Daniel Arter

Hm 301

December 11th, 2019

If you have a Bible with you, turn it to .

As you turn to the passage, let me give you a little bit of background that will help add meaning to the passage that we’re about to study. , was written by David during a time of great distress—his son, Absalom had stolen the throne from him and was planning to attack him. David was in the wilderness both hiding for his life and preparing for a defense against his son.

So, imagine with me (and this might be a little difficult for those of us that don’t have children yet), but imagine that you have a child that you love and care for--and that child completely rejects you, he steals your kingdom or more likely, in our culture, maybe your business, and he tries to kill you. Imagine the emotional and psychological strain that would have on you.

Don’t forget, that the Judean wilderness is a desert—which during the summer has temperatures that average 100-110º and averages less than 2 inches of rain during the year. It is a dry, hot, and physically draining type of place to try and survive and if you’ve ever experienced a time in your life in which you’ve been physically exhausted and lacking in water, you have just a glimmer of what this may have been like for David.

David is emotionally drained, psychologically strained, and physically exhausted when he writes this, starting in .

1 O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;

my soul thirsts for you;

my flesh faints for you,

as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

2 So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,

beholding your power and glory.

3 Because your steadfast love is better than life,

my lips will praise you.

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

in your name I will lift up my hands.

5 My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food,

and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips,

6 when I remember you upon my bed,

and meditate on you in the watches of the night;

7 for you have been my help,

and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.

8 My soul clings to you;

your right hand upholds me.

9 But those who seek to destroy my life

shall go down into the depths of the earth;

10 they shall be given over to the power of the sword;

they shall be a portion for jackals.

11 But the king shall rejoice in God;

all who swear by him shall exult,

for the mouths of liars will be stopped. [1]

We’re going to look at this passage in three sections and we’re going to study this passage as a prayer. Vs. 1-4 is going to focus on God as our Desire; Vs. 5-8 will focus on God as our Delight; and Vs. 9-11 will focus on God as our defense.

All of which will lead us to understand that it is God who satisfies and it should drive us to seek satisfaction in Him alone.

Let’s start with Vs. 1-4 with God as our Desire:

David writes, “1O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;

my soul thirsts for you;

my flesh faints for you,

as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

2 So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,

beholding your power and glory.

3 Because your steadfast love is better than life,

my lips will praise you.

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

in your name I will lift up my hands.

1. David starts this Psalm with, “O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.”

a. It is a statement of longing after something that he is familiar with—when David says, “O God, you are my God”, he is doing two things (1) he is openly stating his position before God—similar to when we believe that Jesus is Lord and (2) he is:

b. personalizing his message. Derek Kidner, “The longing of these verses is not the groping of a stranger, feeling his way towards God, but the eagerness of a friend . . . to be in touch with the one he holds dear.”[2]

c. In other words, David isn’t content with just stating that God is the God, but rather that God is his God.

d. Because David has personalized his relationship with God, he “earnestly seeks Him.”—some translations say, “Early will I seek you.” The NASB renders it as “earnestly,” but in a footnote mentions that it literally means “early.” I don’t think the difference is tremendous, in fact, getting up early to seek God just shows how earnest we are when we do it. , states that the “blessed man . . . [delights] in the law of the Lord and on His law, he meditates day and night.” In other words, he meditates on God’s law earnestly.

e. This is a statement of longing and David utilizes his experience in the desert to help express this desire—remember, he has suffered from a lack of hydration in the desert and he has experienced what it is like to not have that need met.

f. Just like the body thirsts for water; so, does his soul for God. It correlates with what the Sons of Korah write, when they state, “As the deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God.”

2. Vs. 2, “So [or thus] I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory.

a. Essentially, because my soul longs after You, I have looked upon you in the sanctuary.

b. This is a memory of worshiping God during a better time. With the same intense desire that David experiences for God in the desert, he had worshiped God in the sanctuary

c. Because of David’s desire for God, he had beheld God’s power and glory.

3. Vs. 3-4, “3Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. 4So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands.”

a. David’s inner worship of God, has resulted in outward praise. Because God’s “steadfast love,” which David states is “better than life” itself, his lips will praise Him and, in His name, David will lift up his hands in worship.

4. In a sense, Vs. 1-4, speaks of a perseverance of faith despite being in terrible situations. Despite everything happening to David, he still seeks for God and he still worships God.

a. And it all stems from his innermost desire for God—because his desire of God is so great, he can state that God’s steadfastness or lovingkindness is better than life itself.

David expresses his inward desire towards God in Vs. 1-4 and in Vs. 5-8, that inward desire is rewarded with satisfaction as we start to see David express this delight that comes in seeking and worshiping God.

Vs. 5-8 with God as our Delight:

1. In Vs. 5, we see a contrast from Vs. 1. Whereas David’s soul thirsts for God and his flesh faints for God in Vs. 1, in Vs. 5, we see his soul satisfied. Vs. 5, “My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food”

a. As much as rich and fat food would satisfy his physically pained and hungered body, so does God satisfy his spiritual thirst.

b. I can’t help but to think of the Samaritan woman in , that Jesus promises her living water that can truly satisfy.

c. It seems clear to me that in David’s seeking of God, that God satisfied or delighted his soul.

d. Because God brings satisfaction or delight, we see David respond with praise, “and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips,” and with meditation on God, Vs. 6, “when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night;”

2. Vs. 7-8, states, “For you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.”

a. The immediate cause of David’s meditation and praise is in the simple fact that God provided safety and support in Him. God was David’s help and strength. So, David stayed close to God and continued to sing praise to Him.

b. In Vs. 8, when David states, “My soul clings to you,” the word rendered as “clings” is similar to the word utilized in to describe how a husband is to hold fast to His wife. In a similar way, David’s soul and in turn our souls should cling to God—it is the only way we can find satisfaction in our souls.

We’ve seen David’s expression of inward desire to God, we’ve seen David finding delight or satisfaction in God, and now we’re going to look at this last section, which may feel a little out of place, but remember that as David is writing this, he is at war with Absalom. Remember that as we read Vs. 9-11.

And Vs. 9-11 with God as our Defense:

9 But those who seek to destroy my life

shall go down into the depths of the earth;

10 they shall be given over to the power of the sword;

they shall be a portion for jackals.

11 But the king shall rejoice in God;

all who swear by him shall exult,

for the mouths of liars will be stopped. [3]

1. David makes this final statement and really, it’s a statement not only about his enemies and himself, but also God.

a. David condemns those who seek to destroy his life to go into the depths of the earth; he states that they will be given over to the power of the sword; they shall be devoured by the jackals—imagine if we sang hymns like this

b. But the point isn’t the judgment that’s coming upon them, it’s actually about the God who is caring for David by enacting justice on those who have lied and has stolen the throne from David.

2. And while you can make the argument that David had to prepare an army for war against Absalom, it seems pretty clear in David’s writings that he was certain that God would handle the war and that God would defend Him.

a. And that really, despite the fact that he is about to go into battle, yet again; the only thing that David has to do, is what Vs. 11, “the king shall rejoice in God.”

So, as we wrap everything up this morning, let’s look at some application:

1. Vs. 1-4 looks at God being our desire

a. And just like David, we ought to be able to make the same statement about God, “Oh God, you are my God,” and while this isn’t necessarily an evangelistic message, the natural question from this verse is, can you say that God is your God? Because the whole purpose of the incarnation of Christ; his death, burial, and resurrection is to bring us into reconciliation and relationship with Him. Is God your God?

b. And if God truly is your God, can you honestly say, “Earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you?”

c. If you’re like me, you can honestly say that in word, yes; that is true, but my actions don’t always show it.

d. David is on the run from someone who stole his throne, and yet he can honestly say, “earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you”

i. And the passage is clear that this mindset started before he started running, because he “looked upon God in the sanctuary and beheld his power and glory”

ii. He earnestly sought God before he was in the wilderness

iii. So, the question is, in your life today, when your life is probably not nearly as difficult as David’s have you made it your priority to earnestly seek God? Have you made it a point to seek after Him above all else?

2. Vs. 5-8 looks at God being our delight or satisfaction

a. David states that his soul will be satisfied as food satisfies the body and that part of this satisfaction is found in praising God, remembering God, and meditating on God.

b. David makes the point that his soul clings to God and this only occurs because he’s taken the time to earnestly seek God.

c. So, my question for you this morning is, are you finding satisfaction in God like the woman at the well who is promised living water or are you still trying to find satisfaction in other things? Absalom tried to find satisfaction in the throne and in stealing from his father, but true satisfaction comes through knowing Jesus Christ.

3. And lastly, Vs. 9-11 looks at God being our defense

a. David shows no concern over the future of his throne in because he was certain that God would take care of him.

b. While we don’t necessarily have a throne to think of, let me remind you that if you truly believe, your future is secure. Jesus has promised a place for us and Jesus keeps His promises.

c. In other words, we have no fear, because the victory is already won and Jesus is the victor.

d. We have comfort in Him because He has already won.

In short, (1) make God a priority in your life, (2) find satisfaction in Him alone, and (3) recognize Jesus as the victor who has already won and find comfort in Him.

[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), .

[2] Derek Kidner, : An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 15, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1973), 242.

[3] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), .