Devotional Thoughts from PSALM 63. Introduction

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1 Devotional Thoughts from PSALM 63 Dr. Bob Abramson Introduction As an important part of my morning devotions, I meditate on Psalm 63. My thoughts in this devotional study were taken from looking into both the New King James and New Living Bible Translations (NKJV and NLT). It s always a few minutes each morning in which I reflect on the relationship all of us as believers have with the Lord. The words of the psalm come from David s heart during a time of danger and stress, after his enemies had driven him into the wilderness of Judah. The psalm provides Old Testament assurance of God s faithfulness and is reinforced by the truths we find in John, Chapter 15, which gives us the New Testament picture of our eternal connection to Christ. He is the Vine. We are the branches. We get our spiritual nourishment, hope and assurance from this connection. When reading Psalm 63, the truths of being connected with Christ boldly present themselves to us. They thematically combine both testaments and seem to shout how dependably strong and wonderful this connection is. John 15:5, 9 (NKJV) I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing {9} As the Father loves me, I also have loved you; abide in my love. John 15:5, 9 (NLT) Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing {9} I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. Let s begin unpacking Psalm 63. In both translations, each of the eleven verses are close in their wording. Their message is the same. Together, the two translations help to make the devotional experience as complete as possible. You will see the incredible spirit of thanksgiving and faith David had in the midst of his trial. He expected God to bring his deliverance. He expressed this in his hunger and thirst for God s presence, power and love. 1

2 New King James Translation A Psalm of David when he was in the wilderness of Judah O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water. Verse 1 NEW LIVING TRANSLATION A psalm of David, regarding a time when David was in the wilderness of Judah. O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water. David begins by recording the cry of his heart, O God, You are my God. This is a statement of affirmation. It s directed toward God, Himself. It is the door opener to what David is about to say. You will see that as we go through the psalm, it s not until the ninth verse that David first mentions his circumstances. He then finishes the rest of the psalm with statements of his faith that God will move on his behalf and bring him safely through. The NLT gives us the remainder of Verse 1 with clarity of emotion that shouts at us. David writes to the Lord, I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water. David has voiced his personal priority, which is to seek God in the dry wearying season of life in which he finds himself. This is an expression far deeper and way beyond the physical circumstances he s in. It s a proclamation of his desire to be in close, active spiritual proximity to God. This is far more important to David than his deliverance from the physical danger he faces. Verse 2 So I have looked for You in the sanctuary To see Your power and Your glory. I have seen you in your sanctuary and gazed upon your power and glory. David reminds God that it has been his habit, before he fled for his life, to go to the tabernacle in the fulfillment of what he has 2

3 proclaimed in Verse 1. In doing this, David has personally and habitually experienced God s power and glory, which is indicative of His presence. The reader may rightly assume that David expects to see the glory again, both in the wilderness and the sanctuary. He has confidence it will be part of his future. We can take a lesson from his words. David s attitude ought to be ours whenever we find ourselves in our own personal wildernesses. Verse 3 Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise you. Your unfailing love is better than life itself; how I praise you! Verse 3 gives us a revealing statement of David s view of God. He says two things that tell God praise will come out of David s mouth, even in his distress - especially in it! The first of these is that God s love is full of kindness and unfailing. That fact should be tremendously encouraging to us because it was uttered before David had seen evidence of this within his current circumstances. The second of these is that David finds more value in God s love and kindness than life. He says they are better than whether his life will be preserved. These statements are a reminder of the faith we find in Job s great statement, Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him. (Job 13:15a NKJV) I wonder if any of us can say the same thing? Verses 4-5 Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. {5} My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips. I will praise you as long as I live, lifting up my hands to you in prayer. {5} You satisfy me more than the richest feast. I will praise you with songs of joy. These verses begin with an interesting theological point. We are blessing the Lord when we lift our hands and praise Him. We often focus on Him blessing us, when it s a far better thing to take the opportunity to bless Him. In David s circumstances (and often 3

4 in ours) praising God is a sacrifice that takes us beyond the realm of our feelings into something far more significant and potentially effective. The writer to the Hebrews 13:14-15 gives this strong theological confirmation and a reason to be as David was. He concludes that in light of eternity, lifting up praise might often be a sacrifice, and it is a far better and completely logical reaction. Hebrews 13:14-15 (NLT) For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come. {15} Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to his name. Verses 6-7 When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches. {7} Because You have been my help, Therefore, in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice. I lie awake thinking of you, meditating on you through the night. {7} Because you are my helper, I sing for joy in the shadow of your wings. When night comes and he is alone, David cannot keep the Lord out of His thoughts. Thinking about God and His goodness toward David keeps him awake long into the night in which he finds great joy. They become times of rejoicing, as he sees himself as covered by the divine wings of God s protection. I can imagine him breaking into song in the silence of the night, hiding in a dark cave. This metaphor of God s wings as the place of God s protection and safety is one we see elsewhere in David s psalms. Psalm 17:8 (NKJV) A Prayer of David Keep me as the apple of Your eye; Hide me under the shadow of Your wings, Psalm 36:7 (NLT) How precious is your unfailing love, O God! All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings. 4

5 Psalm 57:1 (NLT) Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy! I look to you for protection. I will hide beneath the shadow of your wings until the danger passes by. When trouble comes and there seems to be no path to safety, and there is no way out, there is always something we can do. David s example of joy in the midst of his aloneness and the dark that surrounds him should be an encouragement to us. We can embrace the principle to joyfully declare, God is our refuge and fortress, a very present help in trouble. (Psalm 46:1 NKJV) We too, can find shelter under the shadow of His wings. It makes an excellent place from which to joyfully sing of His faithfulness and mercy. This may be hard to do when we are emotionally overwhelmed, but with determination, it s always possible and always secures us from the fears and worries that have tried to ensnare us. When you find yourself in this condition, do your best to praise His wonderful name and declare His faithfulness. It will release His unfailing love and protection, insulating you from the emotions as carrying you through the night. Verse 8 My soul follows close behind You, Your right hand upholds me. I cling to you; your strong right hand holds me securely. David s words paint a picture of much more than just clinging for protection. They present us with the image of valuing someone so highly and loving them so much that there is a felt need to cling tightly to them. It s a picture of dependence and trust. As David was with His Lord, that s how we also should be. In the original Hebrew language, the word for follows close or cling to is dabaq.(דבק) It also means, to catch by pursuit, to abide (as in Jesus words in John 15:5) or to stick to. 1 Can you imagine how David must have pursued and stuck to God in that cave, hiding from Saul? There was nobody else to go to and God was his only choice to whom he could stick to. Verse 8 was the final verse in the psalm in which David declared this. Now he turned to his 1 Strong s Hebrew and Greek Dictionary. 5

6 situation, declaring his faith in God. He expected the supernatural intervention of God. He expected his miracle. So must we, when we find ourselves in the dark places of life. Verses 9-10 But those who seek my life to destroy it, Shall go down into the lower part of the earth. {10} They shall fall by the sword, They shall be a portion for the jackals. But those plotting to destroy me will come to ruin. They will go down into the depths of the earth. {10} They will die by the sword and become the food of jackals. This is a tremendous statement of faith for someone in a precarious position. It has a prophetic quality to it. David is saying that regardless of the seeming advantage his pursuers currently enjoy, God will cancel the odds and intervene in power. David declares his enemies shall be carrion for the scavengers in the field. Some things never change. Until Jesus returns and ushers in His eternal kingdom, there will always be forces of evil arrayed against us. When this happens, trust in God, stay under the shadow of His wings, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. Hallelujah! (Did you just miss a really good opportunity to shout?) Verse 11 But the king shall rejoice in God; Everyone who swears by Him shall glory; But the mouth of those who speak lies shall be stopped. But the king will rejoice in God. All who trust in him will praise him, while liars will be silenced. You will see that the final verse displays the stark contrast between God s response to David s cry of faith and the sure reward He will have for the wicked. From this contrast we can direct our thinking toward the moral principle that God is never going to reward anyone for doing what s wrong, but He always rewards those who do what s right. Though this principle may not 6

7 manifest immediately, it will inevitably show itself for all to see. The question for us becomes, what will we learn from this psalm and the moral lesson it so clearly illustrates? Proverbs 4:26-27 (NKJV) Ponder the path of your feet, And let all your ways be established. {27} Do not turn from the right or the left; Remove your foot from evil. Final Thoughts from David s Heart When David s ordeal in the wilderness was finished (and he was back in power as king) he reflected on the goodness of God. Take a look at David s final verses in Psalm 30. They express not only his heart toward God, but also his dedication to the Lord, who had been so dedicated to Him. We can take what David wrote and look beyond today, knowing that his words will be as valid for us as they were for him. Psalm 30:11-12 (NKJV) You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, {12} To the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever. Psalm 30:11-12 (NLT) You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy, {12} that I might sing praises to you and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever! O Lord our God, we will sing praises to You and not be silent. We will give You thanks forever! That is our prayer. Amen. Blessings, Dr. Bob Abramson 7