i. Click to enable/disable _gid - Google Analytics Cookie. In Psalm 63, we find a deeper understanding of worship, prayer and faith. Psalm 63. b. When faith and hope are most in exercise, the world appears a weary desert, and the believer longs for the joys of heaven, of which he has some foretastes in the ordinances of God upon earth. b 3 I look to you in the sanctuary. Since this psalm was composed from the Wilderness of Judah, there was certainly help David could ask for. b. Because of Ps. A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah. 62:12).” (Kidner), ii. He speaks of himself in the third person, either out of modesty or out of prudence.” (Poole). 63:11, this reflects the thoughts of the King, so … Fellowship must be cultivated.” (Morgan), (c) 2020 The Enduring Word Bible Commentary by David Guzik – ewm@enduringword.com. Yet that is not what David sang of here. My lips shall praise You: In light of David’s experience of God’s great love, he determined to vocally praise God. Reginald Heber's immortal hymn, "Holy, Holy, Holy," memorializes these words in the first stanza. Yet, Psalm 63 has no cry for help but gives thanks and praise for God’s faithfulness in many times when God had been my help for David. It is a “desert song” penned by David while he was in the wilderness of Judah. i. “To dwell with God is better than life at its best; life at ease, in a palace, in health, in honour, in wealth, in pleasure; yea, a thousand lives are not equal to the eternal life which abides in Jehovah’s smile.” (Spurgeon), iv. Click to enable/disable _ga - Google Analytics Cookie. Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refuseing them will have impact how our site functions. Six Aspects to Godly Prayer. “Now you know at what a high rate men value their lives; they will bleed, sweat, vomit, purge, part with an estate, yea, with a limb, yea, limbs, to preserve their lives…. These are indicated in the opening words of the psalm. First, there must be the consciousness of personal relationship, ‘O God, Thou art my God’; and, second, there must be earnest seeking after God: ‘Early will I seek Thee.’ Relationship must be established. According to its title, Psalm 63 was written from the Wilderness of Judah and David was in the wilderness hiding from a conspiracy to kill him. Sep 25, 1983. When this is the regular frame of a believer's mind, he values the loving-kindness of God more than life. Psalm 63 speaks of praise and devotion given to God in gratitude, out of a rich sense of being blessed. 63:9-11). a. (3-6) His dependence upon God, and assurance of safety. When he was in the Desert of Judah. Be thou all in all to us while we remain in the present wilderness state, and bring us home to the everlasting enjoyment of thee for ever. He spoke of the deep satisfaction that comes in a surrendered seeking of God, of receiving His great love, of praising God without reservation. This psalm displays David's love for God in a dry, thirsty, and hard place. Click to enable/disable _gat_* - Google Analytics Cookie. Click to enable/disable Google Analytics tracking. 42:1-4). There were still those who wanted to kill him. But those who seek my life, to destroy it, Psalm 63:8b. The contrast to trusting God is to speak lies; we resort to lies when we don’t trust God. Do you allow a day to pass without converse with God? (Spurgeon, C. H. Lectures to my Students: Commenting and Commentaries)Rosscup adds: This is one of the more thorough older exegetical … “If we have nothing to say about God’s goodness, the probable cause is our want of experience of it.” (Maclaren), ii. In God’s time and in God’s way, David’s enemies did fall by the sword, which has the sense of being killed in battle. Yet it was a promise of God (first expressed in 1 Samuel 16), so by faith David could dare to think of himself as the king, and in that daring faith rejoice in God. Matthew Henry :: Commentary on Psalms 63 ← Back to Matthew Henry's Bio & Resources. to see your power and glory. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. 3 Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. e. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness: David spoke of a satisfaction that too few people know, even among believers. c. My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me: This speaks of the partnership and connection the believer experiences with God. You can also change some of your preferences. He opens the eyes of his understanding with those of his body, and awakes each morning to righteousness. We may request cookies to be set on your device. © 2020 Christianity.com. “He knows that the ‘steadfast love’ of God which he praised in verse 3, is strong with justice (cf. [2] My soul thirsts for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God? But those who seek my life, to destroy it: David’s deep communion with God did not take away his problems. “He knew a pearl of far greater price, namely, the ‘loving-kindness’ of Jehovah, on which is suspended not only the life which now is, but that which is to come.” (Horne), v. Better than life: “Many men have been weary of their lives, as is evident in Scripture and history; but no man was ever yet found that was weary of the love and favour of God.” (Brooks, cited in Spurgeon). How happy will be that last morning, when the believer, awaking up after the Divine likeness, shall be satisfied with all the fulness of God, and praise him with joyful lips, where there is no night, and where sorrow and sighing flee away! “The king; I, who am already anointed king, and who shall be actually king, when these mine enemies are fallen by the sword. David’s soul was close to God, following Him as one followed a Master or Teacher. “Solitude and stillness render the ‘night watches’ a fit season for meditation on the so often experienced mercies of God; which, when thus called to remembrance, become a delicious repast to the spirit, filling it with all joy, and peace, and consolation.” (Horne). 4 Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name. Psalm 98:1 KJV Thou hast a mighty arm: strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand. PSALM 63 * Ardent Longing for God. ii. A Psalm of David, s when he was in the wilderness of Judah. These cookies collect information that is used either in aggregate form to help us understand how our website is being used or how effective our marketing campaigns are, or to help us customize our website and application for you in order to enhance your experience. 1. foreigners. Commentary on Psalm 63:7-11 (Read Psalm 63:7-11) True Christians can, in some measure, and at some times, make use of the strong language of David, but too commonly our souls cleave to the dust. God's loving-kindness is our spiritual life, and that is better than temporal life. I don’t mean just saying prayers that are not spawned from the heart, of course. O God, thou art my God; — Read that sentence how you will, it is unspeakably precious. Psalm 63. Psalm 63: Prayer is the breath of our relationship of God. They shall fall by the sword; David was in continual danger; care and fear held his eyes waking, and gave him wearisome nights; but he comforted himself with thoughts of God. John Piper Sep 25, 1983 126 Shares God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him Learn more about Desiring God Desiring God. It is a clear and judicious explanation of the text, and cannot be dispensed with. Changes will take effect once you reload the page. Most commentators believe it to belong either to David’s wilderness years before he came to the throne of Israel, or to his brief exile from the throne in the rebellion of Absalom. Let there be no needless space between the Master and thee.” (Meyer). b. Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice. Because You have been my help: Many of David’s psalms are simple cries for help. Having committed ourselves to God, we must be easy and pleased, and quiet from the fear of evil. For you my body yearns; for you my soul thirsts, In a land parched, lifeless, and without water. This Psalm does not admonish others but describes a personal search for a deep, personal relationship with God (cf. “Lift up my hands”: As an Old … My soul follows close behind You; Early will I seek thee. The absence of prayer shows that we are spiritually dead. The connection expressed by my soul follows close is truly close. (1,2) His satisfaction in God. Click to enable/disable essential site cookies. The true Christian devotes to God the morning hour. These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features. WORD AND PHRASE STUDY. “Jackals make sense here, rather than the ‘foxes’ of some older translations (one Hebrew word serves for both). This is the KJV rendition of this clause; and we have chosen it here because of the long traditions associated with this rendition. Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty! i. it is you I seek! Otherwise you will be prompted again when opening a new browser window or new a tab. 3 Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. David's desire toward God. f. When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches: David thought that there were not enough hours in the day to think upon God’s greatness and goodness. i. We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. b. Now, though life be so dear and precious to a man, yet a deserted soul prizes the returnings of divine favour upon him above life, yea, above many lives.” (Brooks, cited in Spurgeon), iii. Matthew Henry’s Bible Commentary (concise), Matthew Henry Bible Commentary (complete), California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. i. i. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. It is a wise advice which bids us regard rather what is said than who says it, and there are few regions in which the counsel is more salutary than at present in the study of the Old Testament, and especially the Psalms. Psalm 63:1-8 The Morning Hymn Psalm 63 holds a high place in the history of Christianity. As the sweetest of Paul’s epistles were those that bore date out of a prison, so some of the sweetest of David’s psalms were those that were penned, as this was, in a wilderness. A song of David when he was in the desert of Judah. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site. “Two things are necessary for such triumph as this. a. The psalmist doubts not but that though now sowing in tears, he should reap in joy. Our website uses cookies to store user preferences. Because of verse 11, this reflects the thoughts of the King, so they may be. “May I ask a question of every professed Christian? 63 O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; 2 To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. Having committed ourselves to God, we must be easy and pleased, and quiet from the fear of evil. Those that follow hard after God, would soon fail, if God's right hand did not uphold them. This was probably written while David was fleeing from Absalom; certainly at the time he wrote it he was king (Psalms 63:11), and hard pressed by those who sought his life. Spurgeon noted that we should not limit our thanks and praise to such seasons: “Even when our heart is rather desiring than enjoying we should still continue to magnify the Most High, for his love is truly precious; even if we do not personally, for the time being, happen to be rejoicing in it. Check to enable permanent hiding of message bar and refuse all cookies if you do not opt in. A portion for jackals: “If the body of a human being were to be left on the ground, the jackals would certainly leave but little traces of it; and in the olden times of warfare, they must have held high revelry in the battle-fields after the armies had retired. O sing unto the Lord a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory. They shall be a portion for jackals. Please see our Privacy Policy for cookie usage details. Ps. By proceeding, you consent to our cookie usage. A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah. We need 2 cookies to store this setting. But the king shall rejoice in God: David was not yet on Israel’s throne and that promise still waited many years for fulfillment. Messiah the Prince shall rejoice in God; he is already entered into the joy set before him, and his glory will be completed at his second coming. d. I will lift up my hands in Your name: The lifting of the hands was not only the common posture of prayer among the ancient Hebrews, it was especially appropriate for praise. This was probably written while David was fleeing from Absalom; certainly at the time he wrote it he was king (Ps 63:11), and hard pressed by those who sought his life. Psalm 63 allows us to peer into the heart of this man after God’s own Praising lips must be joyful lips. Your right hand upholds me. Chapter 63 This psalm has in it as much of warmth and lively devotion as any of David’s psalms in so little a compass. You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. Other times it has the idea of presence, as in the wings of the cherubim that surround the throne of God. 1 A psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah. One of these paths has a future of glory and the other path will be stopped. The Story of Psalm 63 The Church has used this as a morning song for hundreds of years. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer. We must praise God with joyful lips; we must address ourselves to the duties of religion with cheerfulness, and speak forth the praises of God from a principle of holy joy. A Psalm of David, it is traditionally attributed to being written in the wilderness of Judea, when David and those loyal to him were caused to flee Jerusalem during the rebellion against him … Everyone who swears by Him shall glory; David thought that he would be ungrateful and rude to not praise and thank the God who loved him so greatly. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. a. Here the idea of presence seems to best fit the context. It displayed the anticipation of gratefully receiving from God, and the sense of surrender to Him. Even in affliction we need not want matter for praise. C. Like so many Psalms there is an aspect of tension with enemies (cf. Psalm 63 - A psalm of David. If you do not want that we track your visit to our site you can disable tracking in your browser here: We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. When is the last time you longed for something or someone? Psalms 63:1-11 This Psalm, with its passion of love and mystic rapture, is a monument for us of how the writer's sorrows had brought to him a closer union with God, as our sorrows may do for us, like some treasure washed to our feet by a stormy sea. We ought not to make our praises of God to depend upon our own personal and present reception of benefits; this would be mere selfishness: even publicans and sinners have a good word for those whose hands are enriching them with gifts; it is the true believer only who will bless the Lord when he takes away his gifts or hides his face.” (Spurgeon). For jackals anticipation of gratefully receiving from God, following him as one followed a Master Teacher! Us and comforts us tears, he values the loving-kindness of God they shall fall by the sword they. God when his creatures praised him and thanked him appropriately hard place look for you my body yearns ; you... 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