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May The Words I Speak Be Pleasing To You In Silence And Honor

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What You Learn From Your Parents Shows Honor

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I Wait Patiently For God

VERSE OF THE DAY

Psalm 62:1 (New Living Translation)

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For Jeduthun, the choir director: A psalm of David.

I wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from him.

Psalm 62 1

My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

My soul finds peace in God alone; for by him I am and have been saved by his death upon the cross and his risen into life. He alone is my strong tower rock and salvation I will not be moved

What Does Psalm 62:1 Mean? ►

My soul waits in silence for God only; From Him is my salvation.

Psalm 62:1(NASB)

Verse Thoughts

David, the man after God’s own heart was beset by difficulties and dangers and encompassed about by many enemies and those that would seek his life to destroy him, but David’s confidence was in the Lord, Who was his Rock and his Salvation, his Defender and his mighty Fortress.

Like so many of David’s psalms, the clarion call of this canticle is that God alone is the source and sphere of David’s need.. and God alone has the right to demand our own undivided trust and worship.. for God alone is our salvation and strength.. He alone is our rock of defense.. our Shepherd and King; our Lord and our Life – our Way, our End and our God.

Like David we must secure our undivided confidence in the Lord our God, for He alone is the foundation upon which our hope is established, our source of supply, our fountain of grace and from Him alone flow rivers of living water. God alone is the only One in Whom our trust must be continuously founded – for He alone is worthy.

And so despite the difficulties and dangers that encompassed king David and in spite of the enemies that would seek his life to destroy him, David.. the man after God’s own heart waited in silence for God – for he knew that in quietness and in confidence is our strength, for Salvation is from the Lord and He alone is the one upon whom we must depend.

What a testimony of David’s dependence on the Lord.. that according to Jedudthun, one of the king’s chief musical directors in Israel – David in the midst of profound difficulty and distress waited in quiet confidence, on the Lord his God.

May our soul also wait in silence for God – for from

Source: https://dailyverse.knowing-jesus.com/psalm-62-1

Psalm 62 – My Only Rock, My Only Salvation

The title of this psalm is To the Chief Musician. To Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.

The Chief Musician is thought by some to be the Lord GOD Himself, and others suppose him to be a leader of choirs or musicians in David’s time, such as Heman the singer or Asaph (1 Chronicles 6:33, 16:5-7, and 25:6).

Jeduthun (mentioned also in the titles of Psalms 39 and 77) was one of the musicians appointed by David to lead Israel’s public worship (1 Chronicles 16:41; 25:1-3). Charles Spurgeon wrote regarding Jeduthun: “The sons of Jeduthun were porters or doorkeepers, according to 1 Chronicles 16:42. Those who serve well make the best of singers, and those who occupy the highest posts in the choir must not be ashamed to wait at the posts of the doors of the Lord’s house.”

A. Waiting upon God, who is my rock and defense.

1. (1-2) David’s soul silently waits for God.

Truly my soul silently waits for God;

From Him comes my salvation.

He only is my rock and my salvation;

He is my defense;

I shall not be greatly moved.

a. Truly my soul silently waits for God: The emphasis in this line is of surrendered silence before God and God alone. The word truly is often translated alone or only and seems to have that sense here.

i. “It is hard to see this in the English text, because the Hebrew is almost untranslatable, but in the Hebrew text the word only or alone occurs five times in the first eight verses (in verses 1, 2, 4, 5, 6), and once in verse 9.” (Boice) Kidner said of this Hebrew word ak, “It is an emphasizer, to underline a statement or to point to a contrast; its insistent repetition gives the psalm a tone of special earnestness.”

ii. “The words have all been said – or perhaps no words will come – and the issue rests with Him alone.” (Kidner)

iii. “The natural mind is ever prone to reason, when we ought to believe; to be at work, when we ought to be quiet; to go our own way, when we ought steadily to walk on in God’s ways.” (Müller, cited in Spurgeon)

iv. “This is why God keeps you waiting. All that is of self and nature must be silence; one voice after another cease to boast; one light after another be put out; until the soul is shut up to God alone.” (Meyer)

b. From Him comes my salvation: In many psalms David began by telling his great need or describing his present crisis. Here, David began by declaring his great confidence in and trust upon God.

i. Psalm 62 seems to come from a time of trouble, yet it asks God for nothing. It is full of faith and trust, but has no fear, no despair, and no petition.

ii. “There is in it throughout not one single word (and this is a rare occurrence), in which the prophet expresses fear or dejection; and there is also no prayer in it, although, on other occasions, when in danger, he never omits to pray.” (Amyraut, cited in Spurgeon)

c. He only is my rock and my salvation: David trusted in God alone for his strength and stability. The description is of a man completely focused upon God for His help, firmly resolved to look nowhere else.

i. “Because God only is our Rock, let us ever be silent only for God.” (Morgan)

ii. He is my defense: Or, fortress. “The tried believer not only abides in God as in a cavernous rock; but dwells in him as Warrior in some bravely defiant tower or lordly castle.” (Spurgeon)

2. (3-4) David complains to his enemies and of his enemies.

How long will you attack a man?

You shall be slain, all of you,

Like a leaning wall and a tottering fence.

They only consult to cast him down from his high position;

They delight in lies;

They bless with their mouth,

But they curse inwardly. Selah

a. How long will you attack a man: David’s faith was in God alone, but he had words for his enemies. He rebuked them for their crazy persistence in attacking him, and warned them of judgment to come (you shall be slain).

b. Like a leaning wall and a tottering fence: David’s image is clear enough, but there is disagreement among translators and commentators as to whom this applies. The New King James Version presents the opponents of David as the leaning wall and a tottering fence. Others think that David himself was the leaning wall, in his weakness unfairly set upon by his enemies.

i. Spurgeon gave the sense of the first: “Boastful persecutors bulge and swell with pride, but they are only as a bulging wall ready to fall in a heap; they lean forward to seize their prey, but it is only as a tottering fence inclines to the earth upon which it will soon lie at length.” (Spurgeon)

ii. The English Standard Version gives the second sense: How long will all of you attack a man to batter him, like a leaning wall, a tottering fence.

c. They only consult to cast him down: David described his enemies as those who only think through a matter if it involves bringing down a man of God. They were liars, especially in the sense of being two-faced (they bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly).

3. (5-7) David’s calm confidence in God alone.

My soul, wait silently for God alone,

For my expectation is from Him.

He only is my rock and my salvation;

He is my defense;

I shall not be moved.

In God is my salvation and my glory;

The rock of my strength,

And my refuge, is in God.

a. My soul, wait silently for God alone: In the opening lines of the psalm, David said that this was the state of his soul. Here he spoke to his soul, telling it to remain in that place of trust in and surrender to God. David’s complete expectation was upon God.

i. “David now urges on himself the silence which he simply stated in verse 1.” (Kidner)

ii. For God alone: “They trust not God at all who trust him not alone. He that stands with one foot on a rock, and another foot upon a quicksand, will sink and perish, as certainly as he that standeth with both feet upon a quicksand. David knew this, and therefore calleth earnestly upon his soul (for his business lay most within doors) to trust only upon God.” (Trapp)

b. He only is my rock and my salvation: David assured himself by repeating the lines from Psalm 62:2. It was true for David and he wanted it to remain true.

i. He is my defense: “Not my defender only, but my actual protection.” (Spurgeon)

c. I shall not be moved: David repeated the idea from Psalm 62:2, but with this small variation. In verse 2 he wrote, I shall not be greatly moved. In this verse he seems to come to an even stronger position: I shall not be moved.

i. “There may be deep meaning in the slight omission of ‘greatly’ in the second refrain. Confidence has grown.” (Maclaren)

d. My refuge is in God: The emphasis again reflects David’s decision to trust in nothing or no one else. God alone is his salvation, his glory, his rock, his strength, and his refuge. We sense David was tempted to trust many different things, but he refused and kept his expectation in God alone.

i. “Observe how the Psalmist brands his own initials upon every name which he rejoicingly gives to his God – my expectation, my rock, my salvation, my glory, my strength, my refuge; he is not content to know that the Lord is all these things; he acts in faith towards him, and lays claim to him under every character.” (Spurgeon)

B. David teaches others and teaches himself.

1. (8) Teaching the people to trust in God.

Trust in Him at all times, you people;

Pour out your heart before Him;

God is a refuge for us. Selah

a. Trust in Him at all times, you people: David felt what was good for him was good for others, also. As a leader of God’s people he spoke wisdom to them, reminding them that God was worthy at all times of their trust in Him.

i. “The comforts which David had found, he exhorteth others to seek, in faith and prayer.” (Spurgeon)

b. Pour out your heart before Him: God’s strength and stability made David rightly think of Him as a rock. Yet God was not insensitive or unfeeling like a rock. God invites His people to pour out their heart – their sorrows, their joys, their trust, and their doubt, all of it – before Him.

i. “Pour it out as water. Not as milk, whose colour remains. Not as wine, whose savour remains. Not as honey, whose taste remains. But as water, of which, when it is poured out, nothing remains.” (Le Blanc, cited in Spurgeon)

c. God is a refuge for us: He welcomes the poured-out heart as the cities of refuge welcomed the hunted man in ancient Israel.

2. (9-10) Teaching the people what not to trust in.

Surely men of low degree are a vapor,

Men of high degree are a lie;

If they are weighed on the scales,

They are altogether lighter than vapor.

Do not trust in oppression,

Nor vainly hope in robbery;

If riches increase,

Do not set your heart on them.

a. Surely men of low degree are a vapor, men of high degree are a lie: This psalm speaks much of trusting in God alone. Now David explained why it was important to not set trust in man. David understood that whether they are men of low degree or high degree, they are altogether lighter than vapor. There is no substance there worthy of trust.

i. “Common men can give no help. They are vanity, and it is folly to trust in them; for although they may be willing, yet they have no ability to help you: ‘Rich men are a lie.’ They promise much, but perform nothing; they cause you to hope, but mock your expectation.” (Clarke)

ii. However, it is possible that David did not intend the reader to understand a distinction between men of low degree and men of high degree; it may simply be an expression of Hebrew poetic repetition and parallelism. “The distinction of ‘lowborn men’ and ‘the highborn’ is based on the different words for ‘man’ in the MT [Masoretic Text]: adam and ish (62:9; cf. 49:2). But it is equally possible to treat both [parts] of 62:9 as a general reference to mankind: ‘mankind is but a breath; mankind is but a lie.’” (VanGemeren)

iii. “The point, then, is not so much that we have nothing to fear from man (as in Psalm 27:1ff.), as that we have nothing to hope from him.” (Kidner)

b. Do not trust in oppression, nor vainly hope in robbery: David had seen men advance through cruel or dishonest ways. He warned the people against this, understanding that the results never justify the evil used to get the results.

c. If riches increase, do not set your heart on them: As a king, David ended up being a very wealthy man, though most of his earlier years were lived in deep poverty. David knew what it was to see riches increase, and he knew the foolishness of setting one’s heart on them. It’s possible to hold great wealth without trusting in those riches, but it isn’t easy.

i. “If they grow in an honest, providential manner, as the result of industry or commercial success, do not make much account of the circumstance; be not unduly elated, do not fix your love upon your money-bags.” (Spurgeon)

ii. There are at least three ways in which one may set the heart on riches.

· To take excessive pleasure in riches, making them the source of joy for life.

· To place one’s hope and security in riches.

· To grow proud and arrogant because of riches.

iii. “Whether rightly or wrongly won, they are wrongly used if they are trusted in.” (Maclaren)

iv. “Riches are themselves transient things; therefore they should have but our transient thoughts.” (Caryl, cited in Spurgeon)

v. “As we must not rest in men, so neither must we repose in money. Gain and fame are only so much foam of the sea.” (Spurgeon)

vi. “1 Timothy 6:17ff. may be alluding to this verse in its own careful treatment of the subject.” (Kidner)

3. (11-12) Teaching himself about God’s power and mercy.

God has spoken once,

Twice I have heard this:

That power belongs to God.

Also to You, O Lord, belongs mercy;

For You render to each one according to his work.

a. God has spoken once, twice I have heard this: that power belongs to God: This truth was deeply ingrained in David’s soul. Through repetition he understood that power belongs to God and to none other. This is why David was so determined to trust in God and God alone.

i. Since power belongs to God, David refused to look for strength anywhere else. Since power belongs to God, David did not long for power unto himself. Since power belongs to God, David did not become arrogant as a ruler, knowing any power he held was as God’s representative.

b. Also to You, O Lord, belongs mercy: Gratefully, David understood that God’s nature was much more than power. He also is rich in mercy. Just as men could and should look to God for power, so they should look to Him for mercy.

i. Mercy translates one of the great words of the Old Testament, hesed. It may perhaps be better translated as love, lovingkindness, or loyal love. David knew power belongs to God, but that God is a God of love who is loyal and good to His people.

ii. “The second attribute used to be translated ‘mercy’, but verse 12 makes it particularly clear that this word (hesed) has its basis in what is true and dependable. It is closely linked with covenant-keeping, hence the modern translations, steadfast love or ‘true love.’” (Kidner)

iii. “David says that he has learned two lessons: that God is strong and that God is loving.” (Boice)

iv. This meant that David had no expectation of mercy from man. If it came he was pleased, but he knew that ultimately this great covenant love [mercy] belonged to God.

v. “This tender attribute sweetens the grand thought of his power: the divine strength will not crush us, but will be used for our good; God is so full of mercy that it belongs to him, as if all the mercy in the universe came from God, and still was claimed by him as his possession.” (Spurgeon)

vi. “This is the only truly worthy representation of God. Power without love is brutality, and love without power is weakness. Power is the strong foundation of love, and love is the beauty and the crown of power.” (Perowne, cited in Boice)

vii. “The power of God is more than the strength of the adversaries; the mercy of God is equal to dealing with all the need of the failing soul.” (Morgan)

c. For You render to each one according to his work: We don’t normally think of this as an expression of God’s mercy. In some ways it sounds more like God’s judgment. Yet David had in mind the good man or woman whose goodness is despised by this world. The God of mercy would reward their goodness (even on a relative measure) as the world ignored or rejected it.

i. “Man neither helps us nor rewards us; God will do both.” (Spurgeon)

ii. “To all mankind, therefore, the prophet here recommendeth meditation on these two most interesting subjects; the ‘power’ of God to punish sin, and his ‘mercy’ to pardon it. Fear of the former will beget desire of the later.” (Horne)

My Soul Longs For You

Psalm 63 1

✓ O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.

To seek God mean to orient themselves to God and to pursue God rather than other goals. … Love for God means not only obedience but desire for God—a yearning to know God, a longing to see God.Aug 31, 2011

I yearn for you faithfully in a desolate land I have trusted you.

Because your love is better than life, my lips will praise you fervently.

Psalm 63 – Love Better than Life

The title of this psalm is, A Psalm of David when he was in the wilderness of Judah. 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. The wilderness years when hunted by King Saul are preferred, but not held with absolute certainty.

Charles Spurgeon added a note of interest: “Chrysostom tells us that among the primitive Christians it was decreed and ordained that no day should pass without the public singing of this psalm.”

A. Praise from the wilderness.

1. (1-2) David’s thirst for God.

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.

So I have looked for You in the sanctuary,

To see Your power and Your glory.

a. O God, You are my God: This may seem like senseless repetition, a tautology. It is not; David declared to Elohim that He was David’s El, David’s God in the most fundamental sense. In a day when pagans thought there were many gods and each nation had their own gods, David sweeps such ideas aside and proclaimed his allegiance to Elohim.

i. “The simplicity and boldness of Thou art my God is the secret of all that follows, since this relationship is the heart of the covenant, from the patriarchs to the present day (Genesis 17:8c; Hebrews 8:10c).” (Kidner)

b. Early will I seek You: Appreciating God as God, it is entirely reasonable to seek Him, and to seek Him as a priority of the day. The thirst of David’s soul demanded to be satisfied early in the day.

i. “What first lays hold of the heart in the morning is likely to occupy the place all the day. First impressions are the most durable, because there is not a multitude of ideas to drive them out, or prevent them from being deeply fixed in the moral feeling.” (Clarke)

ii. “The word ‘early’ has not only the sense of early in the morning, but that of eagerness, immediateness. He who truly longs for God longs for him now.” (Spurgeon)

iii. My flesh longs for You: “Longeth; or, languisheth, or pineth away. The desire of my soul after thee is so vehement and insatiable, that my very body feels the effects of it, as it commonly doth of all great passions.” (Poole)

iv. “Most people do not even know that it is God their souls truly desire. They are seeking satisfaction in other things.” (Boice)

c. So I have looked for You in the sanctuary: David sought God at the tabernacle as earnestly as a thirsty man looks for water in a dry and thirsty land. The Wilderness of Judah is largely desert, so this was a picture of longing that came easily to David’s mind.

i. “There was no desert in his heart, though there was a desert around him.” (Spurgeon)

ii. In a dry and thirsty land: “Learn from this, and do not say, ‘I will get into communion with God when I feel better,’ but long for communion now. It is one of the temptations of the devil to tell you not to pray when you do not feel like praying. Pray twice as much then.” (Spurgeon)

d. To see Your power and Your glory: David sought God at the tabernacle to connect in some way with God’s power and glory. Significantly, David was not at the tabernacle when he sang this song; he was in the Wilderness of Judah. Yet he knew that’s God’s sanctuary was not only a place, but also a spiritual concept that could be entered by faith no matter where a person was.

i. “Our misery is that we thirst so little for these sublime things, and so much for the mocking trifles of time and sense.” (Spurgeon)

2. (3-6) The greatness of God’s love stirs praise.

Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,

My lips shall praise You.

Thus I will bless You while I live;

I will lift up my hands in Your name.

My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness,

And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.
When I remember You on my bed,

I meditate on You in the night watches.

a. Because Your lovingkindness is better than life: This is the reason why David was so motivated to pursue God. The lovingkindness (hesed) of God was better, more meaningful to David, than life itself. This means that David both knew and experienced something of God’s lovingkindness that many believers today do not know and experience.

· People regard life as natural; David regarded God’s great love as natural.

· People enjoy life; David enjoyed God’s great love.

· People value life; David valued God’s great love.

· People will sacrifice to live; David would sacrifice for God’s great love.

· People want to give life to others; David wanted to give God’s great love.

· People despair without the sense of life; David despaired without the sense of God’s great love.

i. Life and literature are filled with people who loved someone or something more than their own life, and it could be said of them that they held love better than life. Yet that is not what David sang of here. David meant that the love of God to him was more precious than his own life.

ii. “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…. 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. “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. “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)

b. My lips shall praise You: In light of David’s experience of God’s great love, he determined to vocally praise God. David thought that he would be ungrateful and rude to not praise and thank the God who loved him so greatly.

i. “If we have nothing to say about God’s goodness, the probable cause is our want of experience of it.” (Maclaren)

ii. “May I ask a question of every professed Christian? Have you spoken with God this morning? Do you allow a day to pass without converse with God? Can it be right for us to treat the Lord with mute indifference?” (Spurgeon)

iii. Psalm 63 speaks of praise and devotion given to God in gratitude, out of a rich sense of being blessed. 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. 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)

c. Thus I will bless You: David did not mean this in the sense that a greater person bestows a blessing on a lesser. David meant this in the sense that it blessed and honored God when His creatures praised Him and thanked Him appropriately.

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. It displayed the anticipation of gratefully receiving from God, and the sense of surrender to Him.

e. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness: David spoke of a satisfaction that too few people know, even among believers. He spoke of the deep satisfaction that comes in a surrendered seeking of God, of receiving His great love, of praising God without reservation.

i. “There is in the love of God a richness, a sumptuousness, a fulness of soul-filling joy, comparable to the richest food with which the body can be nourished.” (Spurgeon)

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. Therefore he also used the night watches to meditate upon God.

i. Night watches: “An expression which stresses the slow progress of the hours.” (Kidner)

ii. “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)

B. Thankful confidence in God.

1. (7-8) Thanks for help already given.

Because You have been my help,

Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.

My soul follows close behind You;

Your right hand upholds me.

a. Because You have been my help: Many of David’s psalms are simple cries for help. Since this psalm was composed from the Wilderness of Judah, there was certainly help David could ask for. 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.

b. Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice: The idea of the shelter of shadow of God’s wings is repeated many times in the psalms. Sometimes it has the idea of protection, as a mother bird shelters her young chicks. Other times it has the idea of presence, as in the wings of the cherubim that surround the throne of God. Here the idea of presence seems to best fit the context.

c. My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me: This speaks of the partnership and connection the believer experiences with God. David’s soul was close to God, following Him as one followed a Master or Teacher. God responded with care and strength for David, upholding him with His mighty right hand (the hand of skill and strength).

i. My soul follows close: “Press toward the mark. Let there be no needless space between the Master and thee.” (Meyer)

ii. The connection expressed by my soul follows close is truly close. The words translated follows close have the sense of joining or gluing together, as in Genesis 2:24.

iii. “The primary sense of [the Hebrew word is] to glue together; from thence it signifies figuratively to associate, to adhere to, to be united with; and particularly to be firmly united with strong affection.” (Chandler, cited in Spurgeon)

2. (9-10) Trust despite the trouble.

But those who seek my life, to destroy it,

Shall go into the lower parts of the earth.

They shall fall by the sword;

They shall be a portion for jackals.

a. But those who seek my life, to destroy it: David’s deep communion with God did not take away his problems. There were still those who wanted to kill him. 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.

b. They shall fall by the sword: David trusted God to deal with his enemies, especially with King Saul. 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.

i. “He knows that the ‘steadfast love’ of God which he praised in verse 3, is strong with justice (cf. 62:12).” (Kidner)

ii. 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. It is to this propensity of the jackal that David refers – himself a man of war, who had fought on many a battle-field, and must have seen the carcasses of the slain mangled by these nocturnal prowlers.” (Wood, cited in Spurgeon)

iii. “Jackals make sense here, rather than the ‘foxes’ of some older translations (one Hebrew word serves for both). They are the final scavengers, consuming the remains of the kill rejected by the larger beasts.” (Kidner)

3. (11) The king’s confidence.

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.

a. But the king shall rejoice in God: David was not yet on Israel’s throne and that promise still waited many years for fulfillment. 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.

i. “The king; I, who am already anointed king, and who shall be actually king, when these mine enemies are fallen by the sword. He speaks of himself in the third person, either out of modesty or out of prudence.” (Poole)

b. Everyone who swears by Him shall glory; but the mouth of those who speak lies shall be stopped: The sense of swears by Him is to trust in God and place one’s confident love in Him; men normally take oaths upon what they hold dear. The contrast to trusting God is to speak lies; we resort to lies when we don’t trust God. One of these paths has a future of glory and the other path will be stopped.

i. “Two things are necessary for such triumph as this. 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. Fellowship must be cultivated.” (Morgan)

If you had to pick a single word to describe our society, perhaps the most accurate word would be pressure. We live in a day marked by pressure in almost every area of life. At five years old we are thrust into school where there is pressure to perform and to compete for grades. We join athletic teams where there is more pressure to excel. We face the pressure of getting into college and once we’re there, of making it through. Then there is the pressure of getting a good job and, once we get it, of doing well enough to keep it and be promoted.

There are family pressures: finding the right mate and building a solid marriage in a culture where divorce is easy and accepted. There are the pressures of raising godly children in our pagan society. World problems, economic problems, personal problems, and the problems of friends and loved ones all press upon us.

In the midst of such pressures, there is one thing that will determine the course of your life: your priorities. Everyone has a set of priorities. If your priorities are not clearly defined, you will be swept downstream in life by various pressures, the seeming victim of your circumstances. But if your priorities are clear, then you can respond to your pressures by making choices in line with your priorities, and thereby give direction to your life.

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Thus it is crucial that you have the right priorities. Your priorities determine how you spend your time, with whom you spend your time, and how you make decisions. Your priorities keep you from being battered around by the waves of pressure and help you to steer a clear course toward the proper destination. Priorities—godly priorities—are crucial!

King David was a man who knew what it meant to live under pressure. As the king of Israel, he knew the pressures of leadership. The higher and more responsible the leadership position, the greater are the pressures. And David knew the pressure of problems. During his reign, his son, Absalom, led a rebellion against him. David and his loyal followers had to flee for their lives. During that time David spent a short while in the northeastern portion of the wilderness of Judah before he crossed over the Jordan River. In that barren land, fleeing for his life from his own son, feeling disgraced and rejected, with an uncertain future, David penned Psalm 63.

It is one of the most well-loved psalms. John Chrysostom (347-407) wrote “that it was decreed and ordained by the primitive [church] fathers, that no day should pass without the public singing of this Psalm.” He also observed that “the spirit and soul of the whole Book of Psalms is contracted into this Psalm” (cited by J. J. Stewart Perowne, The Book of Psalms, [Zondervan], p. 486). In fact, the ancient church had the practice of beginning the singing of the Psalms at each Sunday service with Psalm 63, called “the morning hymn” (Commentary on the Old Testament, C. F. Keil & Franz Delitzsch, [Eerdmans], p. 212).

Psalm 63 shows us the priority of this man of God under pressure. If you or I were under the kinds of pressure David faced at this point in his life, I doubt if we would be writing songs. If we did, the song would probably contain a lot of urgent requests: “Help, God! Get me out of here!” David did write a song like that (Psalm 3). But it is interesting that Psalm 63 contains no petition (Perowne, p. 487). David expresses longing for God’s presence, praise, joy, fellowship with God, confidence in God’s salvation. But there is not one word of asking for temporal or even spiritual blessings. Derek Kidner (Psalms 1-72 [IVP], pp. 224-226) nicely outlines it as “God my desire” (1-4); “God my delight” (5-8); and, “God my defense” (9-11). The psalm shows us that David’s priority was to seek the Lord.

Seeking after God should be our most important priority.

No matter what pressures come into your life, you will be able to handle them properly if you maintain this one priority above all else: Earnestly seek after God! I want to answer from Psalm 63 three questions about seeking after God:

1. What does it mean to seek after God?

2. What does the person look like who seeks after God?

3. How does a person seek after God?

1. What does it mean to seek after God?

Psalm 63 allows us to peer into the heart of this man after God’s own heart. It’s an emotional psalm, coming out of the depths of David’s life, and it would be an injustice to pick the psalm apart while missing the feeling that it conveys. But while keeping the depth of feeling in mind, it is helpful to separate out three strands of what it means to seek after God:

A. TO SEEK AFTER GOD MEANS TO HAVE AN INTIMATE PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD (63:1).

“O God, You are my God.” David knew God in an intimate, personal way. There is a vast difference between knowing about a person and actually knowing that person. You can learn a lot about President Obama. You can read news articles and books on his life. You can learn all about his personality, his personal habits, and his family life. But it is still not the same as knowing him personally.

To know the President personally would require an introduction or occasion to meet, and then spending hours with him over a long period of time in many situations. As the relationship developed you would begin to discover more and more about the man, not from an academic standpoint, but as a close friend.

That’s how it must be with God, if you want to seek Him. There must have been a time when you met Him personally through Jesus Christ. Jesus said (John 17:3), “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.” Your introduction to God comes when you turn from your sin to God and trust in Jesus Christ and His death on your behalf. He gives you eternal life as His free gift.

And then you must develop your relationship by spending time with your new Friend through the weeks and months and years in a variety of situations. “Seeking after God” means that you are seeking to develop an intimate relationship with the God whom you have met personally through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

B. TO SEEK AFTER GOD MEANS ALWAYS TO DESIRE MORE OF HIM (63:1).

David said, “I shall seek you earnestly; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh yearns for You….” Didn’t David have the Lord? Yes, because he calls Him “my God.” But he wanted more. He wanted to go deeper. He was satisfied (63:5), but he wasn’t satisfied. He knew that there was more and his whole being craved it as a thirsty man in the desert craves for water.

The word translated “seek earnestly” is related etymologically to the word for “dawn,” and thus some translations have “seek early.” But most commentators agree that the word means earnestly, ardently, or diligently. It was used of wild donkeys looking eagerly for food. The point is, to seek after God means to go after God with an intense desire.

A young man ran after Socrates, calling, “Socrates, Socrates, can I be your disciple?” Socrates ignored him and walked out into the water. The man followed him and repeated the question. Socrates turned and without a word grabbed the young man and dunked him under the water and held him down until he knew that he couldn’t take it any longer. The man came up gasping for air. Socrates replied, “When you desire the truth as much as you seek air, you can be my disciple.”

How much do you desire to know God? A. W. Tozer, in his devotional classic, The Pursuit of God ([Christian Publications], pp. 15, 17), wrote,

Come near to the holy men and women of the past and you will soon feel the heat of their desire after God. They mourned for Him, they prayed and wrestled and sought for Him day and night, in season and out, and when they had found Him, the finding was all the sweeter for the long seeking…. Complacency is a deadly foe of all spiritual growth.

To seek after God means that there is always more, because God is an infinite person. If you figure that you’ve reached a level of maturity in your Christian life where you can put it in neutral and coast, you’re in trouble! David had walked with God for years, but he thirsted for more.

C. TO SEEK AFTER GOD MEANS TO PURSUE GOD ALONE TO FILL THE VACUUM IN YOUR LIFE.

Many of us remember the day President Nixon resigned over the Watergate scandal. One day he was the leader of the most powerful nation on earth. The next day, he flew off into oblivion and disgrace. Even if we thought he deserved what happened to him, we could still identify with the emptiness, the shame, the wave of depression which must have enveloped Mr. Nixon.

David was there. He has fled from the throne. He left his possessions and his wives behind him. His own son whom he loved was attempting to kill him. And yet in all of this, David wasn’t seeking for any of those things to fill the vacuum in his life. He wasn’t praying, “O God, give me my wives back. Give me my palace back. Give me my kingdom back.” But rather, he prayed, “I shall seek You”; “my soul thirsts for You”; “my flesh yearns for You”; “Your love is better than life.” What amazing statements!

The fact is, it’s easy to fill your life with things other than God. They may be good things, but they are not God, and God alone can satisfy your soul. For example, many people fill their lives with family and friends. On Sunday, they usually give God an hour, but He isn’t the center of their lives; people are. People are good, and human relationships are a blessing from God. But we should not try to fill the vacuum in our lives with people, but with God.

Others try to fill their lives with possessions or with a successful and satisfying career. Again, those things have their place, but they are not meant to satisfy your soul. God alone can do that. To seek Him means to pursue Him alone to fill that God-shaped vacuum in your life.

Thus seeking after God means to have an intimate personal relationship with Him; always to desire more of Him; and, to pursue God alone to fill the vacuum in your life.

2. What does the person look like who seeks after God?

I only want to touch lightly on this question so that I can concentrate on the third question. But I want you to see that a person who seeks after God is not a religious mystic who is out of touch with reality. Putting God in the center of your life gives you balance and perspective in the crises of life. Notice, briefly four things which characterize the person who seeks the Lord:

A. THE PERSON WHO SEEKS AFTER GOD HAS INNER SATISFACTION (63:5).

“My soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness….” He is never complacent, but satisfied. David’s soul was at rest. Even in the middle of a calamity such as this rebellion, which would push many to fall apart emotionally, David had inner peace and calm. Just as you feel physically after eating a delicious prime rib dinner, so David felt spiritually after feasting on the Lord. He was satisfied in God.

B. THE PERSON WHO SEEKS AFTER GOD HAS INNER JOY (63:5, 7, 11).

“My mouth offers praises with joyful lips” (63:5b). “In the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy” (63:7b). “But the king will rejoice in God… (63:11). David had a joy not based on circumstances. His whole world was falling apart, but he had the Lord and His loyal love, and so he could sing and rejoice in God. You can’t explain that apart from God!

C. THE PERSON WHO SEEKS AFTER GOD HAS INNER STABILITY AND STRENGTH IN CRISIS (63:7-8).

“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.” God was David’s help. David hid under God’s wing as a baby chick hides for protection under the mother hen’s wing. God’s powerful hand upheld and sustained David. He stayed steady in the storm because he had the inner resource of God’s strength.

D. THE PERSON WHO SEEKS AFTER GOD HAS INNER PERSPECTIVE AND BALANCE (63:9-11).

“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 jackals [lit.]. 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 wasn’t consumed with thoughts of getting even. As he considered his circumstances, he realized that God is just; God would judge fairly. The wicked would not prevail in the long run. Thus David could commit the situation to the Lord and act with the right perspective and balance: He would make it his business to rejoice in God, and let God deal with his enemies and vindicate him. He knew his calling (“king,” 63:11) and that God would not fail to accomplish all that concerned him (Ps. 57:2).

The point is, the person who seeks after God will be a person of strength and stability, a person with inner resources to meet every crisis in life. Now for the crucial question:

3. How does a person seek after God?

I’m assuming that you already know God personally through Christ. As I already mentioned, you begin a relationship with God when you realize that you have sinned against the holy God and when you flee for refuge to the provision God has made for your sin, the cross of Christ. No one seeks for God unless God first seeks after them (John 6:44; Rom. 3:11). Thus no one can boast; we have only received God’s undeserved gift. But once you’ve received it, how do you go on seeking after God? Three things:

A. YOU SEEK GOD BY PUTTING LOVE FOR GOD AT THE CENTER OF YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM.

God’s lovingkindness (63:3) was better to David than life itself. Therefore, David says, “My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me” (63:8). What a beautiful balance! David clings to God, but underneath it all, God’s powerful hand is under David.

The Hebrew word translated “clings” points to loyalty related to affection. It’s the same word used in Genesis 2:24, where it says that a man will “cleave” to his wife. It is used to describe Ruth clinging to her mother-in-law (Ruth 1:14). She didn’t want to part from her (see also, 1 Kings 11:2; Gen. 34:3; 2 Sam. 20:2). The idea is loyalty related to strong feelings of affection.

Your relationship with the Lord is comparable to a marriage relationship. Marriage is a relationship where intense feelings of passion and a lifelong commitment are intertwined. When a couple falls in love, there are strong feelings, and there is nothing wrong with that. But a marriage cannot be built on feelings alone, but on commitment. The commitment carries you through the hard times when the feelings may fade. Sometimes you have to work at the romance (which sounds contradictory, but it’s not). But if there are never any feelings of love, your marriage is in trouble.

Seeking after God means keeping your passion for God alive. Christianity is not just a matter of the head, but of the heart. As you think on what God has done for you in Christ, it ought to move you emotionally. As you reflect on His great love and faithfulness toward you over the years, in spite of your failures, you ought to feel love for Him.

In your marriage, keeping your passion alive means saying no to some things in order to say yes to your wife. Your job, outside interests, time with other friends, and even your church involvement—these are all good things in their place. But they shouldn’t come before your marriage. In the same way, nothing, not even your marriage and family life, should come before your love relationship with God. That leads to the second thing:

B. YOU SEEK GOD BY SPENDING CONSISTENT TIME ALONE WITH HIM.

David was under intense pressure as he fled from Absalom. He had to think about how all of his loyal followers who fled with him were going to get food and water in this barren wilderness. He had to be thinking constantly about their safety. And yet he did not neglect earnestly seeking God in this trying situation. There is a determination here: “I shall seek you earnestly” (63:1b). “My lips will praise You” (63:3b). “So I will bless You as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name” (63:4). “My soul clings to You” (63:8a). David made it a priority to spend time alone with God.

We all make time to do what we really want to do. Exhibit A: A young man in college who is working and carrying a full load of classes. His schedule seems packed. Then he meets the woman of his dreams. Suddenly he finds time to spend with her! It’s not a duty; it’s a delight! He will cut corners elsewhere if he has to, but he will not miss his time with this beautiful creature.

If you love God, you’ll make time to spend with Him because you delight to do so. This includes time in His Word, renewing your mind so that you can please Him. It includes time in prayer, bringing your needs and others’ needs before Him. It includes time in praise and worship, expressing your love for Him.

C. YOU SEEK GOD BY INTEGRATING HIM INTO EVERY AREA OF YOUR LIFE.

God isn’t just a spoke in the wheel; He’s the hub. God isn’t just a slice of life, who rounds out your other pursuits. Rather, God permeates every area of your life. He’s at the center of every decision you make. He’s the Lord of every relationship you have. You manage your money by considering what His Word says about it. There is no area of your life, be it your business, your family, your education, or whatever, where God is not an integral part. There is no division between sacred and secular; all of life is related to God.

Here is David, his kingdom in disarray, running for his life, seeking to protect his men. It would be understandable if God were temporarily squeezed out of the picture. But David is “following hard after God,” as the old King James Version puts verse 8. God was at the center of David’s present and his future. No area was off limits to God.

Conclusion

How is it with you and God? Perhaps you say, “I’m actively involved in serving Him!” That’s fine, but that’s not what I’m asking. You can be in full time ministry and lose sight of seeking God Himself. I once heard the late godly pastor and author, Alan Redpath, speak. He told how he faced a time in his life when the opportunities for ministry were the greatest he had ever seen. God seemed to be blessing his preaching. It was the kind of thing every pastor prays and longs for.

And then, right in the middle of it, Redpath was laid up with a stroke. As he lay in his hospital bed, he asked, “Lord, why? Why now, when the opportunities to serve You are so great?” I’ll never forget what he said next. He said that the Lord quietly impressed upon him, “Alan, you’ve gotten your work ahead of your worship.” Ouch!

Review your past week or month and ask yourself, “Did my schedule reflect that seeking God was my number one priority?” You say, “Well, that’s my priority, but I’ve been under a lot of pressure!” Pressure is what reveals your true priorities. When the pressure is on, everything but the essential gets set aside. The Holy Spirit is telling us through David, “Seeking God is essential!” If it’s not essential for you, then you’ve got to join David, the man after God’s heart, in making it so.

Application Questions

1. How can we make time alone with God a priority and yet avoid a legalistic approach to it?

2. How can a Christian who has lost the passion for God regain it?

3. How does a person who lacks self-discipline go about getting it?

4. What is the difference between having God as a slice of life versus having God permeate every part of life? How does one go about making the change?

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture Quotations are from the New American Standard Bible, Updated Edition © The Lockman Foundation

Whoever Follows Me Will Never Walk In Darkness

John 8:12

New Living Translation

Jesus, the Light of the World

12 Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”

Jesus confronted the people once again saying I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in the world of sin and darkness, because you will live in light and have the light that leads to everlasting life

VERSE OF THE DAY

Deuteronomy 13:4 (Good News Translation)

Follow the Lord and honor him; obey him and keep his commands; worship him and be faithful to him.

VERSE OF THE DAY

Deuteronomy 13:4 (New Living Translation)

Share Audio

Serve only the Lord your God and fear him alone. Obey his commands, listen to his voice, and cling to him.

What Does John 8:12 Mean? ►

Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”

John 8:12(NASB)

Verse Thoughts

Christ is the image of the invisible God. He is the Son of God, Who is God the Son, and He came to earth to shed the light of the Father to the far-flung corners of the universe. That light shines in the darkness, but darkness and evil cannot quench the light of His love. He is the shining Light, that alone enlightens the darkened soul of man. He is that gentle Light, that pours warmth into the chilled human breast.

He is that gracious Light, that streams eternal love into the broken lives of Adam’s fallen race, and He is the pure Light – the redeeming Light, Who speaks new-life into the one who is dead in trespasses and sins. He breathes His sanctifying-life into the one that trusts Him as their Saviour, their Jesus, their Lord, and their God. For God is the Light of lights, and there is absolutely no darkness in Him.

Christ is the Word of the invisible God, Who created light and life when the earth was spoken into being. And He is the incarnate Word – the Light and the Life of God, Who clothed Himself in human flesh, so that mankind could be redeemed, by faith in Him. He is the One Who gives light to all men coming into the world, and He is the One Who speaks the light of life into whosoever will believe in Him for salvation.

When a woman caught in adultery was brought to the Lord Jesus, He exposed the darkness lurking in the sinful hearts of all the men, elders, Scribes, and Pharisees who were accusing her. A little later that day we read that, “Jesus spoke to the Scribes and Pharisees… and said to them, ‘I am the Light of the world. He who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.'”

Jesus is able to shine that pure light of truth into the hearts and consciences of everyman who believes on Him. Jesus was able to expose the hypocritical sin that was lurking within every man, elder, Scribe, and Pharisee that stood before Him that day. He had come to open their eyes to the truth. He had come to enlighten them, and show them the way of salvation, but their hearts were hardened to the incarnate Word of God. Jesus was offering these hard-hearted men the light that comes from God’s presence – the light that produces eternal life – but they resisted His invitation, and remained dead in their sins.

The Lord Jesus was the Light about Whom David wrote, for He is our Lord, our Light, and our Salvation. “Let there be light”, was the first Word God spoke at creation and light played a vital role in the Temple rites and rituals of the Mosaic Law. Light was very prominent in all of Israel’s feast days and festivals, and Jesus revealed Himself as the “Light of the World”, during the Feast of Tabernacles. The Light of the World had come into the world to tabernacle with His people – and they refused to believe.

Christ is the true Light of the World, but we who have received His new-life have been entrusted to carry the testimony of His light, His life and His love into a darkened world, and He has commanded us to live out our lives in a manner that is well-pleasing to Him. We are to walk in the light as He is in the light and we are to point lost souls to the One Who lightens our darkness and breathes life into the lifeless soul.

Today, the world is in deep darkness, and submerged in sickness, sin, evil, and ignorance… yet in His goodness and grace, Christ stripped Himself of His glory and clothed Himself in human flesh. He was born into this fallen race so that the saving light of His truth and love could shine into the recesses of man’s blackened heart and rekindle a spark of hope in the soul of men – so that whosoever believes on Him by grace through faith, would be removed from the kingdom of darkness, and placed into the brightness of God’s eternal kingdom of light.

Man has been given a free will to accept the light of the glorious gospel of grace, and all who trust in Him for salvation will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life as an abiding presence within. Jesus is the only Way, the only Truth, the only Life, and He is also the only Light. Jesus is the one and only true Light from

Source: https://dailyverse.knowing-jesus.com/john-8-12

John 8:12 Meaning of I Am the Light of the World

Jun 5, 2020 by Editor in Chief

John 8:12
“When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’”

Explanation and Commentary of John 8:12

Anyone who struggles to understand the world needs only look to Christ in and by whom all things are illuminated. In Christ all the questions are answered: How did we get here; what’s wrong with the world; how can it be fixed; what is the meaning of life; how should we live? Jesus tells us still today that to look to him is to find answers to all these questions and more.

The Bible says that Jesus Christ is the Word by whom the whole world was made (Jn 1:3) and that he is the way, the truth, and the life. To refuse to follow him is to continue to walk in some kind of darkness, groping for answers, even if the questions are unexpressed. To follow him is to see what is ahead, immediately, and eternally into the future. Christ shows us that the world was fallen and that God has a plan to save it. He shows us that we ourselves are in need of salvation and that he died on the cross to redeem us and forgive us, reconciling us to the Father. Christ shows us the nature of the holiness and love of God, the wrath for sin combined with the mercy of forgiveness, and justice of God with the forgiveness of God for us.

And this light of life shows how to walk in him until he returns, loving God with all our heart, soul, and strength, and loving our neighbor as ourselves, even loving our enemies. The light shows us how to die to ourselves that we might live true life abundantly in him forever and ever.

Breaking Down the Key Parts of John 8:12

#1 “When Jesus spoke again to the people,”

The preceding chapters of John show much of the common conversation and teaching between Jesus, his disciples, the crowds who were curious about him, and his usual enemies, the religious establishment who envied his following and rejected his claims. Here he is again discoursing on eternal truths.

#2 “he said, ‘I am the light of the world.”

John began his gospel with this theme and continues to develop it. John 1:4-5 says, “In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” And then in John 1:9 says, “The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.” There is a distinct relationship between light and truth. Jesus would show the reality of what is. He would bring understanding of the Father, his ways, and of the future to those who had eyes to see and ears to hear.

#3 “Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

It follows that if one recognizes Jesus as the light of the world and follows him, he or she will always have the light. He promised that he and his salvation would not be taken away from those who come to him. He will not lose any that the Father gives to him (Jn 6:39).

Bible Gateway Deuteronomy 28 :: NIV. If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. … The LORD will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you.

Deuteronomy 13:1-4

English Standard Version

Chapter 13

1 “If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, 2 and the sign or wonder that he tells you comes to pass, and if he says, ‘Let us go after other gods,’ which you have not known, ‘and let us serve them,’ 3 you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams. For the LORD your God is testing you, to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 You shall walk after the LORD your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and hold fast to him.

God I Long For You

Psalm 63:1

Good News Translation

Longing for God[a]

O God, you are my God,

and I long for you.

My whole being desires you;

like a dry, worn-out, and waterless land,

my soul is thirsty for you.

God you are my God I yearn and long for you above all else. My whole self craves you in a desolate parched dry land my soul thirsts for you

Psalm 63 1

O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you

Matthew Henry :: Commentary on Psalms 63

Psalm 63

This psalm has in it as much of warmth and lively devotion as any of David’s psalms in so little a compass. 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. That which grieved him most in his banishment was the want of public ordinances; these he here longs to be restored to the enjoyment of; and the present want did but whet his appetite. Yet it is not the ordinances, but the God of the ordinances, that his heart is upon. And here we have,

• I. His desire towards God (v. 1, 2).

• II. His esteem of God (v. 3, 4).

• III. His satisfaction in God (v. 5).

• IV. His secret communion with God (v. 6).

• V. His joyful dependence upon God (v. 7, 8).

• IV. His holy triumph in God over his enemies and in the assurance of his own safety (v. 9-11).

A devout and pious soul has little need of direction how to sing this psalm, so naturally does it speak its own genuine language; and an unsanctified soul, that is unacquainted and unaffected with divine things, is scarcely capable of singing it with understanding.

A psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah.

Psa 63:1-2

The title tells us when the psalm was penned, when David was in the wilderness of Judah; that is, in the forest of Hareth (1 Sa. 22:5) or in the wilderness of Ziph, 1 Sa. 23:15.

• 1. Even in Canaan, though a fruitful land and the people numerous, yet there were wildernesses, places less fruitful and less inhabited than other places. It will be so in the world, in the church, but not in heaven; there it is all city, all paradise, and no desert ground; the wilderness there shall blossom as the rose.

• 2. The best and dearest of God’s saints and servants may sometimes have their lot cast in a wilderness, which speaks them lonely and solitary, desolate and afflicted, wanting, wandering, and unsettled, and quite at a loss what to do with themselves.

• 3. All the straits and difficulties of a wilderness must not put us out of tune for sacred songs; but even then it is our duty and interest to keep up a cheerful communion with God. There are psalms proper for a wilderness, and we have reason to thank God that it is the wilderness of Judah we are in, not the wilderness of Sin.

David, in these verses, stirs up himself to take hold on God,

• I. By a lively active faith: O God! thou art my God. Note, In all our addresses to God we must eye him as God, and our God, and this will be our comfort in a wilderness-state. We must acknowledge that God is, that we speak to one that really exists and is present with us, when we say, O God! which is a serious word; pity it should ever be used as a by-word. And we must own his authority over us and propriety in us, and our relation to him: “Thou art my God, mine by creation and therefore my rightful owner and ruler, mine by covenant and my own consent.” We must speak it with the greatest pleasure to ourselves, and thankfulness to God, as those that are resolved to abide by it: O God! thou art my God.

• II. By pious and devout affections, pursuant to the choice he had made of God and the covenant he had made with him.

• 1. He resolves to seek God, and his favour and grace: Thou art my God, and therefore I will seek thee; for should not a people seek unto their God? Isa. 8:19. We must seek him; we must covet his favour as our chief good and consult his glory as our highest end; we must seek acquaintance with him by his word and seek mercy from him by prayer. We must seek him,

• (1.) Early, with the utmost care, as those that are afraid of missing him; we must begin our days with him, begin every day with him: Early will I seek thee.

• (2.) Earnestly: “My soul thirsteth for thee and my flesh longeth for thee (that is, my whole man is affected with this pursuit) here in a dry and thirsty land.” Observe,

• [1.] His complaint in the want of God’s favourable presence. He was in a dry and thirsty land; so he reckoned it, not so much because it was a wilderness as because it was at a distance from the ark, from the word and sacraments. This world is a weary land (so the word is); it is so to the worldly that have their portion in it-it will yield them no true satisfaction; it is so to the godly that have their passage through it-it is a valley of Baca; they can promise themselves little from it.

• [2.] His importunity for that presence of God: My soul thirsteth, longeth, for thee. His want quickened his desires, which were very intense; he thirsted as the hunted hart for the water-brooks; he would take up with nothing short of it. His desires were almost impatient; he longed, he languished, till he should be restored to the liberty of God’s ordinances. Note, Gracious souls look down upon the world with a holy disdain and look up to God with a holy desire.

• 2. He longs to enjoy God. What is it that he does so passionately wish for? What is his petition and what is his request? It is this (v. 2), To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. That is,

• (1.) “To see it here in this wilderness as I have seen it in the tabernacle, to see it in secret as I have seen it in the solemn assembly.” Note, When we are deprived of the benefit of public ordinances we should desire and endeavour to keep up the same communion with God in our retirements that we have had in the great congregation. A closet may be turned into a little sanctuary. Ezekiel had the visions of the Almighty in Babylon, and John in the isle of Patmos. When we are alone we may have the Father with us, and that is enough.

• (2.) “To see it again in the sanctuary as I have formerly seen it there.” He longs to be brought out of the wilderness, not that he might see his friends again and be restored to the pleasures and gaieties of the court, but that he might have access to the sanctuary, not to see the priests there, and the ceremony of the worship, but to see thy power and glory (that is, thy glorious power, or thy powerful glory, which is put for all God’s attributes and perfections), “that I may increase in my acquaintance with them and have the agreeable impressions of them made upon my heart”-so to behold the glory of the Lord as to be changed into the same image, 2 Co. 3:18. “That I may see thy power and glory,” he does not say, as I have seen them, but “as I have seen thee.” We cannot see the essence of God, but we see him in seeing by faith his attributes and perfections. These sights David here pleases himself with the remembrance of. Those were precious minutes which he spent in communion with God; he loved to think them over again; these he lamented the loss of, and longed to be restored to. Note, That which has been the delight and is the desire of gracious souls, in their attendance on solemn ordinances, is to see God and his power and glory in them.

What Does Psalm 63:1 Mean? ►

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 63:1(NASB)

Verse Thoughts

Life often takes us through the weary place and the parched wilderness on this journey through life, where only God can provide the comfort and sustenance we desperately need. He alone is our present help in time of trouble, and His compassion and mercy towards us is new every morning. How precious that as His children, we can legitimately cry out, “O God, You are MY God.”

It was David who penned this hymn of worship and praise as he trudged through the arid, waterless, Judean wilderness. He was without friends, hunted by enemies, and placed in an enforced exile from his people and homeland. But in simple, yet beautiful language, he compares his deep yearning for the Lord with parched land that is dry and desolate. He compares his desperate longing for the Lord with a place that is devoid of water, as he cries out to God, “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.”

David was a man who had developed a passion for God from his youth. He sought the Lord early in life and at the break of each day he yearned for the Lord with childlike simplicity. David found out that God was his faithful Shepherd and strong Tower. He had discovered that the Lord was His abiding Treasure and the, “Rock of my Salvation.”

David sought after God with an eager intensity that we would do well to emulate, for we too are His people and we are also the sheep of His pasture. We are His by creation and His through purchase – we are His by promise and His by permission.

We are the people of God and He is the God our salvation. He is ours through time and we are His into eternity. He chose us before the foundation of the world and knit us together in our mother’s womb. We are fearfully and wonderfully made and the works of His hand are marvellous to behold.

The Lord is the Redeemer of my spirit, the Lover of my soul, and the permanent Resident within this body of flesh. He is the One to Whom I must fly in all circumstances of life, and in every season of my earthly wanderings He is the one Who comforts and succours.

When I stray from His side, I must quickly return and seek Him with my whole heart. I must covet His favour with my entire being for He is the Lord and there is no other. He upholds the world by the might of His power yet has become the Comforter of my soul. He has rescued me from the miry clay and set my feet upon the solid Rock. He has filled the hungry with good things… but the rich have been sent empty away.

Let us seek Him early and pursue Him earnestly because His loving-kindness is better than life itself. Let us long for Him ardently and desire Him incessantly

Source: https://dailyverse.knowing-jesus.com/psalm-63-1

God Is God Only

Psalm 63:1

New King James Version

Joy in the Fellowship of God

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 Thoughts

It was David who penned this hymn of worship and praise as he trudged through the arid, waterless, Judean wilderness. He was without friends, hunted by enemies and placed in an enforced exile from his people and homeland. But in simple, yet beautiful language he compares his deep yearning for the Lord with parched land that is dry and desolate. He compares his desperate longing for the Lord with a place that is devoid of water, as he cries out to God: 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.

David sought after God with an eager intensity that we would do well to emulate, for we too are His people and we are also the sheep of His pasture. We are His by creation, and His through purchase – we are His by promise and His by permission.

We are the people of God and He the God our salvation. He is ours through time and we are His into eternity. He chose us before the foundation of the world and knit us together in our mother’s womb. We are fearfully and wonderfully made and the works of His hand are marvellous to behold.

The Lord is the Redeemer of my spirit, the Lover of my soul and the permanent Resident within this body of flesh. He is the One to Whom I must fly in all circumstances of life, and in every season of my earthly wanderings, He is the one Who comforts and succours.

Let us seek Him early and pursue Him earnestly because His loving-kindness is better than life itself. Let us long for Him ardently and desire Him incessantly. . and let us cry out to Him day by day: O Lord, 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.

Source: https://dailyverse.knowing-jesus.com/psalm-63-1

As Christians we humble ourselves on the Lord proclaiming him fully as our God saying You are My God we best seek him early in the morning for he longs for us all day we thirst for him as we seek him so profoundly and our flesh being our kingdom long’s for his judgement of ourselves where we wait in submission to his silence in a dry and thirsty land of the unknown but obedience and belief

PSALM 63 – LOVE BETTER THAN LIFE

Charles Spurgeon added a note of interest: “Chrysostom tells us that among the primitive Christians it was decreed and ordained that no day should pass without the public singing of this psalm.”

A. Praise from the wilderness.

1. (1-2) David’s thirst for God.

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.

So I have looked for You in the sanctuary,

To see Your power and Your glory.

ii. “The word ‘early’ has not only the sense of early in the morning, but that of eagerness, immediateness. He who truly longs for God longs for him now.” (Spurgeon)

iv. “Most people do not even know that it is God their souls truly desire. They are seeking satisfaction in other things.” (Boice)

i. “There was no desert in his heart, though there was a desert around him.” (Spurgeon)

i. “Our misery is that we thirst so little for these sublime things, and so much for the mocking trifles of time and sense.” (Spurgeon)

2. (3-6) The greatness of God’s love stirs praise.

Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,

My lips shall praise You.

Thus I will bless You while I live;

I will lift up my hands in Your name.

My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness,

And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.
When I remember You on my bed,

I meditate on You in the night watches.

· People regard life as natural; David regarded God’s great love as natural.

· People enjoy life; David enjoyed God’s great love.

· People value life; David valued God’s great love.

· People will sacrifice to live; David would sacrifice for God’s great love.

· People want to give life to others; David wanted to give God’s great love.

· People despair without the sense of life; David despaired without the sense of God’s great love.

iv. “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)

i. “If we have nothing to say about God’s goodness, the probable cause is our want of experience of it.” (Maclaren)

i. “There is in the love of God a richness, a sumptuousness, a fulness of soul-filling joy, comparable to the richest food with which the body can be nourished.” (Spurgeon)

i. Night watches: “An expression which stresses the slow progress of the hours.” (Kidner)

B. Thankful confidence in God.

1. (7-8) Thanks for help already given.

Because You have been my help,

Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.

My soul follows close behind You;

Your right hand upholds me.

i. My soul follows close: “Press toward the mark. Let there be no needless space between the Master and thee.” (Meyer)

ii. The connection expressed by my soul follows close is truly close. The words translated follows close have the sense of joining or gluing together, as in Genesis 2:24.

2. (9-10) Trust despite the trouble.

But those who seek my life, to destroy it,

Shall go into the lower parts of the earth.

They shall fall by the sword;

They shall be a portion for jackals.

i. “He knows that the ‘steadfast love’ of God which he praised in verse 3, is strong with justice (cf. 62:12).” (Kidner)

3. (11) The king’s confidence.

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.

Taking Debts Of Friends Or Strangers

Proverbs 6 – Wisdom to a Son on Debts and Work, Sin and Seduction

A. The foolishness of taking on other’s debts.

1. (1-2) Taking debts of friends or strangers.

My son, if you become surety for your friend,
If you have shaken hands in pledge for a stranger,
You are snared by the words of your mouth;
You are taken by the words of your mouth.

a. If you become surety for your friend: Solomon warned his son against guaranteeing the debts of others, whether they were a friend or a stranger. This was the promise to pay the debts of the friend or stranger if they failed to pay.

i. This wasn’t really like loaning someone money, nor exactly like cosigning a loan. In modern financial terms, it was more like guaranteeing someone’s open line of credit. “The New Testament shows us Paul accepting Onesimus’s past liabilities, but not his future ones (Philemon 18, 19).” (Kidner)

ii. “If thou pledge thyself in behalf of another, thou takest the burden off him, and placest it on thine own shoulders; and when he knows he has got one to stand between him and the demands of law and justice, he will feel little responsibility; his spirit of exertion will become crippled.” (Clarke)

iii. “Even to the recipient, an unconditional pledge may be an unintended disservice by exposing him to temptation and to the subsequent grief of having brought a friend to ruin.” (Kidner)

b. You are snared by the words of your mouth: To promise to pay the debts of another person is to put yourself in a trap. It is a promise made with the words of your mouth but will affect and afflict your wallet or purse.

i. “Job 17:3 uses this circle of ideas to declare that Job is too bad a risk for anybody but God—and to plead that God will take him up (cf. Ps. 119:122). So a bridge is made in the Old Testament between the idea of material insolvency and spiritual.” (Kidner)

ii. “Our God, while he warns us against putting up security, has taken it on himself. May his name be praised for this! He has given us his Word, his bond, yes, his blood as security for sinners, which no power of hell can shake.” (Bridges)

2. (3-5) What to do if you have taken the debt of another.

So do this, my son, and deliver yourself;
For you have come into the hand of your friend:
Go and humble yourself;
Plead with your friend.
Give no sleep to your eyes,
Nor slumber to your eyelids.
Deliver yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter,

And like a bird from the hand of the fowler.

a. Deliver yourself: Solomon counseled his son that if he did make himself responsible for the debt of another person, he should do all he could to deliver himself. He should humble himself and plead to be released from his promise.

i. Humble yourself: “Hebrew, offer thyself to be trodden upon, or throw thyself down at his feet. As thou hast made thyself his servant, bear the fruits of thine own folly, and humbly and earnestly implore his patience and clemency.” (Poole)

b. Deliver yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter: A gazelle would do anything to escape the hunter, and a bird would do anything to escape the fowler. Solomon tried to communicate the urgency his son should have in escaping responsibility for the debt of others.

i. “Becoming surety is folly because the surety makes promises for the future that he cannot control (cf. Proverbs 27:1). Moreover, he has handed himself over to the debtor, who may unmercifully throw him into the hands of the creditor.” (Waltke)

ii. “Although we have no information on Israelite laws of surety, seizure of assets and home and even the selling of the debtor into slavery were common penalties for failure to make payment,and the cosigner could well have met the same fate.” (Garrett)

B. The honor of hard work.

1. (6-8) The example of the ant.

Go to the ant, you sluggard!
Consider her ways and be wise,
Which, having no captain,
Overseer or ruler,
Provides her supplies in the summer,
And gathers her food in the harvest.

a. Go to the ant, you sluggard: Solomon spoke wisdom to the sluggard – essentially, the lazy man or woman. That lazy person should learn from the ant, an insect proverbial for hard work.

i. The book of Proverbs speaks a lot about the value of hard work, and for good reason. The difference between success and failure, between potential disappointment or fulfillment is often hard work.

ii. “No insect is more laborious, not even the bee itself; and none is more fondly attached to or more careful of its young, than the ant.” (Clarke)

iii. “Christ sends us to school to the birds of the air, and lilies of the field, to learn dependence upon divine providence, [Matthew 6:25-29] and to the stork, crane, and swallow, to be taught to take the seasons of grace, and not to let slip the opportunities that God putteth into our hands. [Jeremiah 8:7].” (Trapp)

b. Having no captain, overseer or ruler: The ant is wise and worthy of imitation because she works hard without having to be told to work hard. The ethic of diligence comes from within and does not have to be imposed by a captain, overseer or ruler.

i. “Aristotle also asserted that ants labor without rulers to direct them. Modern entomologists have discovered a perfect social organization among ants, but, as Plaut notes, this does ‘not imply that there is a hierarchy of command.’” (Waltke)

c. Provides her supplies in the summer: The ant works hard when the work is to be done. In the summer and in the harvest, the work gets done. This means that the ant gives a good lesson in her ways and her wisdom.

i. “What a deal of grain gets she together in summer! What pains doth she take for it, labouring not by daylight only, but by moonshine also! What huge heaps hath she! What care to bring forth her store, and lay it drying on a sunshine day, lest with moisture it should putrefy.” (Trapp)

2. (9-11) Warning the lazy man.

How long will you slumber, O sluggard?
When will you rise from your sleep?
A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to sleep—
So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler,
And your need like an armed man.

a. How long will you slumber, O sluggard? Solomon asked the lazy man to give account for his ways. The thought is, “You want to sleep – how long? There is life to be lived and work to be done.”

i. “The sluggard is the explicit audience, but the implicit audiences are the son and the gullible who are addressed in the book (see Proverbs 1:4-5). They are being warned against laziness through the sluggard’s chastisement (see Proverbs 19:25).” (Waltke)

b. When will you rise from your sleep? Obviously, every person needs sleep. Solomon’s advice is not that we should never sleep, but that we should not excessively sleep.

c. A little sleep, a little slumber: Solomon imagined the lazy man saying this. He claimed that he only needed a little sleep, but actually he needed to work more.

i. “Sleep is the defining characteristic of the sluggard (cf. Proverbs 20:13); for him the love of sleep is pure escapism—a refusal to face the world (Proverbs 26:14). In contrast to the sweet sleep of the laboring person (Proverbs 4:23; Eccl. 5:12), the sluggard’s narcotic sleep ever craves still more sleep to escape the pain of living (Proverbs 19:15).” (Waltke)

d. So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler: The lazy man will find that poverty and need come upon him quickly. The sluggard loves to procrastinate and think things can always be done later. The hard worker can look forward to later; for the lazy man it will come like a prowler. When it comes, it will be your poverty – not one imposed by circumstances or misfortune, but through laziness.

i. Poverty come on you: “At least 14 proverbs relate idleness, either explicitly or implicitly, to poverty, the bitter end of the sluggard (cf. 20:13; 24:33-34). It is not riches the lazy person lacks; it is food, the necessity of life (cf. 19:15; 20:13; 23:21).” (Waltke)

ii. Like an armed man: “That is, with irresistible fury; and thou art not prepared to oppose it.” (Clarke)

3. (12-15) The destiny of the wicked man.

A worthless person, a wicked man,
Walks with a perverse mouth;
He winks with his eyes,
He shuffles his feet,
He points with his fingers;
Perversity is in his heart,
He devises evil continually,
He sows discord.
Therefore his calamity shall come suddenly;
Suddenly he shall be broken without remedy.

a. A worthless person, a wicked man: Solomon moved from the idea of the lazy man (Proverbs 6:6-11) to the worthless and wicked man. These sinful characteristics are often related and combined.

b. Walks with a perverse mouth: One of the main features of the worthless and wicked person’s manner of life (his walk) is the corruption of his speech. He has a perverse mouth, which mainly has the idea of crooked or corrupt, more than what we would think of as moral perversion. What he says isn’t straight, honest, and right.

c. Winks with his eyes: With his eyes, his feet, and his fingers, the worthless and wicked man shows his crooked and dishonest character. Evil and discord come from his life.

d. His calamity shall come suddenly: Solomon did not directly attribute this calamity or breaking (he shall be broken) to the judgment of God, but it is implied. God knows how to set the cynical, crooked-speaking man or woman in their deserved place.

4. (16-19) Seven things the Lord hates.

These six things the Lord hates,
Yes, seven are an abomination to Him:
A proud look,
A lying tongue,
Hands that shed innocent blood,
A heart that devises wicked plans,
Feet that are swift in running to evil,
A false witness who speaks lies,
And one who sows discord among brethren.

a. These six things…yes, seven: Several times in the book of Proverbs, Solomon used this expression to give a list. Here the list is of things that the Lord hates, that are an abomination to Him.

i. “The ‘six’ and ‘seven’ of the opening statement have their explanation in the description. The six are first stated, and the seventh is that which results, namely, ‘he that soweth discord among brethren.’” (Morgan)

ii. “The hissing sibilant sound resounds throughout the catalogue, especially in this verse: ses (six), sane (‘hates’), seba (‘seven’), and napso (‘him’).” (Waltke)

b. Seven are an abomination to Him: Solomon listed these seven sins.

· Aproud look

· Alying tongue

· Hands that shed innocent blood

· Aheart that devises evil plans

· Feet that are swift in running to evil

· Afalse witness who speaks lies

· One who sows discord among brethren

i. Most of these sins are connected to something we do, in or through our body. The eyes have a proud look, the tongue lies, and so on. We are again reminded of what Paul wrote in Romans about presenting the parts of our body (our members) to God for the work of righteousness, not sin (Romans 6:13).

ii. This collection of seven sins is also focused on how we treat others. We must honor God and worship Him in spirit and in truth, yet God is also concerned about how we treat others. Each of these are serious sins against others.

c. One who sows discord among brethren: This is presented as the result of the previous six or the ultimate among them. It is one of the highest among the things that God hates and regards as an abomination.

i. “Seventh, the one who unleashes conflicts (see v. 14) again climactically brings the catalogue to its conclusion.” (Waltke)

ii. Adam Clarke describes this one as “he who troubles the peace of a family, of a village, of the state; all who, by lies and misrepresentations, strive to make men’s minds evil-affected towards their brethren.”

iii. “None love a mischief-maker, and yet we are apt to think of the sin with something less than the Divine intolerance for it. We may take it as an unqualified certainty that no man in whose heart the fear of Jehovah prevails and rules, can ever sow discord among brethren.” (Morgan)

iv. “A withering blast will fall on those who, mistaking prejudice for principle, cause divisions for their own selfish ends (Romans 16:17-18).” (Bridges)

C. The harm of the harlot.

1. (20-24) God’s word can keep you from the evil woman’s seduction.

My son, keep your father’s command,
And do not forsake the law of your mother.
Bind them continually upon your heart;
Tie them around your neck.
When you roam, they will lead you;
When you sleep, they will keep you;
And when you awake, they will speak with you.
For the commandment is a lamp,
And the law a light;
Reproofs of instruction are the way of life,
To keep you from the evil woman,
From the flattering tongue of a seductress.

a. Keep your father’s command: Solomon probably had in mind both the wisdom a father passed to his children and the word of God received and cherished by the parents. A wise child will keep God’s word close, upon your heart and around your neck.

i. Bind them: “here it pictures him memorizing them in such a way that they are permanently impressed on his essential mental and spiritual being that prompts his every action.” (Waltke)

ii. “Implicit in these verses is the basic understanding that a good home life—i.e., father and mother sharing the rearing of the children together—will go a long way to prevent the youth from falling into immorality.” (Ross)

iii. “In chapters 5-7, each of the warnings against adultery is prefaced by an admonition to pay attention to the Word of God (Proverbs 5:1-2; 6:20-24; 7:1-5).” (Wiersbe)

b. When you roam, they will lead you: The word of God is living and active. When it is cherished and kept close, we benefit from its living power. It then will lead us, it will keep us, and it will speak with us. Anyone who wants God to lead, keep, or speak should begin with cherishing God’s word.

i. Proverbs 6:22 presents God’s word as a person who helps in many ways.

· A guide: will lead you.

· A guardian: will keep you.

· A companion: will speak with you.

ii. Will speak with you: “This Bible is a wonderful talking book; there is a great mass of blessed talk in this precious volume. It has told me a great many of my faults; it would tell you yours if you would let it. It has told me much to comfort me; and it has much to tell you if you will but incline your ear to it. It is a book that is wonderfully communicative; it knows all about you, all the ins and outs of where you are, and where you ought to be, it can tell you everything.” (Spurgeon)

c. The commandment is a lamp: Solomon seems to quote Psalm 119:105 (Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path). When given attention and properly valued, God’s word brings light to us in our darkness.

d. To keep you from the evil woman: Here Solomon spoke to a specific place where wisdom from God’s word can help. God’s word and wisdom will never lead us to the evil woman or keep us with her. The light of God’s word will wisely keep us from her and speak to us better things than her flattering words.

2. (25-29) The damage adultery does.

Do not lust after her beauty in your heart,
Nor let her allure you with her eyelids.
For by means of a harlot
A man is reduced to a crust of bread;
And an adulteress will prey upon his precious life.
Can a man take fire to his bosom,
And his clothes not be burned?
Can one walk on hot coals,
And his feet not be seared?
So is he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife;
Whoever touches her shall not be innocent.

a. Do not lust after her beauty in your heart: Solomon granted that the immoral woman may have beauty to lust after. Wisdom and the word can help prevent one from being mastered by the desire of her beauty or her allure.

i. “It is a small praise to have a good face and a naughty nature – a beautiful countenance and a base life.” (Trapp)

b. Nor let her allure you: In Solomon’s day this allure normally took place in a personal encounter. In the modern world images constantly hope to allure. Wisdom and the word help us to see these alluring images for what they are: crooked lies that don’t tell the truth about sex, relationships, or human nature.

i. “The parallelism between ‘do not covet her beauty’ and ‘and do not let her capture you with her eyes’ suggests that coveting begins by allowing eye contact. Desiring comes into his heart through optical stimulation aroused by ‘her beauty,’ and more specifically by ‘the pupils of her eyes,’ followed by her sweet talk.” (Waltke)

ii. With her eyelids: “‘Eyes’ are singled out here because the painted eyes and the luring glances are symptoms of seduction (see 2 Kings 9:30).” (Ross)

c. By means of a harlot a man is reduced to a crust of bread: With her beauty and allure, the harlot promises to add something to the life of her customer. She promises excitement, pleasure, attention, or any number of other things. Yet she does not, and cannot, deliver on those promises; she takes away and does not give. The adulteress will prey upon his precious life.

i. Several commentators favor translating Proverbs 6:26 with the thought of comparing the cost of a harlot and the cost of adultery. “The verse is best rendered, ‘Although the price of a prostitute may be as much as a loaf of bread, / [another] man’s wife hunts the precious life.’” (Garrett)

ii. “This obviously is not meant to endorse going to a prostitute as opposed to having an affair with another man’s wife but to show the complete folly of getting involved with another man’s wife.” (Garrett)

d. Can a man take fire to his bosom, and his clothes not be burned? Solomon’s wisdom is brilliant in its clarity and simplicity. To take up with the harlot or adulteress is to play with fire, and to surely be burned. He warned, whoever touches her shall not be innocent.

i. He who goes in to his neighbor’s wife: “…that lieth with her, as the phrase signifies, Genesis 19:31; 29:21,23, etc. [Whoever touches her]…hath carnal knowledge of her, as this word is used, Genesis 20:6, 1 Corinthians 7:1.” (Poole)

ii. Shall not be innocent: “It is no good for such a man to later on complain about the strength of the temptation. Why did he not avoid it?” (Bridges)

3. (30-35) The disgrace adultery brings.

People do not despise a thief
If he steals to satisfy himself when he is starving.
Yet when he is found, he must restore sevenfold;
He may have to give up all the substance of his house.
Whoever commits adultery with a woman lacks understanding;
He who does so destroys his own soul.
Wounds and dishonor he will get,
And his reproach will not be wiped away.
For jealousy is a husband’s fury;
Therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance.
He will accept no recompense,
Nor will he be appeased though you give many gifts.

a. People do not despise a thief: Solomon considered how we may, in some way, excuse a thief who steals to survive. Yet even when that thief is caught, justice would require him to restore what he has stolen and more. The adulterer steals, but not out of necessity – and in such a way that true restitution is impossible.

i. He must restore sevenfold: “i.e., Manifold, according as the law limiteth, though it be to the utmost of what the thief is worth. But what restitution can the adulterer make, should he make him amends with as much more? The thief steals out of want; the adulterer of wantonness.” (Trapp)

ii. Though Solomon contrasted theft and adultery, there is an interesting link between them. Sexual immorality and adultery are like stealing. When we have sex with anyone other than our appointed partner in the covenant of marriage, we are stealing something from our spouse (present or future), from our illicit sexual partner, and from the present or future spouse of our illicit sexual partner. Paul confirmed this likeness in 1 Thessalonians 4:3-6, where he wrote that to commit sexual immorality is to take advantage of and to defraud our brother.

b. He who does so destroys his own soul: To commit adultery (and to commit sexual sin in general) is not only sin against God and others, but also against one’s own soul, his own body (1 Corinthians 6:18-19). We usually think that the penalty for sexual immorality comes if the sin is exposed and known; wisdom and God’s word tell us that it destroys whether it is exposed or not.

i. Lacks understanding: “King David was a brilliant strategist on the battlefield and a wise ruler on the throne, but he lost his common sense when he gazed at his neighbor’s wife and lusted for her (2 Samuel 12).” (Wiersbe)

c. Destroys his own soul: Note that the blame is upon the adulterer. He may blame the temptress, his wife, his lusts, his desires, his circumstances, God, or the devil himself. Yet at the end of it all, he destroys his own soul.

i. “The expression ‘destroys himself’ in v. 32 stresses that the guilty one destroys his own life.” (Ross)

ii. Destroys his own soul: “The vixen hunts for his life, but he is responsible for his self-destruction.” (Waltke)

d. His reproach will not be wiped away: In addition to the ways that sexual immorality brings harm, it will also bring disgrace when it is discovered. The jealous husband will often not spare in the day of vengeance and will not be appeased in his anger.

i. “His reproach shall not be wiped away; although it be forgiven by God, yet the reproach and scandal of it remains.” (Poole)

ii. Accept no recompense: “This is an injury that admits of no compensation. No gifts can satisfy a man for the injury his honour has sustained; and to take a bribe or a ransom, would be setting up chastity at a price.” (Clarke)

iii. “Though the court may sentence the adulterer to caning, shame, and loss of all his property, the cuckold will never be pacified and want nothing less than his death.” (Waltke)

e. Wounds and dishonor he will get: Sexual immorality offers pleasure and excitement and often romance. It may or may not deliver those things, but even if it does, it will also bring wounds and dishonor. It brings wounds to one’s body and soul, and dishonor in the family, congregation, and community.

i. “He is wounded, but not like a soldier or Christian martyr. He is not full of honor but of disgrace. His name is full of shame.” (Bridges)

ii. “The picture of the adulterer as social outcast may seem greatly overdrawn. If so, the adjustment that must be made is to say that in any healthy society such an act is social suicide. Condonation, as distinct from forgiveness, only proves the adulterer to be part of a general decadence.” (Kidner)

Categories: Old Testament Proverbs

Enduring Word

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https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/proverbs-6/

What does Proverbs 6:3 mean?

Solomon is explaining the dangers of “[putting] up security” for someone else’s borrowing. This is equivalent to the modern idea of cosigning: agreeing to pay on behalf of the other person if they fail to make good on the debt. Agreeing to that obligation when the borrower is a stranger, unreliable, or the loan has excessive interest is foolish.

If someone finds themselves caught in such a situation—by their own words of promise (Proverbs 6:2)—they should try to extricate themselves by humbly asking to be released from the obligation. Solomon puts a sense of urgency on this idea: recommending one act immediately to get out of the situation and beg urgently to be released from the obligation.

In this context, “your neighbor” refers to the first signer of the loan: the actual borrower. The word “neighbor” appears in verse 1 as the person for whom the cosigner agrees to attach his name to the loan. Instead of berating the neighbor for his failure to pay, it is best to withhold one’s anger and humbly plead with him to pay his debt and free you from your part in it. If the cosigner insults the first signer, he may make him angry and unwilling to oblige. This action is hard to take, but it is much harder to fall prey to a money-hungry lender and forfeit one’s property as payment of the loan.

Context Summary

Proverbs 6:1–5 is the first of two teachings on good financial health in this chapter of Proverbs. This passage refers to using one’s own property as collateral, especially for someone else’s loan. The emphasis seems to be on a situation where one has cosigned on high-interest or risky borrowing, on behalf of another person. The book of Proverbs often discourages this kind of gamble (Proverbs 17:18; 22:26–27). Solomon’s advice for those caught in such an arrangement is to immediately seek resolution: remove yourself from that situation without delay. Exodus 22:25–27 and Leviticus 25:35–37 are companion texts regarding lending money. The next passage considers another aspect of money management: avoiding laziness.

Chapter Summary

This chapter provides teaching on two aspects of wealth management. The first is avoiding putting one’s property in debt for the sake of some other person’s risky investment. The other warns against laziness, indicating that it puts a person at risk for sudden ruin. Solomon then poetically explains attitudes and actions which God finds especially repulsive. Next, Solomon returns to the subject of adultery. He reiterates the inherent risks of sexual immorality, including the catastrophic consequences which it brings. That lesson continues into the following chapter

Trust In The Lord Forever; Perfect Peace

VERSE OF THE DAY.Isaiah 26:4 (Good News Translation).Share.Trust in the Lord forever; he will always protect us.Trust in the lord always forever; he will never leave us and will always protect us.ISAIAH 26:3-4.Posted June 15, 2015.You keep him in perfect peace.whose mind is stayed on you,.because he trusts in you.Trust in the LORD forever,.for the LORD God is an everlasting rock.Think about your life for a moment: When is it that you experience peace? When all is well? When the things you had hoped for have come to pass? What about in the midst of storms and calamities? Where do you run? What do you put your trust in? What provides stability to you in times of trouble? In these times of trouble is true peace even possible? In verse 3 of Isaiah 26, we find a promise of what is described as “perfect peace” to those who’ve put their trust in God, and then in verse 4, we are called into that same trust and told the reason why God is worthy of that trust.PERFECT PEACE.You will experience difficulty in this life. When you do, you will naturally run to places or people or activities you think can either resolve that difficulty or help you through it. Where does your mind run? What do you think on and meditate on? Is it anchored in and grounded on God, or does your mind run to fearful places or places of distraction? Does it remove God completely from the equation? What do you bank on and put your trust in? Here we are told that God promises perfect peace to the one whose mind is stayed on God because he trusts in God. Often in difficulty, the mind runs away from God because the heart is not sure it can trust God. It is precisely in these times that we must discipline our minds to rehearse and remember truth about God and His promises.Oswald Chambers said, “Your mind is the greatest gift God has given you and it ought to be devoted entirely to Him. You should seek to be ‘bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ…’ (2 Corinthians 10:5). This will be one of the greatest assets of your faith when a time of trial comes, because then your faith and the Spirit of God will work together.”.Everything else we stay our minds on and put our trust in might offer temporary & imperfect peace, but God alone is the issuer of perfect peace because He alone is perfect and rules the universe! While other things and people promise such things, He’s the only one that can deliver on the promise of perfect peace.EVERLASTING ROCK.Based on the promise of verse 3, verse 4 calls us to put our trust in God. It doesn’t call us to put our trust in Him for a season, but rather forever. This call is based on the truth that the Lord God is an everlasting rock. Our trust in God isn’t based on the strength of our faith in Him, but rather Who He is. He is an eternal Rock, and because He is that, He is trustworthy. We look for stable ground in this life, and when we seek stability from finite things, we are inevitably let down. We might find refuge for a season in something or someone else, but these other rocks are temporary and crumbling rocks. God alone is the everlasting and steady Rock.In Matthew 7:24-27, Jesus calls us to build our lives on Him and obedience to His words… The rain will fall, the floods will come, the winds will blow, but those who’ve built a house on Christ are like a house built on a rock that can withstand these trials. Those who’ve put trust their trust in anything else other than Christ are like houses built on sand that can’t hold up and are washed away. May we never forget that Jesus laid down His life for us that we might find a home in Him and be kept in perfect peace. This is not a promise of a carefree, trouble-less existence, but rather a life that knows and trusts in a God who holds and keeps us in every season. May you know perfect peace because your mind is stayed on God and your trust in rooted in the One who is our everlasting Rock.CREDITS.Song by Ryan Walker & the Night Nights.Produced & mixed by Dustin Ragland.Artwork by Jonathan Lindsey.Isaiah 26:3 Meaning of Thou Wilt Keep Him in Perfect Peace.Nov 6, 2019 by Editor in Chief.Isaiah 26:3.“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast because they trust in you.”.Explanation and Commentary on Isaiah 26:3.Here is a series of causes and effects, along with some unspoken ones that undergird the whole verse. Those who trust in the Lord will have a steadfast mind as a result. Those who have a steadfast mind will be kept by God in perfect peace.Verse 4, which directly follows says, “Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal.” God is not only our Rock but he is our eternal Rock, which means that we are not only to trust him for this life but forever. It also stands that his perfect peace is eternal.Humans seek the world’s peace as a great achievement. For the Christian, perfect peace is a byproduct of the simple command to “trust in” the Lord. This is what Adam and Eve failed to do (Gen 3:6), but what Jesus did to perfection (Lk 22:42). And because he did, we can.Breaking Down the Key Parts of Isaiah 26:3.#1 “You will keep…”.God keeps us. He created us. He blesses us, and he keeps us in the palm of his hand.#2 “…in perfect peace…”.Perfect peace is the goal of humanity, though there are few who understand this, they are aiming for it in all their idolatry. Perfect peace starts with peace with God through Jesus Christ (Eph 2:14). We first have enmity with God because of our sin. Christ died for us while we were still sinners (Ro 5:8) and brought us peace with the Father.#3 “those whose minds are steadfast,”.Steadfast minds are firm and do not waiver. When Moses killed the Egyptian for abusing his kinsman, it says that he first looked to the right and the left (Ex 2:12). But those who are steadfast look straight ahead like Christ, who resolutely “set his face to go to Jerusalem” (Lk 9:51) and who said through the prophet Isaiah, “I have set my face like flint” (Isa 50:7). Steadfast action comes from a steadfast mind.#4 “because they trust in you.”.The only way to achieve a steadfast mind that lasts into eternity is through total trust in God. Is God still on his throne, blessing and keeping his children? Then be steadfast. Has God sent his one and only Son to save you by his death on the cross? Then trust in him. He will never fail you. Trust in him by completely surrendering all to him. There is no other way. Then will come a steadfast mind, and perfect peace.Explanation and Commentary on Isaiah 26:3.Verse 4, which directly follows says, “Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal.” God is not only our Rock but he is our eternal Rock, which means that we are not only to trust him for this life but forever. Nov 6, 2019.Isaiah 26:3-4 “Those of steadfast mind you keep in peace…”.Passage:.“Those of steadfast mind you keep in peace—in peace because they trust in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for in the Lord God you have an everlasting rock.”—Isaiah 26:3-4.This brief passage is a universal prescription for whatever is disturbing us. The prescription is that we remain “of steadfast mind”—that we know without question, doubt or distraction the truth that we are the Allness of God seeking to express in this human experience. Believing in a distant God who may or may not be listening won’t suffice. We must truly understand our innate Oneness with the divine energy we call God. We must never slip back into victim consciousness. The Lord God—the Presence of God within us—is the everlasting rock on which everything can be built. If we find ourselves distressed, depressed, doubting or confused, we can simply quiet our minds, focus on the reality of God, and allow the promised peace to guide us forward. It’s like Emmet Fox’s famous Golden Key: Take your mind off your problem, and put your mind on God.Blessings!Rev. Ed.What Does Isaiah 26:3 Mean? ►.You will keep perfectly peaceful the one whose mind remains focused on you, because he remains in you.Isaiah 26:3(ISV).Verse Thoughts.In Isaiah 26 we see the prophet rehearsing a song of trust in the provision of God – he sings of how God will restore Israel, who will once again walk in righteousness and peace. After the coming judgement for their sin, a day will dawn when Israel will be redeemed and restored, and they will walk in the paths of righteousness and be covered with God’s blanket of peace, for when the eyes of the hearts are focused on the Lord, His perfect peace stills the soul and floods the heart.And this is equally true of the church today, for when Christians set their thoughts of their hearts of Christ Jesus, they are flooded with an inner peace – an inexplicable peace… a perfect peace that only comes from above.In the Psalms we read that righteousness and peace kiss each other and the peace for which we all crave, only comes as a result of righteousness. When the sinner-man trusts in Christ as saviour, he is clothed in Christ’s righteousness and receives peace with God. When the saved-man, who is clothed in Christ’s own righteousness, walks in spirit and truth, he maintains fellowship with the Father and receives the perfect peace of God, which passes our comprehension.Yes, indeed God gives the one who trusts in the Lord Jesus Christ as saviour PEACE WITH GOD – and He will keep the believer in Christ Jesus covered in His own perfect peace, by giving us the PEACE OF GOD which transcends human understanding. Let us ensure that the thoughts of our hearts are fixed on the Lord Jesus moment by moment as we take every thought captive to Him, for God has promised to keep in perfect peace all who trust in Him and fasten the eyes of their hearts upon Him.My Prayer.Loving Father I pray that the thoughts of my heart and the meditation of my mind be centred on You moment by moment, so that the righteousness and peace of Christ will kiss my life as I walk in spirit and truth… in the power of the Holy Spirit, AMEN.Source: https://dailyverse. knowing-jesus. com/isaiah-26-3.What Does Isaiah 26:4 Mean? ►.”Trust in the LORD forever, For in GOD the LORD, we have an everlasting Rock.Isaiah 26:4(NASB).Verse Thoughts.Peace is what people have yearned for down through the ages, and in this passage of scripture, the nation of Israel has just been given a glorious promise from God of His perfect peace – if only their minds are stayed on Him.A little earlier in his prophecies to Israel, Isaiah called to their remembrance that God is their refuge and strength in every trial they face.. and their everlasting Rock in the storms of life. He also reminded them that God will judge their enemies and preserve His people in the land that He promised to their forefather – to Abraham and his seed forever.Like Israel.. we too are reminded that righteousness and peace embrace each other.. and that the fruit of righteousness is God’s perfect peace – peace with God and the peace of God. And it was at Calvary that righteousness and peace kissed each other, in Christ – for without righteousness there can be no peace and without peace there is no righteousness.And so like Israel, we are called to trust in the Lord, our Righteousness, forever and ever – and the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in His wings. We are called to trust in the Lord with all our heart and not to lean upon our own understanding, because the Lord our God is our everlasting Rock – He is our Fortress in times of trouble and He is our exceedingly great reward.My Prayer.Heavenly Father, thank You for Your never-failing goodness and Your promise of peace and righteousness.. in Christ Jesus my Lord. Keep me looking to You, depending upon You and trusting in You every day of my life, for You are my everlasting Rock.. my God and my Father, my Saviour and King and I love You Lord, in Jesus name I pray, AMEN,.Source: https://dailyverse. knowing-jesus.

Do Not Be An Outsider or Foreigner

Isaiah 55:6 (New Living Translation)

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Seek the Lord while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near.

So you should look for the Lord before it is too late.

You should call to him now, while he is near.

Isaiah 56:6

Good News Translation

6 And the Lord says to those foreigners who become part of his people, who love him and serve him, who observe the Sabbath and faithfully keep his covenant:

We were once outsiders till we came to Faith in God when we loved himAnd served him when we serve him on the sabbath and humble and faithfully observe his covenant

6 ¶ aSeek ye the bLord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: 7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him areturn unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly bpardon.

What is the meaning of Isaiah 55:6-7?

Posted on May 21, 2010 by John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, General.

Question:

I want to know if you have a class on Isaiah 55:6-7. How would you explain this passage?

Answer:

Thanks for your kind words. No, I do not have a class on Isaiah 55. I believe that the passage you mention has a fairly straightforward interpretation. “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while He is near. Let the wicked abandon his way, and the sinful one his thoughts; so He may have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will freely forgive.

In this passage, God is admonishing Israel, and all of us individually, to seek a relationship with him “while He is near.” How do we interpret the phrase “while he is near?” There is a sense in which God is always near. Any time we repent and turn to him, he will respond. If we are steeped in sin, God will be more distant, but like the Prodigal son, as soon as we turn, and come back to God, he is always waiting to embrace us. How long will God be near? One answer is that, as long as we are still alive, we still have a chance. However, the message of Isaiah and the Old Testament prophets is that there comes a point when it is time for judgment. We can get to the point that we are so hard-hearted, we can no longer repent. Like it says in 2 Corinthians 6:1, “Now is the day of salvation.” We should not put God to the test. Like Isaiah says in v. 7, “Let the wicked abandon his way”. If we do so, then as long as we are still alive, it is not too late. God will have compassion on us and will forgive our sins. Isaiah 55:6-7 is a warning, but it is primarily an encouragement for us to embrace the grace and love of God.

John Oakes

Commentary (Bible study)

Isaiah 56:1, 6-8

EXEGESIS:

ISAIAH 55-66: THE CONTEXT

This chapter follows the exuberant chapter 55, which invites everyone who thirsts to come to the waters and those who have no money to come, buy and eat (55:1). In that chapter, Yahweh promises, “I will make an everlasting covenant with you” (55:3b) and says, “Seek Yahweh while he may be found” (55:6a). Yahweh assures Israel that his word “shall not return to me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please” (55:11). Finally, he promises these exiles, who have lived in captivity in Babylonia for five decades, “You shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace” (55:12)—a promise that will soon be fulfilled through the agency of Cyrus of Persia.

Chapter 55 is so climactic that some scholars ask why the book doesn’t conclude there. The answer depends on our understanding of the authorship of this book. There are three main theories of authorship:

• The first is that one man, Isaiah, son of Amoz (1:1), wrote the entire book.

• The second is that Isaiah, son of Amoz, wrote chapters 1-39 and that another prophet or group of prophets wrote chapters 40-66. Proponents of this theory call the author of chapters 1-39 First Isaiah and the author of chapters 40-66 Second Isaiah (or Deutero-Isaiah).

• The third theory is that First Isaiah wrote chapters 1-39—Second Isaiah wrote chapters 40-55—and another prophet or group of prophets known as Third Isaiah (or Trito-Isaiah) wrote chapters 56-66. In this schema, First Isaiah covers the period prior to the Babylonian captivity—Second Isaiah was written near the end of the captivity, about 540 B.C.—and Third Isaiah was written as the exiles began their return to Jerusalem, about 520 B.C. (Brueggemann, 167).

If one accepts the third theory, the reason that the book of Isaiah doesn’t conclude with chapter 55 is obvious. Chapters 56-66 were added later by another author.

But others see the matter differently. Oswalt says that chapters 1-55 are incomplete—something theological needs to be added. Chapters 56-66 emphasize righteousness, the people’s inability to live righteously, and the importance of grace—showing people how to move beyond the letter of the law to its spirit—to the living of holy lives (Oswalt, 452-453).

The text that follows this one (56:9 ff.) speaks of problems within the community—corruption among Israel’s rulers (56:9-12)—idolatry (57:1-13)—false worship (chapter 58)—injustice and oppression (chapter 59)—thus endangering Israel with the loss of the promise (Hanson, 193).

But the text goes on from there in a reassuring mode, speaking of the ingathering of the dispersed (chapter 60)—the good news of deliverance (chapter 61)—the vindication and salvation of Zion (chapter 62)—Yahweh’s mercy (63:7- 64:12).

The book concludes with a note about the righteousness of Yahweh’s judgment (chapter 65) and the worship that Yahweh demands (chapter 66).

ISAIAH 56:1. KEEP JUSTICE, AND DO RIGHTEOUSNESS

1Thus says Yahweh,

“Keep justice (Hebrew: mis·pat),

and do righteousness (Hebrew: seda·qa);

for my salvation is near to come,
and my righteousness to be revealed.”

“Thus says Yahweh” (v. 1a). Thus the prophet announces that these are Yahweh’s words. What follows is non-negotiable. If the people are wise, they will listen and heed.

“Keep justice (mis·pat), and do righteousness” (seda·qa) (v. 1b). Chapter 55 has extended wonderful promises, which might have led some to conclude that Yahweh has relented with regard to demands for justice and righteousness.This verse, however, re-emphasizes the requirements for justice (mis·pat) and righteousness (seda·qa) that Yahweh has established from the beginning. The fundamentals are unchanged.

The combination of justice (mis·pat) and righteousness (seda·qa) is a recurring theme in the book of Isaiah. (1:21; 5:7, 16, 9:7; 16:5, 28:17; 32:1, 16). Justice and righteousness are related. Justice involves bringing people into a right relationship with Yahweh and each other, and these right relationships produce righteous lives.

Yahweh’s law provides specific guidance with regard to just behavior. It requires witnesses to be honest and impartial (Exodus 23:1-3, 6-8). It requires special consideration for widows, orphans, and other vulnerable people (Deuteronomy 24:17). While Israel is always tempted to define its service to Yahweh by the performance of cultic duties (ritual sacrifice, Sabbath observance, etc.), the prophets keep reminding them that justice is a basic duty of the faith community (Micah 6:8).

“for my salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed” (v. 1c). The emphasis here is not on maintaining justice (mis·pat) and doing righteousness (seda·qa) so that salvation and deliverance might come. Yahweh instead announces that salvation and deliverance are just around the corner, which in fact will turn out to be the case. Israel needs to practice justice and righteousness so that it will be ready to receive salvation when it comes.

In the New Testament, John the Baptist will issue a similar call, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”—and Jesus will echo that call (Matthew 3:2; 4:17).

ISAIAH 56:2-5. BLESSED IS THE MAN WHO DOES THIS

2“Blessed is the man who does this, and the son of man who holds it fast; who keeps the Sabbath from profaning it, and keeps his hand from doing any evil.

3“Neither let the foreigner, who has joined himself to Yahweh, speak, saying, ‘Yahweh will surely separate me from his people;’ neither let the eunuch say, ‘Behold, I am a dry tree.’

4For thus says Yahweh, “To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and hold fast my covenant: 5to them I will give in my house and within my walls a memorial and a name better than of sons and of daughters; I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off.”

While these verses are not included in the lectionary reading, the preacher needs to be aware of them. Verse 2 promises happiness to the person who maintains justice and does what is right (v. 1)—who “keeps the sabbath…and keeps his hands from doing any evil” (v. 2).

But it is verses 3-5 that are truly remarkable. These verses extend Yahweh’s promises to foreigners and eunuchs, two groups that have been treated as outcasts.

• When Yahweh speaks of foreigners, he means Gentiles, whom Israel has treated as a lower form of life unworthy of Yahweh’s concern.

• Eunuchs are either men whose sexual organs have been damaged or castrated males used in various forms of government service. They are men who cannot sire children and therefore have no future—their names will disappear with their death. Deuteronomy forbids the admission of eunuchs “into the assembly of Yahweh” (Deuteronomy 23:1). In other words, foreigners and eunuchs represent outsiders—people living beyond the pale.

In verse 3, Yahweh holds out a promise that foreigners can be included among Yahweh’s beloved. In verses 4-5, Yahweh promises to give faithful eunuchs a monument “in my house and within my walls” (meaning the temple)—as well as “a name better than of sons and daughters” (better than Israelites)—”an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off.” So the names of the eunuchs will not die out with their death, because Yahweh will give them an everlasting name.

What these verses promise, then, is that there is no such thing as a proscribed people—a people living outside the realm of Yahweh’s love—a people for whom Yahweh’s promises do not apply. It opens up Yahweh’s kingdom to the world.

But these are not just any foreigners or eunuchs. They are foreigners and eunuchs who keep the sabbath and refrain from doing evil. Keeping the sabbath and abstaining from evil testify to the commitment that these people have made to Yahweh (Motyer, 350-351; see also Goldingay, 316). Their faithfulness demonstrates their desire to be included among the people of God.

ISAIAH 56:6. FOREIGNERS WHO JOIN THEMSELVES TO YAHWEH

6“Also the foreigners who join themselves to Yahweh, to minister to him, and to love the name of Yahweh, to be his servants, everyone who keeps the Sabbath from profaning it, and holds fast my covenant;”

“Also the foreigners who join themselves to Yahweh, to minister to him, and to love the name of Yahweh, and to be his servants, everyone who keeps the Sabbath from profaning it, and holds fast my covenant” (v. 6). In verses 4-5, Yahweh extended specific promises to eunuchs who “keep my Sabbaths” and “choose the things that please me, and hold fast my covenant” (v. 4). Now in Yahweh lays the groundwork to extend similar promises to foreigners. This verse establishes several criteria that qualify foreigners to receive the blessings. The first is that they “join themselves to Yahweh.” Then Yahweh gives a group of three criteria that have to do with the relationship that grows naturally out of joining oneself to the Lord: ministering to him, loving the Lord’s name, and serving the Lord as servants. Then we find three phrases that define cultic service: keeping the sabbath—not profaning it—and holding fast Yahweh’s covenant. Note that keeping the sabbath and holding fast Yahweh’s covenant were also criteria required of eunuchs to enable them to receive Yahweh’s blessings (v. 4).

ISAIAH 56:7. EVEN THEM WILL I BRING TO MY HOLY MOUNTAIN

7“even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.”

“even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples” (v. 7). Verse 6 set the criteria that qualify foreigners to receive Yahweh’s blessings. This verse outlines the nature of those blessings. Yahweh will personally escort these foreigners to his holy mountain—Mount Zion—the location of the Holy City and the Holy Temple. Not only will Yahweh escort them to the holy mountain, but he will also “make them joyful in my house of prayer”—the temple.

The temple was divided into several increasingly holy areas—areas to which access was increasingly restricted.

• The outer court, to which Gentiles could be admitted, was called the Court of the Gentiles. Separating the Court of the Gentiles from the rest of the temple was a wall posted with notices informing Gentiles that any Gentile caught trespassing beyond that wall would be subject to death.

• The Court of Women, where Jewish women were permitted to go.

• The Court of Israel, where Jewish men were permitted to go.

• The Court of Priests. Access to that court was usually restricted to priests, although male Jews were permitted to enter the Court of Priests for certain observances. The altar of burnt sacrifice was located in this area, and this is where priests conducted ritual sacrifices. These sacrifices accomplished a number of purposes—among them atonement for sins.

• The holiest and most restricted area was called the Holy of Holies, and only the High Priest was permitted to enter there.

So under normal circumstances, foreigners (Gentiles) could enter only the outermost courtyard, the Court of the Gentiles. To go beyond that courtyard would bring them under threat of death. But now Yahweh speaks of escorting foreigners into the temple where they could offer burnt offerings and sacrifices. It sounds as if Yahweh intends to admit these foreigners into the Court of Priests, because that is where their sacrifices would be offered. The intent, then, is to signal that Yahweh intends to break down the barriers that have been established to keep Gentiles in the far reaches of the temple—the barriers that convey special privileges to Jews and deny those privileges to Gentiles. The complete fulfillment of this promise will await the coming of the Messiah (see Galatians 3:27-29).

But there is more here. The temple is a symbol of the presence of Yahweh—of access to Yahweh. This verse promises, not just access to the temple, but access to Yahweh, wherever he may be found. The Jerusalem temple will not stand forever, but Yahweh’s love is everlasting and will insure access to all people through all generations.

ISAIAH 56:8. I WILL GATHER OTHERS TO HIM

8“The Lord Yahweh (Hebrew: YHWH adonai), who gathers the outcasts of Israel, says, ‘Yet will I gather others to him, besides his own who are gathered.’”

“The Lord Yahweh, who gathers the outcasts of Israel” (v. 8a). If we accept the proposal that this chapter was written as the Jewish exiles have begun to make their return to Jerusalem, God has already gathered the outcasts of Israel—has gathered them and has begun to lead them home.

“says, ‘Yet will I gather others to him, besides his own who are gathered’” (v. 8b). Where others shun outcasts, the Lord God gathers them. The preceding verses gave foreigners and eunuchs as examples of these outcasts, but there are many kinds of outcasts. We are always tempted to define some group of people as outcasts so that we might feel superior. The various sections of the temple gave witness to the levels of Jewish society, from the priests down to lowly Gentiles.

But then there were lepers and others who were considered unclean, even though they might be Jewish. A Jewish woman was excluded from ritual activities for a period of time after childbirth—forty days after the birth of a son and two weeks after the birth of a daughter (Leviticus 12). A leper was required to wear torn clothes and allow his/her hair to be disheveled and cover his/her upper lip and cry out “Unclean, unclean” to warn non-leprous people to keep their distance (Leviticus 13:45).

In other cultures, people of various races or religions are treated as outcasts. I have even heard high school teachers talking about unmotivated young people as destined for the manual arts, such as carpentry or plumbing. The manner in which they spoke of these young people made it clear that they considered them as outcasts—although one teacher said, “But look at how much money they make.” I was reminded of a comment by John Gardner, “The society which scorns excellence in plumbing because plumbing is a humble activity and tolerates shoddiness in philosophy because it is an exalted activity will have neither good plumbing nor good philosophy. Neither its pipes nor its theories will hold water.”

We can’t afford to treat people as outcasts. Yahweh began bringing outcasts into the fold many centuries ago.

SCRIPTURE QUOTATIONS are from the World English Bible(WEB), a public domain (no copyright) modern English translation of the Holy Bible. The World English Bible is based on the American Standard Version (ASV) of the Bible, the Biblia Hebraica Stutgartensa Old Testament, and the Greek Majority Text New Testament. The ASV, which is also in the public domain due to expired copyrights, was a very good translation, but included many archaic words (hast, shineth, etc.), which the WEB has updated.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Brueggemann, Walter, Westminster Bible Companion: Isaiah 40-66 (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1998)

Goldingay, John, New International Biblical Commentary: Isaiah (Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 2001)

Hanson, Paul D., Interpretation Commentary: Isaiah 40-66, (Louisville: John Knox Press, 1995)

Motyer, J. Alec, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries: Isaiah, Vol. 18 (Downers Grove, Illinois: Inter-Varsity Press, 1999)

Oswalt, John N., The New International Commentary on the Old Testament: The Book of Isaiah, Chapters 40-66 (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1998)

Muilenburg, James (Introduction and Exegesis of Isaiah 40-66); and Coffin, Henry Sloane (Exposition of Isaiah 40-66), The Interpreter’s Bible: Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Vol. 5 (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1956)

Seitz, Christopher R., The New Interpreters Bible: Isaiah, Vol. VI (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2001)

Smith, Gary V., The New American Commentary: Isaiah 1-39 (Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 2007)

Tucker, Gene M. in Craddock, Fred B.; Hayes, John H.; Holladay, Carl R.; Tucker, Gene M., Preaching Through the Christian Year, A (Valley Forge: Trinity Press International, 1992)

Watts, John D. W., Word Biblical Commentary: Isaiah 34-66 (Dallas: Word Books, 1987)

Young, Edward J., The Book of Isaiah: Chapters 40-66, Vol. 3 (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1972)

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