GIVE THANKS
Explore
the Bible Lesson #04 for November, 2009
SCRIPTURE TEXTS:
Background
Texts: Psalm 116:1-19
Focal
Tests: Psalm 116:1-19
INTRODUCTION:
This Psalm (116) is one of the “Hallelujah Psalms”. These Psalms are
praise Psalms found in groups in the book of Psalms. The Psalms in this
classification are: Psalms 104 through 106; Psalms 111 through 113;
Psalms
115 through 117 and Psalms 146 through 150.
They were used extensively in worship in the
Psalms 135-136 were used in Synagogue worship. Psalms 113-118 were
called “The Egyptian Hallel” and were
used in connection with Passover, Pentecost, and the Feast of Dedication. At
the Passover celebration the earliest of these Psalms were sung before the
feast; Psalms 115-118 (called the “Great
Hallel”) were sung after the last cup. (See
Matthew 26:30) [1][1]
The emphasis in Psalm 116, and in others
in this same group of Psalms is on giving thanks to God, not only in praise but
in trusting in Him, walking with Him, and worshiping Him. In other words: in
all of our life activities. Living a life of praise and thankfulness is a
spiritually rewarding life. It brings comfort and assurance. It puts all of
life’s struggles in perspective. So in that spirit let us examine this Psalm of
praise and see how we might apply its principles to daily life.
I.) PRAYING TO GOD: Psalm 116:1-4
“1 I love the LORD, because
he hath heard my voice [and] my supplications.
2 Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I
call upon [him] as long as I live.
3 The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat
hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow.
4 Then called
I upon the name of the LORD; O LORD, I beseech thee, deliver my soul.”
The psalmist, in verse 1 expresses his
love of the Lord because of how God hears his prayers. Do we express our love
for God when our prayers are answered? Gratitude is one element in praising
God. Often times we pray for Him to grant us some favor or help, but when He
does, we often act like those lepers whom Jesus healed who did not return to
thank Him for their healing. (See
Luke 17:12-19) We teach our children to say “thank you” when someone
does them a favor, or grants a request, yet we ourselves often forget to render
to God our thanks for His mercy and grace towards us.
Then in verse 2, the psalmist
goes further by saying that he will continue to call upon God all his life
because God is faithful to hear and grant requests. This is an affirmation of
God’s faithfulness. God does not fail those who by faith ask His mercy. It is
true that not all prayers are answered by a “yes”. However He does grant our
requests when they are in our best interest as well as within His will. The
person of faith understands this principle. God does not grant the requests we
ask for because of selfish reasons, or for requests which will harm us, or
requests which run counter to God’s will and work in the world. But within
these parameters, God will grant our request which we ask in faith.
In verse 3, the Psalmist
tells how he was caught up in terror of death and the pains of hell had
paralyzed him. Have you experienced dread of death, or have you suffered
anguish over the result of sin in your life? These things had troubled the
psalmist, yet when he came to God in prayer, God gave him comfort. If God be
for us, all these things should not trouble us for He is in control and He has
our best interests in mind.
The psalmist
seemingly did as many of us do- he waited until he was desperate to call upon
God because of his fears, but he is grateful because God gave the answer. God
is waiting on us to ask. As James said “...yet ye have not, because ye ask not.”
(James 4:2b)
In verse 4, the psalmist asks God to “deliver my soul”. This is not a plea for salvation, but a
cry for God to bring his life back into harmony with God’s will. It is a plea
for God to take away the fear of death and the agony that comes as a result of
sin or a lack of faith. The psalmist had wandered away from walking as God
wished him to and had therefore fallen into a mess of sorrow. Sometimes when
Christians get into such a mess in their lives they don't know where to turn.
In the book “Pilgrims Progress” this is called “the slew of despond”. Sin often brings despondency when sinners,
blinded to the truth, feel there is no relief for their agony. It would be wise
if we keep in mind that God is standing by willing that we ask for His
forgiveness and blessing. This is an aspect of His love for us. Oh how often
Jesus said to those who pled with Him for healing “I will”! He still stands ready to answer, but we
need to recognize that He is the source of all blessing (James 1:17) and then we need to ask in faith.
II.) RESTING IN GOD: Psalm 116:5-8
“5
Gracious [is] the LORD, and righteous; yea, our God [is] merciful.
6 The LORD preserveth the
simple: I was brought low, and he helped me.
7 Return unto thy rest, O my
soul; for the LORD hath dealt bountifully with thee.
8 For thou hast delivered my
soul from death, mine eyes from tears, [and] my feet from falling.”
These four
verses reiterate the faithfulness of God. This means not only that He is
faithful to hear us, but also that in doing so He remains righteous. The
psalmist was certain that God could forgive righteously. No doubt those in the
Old Testament did not know the details of how God would do this through the
sacrifice of Christ the Messiah. But they put their faith in God nevertheless
that He could and would forgive righteously.
Verse
5: tells us that God will never do anything which violates His
righteous character. Sometimes we think that His actions are not just, but this
is because we have limited vision. He is all knowing and His purposes are on an
eternal scale rather than based upon convenience of the moment.
Verse
6 puts forth a principle that is comforting about those whose mental
capacity is limited. God makes allowance for those whose brains are not right. Here
the psalmist is comparing himself to someone who has limited understanding. Not
that he really did, but his moral actions made him act as if he did not
understand. God was even merciful in that circumstance. Sin often blunts our
reasoning facility and we are blinded to some of the outcomes of our actions.
We see this in people who are addicted to some drug, alcohol, or some other
habit. They often do not see how they are being harmed, or if they do have some
grasp of this, they don't think it is serious. This is self delusion and only
serves to dig them deeper in the hole of sin. This is an aspect of sin that we
often overlook. Sin blinds us to its consequences; sin cripples our mental
ability because this is Satan’s plan - to keep us helpless to undo what we have
gotten ourselves into.
In verse
7 the psalmist tells himself to return to the soul’s rest. He remembers
his previous spiritual state when he was in fellowship with God. He longs for
that peace again. This is a call to rededication. Some think that because their
salvation is eternal that they don't need to rededicate themselves anew. But we
all tend to drift away at times. Therefore we need periods of rededication so
that our fellowship and our peace and contentment within God’s will may be restored.
We should never take God’s blessing for granted. We owe Him continuous praise-
but most of all, we owe Him continued trust.
In verse
8 notice the three things from which God has delivered him.
A) His “soul from death”. This can be taken as sparing his life
or his salvation from spiritual death and a destination of hell. Either way is
correct for God does both when we are in trouble and rely upon Him for
deliverance.
B) His “eyes from tears”. This is deliverance from grief and
sorrow. How comforting God is when we are sorrowful. We rely upon Him for the
outcome of the troubles we endure in this life. It is a comfort to know that He
will bring everything out to a good end. As Paul wrote:
“ 28 And
we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them
who are the called according to [his] purpose.”
What
a great promise! It should wipe away all our tears of sorrow, for He is in
control.
C) Thirdly, the psalmist is grateful
that God has kept “my feet from falling”. God will direct our steps, and when we
trust Him, He will prevent us from making missteps. How comforting this is, for
we cannot see the future. Neither can we anticipate all the results of our
actions, but God can. When we allow Him to direct our steps we can have the
assurance that He will keep us from fatal missteps. The key thought is that we
live by faith and not by sight. Living by sight means that we make our
decisions based upon what we think we know, rather than relying upon God’s
leadership. Sometimes we do see the way, but when we don't, we need to seek His
face and His will, turning to His Word for guidance and waiting upon Him to
make the way ahead clear to us. He will do that, but according to His timetable
rather than ours.
III.) WORSHIPING GOD: Psalm 116:12-19
“12
What shall I render unto the LORD [for] all his benefits toward me?
13 I will take the cup of salvation, and call
upon the name of the LORD.
14 I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the
presence of all his people.
15 Precious in the sight of the LORD [is] the
death of his saints.
16 O LORD, truly I [am] thy servant; I [am] thy
servant, [and] the son of thine handmaid: thou hast loosed my bonds.
17 I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and will call upon the name of the LORD.
18 I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the
presence of all his people,
19 In the courts of the LORD'S house, in the
midst of thee, O
Verse
12: In this verse the writer ponders upon what would be a fitting
offering to the Lord because of His graciousness. Do we ever think about what
we can give back to the Lord out of a heart of gratitude?
In verse
13 he determines to “take the cup of salvation”. To “take the cup” means to use it and
enjoy it. He would delight in the assurance that his salvation brought him.
This is a wise approach. When we come before the Lord in acts of praise and
gratitude, being aware of our salvation will heighten our appreciation for all
that God has done for us. It will also give us confidence that God will receive
our gratitude. Having this confidence then, the psalmist determines to call
upon the name of the Lord. Christian, you are a child of God, He is a loving
father, do not be afraid to approach Him in gratitude and love.
In verse
14, the writer determines that he will pay all his vows before the
Lord. In those times when there were many different sacrifices, there were
sacrifices that were “thank offerings”. These were sacrifices which an
individual offered up to God as thanks for some blessing in their lives. They
made a vow to do this and when the time came to offer it they did it publicly
at the
In verse
15 we find a verse that seems to be out of place in this recitation of
giving back to God. This verse is often used at funerals to give comfort when a
believer has died. However I think that the psalmist was thinking back on the
terrors of death that he referred to in the beginning of this psalm. Now he
realizes that death holds no terror, for God will welcome Him into His
presence.
Verse
16 shows that the psalmist has recognized that he is a servant of God
and as such owes Him obedience and loyalty. Not a servant who is a bond slave,
but one who has been set free and then serves, not out of obligation but of
love and loyalty. Indeed-a servant who is like a son. This is indeed the very
state we who have trusted in Christ have obtained. We are sons of God and His
dear children.
Verses
17 and 18 again speaks of how he intends to pay all his vows to the
Lord publicly. This is witness. Our duty, because of our gratitude for His many
blessings, especially our salvation calls us to declare His mercy and grace
before others.
Finally, in verse
19 the psalmist call on others to join in this praise of the Lord for
His great mercy and His protection. This is our duty also. Let every tongue
confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of the Father.
CONCLUSION:
I think that
the final words in lesson point III above are a fitting conclusion to this Psalm’s
lesson. We are His children who have been blessed beyond measure. There is so
much which He has done for us that our minds cannot truly comprehend it here
below. But as Paul wrote: “12
For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in
part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.”
(1st Corinthians 13:12) Praise Him!
Joe Forbus
11-17-09