If you have your Bible with you, you can open it up to Psalm chapter 63.
Psalm chapter 63.
And if you don't have one with you, you can get one right in the seat in front of you.
They're the black covered book.
This psalm has long been precious to me.
In fact, it's one of the first sermons I ever preached was on this psalm over 10 years ago
in my home church where I grew up in my early 20s.
And it's a psalm that speaks of the kind of passionate, intimate, close relationship that we can have with God.
So I'm going to read the psalm for us this morning.
Psalm 63.
A psalm of David.
When he was in the desert of Judah.
You, God, are my God.
Earnestly I seek you.
I thirst for you.
My whole being longs for you.
In a dry and parched land.
Where there is no water.
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.
I will praise you as long as I live.
And in your name I will lift up my hands.
I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods.
With singing lips my mouth will praise you.
On my bed I remember you.
I think of you through the watches of the night.
Because you are my help I sing in the shadow of your wings.
I cling to you.
Your right hand upholds me.
Those who want to kill me will be destroyed.
They will go down to the depths of the earth.
They will be given over to the sword and become food for jackals.
But the king will rejoice in God.
All who swear by God will glory in him.
While the mouths of liars will be silenced.
So this is a psalm of David.
King David.
Man who lived about a thousand years before Jesus came.
And we don't know if this was a song or just a prayer.
But it's very poetic in the way that it's phrased.
And David tells us something of the occasion that he was in.
The situation he was in when this was written.
It says when he was in the desert of Judah.
Now it's difficult to pin down exactly when in David's life this took place.
Because David had a couple times when he was in the desert of Judah.
The first was early on in his life when he was being basically chased and hunted by the king of those days.
Which was King Saul.
And he was running for his life.
And then the second time was much later in his life.
He'd already been king for quite a long time.
And then his son Absalom kind of rose up against him and chased him off the throne.
And so he found himself fleeing again and in the wilderness running for his life.
And there's a few verses in this psalm that kind of fit either one of those quite well.
But at the end of the day we don't know for sure exactly when in his life he wrote this.
Usually with these psalms on Sundays in the summer here I've been kind of dividing up the psalm to help us see the structure of it.
And looking at it and working through it piece by piece.
But I found it difficult to do that with this psalm.
It's only 11 verses and I seem to find six different parts.
So rather than dividing it up that way.
We're going to look instead at three of the themes that are woven throughout the psalm.
And we'll start by looking at first David's circumstances.
So let's start by looking at these first verses here.
We know from the superscription that David is in the desert.
And what's it like there?
In David's first words in verse 1 he mentions thirst.
He says,
So there's the idea of weariness or exhaustion.
Perhaps from hunger or thirst or just the heat.
He says that he's in a dry and parched land.
Where there is no water.
So David's surroundings and situation are quite unpleasant at the moment.
He's thirsty.
He's weary.
He's out in the elements.
And there's nothing to give relief.
Verse 2.
He says,
I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory.
He has seen God's presence and power and glory with his own eyes.
But that's not what's happening right now.
Notice that this is in the past tense.
I have seen you in the sanctuary.
I have beheld your power and your glory.
Back then and there God.
But right now here in the desert it's implied.
I don't see you.
Verse 5.
David says,
I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods.
Notice the future tense.
I will be satisfied as with the richest of foods.
But here in the present it's sort of implied that here in the desert the richest foods are not what's on the menu.
And neither is the satisfaction that goes with it.
In verse 7, David is keenly aware of his need for God's help.
In verse 8, he's aware of his need to be sustained and upheld.
And so he's clinging to God.
In verse 9, he tells us that there's people who want to kill him.
They're out to see him dead.
And finally in verse 11, he speaks of the mouths of liars.
There's people spreading lies about him, slander.
So these are David's circumstances described in poetry throughout the psalm.
He's out in the desert.
He's thirsty.
He's hungry.
He's weary.
He's not seeing God visibly as he has in the past.
He can't just go to the tabernacle, the sanctuary, because he's out here in the desert.
He's deeply aware of his need for God's help and sustaining.
And there are these men who are spreading lies about him and seeking to kill him.
But what's always amazed me and touched me when I read this psalm again
is how David desires so much more than just the alleviation of his suffering.
I kept thinking, you know, if I found myself in a situation like this
and I was to write a psalm, it would probably go something like this.
You, God, are my God.
Earnestly, I want to get out of this mess right now.
I'm thirsty for water to drink.
My body faints with exhaustion from the heat.
There's no water here.
Verse 5, I want to get back to eating the richest of foods.
Please get me out of this desert right now and deal with my enemies swiftly.
Amen.
That's more like how we sometimes pray, isn't it?
God, please get me out of this situation ASAP.
And so I'm always surprised again and again when I read what David desires most here.
You, God, are my God.
Earnestly, I seek you.
I thirst for you.
My whole being longs for you.
In a dry and parched land where there is no water.
There's one thing David wants much more than water, food, an easy, comfortable life.
More than all that, David desires God himself.
It's like he's saying, that thirst that I feel in my mouth, that's just a picture.
That's just a parable of how I need you, God.
Like water would satisfy my thirsty tongue and refresh me and replenish me.
That's what you, God, are to my soul.
You are the one that refreshes and replenishes my soul.
That deals with that deep thirst and dryness that's in here.
So even though we see that David's situation is somewhat desperate and grim,
that's not what David's worried about.
It's like he's looking at all this desperation of his circumstances mainly as a metaphor.
It's a picture.
It's a parable of how he truly feels in his heart towards God.
He's desperate for God.
And if you look down the page in your Bibles, you'll see these first eight verses are all about God.
They're all about David's relationship with God.
I just find this so wonderful, so amazing.
I mean, we just heard about how bleak David's circumstances are.
And yet, glance through this whole psalm.
Does David ask God for anything?
Is there any specific request that David has for something from God here?
There's nothing.
He doesn't ask God for a single thing in this prayer.
It's quite a contrast, maybe, to our usual prayers,
where most of our prayers are requests.
It's things we want from God.
So if he's not asking for things, what is David saying?
What is he doing in this prayer?
Well, in verse 1, we see already that he's expressing his longing for God.
Then in verse 2, he reminisces about God, about a special moment that he had with God.
He says, I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory.
So he's thinking back to a previous encounter with God,
probably reflecting on a time when he was in the sanctuary at the tabernacle,
perhaps worshiping or praying.
And it seems that, from what David says,
that God had revealed himself very visibly to David in that moment.
And David says, I remember seeing your power and your glory.
This is precious to David.
Back then, the tabernacle, the sanctuary,
that was a big part of relationship with God.
I mean, you came to the tabernacle, the house of the Lord.
You worshipped.
You brought your sacrifice.
You did your praying and your singing there.
But now David is cut off from that.
He can't just go there like he's used to.
He's fleeing for his life in the desert.
So David does this sort of relational reminiscing out loud in his prayer.
I remember back to that time when I saw you in the sanctuary.
I beheld your power and your glory.
And he continues on with this.
He says in verse 3,
Because your love is better than life,
my lips will glorify you.
So he's thinking back on his relationship with God,
how things have gone in his life.
And he makes this most wonderful of statements.
Because your love is better than life.
And that's just the first part.
He's going to say a bunch more here.
But let's just stop and think for a moment
about that statement right there.
Because your love is better than life.
Your love, God, is better than life itself.
What a statement.
And I don't think David's despairing of his life right now.
I don't think he's saying,
Well, my life stinks,
and so it's easy for your love to be better than my life right now.
I think David valued his life.
Sure, it had its troubles and challenges,
the same as all of us do.
But there's a richness and a beauty to life.
Life is a treasure.
It's a gift from God.
And we all know that.
Even if at times we lose sight of it or forget it,
life is a treasure.
But David says there's something even greater,
even better.
Your love, God,
is better
than life.
That phrase alone is worth meditating on.
Do you value your life?
How much do you value your life?
If I think to our world,
our world holds life at the very top
as the most valuable thing that we have.
And yet David says,
My relationship with you, God,
is better.
It's more precious to me.
More valuable to me.
It's the greater treasure.
Knowing your love for me.
Experiencing your loving kindness.
It's been the ultimate,
the best thing of all.
I wonder if you can honestly say amen
to that
in your relationship with God.
Have you known a love from God
that's more precious to you
than life itself?
You can.
And amazingly,
this reality,
David's deep enjoyment of God's love
becomes the foundation of five will statements
which follow.
We're going to just look at three of them.
He says,
Because your love is better than life,
and then these five will statements.
So let's look at a few of them here.
Because your love is better than life,
my lips will glorify you.
So,
I'm going to worship you with my mouth,
says David.
I'm going to declare just how glorious you are.
There's a bit of a principle here.
Knowing God's amazing love
here
in your heart,
that's what leads
to worship.
That's what leads
to that authentic,
joyful worship.
The second one,
because your love is better than life,
I will praise you
as long as I live.
So God's love is so deep,
so awesome,
so wonderful,
that David says,
I'm going to worship you
till the day I die.
As long as I live.
Have you ever had someone tell you
about a new product
or a new movie?
And they really,
really liked it.
They really thought it was great.
And so they're trying to sell it to you.
They're trying to help you appreciate it.
And you get your expectations
really high
and then you go out
and you get that product
or you go see that movie
and you're disappointed.
They got your expectations
a little too high.
They oversold it.
They praised it a little too highly.
They talked a little too much
good about it.
That might happen
with products and movies
but with God,
David realizes,
he sees,
he knows in his heart of hearts
that he could declare
God's praises
for the rest of his life
and never oversell him.
Never praise him too highly.
Never say enough good about him.
He's that worthy.
He's that good.
He's that glorious.
A lifetime of praise
wouldn't do him justice.
And so knowing God's amazing love
in here
doesn't just lead to worship.
It leads to a whole life
of worship.
A life spent
worshiping God.
One more of these will statements.
Because your love
is better than life,
I will be fully satisfied
as with the richest of foods.
Says David.
Now there's some translation variants there.
More literally,
more accurately,
my soul will be fully satisfied
as with the richest of foods.
This is one of my favorite parts
of this psalm.
Let me ask you something.
What's the best food
that you've ever tasted
in your entire life?
Think back to that moment.
Maybe there's one or two
or three things that just,
man, wow,
wow,
that was so good.
And the whole time
that you were eating it,
it's just like
every single bite
was surprise.
Again,
how can it be
that good?
What kind of sauce
is this?
What kind of seasoning?
How did they get
these flavors
all just right
and it's cooked
to perfection?
It's,
and just when you think
you've wrapped
your mind around it,
you take another bite
and your taste buds
go wild
all over again.
Wow!
Have you ever had
a dish or a food
like that?
There's a conversation
starter for you
after the service.
You can,
you can ask each other
about it
after the service.
King David,
no doubt,
had some
wonderfully rich foods.
He ate at the king's table
before he became king
and then once he was king,
I mean,
he was king.
He would have eaten
all kinds of
rich,
tasty foods.
And so he knew
just how deeply satisfying
a meal can be.
And yet his point here
is not about food at all.
It says,
because your love
is better than life,
my soul
will be fully satisfied
as
my tongue
is with the richest
of foods.
It's a simile.
It's poetic.
What is he saying?
He's saying,
just as my mouth
has been so deeply
satisfied with the
richest of foods
in the past,
in the same way,
my soul
will be satisfied
with you,
my God.
Because
your love
is better
than life.
Can your imagination
do this?
Go back to that
tastiest meal
you ever had.
If you can,
taste it again.
Remember what it did
to your tongue
in your mouth.
God's love
can do that
to your soul.
Where every new
taste of his love
surprises you
all over again.
Every new glimpse
of it,
it leaves you
saying,
wow,
that's amazing.
How can it,
how can he love me
that much?
And you get
another taste
of his love
and your heart
goes wild
all over again.
Have you known
God's love
like this?
You can.
So knowing
God's love
here
in your heart
leads to worship.
It leads to
lifelong worship
and it leads
to the deepest
satisfaction
of our souls.
Let's move on
to verse 6.
David says,
on my bed
I remember you.
I think of you
through the watches
of the night.
That's a pretty
intimate thing
to say,
isn't it?
Not only does
David do this
relational reminiscing
up in verse 2
but he says,
I do this
all the time.
I'm thinking
about you
all the time
God
on my bed
all through
the night.
And we don't
know the details
here.
Is David having
some trouble
sleeping?
Is that why
he's up
in all the
watches of the
night?
Well,
if he's in
the desert
probably he
doesn't have
the best night's
rest I'm
going to
guess.
His bed
might not
be much
better than
the hard
ground.
Maybe some
of these
troublemakers
who are
seeking to
kill him
and spreading
lies about
him have
something to
do with
the fact
that he's
up through
the watches
of the
night.
We don't
know for
sure,
but in
these quiet
moments on
his bed,
David says,
I think
about you,
God.
I think
of you all
through the
night.
I think
of you all
things.
Now, if
you were to
say that
to your
sweetheart,
it would
light a
fire in
her heart.
If we
think about
something a
lot, or
someone a
lot, and
often, and
all through
the sleepless
night, it's
usually something
or someone that
matters so
deeply to
us.
either it's
something that
weighs heavy on
our hearts, a
trouble, a
deep trouble, or
on the
positive side of
things, someone
that's very
dear, very
special to
us.
That's how it
was when I
first met my
wife, Jennifer.
I remember I
couldn't sleep.
I was so
excited.
And finally, I
found somebody
who put good
words to it
that explained
what I was
feeling.
It was Dr.
Seuss who
said it.
He said,
you know you're
in love when
you can't fall
asleep because
reality is
finally better
than your
dreams.
That's how it
was for me.
Now, David's not
talking about a
romantic relationship
here with God,
but it's obvious,
isn't it, that
God is supremely
precious to him.
as only he can
be.
On my bed, I
remember you.
I think of you
through the
watches of the
night.
Do you hear the
passion he has
for God?
The love, the
longing.
I mean, it's
so intense.
We get a
picture here of
a David who
just utterly
cherishes and
adores God.
And this
relationship that
David has with
God, it changes
everything.
for him in the
midst of his
troubles.
How easily he
could be lamenting
in this moment.
How easily he
could be complaining
about his
circumstances.
Asking God for
relief.
And yet,
verse 7,
because you are
my help, I
sing in the
shadow of your
wings.
God for
Jesus.
This is like
David's
Paul and
Silas in the
jail moment.
He's out in
the dry desert,
utterly parched
for thirst,
exhausted and
weary, being
hunted and
slandered.
And yet he's
singing songs to
the God who
has loved him and
helped him and
upheld him.
Isn't that
something?
Do you have a
relationship with
God like this?
this is what
first drew me to
this psalm all
those years ago.
Not that I had a
relationship with
God like this, but
I wanted one.
And I saw that
here in God's
word, it's
possible.
David had it.
You can have
it.
I can have it.
It's real.
So that's the
second theme.
We see David's
desire for God
in the desert
which flows out
of his delight in
God and all of
the sweetness that
has come in that
relationship that he
has with God.
Let's look at one
more theme here
quickly.
Then we'll connect
this all to Christ
and then we'll
apply this to
ourselves.
There's something
about these will
statements all
throughout the
psalm that speaks
to us.
Because your love
is better than
life, my lips
will glorify
you.
I will praise
you as long
as I live.
In your name
I will lift up
my hands.
I will be
fully satisfied
as with the
richest of
foods.
With singing
lips my mouth
will praise
you.
And then we
pick it up
again in verse
nine.
Those who want
to kill me
will be destroyed.
They will go
down to the
depths of the
earth.
They will be
given over to
the sword.
But the king
will rejoice in
God.
All who swear
by God will
glory in him
while the mouths
of liars will
be silenced.
That's a lot
of will
statements.
What are we
to make of
this?
All of these
statements taken
together give us
this sense that
David is so
confident.
It's like he's
just sure of
how things will
be in the
future between
him and God
and between
his enemies
and God.
And yet at
the same
moment right
now here in
the present
David's still
in the desert
nothing's
changed.
His enemies
still want him
dead.
So David is
confident of
how it will
be even
though it's
not like that
right now.
He's confident
of how things
will turn out
even though that
future is
unseen.
It's invisible
to him.
He doesn't
feel that in
his present
circumstances.
This is how
real faith in
God expresses
itself.
As the author
of Hebrews put
it so well
faith is the
confidence in
what we hope
for.
It's the
assurance about
what we do
not see.
And there's a
powerful lesson
for us here.
Not an easy
lesson but a
powerful one.
David is
showing us
here that
life may not
always go as
we wish it
would.
At times
things can be
really hard
but even in
the midst of
that we can
rejoice.
We can sing.
We can be
satisfied in
God.
We must look up
to the Lord.
We must look
ahead to what
he has
promised.
We must look
to see how
do all of the
things the good
promises that God
has given how
do they touch my
present situation.
God.
It really is
possible to
rise above
even in the
midst of
difficulty and
troubles and
trials.
But it happens
only through
faith.
Only through
belief.
Only through
trust in
God.
It happens
only through
desiring God
and seeking
him and
coming closer
to him to
enjoy his
love.
Believing
his promises.
All of
this David
wrote about
a thousand
years before
Jesus came on
the scene.
So we want
to consider
briefly for a
moment how
does this
passage point
us to
Jesus.
I see at
least two
ways.
The first
David says
that God's
love is better
than life.
And we
might wonder
if we're
honest some
of us in
our hearts
how can I
come to
know God's
love like
that?
How do I
get that?
I want to
tell you this
morning that
the best place
to start,
the best place
to continue
to know
God's love
is by looking
to Jesus.
Consider what
the author of
Hebrews said.
Hebrews chapter
one verse
three.
He said the
sun,
referring to
Jesus,
the sun is
the radiance
of God's
glory and
the exact
representation
of his
being.
So Jesus
is the
radiance.
He's the
shining forth
of God's
glory,
of all that
is good,
of all that
is great
about him.
The exact
representation
of who he
is,
which means
that God's
love is
most tangibly
seen in
Jesus,
in the
person of
Jesus,
in the
things that
he said,
the things
that he
did,
and who
he is.
So if you
want to grow
in your
enjoyment of
God's love,
look to
Jesus,
come to
Jesus,
start with
him.
And as
you do,
give special
attention to
the death
of Jesus
on the
cross.
Romans
chapter five
verse eight
says this,
God demonstrates
his own
love for
us in
this.
While we
were still
sinners,
Christ died
for us.
A
demonstration
is something
that you
can see.
Paul is
saying that
God made
his own
love
seeable
to us.
Seeable
to us
through
the death
of Christ
on the
cross
for us
while we
were still
sinners.
So look
to Jesus,
yes,
but also
look especially
to his
death
on the
cross
for you.
That's
where you'll
see the
love of
God in
the fullest
intensity.
It's the
meaning of
that.
It's the
significance
of that.
It's the
gift of
that,
the grace
of that.
The second
place we see
Christ
pointed to
from this
psalm.
David
expresses his
desire as we
heard for
God using
the language
of thirst
and hunger.
He said,
I thirst
for you.
My soul
will be
satisfied
as with the
richest of
foods.
He was
confident that
his deepest
longings would
be met
in God
and in
God alone.
And then
we fast
forward to
Jesus and
what did
Jesus say?
Jesus
declared,
John
chapter 6
verse 35,
I am the
bread of
life.
Whoever
comes to
me will
never go
hungry and
whoever believes
in me will
never be
thirsty.
John
chapter 7
verse 37,
another
occasion.
Jesus said
this, he
said,
let anyone
who is
thirsty
come to
me and
drink.
Jesus also
used the
language of
hunger and
thirst to
describe the
desires of
the human
soul.
But look at
what he
said.
He said,
if you want
that thirst
in your soul
quenched,
if you want
that hunger
satisfied,
come to
me.
Come to
me.
I am the
bread of
life.
I have the
water of
life.
I'm the
one who can
meet that
deepest longing,
that deepest
need of
your soul
for God.
So again,
look to
Jesus,
come to
Jesus,
call out,
cry out to
him,
just like
David did
in Psalm
63,
to Jesus.
Jesus.
This psalm
will always
be precious
to me,
because it
describes for
me the kind
of relationship
that I've
been growing
with God
over the
years,
and it
speaks of
the still
deeper
relationship
that I can
have with
him.
It talks
of intimacy
and passion
between us
and God.
I want
to ask
you this
morning,
do you
have this
kind of
relationship
with God,
with Jesus?
Do you
want it?
Do you
want to
know God's
love
deeper,
better?
I've
already
pointed us
to Jesus
to find
that,
and to
grow in
that,
but I
want to
leave us
with just
one final
word of
encouragement.
Relationships
take work.
Most of
us have
learned that
by now.
I'm not
talking about
the exhausting
labor kind
of work,
but the
relational kind
of work.
You know
the things
I'm talking
about.
Think about
a loved
one,
a family
member.
To have
a good,
strong,
close
relationship
with that
person,
it requires
relational
work.
It requires
that you
make the
spending time
with them
a priority.
It requires
intentionality,
that you
initiate with
them often.
It requires
words spoken
to them,
exchanged with
them,
feelings
expressed.
It requires
that you
listen to
them,
and really
listen.
it requires
that you
ask them
questions,
to get
to know
things about
them.
It requires
that you
seek to
understand
their needs
and their
desires,
and how
can I
meet those?
This is
the kind
of relational
work that
we must
do to
have a
good,
strong,
close
relationship
with another
human being,
with a
son,
or a
spouse,
or a
daughter,
or a
mother,
or a
father.
In the
same way,
our
relationship
with God
takes some
relational
work.
These same
kinds of
things.
We have
to prioritize
time spent
with him.
We have
to be
intentional
and initiate
with him.
We have
to listen
as he
speaks to
us and
respond.
We have
to speak
to him
through
prayer.
We have
to express
our hearts
and feelings
opening up
to him
regularly
and often.
These are
the things
that we do
to draw
near to
God.
I just
want to
leave us
with one
simple word
of encouragement.
This is
God's
invitation
to you
and to
me.
James
4,
verse 8.
It says,
draw near
to God
and he
will draw
near to
you.
Do you
want this
kind of
relationship
that David
has with
God in
Psalm 63?
Do you
want that
with Jesus?
It's not
complicated.
draw near
to God,
to Jesus
and he
will draw
near to
you.
He will
let you
know the
depths of
his love
for you.
Your soul
will be
satisfied
in him.
His love
really is
better than
life itself
so draw
near to
him.
It's that
simple.
God's
love.
Let's
pray.
Father in
heaven, we
thank you
that you
have loved
us with
such an
amazing
love.
So much
that you
sent your
son Jesus
to die
for us.
So much
Jesus that
you endured
such awful
suffering
and shame
so that we
could have
the forgiveness
of our sins
and be
restored to
relationship
with you.
We thank
you so
much for
that.
And I
pray that
each one
of us
here in
this room
would see
new depths
of that
love.
Today and
in this
week ahead,
fill us
with this
confident
faith,
this joy,
this hope
that was
David's,
and this
closeness
that he
had with
you.
We ask
this for
your name.
Amen.