Worship in Exile Psalm 61 January 31, 2016 I. The Exiled King A. Trust in God s Faithfulness B. Trials Manifesting God s Faithfulness C. Truth of God s Faithfulness D. Triumph in God s Faithfulness i. Plea for Closeness ii. Plea for Comfort II. The Expectant King (61:5-8) A. Declaration of God s Faithfulness (61:5) 1. God perceived David (61:5a) 2. God privileged David (61:5b) B. Demonstration of God s Faithfulness (61:6-7) 1. Prolong the King s life (61:6) 2. Preserve the King s life (61:7) C. Demands of God s faithfulness (61:8) 1. Man s praise (61:8a) 2. Man s piety (61:8b) In the spring of 2003 I was 25 years old, in my first year at Grace Academy and a volunteer in student ministries at Grace Bible Church. I had been leading music in One28 (the student ministry) for about a year, and Sean invited me to preach a sermon to the students that spring. I agreed and asked if he had any suggestions as to what I should teach about. He said, Why not something about worship? I said, Alright, and proceeded to search my Bible for references to worship in song. I landed on Psalm 61 because of the clear reference to worship in song found in the last verse, verse 8. About 30 hours of study into the message, I was pretty certain it wasn t so much a message about when or how to sing praise to God as it is descriptive of David s situational worship. Nevertheless I found it immensely instructive (and still do), and it has, in fact, informed my worship these thirteen years. Tonight then, I m revisiting the first two sermons I ever preached as I make a contribution to our current sermon series. This study informed my worship, which has in turn impacted how I ve tried to lead others in worship, and it turned David into one of my heroes, flawed though he may be. As I mentioned, I first preached on this psalm in two parts. The first time, I spent a lot of time hopping around the story of David to enrich the study. I ve ruthlessly edited those! 1 of! 10
initial notes and condensed the message into one much shorter message, wherein I will assume your familiarity with a good deal of the story surrounding this psalm. But we will still do some venturing beyond the psalm to try to understand what inspired it. In 2003 I figured then that if I were to understand the last verse of Psalm 61, then I needed to understand the seven verses that preceded it. And in order to understand those, I needed to try to understand the context in which this psalm was written. So I hope you ll join me as we try to make sense of Psalm 61 together. And to do just that, let s start in 2 Samuel 12. Feel free to turn there. A study of this psalm is, in some respects, a behind-the-scenes look at David s heart during his exile from Jerusalem. In 2 Samuel 7, God makes his covenant with David, promising that David will have an heir on the throne forever. In 2 Samuel 11, David infamously commits adultery with Bathsheba and then has her husband, Uriah the Hittite murdered. In 2 Samuel 12, Nathan the prophet confronts David about his sin, probably a year or so after he d committed it. What a dark year that must have been for David. Look with me at 2 Samuel 12:7-15. So all that happens from the next verse on through the death of another of David s sons (Absalom), is the direct consequence of David s sin with Bathsheba. His psalm has bitter echoes of regret tinged with a humbled awareness that it was preventable. Now, David s son Absalom, whom he loved very much, was a bad man. Absalom held a position of authority in Israel, and gained the favor of the people of Israel. He became greedy of the people s favor, and wanted more of it. Consequently, he plotted to dethrone his father. When word of this came to David, he fled for his life to the wilderness of Mahanaim. II Sam. 15:12-16. We see that David understood that his life was in danger, and he did not hesitate but fled. It seems as though he was not surprised. II Sam. 16:5-13. Shimei, the Benjamite of the family of Saul curses David and David trusts that it is from God and the man is carrying out the will of God. (Later, when David is on his way back to Jerusalem and the throne, this man comes groveling before David, begging mercy and forgiveness. II Sam. 19:16-23.) II Sam. 17:27-29. David comes to Mahanaim and is hosted by faithful friends who treat him and his household kindly. Now, it is widely agreed that this is where David was when he wrote this Psalm, and is, thus, the context of Psalm 61.! 2 of! 10
I have this obnoxiously detailed outline with a bunch of subpoints, and you may hear a few of them throughout the message, but I d recommend you simply consider with me Psalm 61 in two parts: 1. The Exiled King (61:1-4) 2. The Expectant King (61:5-8) That recognizes the main division of the psalm. Please join me now in reading the psalm. This brings us to our first point. I. The Exiled King (61:1-4) TRUST in God s faithfulness (v. 1a). Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; This oozes desperation, which, given our context, should come as little surprise. Christians tend to wonder why it is that God brings trials into our lives, when it is trials that drive us Godward. If God s people cry out to Him most, and depend on Him most in times of difficulty, then we ought not to be surprised when the times of difficulty come. In this situation, God had an opportunity to glorify Himself in the outcome, but it would bring David pain no matter how God answered; if David were to be restored to the throne, there is almost no way that Absalom could survive; if Absalom lived, David would most certainly live out his days in exile. When David was uncertain as to what he wanted, he prayed for God to protect and direct. David trusted in the faithfulness of God when he could rely on no other. TRIALS SHOWING God s faithfulness (v. 2). From the end of the earth I call to you (v. 2a). David experienced a variety of trials in his lifetime. Even those in this immediate context serve to shed light on our study. First, he and his household were exiled from Jerusalem, which was a sad moment for Israel (II. Sam 25:23). While all the country was weeping with a loud voice, all the people passed over. The center of the Jewish world was Jerusalem, where the ark rested. God dwelt there in the OT.! 3 of! 10
David was driven from there, so, as he saw it, he felt like he was at the end of the earth, calling to God. He was in Mahanaim, about 45 miles (2-3 days journey) northeast of Jerusalem. Figuratively, he felt as though he was far away from the dwelling place of God, because he was. Being in Mahanaim, he didn t enjoy the physical closeness to the dwelling place of God that he enjoyed while on the throne. David is speaking figuratively, but he figured he may as well be a billion miles away as be in Mahanaim, since he couldn t enjoy closeness to God anyway. when my heart is faint (v. 2b). So, why might David s heart have been faint? It s not hard to imagine, given all that was happening. David s own son, whom he loved DEARLY, wanted him killed. He had been exiled from Jerusalem and his throne. Absalom raped David s concubines on the roof of the palace just to demonstrate his hatred for his father. AND IT WAS ALL PUNISHMENT FOR DAVID S SIN! God told him through the prophet Nathan that it would happen. Now, this is a hard lesson, but no doubt one reason this all happened as it did was that God was teaching David that He was in control the whole time. Circumstances were unfolding precisely as God had said through Nathan. So while it demonstrates that there is punishment for sin, God s fulfilling His promises is a demonstration of faithfulness. He is faithful to do what He says He will do. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I (v. 2c). Through David s various trials, God has remained on the throne, and His sovereign character has not changed. David s prayer reflects that he understands this. David does not say, I m going to the rock that is higher than I, but rather Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. David is in need of refuge, and he cannot provide it himself. David is in pursuit of a place of refuge in the midst of these trials. The nooks and crannies in the rocks of the Mahanaim wilderness had served as a refuge for him, and he! 4 of! 10
presumably knew them well. But he wanted the ultimate refuge to which only God could lead him. David cries out because he can t get to that rock of refuge on his own. He needs God s intervention. Now, David wasn t sitting on his hands while asking God to lead him to refuge. Likewise, when you trust in God s sovereign direction, know that you are responsible to act as well. David recognizes that he is completely at the mercy of the sovereignty of God. God must lead him or he will never get there. Surely he had come to a point where he knew he needed refuge and protection, but was incapable of protecting himself. He was struggling for refuge in the wilderness, but the more he struggled, the more he realized that it was useless to try to get there on his own. So he begged God. So, then, in all of these things, David became more and more aware of God s sovereignty and His faithfulness even when he exercised punishment on David. He had said that He would, and these trials proved Him to be faithful. However God was not only faithful to carry out the punishment that His justice demanded; He had also proven faithful to protect His beloved David in the past, which was a true source of hope for David. TRUTH of God s faithfulness (v. 3). For you have been a refuge for me, A strong tower against the enemy. It is on the grounds of God s character and His faithfulness that David dares to make his request for refuge. For you ve already BEEN a refuge, for me, God, so I know I can call on you! You alone are capable of saving me, anyway! When David had sinned in the past, God had been gracious to remove that sin from him and to restore him. TRIUMPH of God s faithfulness (v. 4). Let me dwell in your tent forever (v. 4a). On the heels of a treatise on God s faithfulness and how He has continually protected and blessed David, David then utters another request. He asks to abide, fellowship, spend time in God s tabernacle forever. This is obviously not a request for his earthly body to be preserved forever, but rather that he would be able to spend eternity in the courts of the faithful Father he served.! 5 of! 10
His request is not to be restored to his throne, but so much more than that. He wanted to dwell with God, enjoying the sweet intimacy of his Savior. His was A PLEA FOR CLOSENESS to God, both in proximity and relationally. He knows of God s love for His chosen and his faithfulness to preserve them. He knows he has been chosen by God and considers this far more valuable than any throne. NOTE: he does not plea for restoration, but he knows that that will occur if it were God s desire. No, he requests to be close to God. Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings. Triumphing in God s faithfulness, David also makes a PLEA FOR COMFORT. Now the illustration becomes clearer, as David continues to plead for intimacy with God. The picture, here, is one of a mother bird protecting her chicks from the elements and predators by spreading her wings over them. As she sustains them personally and keeps them warm against her breast, so David is begging for such protection from God. II. The Expectant King (61:5-8) THE DECLARATION of God s faithfulness (61:5) For you, O God, have heard my vows; You have given me the inheritance of those who fear your name (61:5) Vows are not unfamiliar to us today, but as much as anything we re accustomed to hearing vows broken. Do people make these vows casually or seriously? Who is present when a bride and a groom make vows to one another? Why? Take a wedding, for instance. For the sake of accountability, a man makes a vow before the bride s parents, the church and before GOD. High accountability. David says, Thou hast heard my vows, O God. Not only is he saying that God is faithful to listen, but he is declaring his own accountability to fulfill his vows with God as his witness. So the sense here is that David is talking about prayers, and specifically prayers of commitment to the Lord. In Scripture, vows are, says Vines, 1) always made to God, 2) always voluntary, and 3) MUST be kept; they cannot be annulled.! 6 of! 10
David understood the law well, and as such, was calling for a greater accountability still. Further, his declaration was one that God not only PERCEIVED David s prayer, but that He had clearly PRIVILEGED David with the inheritance of those who fear His name. God PERCEIVED David s prayer, attending to it and hearing it. How did David know? You have given me the inheritance of those who fear your name. Who fears God s name? What inheritance do they receive? God PRIVILEGED David, giving him the gift of eternal life. Thou hast given me the inheritance of those who fear Thy name? INHERITANCE: In a society where it was not uncommon for children of the same household to receive different blessings, this is a blessing for David. Thou hast given me the inheritance of those who fear Thy name. For example, illegitimate children or sons of concubines would be portioned off with presents when the leader of a household died (Gen. 25:6), and they would receive a completely different inheritance from legitimate sons. David was grateful for his inheritance as being of the good kind, recognizing that God had allowed for the distribution of different inheritances judgment and blessing. Just as there were legitimate and illegitimate sons, there were (and are) two different types of people: those who are God s and those who are not. David received the inheritance of those who fear Thy name. This notion of inheritance (elsewhere translated possession) had connotations of permanence to Hebrews. They understood, for example, that God had promised the land of Canaan as an inheritance for the people of Israel forever, and that it was theirs rightfully from God. Likewise, I suspect David used this word carefully and with this understanding of God s immutability in mind as well, knowing that his salvation was secure. THE DEMONSTRATION of God s faithfulness (61:6-7). Prolong the life of the king; may his years endure to all generations. May he be enthroned forever before God; appoint steadfast love and faithfulness to watch over him (61:6-7). Here David suddenly shifts to the third person. Does he do this for effect? Some say so. Prolong the life of the king. Now, can David be talking about himself? He was confident in his faithful savior, and asked to dwell in Thy tent forever. This prophecy, however, was not fulfilled in David s life. All of this, then, is David s cry for God to PROLONG the king s life. Appoint steadfast love and faithfulness, that they may preserve him (61:7b)! 7 of! 10
Steadfast love and faithfulness are a common tag team in David s speech. We find them at work in Psalm 25:10, 2 Samuel 2:6, and 2 Samuel 15:20. Other translations render this tandem as lovingkindness and truth. Here in Psalm 61, David is asking the Lord to set steadfast love and faithfulness to work. He asks the Lord to appoint them to the task of preserving the king. What are these two workers able to do for the king? STEADFAST LOVE: steadfast love, grace, mercy, faithfulness, goodness, devotion. Usually proactive in nature. People usually do or show or keep steadfast love. When God is the subject, this applies particularly to the covenant. This means this a particular, proactive love, mercy, etc. reserved especially for His chosen ones. David is calling to his aid the promises of God, and what God had said. The Lord s covenant with David was given in 2 Samuel 7, before David s sin with Bathsheba. David knew the promises of God did not depend on men s faithfulness, but God s. So he is asking God to appoint the security of His own promises to help David. FAITHFULNESS: This word is often translated truth or rightness. The latter seems to be most fitting. In all of the above benedictions and in Psalm 61:7, David is asking for what is right and just here, in the preservation of the King. For this context, then, this might be better translated mercy and rightness. But here, David is calling to his aid what is good and right. David prayed that God would PRESERVE the King with lovingkindness and truth and FAITHFULNESS. Why is this faithfulness at all? Why is it an act of faithfulness that God would preserve Christ, the Messianic King? Why faithfulness and not mere kindness? Why do I keep coming back to this issue of faithfulness? Isn t God just being merciful in the preservation of Christ the King? This is more than David requesting a favor of God, that God would be kind to him. This is calling God to be true to His own promises. And to be sure, David s prayer would in no way change God s mind, but it would certainly benefit David to recall the character of God and what God had said.! 8 of! 10
Is fulfilling a promise or keeping vows an act of faithfulness or kindness? Likewise, God had promised David, and He preserved Christ not as a favor to Himself, but as the member of the Godhead who had sent Him, and as one Who is faithful to fulfill His promises. God had made promises to David that He was clearly keeping (vv. 3, 5) (II Sam. 7:8-9,12-16); God is faithful to keep His word. THE DEMANDS of God s faithfulness (61:8). So I will sing praises to your name, as I perform my vows day after day (61:8). What does this all demand of us? What does God s faithfulness demand of us? What does God s faithfulness in our LIVES demand of us? THIS is the clincher to the whole thing, and the reason I chose this Psalm back in 2003. While it is a wonderful description of and lesson about God s faithfulness, it is David s understanding of what our response should be to His faithfulness that sold me on it. SO! I will sing praises to your name, as I perform my vows day by day. The coupling of David s circumstances with the person of God drive David to worship. And we re not talking just acknowledgment of God s control, but even singing about it. In light of God s declared and demonstrated faithfulness that David worships. The Psalms - David s and others - are full of what might appear on the surface to be presumptuous prayers, as psalmists ask God things like, How long are You going to let the wicked prosper? or, When are you going to rescue Your people like you said You would? And in almost every case, the psalmists end those psalms with expressions of praise and gratitude. It is perfectly acceptable to rehearse the promises of God and plead with Him to move and to rescue. It is in God s nature to be true to His word, so you d do well to know what He has said. This will come in handy when your son wants to kill you, or when it looks like your heritage is in jeopardy. David did not vow to praise God on the condition that God uphold His end of the bargain. That part was never in question. David worshiped God for WHO He was (and is) and so should we.! 9 of! 10
Again, David said So I will sing praise to your name forever because the previous seven verses had talked about God s character, not some bargain He was bound to. This faithfulness is part of His nature. God s faithfulness, then demands our PRAISE. That s letter a. What other times did David commit to worship and praise God? Without looking beyond the first ten psalms we have a variety of examples. Psalm 5:7 His resolve to worship stands in contrast to the list of evil things that God hates listed in 5:4-6. o When noting God s righteous loathing for evil. Psalm 7:17 David pleads for protection from his enemies, as he did in Psalm 61:2, and he resolves to commit to worship God. o When oppressed by his enemies. Psalm 9:1-2 David commits to praise God before offering thanks for His justice and faithfulness in delivering the righteous and oppressed (v. 9). o When about to thank God for deliverance and His justice. Conclusion and Takeaways When David was uncertain as to what he wanted, he prayed for God to protect and direct. Just because we experience the natural consequences of our sin does not mean the Lord remembers them. God had forgiven David back in chapter 12, yet the King still needed to learn a lesson. Consequences of the sins of individuals always affect more than just the individual, and the greater the influence of the sinner, the more wide-reaching the consequences. When things are bleak, we need to know and rehearse the promises of God. David realized that God would have to work a miracle in order for this to end well. And it did end well, but with great sadness at the death of Absalom. If God is sovereign and good, the right response to trials is worship. And the bleaker the trials, the louder we ought to sing. Read the psalms. Read them as stand-alone worship songs, and study them as journal entries of godly men with rich contexts.! 10 of! 10