SERMON GMT14-010
SETTING: North Kelso Baptist Church
SERVICE: Sunday AM
SERIES: Topical:
General (Old Testament)
SUBTITLE: Are You Thirsty (Part 1)
SCRIPTURE: Psalm
63
SUBJ: Confident expectation
SUMMARY: The love of God compels genuine believers to develop
confidence in God through a passionate thirst for God.
SCHEME: That
genuine believers resolve to quench their thirst in God
1A God is
David’s Desire (Vss. 1-4)
1B The Object of David’s Desire (Vs.
1a-c)
1C It
is an itemized thirst
2C It
is an intense thirst
3C It
is an inclusive thirst
2B The Occasion of David’s Desire (Vs. 1d)
1C Historically
2C Literally
3C Figuratively
3B The Origin of David’s Desire (Vss. 2-3)
1C David’s
exceptional relationship to God
2C David’s
exalted review of God
4B The Outcome of David’s Desire (Vss. 3b-4)
1C In
His Sorrowful Exile – David praised God
2C In
His Sensational Expectation – David promised
God
3C In
his Sweeping Experience – David promoted God
Are you
Thirsty?
Psalm 63:1-4
(Part 1)
INTRODUCTION
A.
C. S. Lewis wrote in "The Chronicles of Narnia"
"Are you not thirsty?" said the lion.
"I’m dying of thirst,"
said Jill.
"Then drink," said the lion.
"May I- could I- would you
mind going away while I do?" said Jill.
The lion answered this only by a look and very low growl.
As Jill gazed at its motionless bulk, she realized that she might as
well have asked the whole mountain to move aside for her convenience. The
delicious rippling noise of the stream was driving her nearly frantic.
"Will you promise not to- do anything to me, if I do come?"
said Jill.
"I make no such
promise," said the lion.
Jill was so thirsty now that,
without noticing it, she had come a step nearer the lion.
"Do you eat girls?" she said.
"I have swallowed up, consumed girls and boys, women and men,
kings and emperors, cities and realms," said the lion.
It didn’t say this as if it were
boasting, nor as if it were sorry, nor as if it were angry. It just said it. [1]
"I daren’t come and
drink," said Jill.
"Then you will die of
thirst," said the Lion.
"Oh dear!" said Jill, coming another step nearer.
"I suppose I must go and
look for another stream then.
"The lion said, "There is no other stream."[2]
B.
Thirst is one of the most powerful spiritual symbols in all of
scripture. As dehydration draws the whole of our physical being to a longing
for water, so a spiritual void will draw our spirits into a search for deeper
meaning for our lives.
C. This world is full of those
who are thirsty. And yes, if we go to the stream we will be devoured, or consumed
by God. I would rather be consumed now by a thirst that can be satisfied by God
than to come to the end of my life and be eternally consumed by a thirst that
will never be satisfied. We must capture that type of spiritual
thirst! We must thirst and long for God
and for spiritual living!
THEME: Genuine believers find satisfaction in God
This
is a good reminder for us all that we as believers are to develop absolute
confidence in God during times of trouble by longing, or thirsting for His
presence in worship.
Proposition: Therefore I propose to you this morning that
the love of God compels genuine believers to develop confidence in God through
a passionate thirst for God.
Interrogative Sentence: So, we have to ask
ourselves, how does David depict his passionate thirst for God?
Transitional Sentence: This passage supplies us
with three elements of David’s thirst for God.
·
God Is David’s
Desire (vss. 1-4)
·
God Is David’s
Delight (vss. 5-8)
·
God Is David’s
Defense (vss. 9-11)
[So,
let’s dig into the first element of David’s thirst for God. Let’s begin by
looking at…]
1A God is David’s Intense Desire (Vss. 1-4)
[As we look at
this intense desire of David we are confronted with at least four (4)
considerations.]
[The first
thing to consider is…;
1B The Object of David’s Intense Desire (1a-c)
[The first thing to note about this
object…]
1C It
is an itemized thirst for God
In other words, David is very specific, he itemized
or listed God. Listen to David…
“O, God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you…”
David has not lost his hold on God. David seeks God
in his most desperate time of need. David is not look for some symbol,
his is not looking for some system, and David is not looking for
some type of substitute. David is looking for his God.
David is looking for an “old friend.” He is
searching for the one whom he holds very dear to him. David has had a
relationship with God and he is seeking to continue in that relationship.
The opening word of our Psalm, “O God” is the same
Hebrew word that Jesus cried when he was on the cross when He said, “O God, O
God why have you forsaken me?”
The verb means “to seek zealously. David is seeking
or searching for His God very zealously.
What do you think of when you hear the word zealous?
It means “enthusiastic, eager, fervid, fervent, intense, or passionate”
David is not messing around or looking around for
God haphazardly or with little effort. No! He is intense and passionate.
[So,
we are confronted with the first consideration of the object of David’s Desire.
His desire is itemized, in other words, David lists the specific object he is
earnestly or passionately searching for.]
[Secondly,
we see that…]
2C It is an intense thirst for
God (vs. 1b)
[Notice two (2) things about this intense thirst…]
First – David
says….
“…my
soul thirsts for you…”
The land of Israel is a very dry land. It is a
desert. It has large amounts of desert land and they are very hot and dry,
especially in the summer.
Anyone who travels in these areas, especially in the
wilderness are experience a parching thirst. You know the kind? The kind where
your mouth is so dry you can’t even salivate. The kind where you can’t swallow
and your throat feels as if it is going to close up.
This is the kind of thirst that drives men mad. It
makes men crazy.
David’s desire for God is like this type of intense
thirst. The very same way that a thirsty man craves water describes the way
David craves or desires God.
[Second,
David says…]
“…my
flesh faints for you…”
This is a picture of intense longing for something
or someone.
Picture in your mind – a man is in the desert. It is
hot and he is walking in the searing heat. The sun beats down on him without
mercy:
·
His throat is dry and parched
·
His lips are parched and cracking
·
The sand and dirt grind into skin w/the dried sweat
·
He needs water badly
·
He is about to pass out
This is the type of longing and desiring that David
has for the fellowship with his God.
He is sick for God – David is literally love – sick
in his soul.
Let
me ask you – does this describe your desire for your God? Do you have such an
intense thirst for God that can be described as a man in the desert who is
parched and dry and ready to faint unless he gets some water?
So,
we see that David’s thirst is an itemized thirst and it is an intense thirst.
Now we will see that…
3C It is an inclusive thirst
for God (1c)
What I mean by this is that David’s desire included
both his body and his soul. Look at what he says…
“…my soul thirsts for you, my flesh faints for you…”
Why do you think he said that? What do you suppose
he meant?
Soul and flesh are used to denote the whole person
of David. By using these two principle parts of ma David is saying that his
whole being went out after God in an intense desire.
The
object of David’s thirst was God – very specifically “His God.” The measurement
of his desire for his God was very intense. The sincerity of his desire was
shown by the fact that it was simply an intellectual desire or even an
emotional desire, his was a desire that involved the entire being of David,
both his body and souls.
[So,
the first thing we have considered is the object of David’s thirst; now let’s
look at the second consideration and that is…]
2B The Occasion of David’s Desire (1d)
“…as in a
dry and weary land where there is no water.”
I want to take a minute and look at the occasion of
David’s desire under three (3) different headings. I think it helps to give us
great perspective and understanding of what David felt and meant.
[So,
let’s look at the first heading…]
1C Historically
First of all let’s talk about where David is when he
experienced this intense thirst for God.
The heading of the Psalm reads – “A Psalm of David,
when he was in the wilderness of Judah.”
The first thing we have to ask ourselves as we study
this Psalm is when was David in the wilderness of Judah? Secondly, we have to
ask ourselves “what was he doing there? Or really why was David in the
wilderness of Judah?
We actually have two choices to consider.
The first choice is that David is running from King
Saul (1 Sam 23:14-15; 24:1)
If you remember Saul has become increasingly jealous
of David and that jealousy had turned into a murderous rage. Saul is pursing
David through the wilderness in order to kill him and eliminate him as a threat
to his throne.
This places David in the hill country of Ziph. More
specifically from verse 15 David is near a place called Horesh.
In 24 of 1 Samuel is near a place called Engedi.
The second choice is that David is fleeing from his
son Absalom. (2 Samuel 15:13, 28)
This is a tragic story as well. David had a son
named Absalom. Absalom had a sister from the same mother who was a beautiful
girl named Tamar.
Another son of David from a wife named Amon “loved”
or rather “lusted” for Tamar. You know the story, Amon raped Tamar and then
rejected her.
This caused Absalom to become furious with murderous
rage. Finally after two years of seething and waiting Absalom devised a plan to
kill his step-brother.
This resulted in two or more year separation between
David and Absalom. Finally, David wanted to see his son.
Absalom refused to see David. Absalom actually
developed a conspiracy to take away the kingdom from David. This conspiracy
eventually led to him being thought of as King.
Eventually David was warned that “the
hearts of Israel have gone after Absalom.” David didn’t want to fight
his own son and kill him or see him killed, chose to flee into the wilderness.
Do
we have any clues that can help us decide when and where David is? Not really.
Verse 11 tells us “the king shall rejoice in God…”
Some
have said that this must be the time David ran from Absalom because David would
have been the sitting King. However, it still doesn’t preclude it from being the
time that he had to run from Saul, because even then David had been anointed
King by Samuel. David could have been considered the King then and still not
contradict our verse 11.
What
makes it additionally difficult is that the area David ran through when he ran
from Absalom is not typically considered the wilderness of Judah.
Ultimately
it doesn’t really matter it doesn’t change the subject matter at all. The older
scholarship regard it more likely as when David fled from his son Absalom. So I
leave it to you to decide. Since it doesn’t affect the message it doesn’t
matter much to me.
There is a second thing to consider when we look at
this Psalm historically and that is a translation issue in verse 1.
·
The NASB, the NIV, the NLT, and the ESV in verse one reads – “O
God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you…”
·
The RSV reads – “O God thou art my God I seek thee…
·
The KJV and the NKJV reads: - “O God, thou art my God; early will I seek
thee…”
As a result of the KJV this Psalm has been called “a
morning Psalm.” People have been encouraged to read this Psalm in the morning,
even early before daylight.
Careful study and investigation has shown that the
second root of the verb in our text does not apply in this context and the verb
means merely “to seek” or “to seek diligently” or earnestly.”
With more material at hand more scholars examining
the text and with more manuscripts discovered since the translation of the KJV
in 1611, I am going with the reading as “earnestly” rather than early.
So,
the territory and occasion is probably when David fled from Absalom and the
translation in verse one is probably “earnestly I seek you.”
Let’s
move to our second heading and look briefly at this section…
2C Literally
These words that David wrote are also literally
true. The wilderness where David was at this time is desert country. (2 Samuel
16:2, 14)
While he wandered about for his life in this desert
David would have gotten very thirsty. He would have to have been constantly
looking for signs of water and for water in order to physically survive.
Walking in the desert, sitting in the desert David
would have gotten very thirsty. It would have been very naturally to describe
his “thirst” for God like his real thirst for water.
Let’s
move to the third heading. Let’s look at it…
3C Figuratively
The words David uses are also figuratively, aren’t
they? The desert was a picture of David’s spiritual condition.
David is in exile. He has been forced from his home,
his place, his throne, his sanctuary, and all that is familiar to him.
His own son, a trusted counselor and a number
subjects are coming after him in an armed rebellion.
These circumstances caused him to seek the Lord all
the more earnestly.
Sorrow, grief, trials, and tribulations are designed
by God to lead the Christian home. God designs them to drive the believer to
seek God more intimately and earnestly.
Henry
Ward Beecher said…
“When my blood
flows like wine, when all is ease and prosperity, when the sky is blue, and
birds, and flowers blossom, and my life is an anthem moving in time and tune,
then this world’s joy and affection suffice.
But when a
change comes, when I am weary and disappointed, when the skies lower into a
somber night, when there is no song of bird, and the perfume of flowers is but
their dying breath, when all is sun-setting and autumn, then I yearn for Him
who sits with the summer of love in His soul, ad fell that all earthly
affection is but a glow-worm light, compared to that which blazes with such
effulgence in the heart of God.”
Well,
the object of David’s desire
or thirst was God. He thirsted after God; he thirsted intensely with both his
body and soul.
The occasion
of David’s desire was both literal and figurative – he was in a literal desert
and his soul was outside of the normal place of his previous fellowship with
God.
Let’s
move to…
3B The Origin of David’s desire (2-3)
When we look at the origin of David’s desire we have
to ask ourselves why did David desire or thirst for God? Where did it come
from? Where did this desire originate?
Vss. 2-3 gives us the answer. David desired God…
1C Because of his exceptional relationship to
God
“So
I have looked upon you in the sanctuary…”
David has had a relationship with God in the place where
God would meet with the congregation of Israel, namely the sanctuary in the
Temple.
Our phrase tells us that David looked lovingly on
God.
The word looked upon gives us the idea that David
looked to God in such a way to see the realm of pure spiritual understanding.
What was it that David saw when he looked upon God
during worship in the sanctuary? What did David want to see? [Verse 2 gives us
the answer]
“…beholding
your power and glory.”
Look at this carefully and think hard on it. Almost
all people, whether they are believers or not, and who have looked for “God” or
a God of their imagination have not wanted to see the two aspects of God’s
character that David longed to see and to behold:
·
God’s power
·
God’s glory
What most people want to see is the pomp and
ceremony and he miraculous.
David wanted to see he strength of God. This word is
used primarily of God. Think of it as the mighty power of brave and strong
warriors.
The Hebrew language doesn’t give it to abstract
thinking or examples. So many times, especially in the OT, words are expressed
in pictures.
Strength is an attribute of God. David is
longing, desiring, or craving for God to exercise his strength, that power that
belongs only God on David’s behalf.
David wants to see the same strength that his mind’s
eye had observed and the glorious nature or character of God that David had
observed in worship here in the wilderness.
David is looking for the communication and
expression of Gods’ grace sent out by God to the soul of a man, and in this
case the grace that God had already manifested in the soul of David. David
longs for the same experience here in the wilderness that he experienced in the
sanctuary.
David
knew God. David worshipped God in the sanctuary in the Temple. David desired
God because of his relationship with God.
[Secondly,
David desired God…]
2C Because
of his exalted view of God (vs. 3a)
“Because
your steadfast love is better than life…”
David desires God in all is fullness simply because
David has experienced God and concluded that God’s love is better than life to
David.
David is not talking about plain old everyday life,
he isn’t referring to a mere existence. David has reviewed, studied, observed,
and experienced the nature and character of God and came to the conclusion that
God’s faithful and everlasting love is better than prosperity or pleasure.
What is David saying? In essence he is saying that
he would consider himself more blessed in the wilderness of Judah, the hot, dry
desert on the run for his life that if he had a life time of pleasure and
prosperity in his palace in Jerusalem without God’s love.
Wow! Can you say that? Can you mean it?
Being alive is usually considered a great treasure.
Even the treasure of life is surpassed when we come to realize and when we experience
just how great God’s love is toward us who are his children.
So
far, we have looked at the object of David’s desire or thirst and that was God.
We looked at the occasion of David’s desire historically, literally and
figuratively – he was in a literal desert and his soul was away from the normal
place of fellowship with God. We looked at the origin of David’s desire – his relationship
and experience with God in worship and fellowship where he has previously seen
God’s power and glory.
[We
come to the fourth and final consideration as we look at David’s intense desire
and that is…]
4B The Outcome of David’s Desire (VSS. 3-4)
David’s intense desire produced a reaction. We see
David’s reaction…
1C In His Sorrowful Exile – David praised God
(vs. 3c)
“…my
lips will praise you.”
The lips represent the mouth. The mouth produces
speech. David says that his speech will praise, or speak well, of God even in his
sorrowful exile in the hot dry desert wilderness.
The acknowledgment that God is a greater treasure
than all of life demands a reaction. David must praise God!
David will use his lips, his mouth, his speech in
adoration and praise towards the power, glory, and majesty of God.
[There
is a second reaction produced by David’s intense desire and we see that
reaction…]
2C In his sensational
expectation – he anticipates continual
praise of God for the rest of his life
“…so I will bless you as long as I live…”
This experience of desiring God in the wilderness has made a lasting
impression on David. So, for the rest of his life he will bless or praise God.
[There
is a third and final reaction produced by David’s intense desire, we see that
reaction…]
3C In his sweeping experience –
he directs his praise and power upward
toward God
“…in your name, I will lift up my hands.”
The raising of hands – as far as I have studied it since 1978 is
related to prayer and petition. I have yet seen it related to singing. It might
be, but I haven’t seen it yet.
Richard Mant wrote:
The practice of
lifting up the hands in prayer towards heaven, the supposed residence of the
object to which prayer is addressed, was anciently used by believers, as
appears from various passages in the Old Testament.
“Park Hurst considered
the ‘hand’ to be the chief organ or instrument of man’s power and operations
and properly supposing the word to be thence used very extensively by the Hebrews
for power, agency, dominion, assistance, and the like, regards the lifting up
of men’s hand in prayer, as an emblematical acknowledging of the power, and imploring
the assistance of their respective Gods.
So,
David is saying that in the name and authority and in the presence of God, he
will acknowledge his need of emptiness, humility and ask God for assistance in
gratitude as he gives God glory by blessing or praising God.
Well,
we have looked closely at God as the Intense Desire of David. We have
considered four aspects of David’s intense desire, the object, the occasion,
the origin, and the outcome of this intense desire.
[What
do you say we wrap this up?]
CONCLUSION
I heard
a story one time of a foreigner here in America who saw a water fountain for
the first time in his life. But he could not see how to make it
work. It had no tap, no buttons to press. He became very
angry and frustrated.
He was
about to turn away when somebody pointed out to him a little sign on the bottom
of the fountain that simply said, "Stoop, and drink." Well
when he stooped over he discovered that an electric eye detected his presence
and the water automatically came flowing out.
My goal or my aim this
morning has been to share with you the deep and intimate communion that David
had with God. Quite frankly David’s communion and experience with God might
have become deeper than ever before because of his trying circumstances. – Somehow
David has found the worship and knowledge of the character of God in his
wilderness experience to be more joyful and precious than even the pleasures
and possessions of life. He will never forget this nor let this experience die.
How are you endeavoring to
quench the deep thirst of your soul? Or do I dare ask, is your soul even
thirsty?
Exhortation: Reject the deceptive promises of the
satisfaction offered by this world. There is no stream or water supply that can
satisfy like Jesus.
The
Apostle John wrote in John 7:37;
"On the last and greatest day
of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let
him come to me and drink."
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