The Benefits of Worship

The basic human reaction to pleasure is not satisfaction, but rather craving for more. Hence, no matter what we achieve, it only increases our craving, not our satisfaction. 

The idea that human desires are insatiable and that craving leads to misery is not new wisdom. It a keystone of most religions. The Swedish term Lagom is the modern twist on an ancient idea. Literally meaning “just right”, it refers to “just enough,” and it involves finding contentment in satisfaction.  It is another way of referring to a life in balance.  That lagom between spiritual and physical needs and desires.

As we studied last week, worship is due to God regardless of what we may get out of it.  When we come to God in worship, especially balanced worship, we find all that we need.  That is the point of the lesson today.  More than "what's in it for me?" We learn that the question should be "how can I satisfy God."  

Let's look at that word for a moment.  Satisfy is from an ancient word meaning "do enough", thus making the question "how can I do enough for God."  David again teaches us as we look at Psalm 63:1-11, a psalm that relates to David's experience when he was in the wilderness of Judah a location between the Judean hill country and the dead sea.  This region includes the region from Jericho to south of Masada, and includes what we know as the infamous Qumran community of spiritual seekers that the Essenes maintained; home of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

The content of this psalm reflect David's flight from his son Absalom when he staged a rebellion against his father the king. At that time David sent the ark of God back into Jerusalem. David and the men who fled with him were weary and in need of refreshing. Psalm 63 is a beautiful example of David seeing what he chose to see. 

From one perspective, the king could have only seen the desolate wilderness of Judah as he ran from his enemies. But from the perspective of worship that he chose, he saw the glory and strength of God in His sanctuary. 

What’s our perspective when it comes to worship? It all depends on what—and more importantly who—you see.

Psalm 63:1-5

1 God, you are my God; I eagerly seek you. I thirst for you; my body faints for you in a land that is dry, desolate, and without water. 2 So I gaze on you in the sanctuary to see your strength and your glory. 3 My lips will glorify you because your faithful love is better than life. 4 So I will bless you as long as I live; at your name, I will lift up my hands. 5 You satisfy me as with rich food; my mouth will praise you with joyful lips.

Verse 1 opens with David expressing his relationship with God.  God you are my God literally reads “Elohim, you are my El,” or “God, you are my Strong (powerful) One.” Or as I like to paraphrase it "THE God, you are MY God!"  The personal reference, my God, stresses David’s intimate relationship with God.  More than just being aware of of "a God"; more than just knowing about "a God"; David "KNOWS and relates to THE God".  

This "being in with God" leads David to "eagerly seek God."  The word eagerly derives from the word for seeking "early" or "at dawn." The word seek means to seek diligently, referring to a constant practice or pattern of life.  David says that because of his close relationship with the God of the universe that from the moment he awakens until he goes to sleep he is looking for God in his life.  Remembering that David is called “a man after God’s own heart” and knowing that the word cor is Latin for heart, we can say that David is a man seeking the cor of God.

David is referring to his whole being when he says "I thirst for you", but especially he is referring to his inner spiritual being.  David uses his physical need resulting from being in the desert wasteland to express the situation of his spiritual soul.  Without water the flesh, our physical body, grows weak and wastes away.  Without the spirit of God our spiritual selves soon weakens to the point of being faint.  David is expressing the concept of something along the lines of of "God, when I can't see YOU in my life my spiritual self weakens and I grow weaker to the point that I am in danger of the world overcoming me.  Sometimes for us life can feel like we are on foot, in the desert with no water, and too far to go before we reach safety.  David offers us a remedy.  He notes "so I gaze on you in the sanctuary".  

David tells us that when he was in this state he recalls the splendor of God in his sanctuary. Only those who have spent time with the Lord in the sanctuary can recall that memory.  To gaze is “to look intently on.” David obviously was referring to a spiritual experience. The point being that because David had once experienced and could recall a significant spiritual experience in his life, AND because the eternal God is always present and capable of such an experience again, David could continue to look for God in his life daily, even when he seemed to be lost in the desert.

At this point sanctuary cannot refer to the Jerusalem Temple for it was not yet built, but David had caused the Ark to be moved into Jerusalem and a tabernacle built for it after the Philistines had captured it and later returned it.  David knew that provisions for God's ark had been made, and he knew that he had seen God's power and God's light in his sanctuary.  Such rememberance helped him to continually to seek God in his life. 

David, we must remember, was not merely a king, not merely a warrior, but he was a singer, a musician, and a poet among other things.  He was the original warrior-poet – a person who embodies both the physical prowess of a warrior and the artistic sensitivity of a poet, signifying a balance between strength, combat skills, and intellectual depth, often with a strong sense of honor and a capacity for deep emotion beneath a hardened exterior. 

Here the musician basically is saying life feels like I’m wandering in a desert, but when I was with you in the tabernacle it was SO refreshing.  So refreshing that he writes and sings about it. He tells of God's hesed, his faithful or loyal love.  He relates that while the events and circumstances in life may fluctuate, that God's loyal love is unfailing.  It can be counted upon.  Because of this awareness David says "so I will bless you" indicating worship.  He says that he will do this "as long as I live."  David did not know how long his life would last given his circumstances. But however long it did, David promised his blessing of God would continue for that duration.

A name identifies a person and who he has revealed himself to be—here particularly God had revealed Himself in His strength and glory. At God’s name David notes that "I will lift up my hands".  This may symbolically indicate a number of things, but lifting and show your hands definitely indicates I am empty handed and so may indicate surrender, capitulation, submission, a willingness to serve and more. David’s satisfied, well-fed soul contrasts sharply with its condition in verse 1 where it is parched and thirsty.  David's experiential memory of his joy with God gives him joy even when it seems that God is not at hand.  

Because of such joyful memories David adds that his praise will be joyful. Such praise refers to a loud, vocal, full-throated singing. Will praise refers to David repeatedly praising the Lord for the length of his life.  In this passage we see David claiming an intimate relationship with God and an ongoing seeking of this intimacy as a man wandering in the desert would seek water.  David has the memory of seeing God in his power and glory in his sanctuary and uses this memory to bolster his commitment.  

David is a musician and singer and so uses his life instrument to bring recognition to God, he will do this for the duration of his lifetime.  He comes empty-handed to God, for there is nothing else needed but God.  He will joyfully praise God as long as he lives.

It seems that humans always have some kind of trouble that keeps them awake at night.  David next shows us how he handles this circumstance. 

Psalm 63:6-8

6 When I think of you as I lie on my bed, I meditate on you during the night watches 7 because you are my helper; I will rejoice in the shadow of your wings. 8 I follow close to you; your right hand holds on to me.

Let's paraphrase this a bit. When may mean “as often as”;   think of you is the word “remember”. Meditate does not refer to mindlessness but rather to mindfulness – filling the mind with thoughts. To meditate involves deep reflective rumination. David’s thinking, his meditation, was of the Lord.

 During the night watches refers to the whole night long. Night is a vulnerable time when thoughts, memories, reflections, dreams, temptations, and terrors can oppress a person. But it was during this vulnerable time that David’s thoughts turned to the Lord. David didn’t only think of the Lord during his waking hours but throughout the night hours as well. That God was David’s helper meant God did for David what David could not do for himself, so David writes that even at night when I am conscious I remember and fill my thoughts with joy that you have allowed. 

Rejoice renders a word more often translated “sing” but in most instances contains the concept of joy. This joy comes from "the shadow of your wings" giving an imagery of birds flying in formation, but the word wings and refer to the side or hem.  David's joy comes from being so close to God that  he is effectively  “stuck to” or “glued to” or “adhering to” or “clinging to” and describes what disciples are to be—those who stick close to their master as if in hot pursuit. Thus it refers to a commitment that will not let go. One can almost imagine David saying "I will fly so close you your wing that it will look as if I am in hot pursuit of you."  To use a little Top Gun terminology, David is saying "God I choose to be your wingman.  I will follow  so close to you that we will seem as one."

David also notes that God's "right hand holds on to me".  Symbolically the right hand is the stronger in most people and was most often the "weapon hand."  This statement can be an expression of support by God, but it can also be an expression of willingness of being a tool in the hand of God.  "Wield me as you need!" 

Next, David recalls his current circumstances of those in pursuit of him in the desert.  He expresses his thoughts on the possible outcome.

Psalm 63:9-11

9 But those who intend to destroy my life will go into the depths of the earth. 10 They will be given over to the power of the sword; they will become a meal for jackals. 11 But the king will rejoice in God; all who swear by him will boast, for the mouths of liars will be shut.

Those in rebellion from the kingship of David and who were seeking to destroy the king were bringing destruction down upon themselves that David proceeded to describe in vivid terms. Depths of the earth could refer to the grave or to the realm of the departed spirits, sheol. David looked up to God; his enemies went down into the depths. This is the end reserved for all of God’s enemies. The word depth indicates "distance or extension from the top down, or from without inward." It indicates the extreme distance from something, from "head to toe" or from "inside out".  Those who oppose God who "oppose, resist, rival; contradict, or hold an opposing point of view" of God are literally as far from God as can be.

Perhaps this concept was the origin of the cliche he who lives by the sword dies by the sword, but David notes that those who seek to oppose God by destroying David's life will, by nature of their opposition to God, be given over to the destruction of the sword.  THEY will instead be cut or pierced to destruction. They will become a meal for jackals which contrasts the end of the rebels with the rich food that God satisfied David with in verse 5. These would-be destroyers of the King would instead be destroyed, lie where they fall and will be devoured by the wild animals.  Where God satisfied David with rich food, God provides as food for the wild animals those who would oppose God.

But the king will rejoice in God shows that David as the legitimate ruler  and is a reminder that David’s office was established by God Himself. David spoke of himself in the third person because he was speaking of his office, not merely of his person. Because God would uphold the king, the king and all those who follow him would be elated, but the mouths of those who were speaking falsehood against the king would be shut forever because they were killed.  David paints us a succinct picture of his relationship with God, and God's provision for David, as well as the outcome for those who would struggle against David and hence God's authority who had established David as king.  

David shows us that when we have God we don't need anything else.  Though we can't ever do enough to repay God for what he has done for us, our worship is but one way we seek to offer our gratitude and joy in our relationship with God.  The benefits of worshiping God are strong memories, strong relationship, joyful outlook, God’s shelter, and deliverance from those who oppose God.

God is all we need.