Psalms 116
McGeePsalms 116THEME: A love song because God swallows death in victoryThis is one of the great psalms in Scripture. Some expositors place it next to Psalms 23 in greatness. It is a psalm of thanksgiving. Man is in distress and calls upon God, and God hears in mercy. It is a love song. It is a Hallel psalm. It is a simple psalm that speaks of the past sufferings of Christ in the presence of death. The night He was arrested and the day before He died the Lord sang this psalm. I wish I could have heard Him sing it! Some folk say they wish they could have heard our Lord speak; I would love to have heard Him sing! It was “…for the joy that was set before him [that He] endured the cross …” (Heb_12:2) and He sang that last night with great joy! It is a psalm that speaks of the future, of the deliverance of the faithful remnant during the Great Tribulation period. Also it speaks of the present and has a message for modern man, for the believer in this hour in which we live. This is what God wants us to know. It is a gracious word for those in distress and trouble. It will relieve your anxiety and dispel your doubts. The Lord Jesus sang this psalm the night before He was crucified. In verses Psa_116:1-5, God hears. In verses Psa_116:6-13, God helps. In verses Psa_116:14-19, God is holy.
Psalms 116:1
GOD HEARS"I love the LORD"remember that this is a love song. Have you ever told Him that you love Him? I feel that the most important thing in the Christian life is right at this point. Do you love the Lord Jesus? Do you love His person? Do you have a personal relationship with Him?
Is there any communication with Him? Have you talked to Him today? Is He vital and real to you? The world is tired of that which is phoney, and aren’t you tired of it too? The Scripture says, “We love him, because he first loved us” (1Jn_4:19). “Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory” (1Pe_1:8). The Lord said to Simon Peter, “…Lovest thou me?” (Joh_21:15-17). “…Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood” (Rev_1:5).
To the church in Philadelphia the Lord said, “…I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee” (Rev_3:9). Philadelphia represents the Bible-believing church today. Now what is the basis for all of this? “I love the LORD, because he hath heard my voice.” Are we to pray audibly? Well, it says, “he hath heard my voice,” and that implies audible prayer. I like to talk to the Lord as I drive along in my car. (And, believe me, we need to talk to the Lord as we drive in Southern California these days!)
Psalms 116:3
This is the desperate situation of our Lord on the cross. He knew what He would go throughHe sang about it the night before He died. Actually the sentence of death was upon us, but it became His sentence. He did not have to die. He laid down His life for you and me. No one took His life from Him.
Psalms 116:4
He cried out to the Lord, “Save Me.” His prayer was heard.
Psalms 116:5
God is merciful, but God is righteous. He cannot just arbitrarily forgive sin. He has to be right when He does it. God is the moral Ruler of this universe. He has to be right; He has to be holy; He has to be just, but He also wants to be merciful. The only way was to pay the penalty for the sin of man. Now He says, “Come on, I can receive you.”
Psalms 116:6
GOD HELPSAfter a difficult, frustrating, pressure-filled day, we need to seek out a quiet place where we can confess our sins, read the Word, and talk with God. That is the sanctuary of the soul. Oh, how all of us need this"Return unto thy rest, O my soul." This will enable us to walk out and face the world for God.
Psalms 116:13
Apparently this was the Passover cup being passed at this time. As they passed it around the group they would sing, “I will take the cup of salvation.” They knew the Passover cup was pointing to the One who was coming. Our Lord sang this in the Upper Room. I have wondered if this was the cup about which He said, “You take this cup and drink it. I’ll not take it until I drink it new in the kingdom, because I have a cup to drink tomorrow.” Then out in Gethsemane He prayed that the cup would pass from Him. His holy nature rebelled against being made sin. Yet “…for the joy that was set before him [he] endured the cross …” (Heb_12:2), and He took that cup joyfully the next day on the cross.
Psalms 116:15
GOD IS HOLYThis brings us to the last section of this psalm which tells us that God is holy. His holiness is important. It is the reason He had to die for us. Precious was the death of Christ to God. Precious will be the deaths of those who lay down their lives as martyrs during the Great Tribulation period, and many will do so. We can apply this today. The death of God’s children is precious in His sight.
Psalms 116:16
The only thing that you can give God is your thanksgiving. That is all He wants from you. God wants His children to be thankful. Have you ever thanked Him for your salvation? Have you thanked Him for this day? Oh, to come to the light of a new daywhat a privilege it is! Forgive me for a personal illustration. When my daughter married and left home, it was a very difficult time for me. When I watched her drive off with a “strange” man, I went back over her short life. In my ministry I have been away from home a great deal. After World War II when Youth for Christ was really moving, I honestly believed that revival was going to come to our nation. For two years I was never at home on Saturday night.
I spoke for Youth for Christ from border to border and from coast to coast. I averaged five nights away from home each week. I recalled one time at the railroad station, as my daughter, a little tyke then, said to me, “Daddy, either we come down here to tell you good-bye or to come and get you.” Then she looked up at me and asked, “Can’t you stay home more?” Thinking of that, I wrote a letter to her in which I said, “I feel like I have failed you.” A short time later when my wife and I were in the Hawaiian Islands, I received a letter from her. She wrote, “You did not fail me. I thank you for all you did for me.” My friend, I would rather have that thank-you than a check for a million dollars. There is nothing that she could give me that I wantjust that: “I thank you.” Oh, how valuable that is! My friend, you have nothing that God wantsnothing tangible. The psalmist sings, “I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving.” I’m going to thank Him. In case we miss the import of this, the writer to the Hebrews says, “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name” (Heb_13:15). Oh, my friend, the only thing we can give to our God is our thanks, and how precious that is to our Heavenly Father!