A closer Look at Psalm 116

1. A closer Look at Psalm 116 Much Assistance from Melody of Love: The 2013 Zondervan Pastor’s Annual by T.T Crabtree

2. Introduction • “We do not know who wrote Psalm 116. We call him "the *psalmist". But we do know that God saved him from death. Maybe he was very ill, and in much pain, (verse 10). Maybe his enemies were trying to kill him, and this gave him pain in his mind. We call this "worry" or "grief". Perhaps he was in prison, waiting for execution. Execution is when the prison authorities kill people. They kill them because they have done something very bad. But the *psalmist prayed to God … and the *LORD saved him. *LORD is a special name for God that God’s people use. It is the *covenant name. A *covenant is when two people (or groups of people) agree. God agreed to love and give help to his people; his people agreed to love and obey God.” (He Saved Me! Psalm 116: Gordon Churchyard)

3. Introduction • “We do not know when the *psalmist wrote Psalm 116. It is the fourth of the 6 Egyptian Hallels. The Hallels are Psalms 113-118. They are called "Egyptian" because they remember the story of God saving his people from Egypt. The story is in the Bible Book of Exodus. But this psalm is about one man’s trouble, not the whole country. It is a "hallel" because the word "*hallelujah" is in verse 19.” (He Saved Me! Psalm 116: Gordon Churchyard)

4. Introduction • “There is something exceedingly personal about Psalm 116. A country boy of eleven had been attending the annual revival meeting in a small church. For several days and nights he had been under conviction for his own sin of unbelief in Christ. He had come to the ‘mourner’s bench’ but had received no relief from his burden of guilt. Then a loved one suggested that he go alone into a room, close the door, and read Psalm 116. In the afternoon he did just that. The Psalm, more than any other scripture, found the boy, described him, and pointed him to the Lord to the Lord. That night he was saved. The boy, the writer of these sermon notes, will always have an understandably warm place in his heart for this portion of the Scriptures.”

5. Introduction • Real love is always a duet, a dialogue. Love is never isolated. There is action and response. There is the lover and the object of his love. So it is in this gracious passage. The overtures of God are answered by the responses of a loving heart. There are reasons for love and there are responses to love.” • In this lesson we will be studying these reasons and responses to love

6. The reasons for love (Ps 116:1-8) • The Lord heard the Psalmist (v 1) • The Psalmist cried out to the Lord and the Lord not only heard but also answered his call • According to Alexander, both verbs may be translated in the present, and the text may run thus, "I love because Jehovah hears my voice, my supplications." This also is true in the case of every pleading believer. Continual love flows out of daily answers to prayer. • This shows us that God not only listens to our desires, He responds to our needs • Heb 11:6; 1 Jn 5:14-15

7. The reasons for love (Ps 116:1-8) • The Lord inclined His ear to listen (v 2) • The Hebrew Bible reads, “God turns His ear to me.” This is a Hebrew way to say, “God listens to me.” Hebrew is the language of the Psalmist • “Because he hath inclined his ear unto me,.... Not as hard of hearing, for his ear is not heavy that it cannot hear; he is quick of hearing, and his ears are always open to the righteous; it rather denotes his readiness to hear; he hearkens and hears, he listens to what his people say, and hears them at once, and understands them…” (Gill) • It’s one thing to listen to someone because they are speaking to us and we feel we have to. It’s entirely another to stoop down or to lean in and listen intently so that we do not miss a word they have to say • We understand that when a person listens to us eagerly and with great interest, it is one of the best compliments we can be paid. This is exactly we see God doing for the Psalmist as he listens to h is cry

8. The reasons for love (Ps 116:1-8) • The Lord preserved the simple/Psalmist (v 6) • “The meaning here is, that the Lord preserves or keeps those who have simple and unwavering trust in him; those who are sincere in their professions; those who rely on his word.” (Barnes’ Notes) • “The Lord preserveth the simple,.... Such as have but a small degree of understanding, either in things natural or spiritual, in comparison of others; babes, as the Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, Syriac, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions render it, so in the Talmud (i); see Matthew 11:25. Such who are sensible of their lack of wisdom, and what they have they do not lean unto or trust in, but being sensible of their weakness commit themselves to the Lord; they are sincere and upright, harmless and inoffensive, artless and incautious, and so easily imposed upon by designing men; but the Lord preserves them, as from sin, from a total and final falling away by it, so from gross errors and heresies; he preserves them from the snares and pollutions of the world, and from the temptations of Satan, so as not to be overcome with them; he preserves them by his Spirit, power, and grace, safe to his kingdom and glory.” (Gill) • The word preserve has a sense of protection in its meaning • God’s presence was constant with the Psalmist and is with us today as well • To those who put their trust and faith in the Lord, God offers around-the-clock protection of their soul

9. The reasons for love (Ps 116:1-8) • The Lord helped/saved the Psalmist (v 6) • “He saved me" here means "saved from dying", not "saved from hell". • I was brought low - By affliction and trial. The Hebrew literally means to hang down, to be pendulous, to swing, to wave - as a bucket in a well, or as the slender branches of the palm, the willow, etc. Then it means to be slack, feeble, weak, as in sickness, etc. See the notes at Psalm 79:8. Here it probably refers to the prostration of strength by disease. And he helped me - He gave me strength; he restored me. (Barnes’ Notes) • ‘I was brought low and he helped me; the psalmist returns to his own case, and gives an instance of the divine goodness in himself; he had been brought low by affliction of body, by distress of enemies, through want of the necessaries and conveniences of life; he had been brought low as to spiritual things, through the weakness of grace, the prevalence of corruption, the temptations of Satan, and the hidings of God's face; but the Lord helped him to bear up under all this; he put underneath his everlasting arms, and upheld him with the right hand of his righteousness; he helped him out of his low estate, and delivered him out of all his troubles, when none else could; when things were at the greatest extremity,” (Gill) • God is able snatch us out of the snare of the devil and make us His own if we are willing to follow His ways. Once we are under God’s protection and following His will there is none who can snatch us from His Hand (Jn 10:27-29)

10. The reasons for love (Ps 116:1-8) • The Lord delivered the Psalmist in a three-fold manner (v 8) • His soul was delivered from death • “Thou hast delivered my soul from death - Thou hast rescued my life from the destruction to which it was exposed.” (Clarke’s Commentary) • His eyes from tears • “Mine eyes from tears - Thou hast turned my sorrow into joy.” (Clarke’s Commentary) • His feet from falling • “My feet from falling - Thou hast taken me out of the land of snares and pitfalls, and brought me into a plain path.” (Clarke’s Commentary)

11. The responses to love (Ps 116:9-19) • I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living (v 9) • “I will walk before the Lord ... This expresses a full belief that he would live, and a purpose to live "before the Lord;" that is, as in his presence, in his service, and enjoying communion with him.” (Barnes’ Notes) • “By a man's walk is understood his way of life: some men live only as in the sight of their fellow men, having regard to human judgment and opinion; but the truly gracious man considers the presence of God, and acts under the influence of his all-observing eye. "Thou God seest me" is a far better influence than "My master sees me." The life of faith, hope, holy fear, and true holiness is produced by a sense of living and walking before the Lord, and he who has been favoured with divine deliverances in answer to prayer finds his own experience the best reason for a holy life, and the best assistance to his endeavours.” (The Treasury of David)

12. The responses to love (Ps 116:9-19) • I will take the cup of salvation (v 13) • There may be two things going through the mind of the Psalmist here • The first is he would accept the cup of salvation…The prime response to love is to accept what love has to offer • The second idea is that he would take the cup to others, be a cupbearer for the King • It is not just our lives that need refreshing, but the lives of other as well…this is what evangelism is all about

13. The responses to love (Ps 116:9-19) • And call upon the name of the Lord (v 13) • “and call upon the name of the Lord; invocation of the name of the Lord takes in all worship and service of him, public and private, external and internal; and particularly prayer, which is calling upon the Lord in the name of Christ, with faith and fervency, in sincerity and truth: and the sense of the psalmist is, that he would not only give thanks for the mercies he had received, but continue to pray to God for more; and this was all the return he was capable of making.” (Gill) • “And call upon the name of the Lord - Engage in a solemn act of devotion; make it a matter of special ceremony or observance to call the mercy of God to remembrance. This was one way of rendering to the Lord a return for the benefits received at his hands; as it is now.” • Prayer is our conversation of Love with the Lord and we must heed the words of Paul to, “Pray without ceasing.” (1 Thess 5:17)

14. The responses to love (Ps 116:9-19) • I will offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving (v 17) • The Psalmist is saying he is so grateful he cannot but make a sacrifice to God • “I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving,.... For deliverance from afflictions and death; for loosing his bonds, in every sense; for all mercies, temporal and spiritual; see Romans 6:17; Such sacrifices are according to the will of God; are well pleasing to him, when offered up through Christ, and in faith, and are a glorifying of him. These are more acceptable than all ceremonial sacrifices; and therefore the psalmist determined to offer this, and not them;” (Gill) • We should feel this same sense of gratitude and love toward God as He has been willing to rescue us from the bonds of sin

15. The responses to love (Ps 116:9-19) • I will pay my vows unto the Lord in the presence of His people, courts of the Lord, and in the midst of Jerusalem (v 18-19) • “now in the presence of all his people, thus; I will then declare his signs (or wonders) to all his people; the marvellous things he had done for him. (Gill) • “I will pay my {k} vows unto the LORD now in the presence of all his people, I will thank him for his benefits, for that is a just payment, to confess that we owe all to God.” (Geneva Study Bible) • Jesus Christ taught that the importance of expressing Him before men in the gospels • Mt 10:32-33; Lk 12:8-9

16. Conclusion • We have seen that the 116th Psalm offers us examples of both the reason to love our God as well as responses that should be a result of this love for Him • If you find yourself in a situation at this time where you are not properly responding the love of God, we invite you to make this right while we stand and sing