Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Psalm 63:1-11


... in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.  Amen.  Through the prayers of our holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us.  Amen.  Glory to You, our God, Glory to You.

O Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, You are everywhere and fill all things, Treasury of blessings, and Giver of life: come and abide in us, and cleanse us from every impurity, and save our souls, O Good One.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us (three times).

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as it is now, was in the beginning, and ever shall be, world without end.  Amen.

Psalm 63:1-11[1]

A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah.

O God, You [are] my God.  Early I will seek You.

My soul thirsts for You, My flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is.  To see Your power and Your Glory, [so as] I have seen You in the sanctuary.  Because Your lovingkindness [is] better than life, my lips shall praise You.  Thus I will bless You while I live.  I will lift up my hands in Your name.

My soul shall be satisfied as [with] marrow and fatness.  My mouth shall praise [You] with joyful lips.  When I remember You on my bed, meditate on You during the watches.  Because You have been my help, therefore under the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.

My soul follows hard after You.  Your right hand upholds me.  But those [who] seek my soul, to destroy [it], shall go to the lower parts of the earth.  They shall fall by the sword.  They shall be a portion for foxes.

But the king shall rejoice in God.  Every one that swears by Him shall glory.  But the mouth of those who speak lies shall be stopped.[2]



[1] David is determined to worship early in the day.  We do not know if he kept vigil through the night, or if he arose early to begin worship.  The Greek names for the traditional watches are Esperinos (6 PM), Apodeipnon (9 PM), Mesonyktikon (midnight), Orthros (3 AM), The Hours (6 AM, 9 AM, noon, and 3 PM).  We suspect that when the psalmist prays seven times a day (Psalm 119:164) that the reference is to keeping these watches with one off for rest.
David yearns for God and His company: “My soul thirsts for You … My soul shall be satisfied … My soul follows hard after … the king shall rejoice in God.”  These opening statements correspond to these endings: “I will lift up my hands in Your name … I will rejoice … They shall be a portion for foxes (or jackals) … shall be stopped.”
David is not in Jerusalem, he is in the wilderness, and he is homesick for the Shekinah, the Glory of God.  There can be no question about, Who is David’s best friend?
Even the memory of the Shekinah, the Glory of God and the protection of the overshadowing Cherubim wings (Exodus 25:18-20; 1 Kings 6:23-28) and Seraphim wings (Isaiah 6:2) filled David with exceedingly great satisfaction.
Wherever David is, the Shekinah, the Glory of God is his leader.  This leadership alone is the source of David’s victory.  This is the same as the Holy Ghost’s leadership among us today.
Those who love God will have the last words of rejoicing and glorying as the wicked are silenced.
[2] If you have been blessed or helped by any of these meditations in Psalms, please repost, share, or use any of them as you wish.
These meditations are not controlled by Creative Commons or other licenses, such as: copyright, CC, BY, SA, NC, or ND.  They are designed and intended for your free participation.  They were freely received, and are freely given.  No other permission is required for their use.

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