Songs of Summer 7 – The Satisfaction of the Seeking Soul

These are the buzz, kissable dandelion fuzz. I'll be doing whatever snow does in summer. Where do you turn to when times are difficult, when you're going through a troubling situation? Open with us to Psalm 63 today, and we'll consider where David, the author of Psalm 63, turned when he was going through probably one of the most difficult situations of his life.

God bless you. He had been running it through his mind over and over what he could have done differently. As he asked that question, he just came up with endless contemplations of missed opportunities and an ever-growing list of "would've," "could've," and "should've." He thought, "I wish I wouldn't have said that. I wish I would have done that differently."

Though everyone is ultimately responsible for their own actions, he couldn't help but think that if he had just done things a little bit differently, then his son would not be doing what he's doing now. If he had only spent more time with him, if he had only done that a different way or not done it that way, if he had just been there more, if he had just been a better example of humility, if he had just been a better example of confession and repentance, his son wouldn't be doing this. If he had been a better leader, a better husband, a better father, it wouldn't be going like this. His son wouldn't think that this was okay for him to go this way.

Have you been there? Aside from losing a near loved one, a child, or a spouse, this may be the most difficult situation that anyone ever has to face. He was back in the wilderness. It was a wilderness.

David knew the wilderness well. As a child, he grew up in that wilderness while serving as a shepherd over his father's sheep. It was the same wilderness where, as a young man, he was pursued by King Saul, the reigning king who sought to kill him. David would often hide in that wilderness. Later, as king, he found himself fighting battles against the enemies of his nation, such as the Philistines and the Moabites.

Once again, he was back in that wilderness, being pursued and uncertain about his fate. This time, however, it was not the mad King Saul or the Philistines who were after him. This time, the pursuer was his own son, Absalom, who was determined to track him down with an army at his back, intent on killing him. What could happen in the mind and heart of a son to want to pursue and kill his father?

In the wilderness, David wrote Psalm 63. If you have your Bible, open it to Psalm 63, which is located roughly in the middle of your Bible. If you don't have a Bible, you can raise your hand, and one of our ushers will bring you one. The heading of Psalm 63 indicates that it is a psalm of David when he was in the wilderness of Judah.

As we go through this passage, the internal evidence of these eleven verses suggests that this time in the wilderness was likely toward the end of David's life. He was being pursued by his son, Absalom, who had determined to take leadership of the nation and become king, forcing his father out of the kingdom.

It's likely that Psalm 63 was written while David was in the wilderness. It corresponds with the book of Second Samuel, which we will consider in just a moment. There he was, facing an insurrection against his leadership. He was confronted by a rebellious coup, and the one who caused the uprising was his own child.

Have you been there? Maybe not in the exact same circumstance, but have you been in a place where someone was coming against you and your leadership? Perhaps at your job or in your employment? Some of you, unfortunately, have experienced rebellion from your own child, a son or a daughter. My children rebel every single day, but they're little, so I just send them to their room. However, some of you have been in that place of being deeply troubled. This is where David was when he wrote Psalm 63.

Would you stand with me as we read, beginning at verse 1?

"O God, you are my God; early will I seek you. My soul thirsts for you; my flesh longs for you in a dry and thirsty land where no water is. So I have looked for you in the sanctuary to see your power and your glory. Because your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise you. Thus will I bless you while I live; I will lift up my hands in your name. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth shall praise you with joyful lips. When I remember you upon my bed, I meditate upon you in the watches. Because you have been my help, therefore in the shadow of your wings will I rejoice. My soul follows hard after you, and your right hand upholds me.

But those who seek my soul to destroy it shall go into the lower parts of the earth. They shall fall by the sword; they shall be a portion for jackals. But the King shall rejoice in God."

Swears by Him shall glory, but the mouth of those who speak lies shall be stopped. Father, would You speak to us today? Comfort the hearts of any who might be in a very similar wilderness right now. Not the exact same thing, but similar—experiencing deep trouble, experiencing turmoil in their mind, heart, and soul. This may be due to someone—a friend, a former partner, a co-worker—who has come against them and speaks evil of them. Or perhaps they are in the very same place, experiencing the rebellion of a child, a son or a daughter, who has not only decided not to follow You but to spit in Your face. Or maybe they are facing some other deep trouble. God, would You speak to us? Give us Your word and help us to know more of who You are and how great You are, that we would be able to glorify You better and honor You better. We pray this in Jesus' name, and all those who agree said.

You can be seated.

As a young boy, King David, who lived 3,000 years ago, grew up in the wilderness of Judea. It is the wilderness that surrounds the city that still stands today, Jerusalem, located in the modern State of Israel. All those hills around Jerusalem are part of the wilderness of Judea. David, as a boy, grew up not very far from Jerusalem—just about eight to ten miles away—in a town called Bethlehem. When he was the shepherd of his father's sheep, he would take them out into that wilderness. He got to know it really well.

When he was a shepherd boy, the only thing he knew coming against him were the beasts of the field. Unfortunately for him, sometimes those were big deals. At one point in time, a lion came against him, and he defended the flock against that lion. Then, when he was twelve or thirteen years old, an early teenager, he was anointed by a prophet in the nation, the judge of the nation, a guy by the name of Samuel, to be the next king. There was already a...

King Saul was on the throne, and God had called and anointed a young boy, David, to be king. This created a problem because there was already a king. For several years, things seemed to be going well, but eventually, the people in the nation began to applaud David more than Saul. We know how politicians react to that. As a result, David was on the run for nearly a decade, fleeing for his life in the wilderness. King Saul gathered the army of Israel and pursued David day and night, seeking to kill him.

Ultimately, God was faithful, as He always is. There came a point when David ascended to the throne, received the crown, and became king. Later, he would pursue other enemies in the wilderness of Judah. However, as time went on during his reign, a significant event occurred. One of the members of his household, his son Absalom, began to rise to prominence, much like David had when Saul was king.

The story is told in the book of 2 Samuel. You don't have to turn there; you can just write it down and read it later. It is found in 2 Samuel chapters 15 through 18. The unfolding of this story is quite interesting. For a time, Absalom was estranged from his father. He lived in another city far away for about four years due to some issues between him and David. These problems were, quite frankly, a result of David's foolishness and sinfulness.

Pastor Mark shared the story a few weeks ago as he led us through 2 Samuel chapters 11 and 12. There, we see the unfortunate events in David's life. Through his fallen nature, he engaged in adultery and, as a result of that act, had the husband of the woman he committed adultery with murdered. He committed murder and then attempted to cover it up. Ultimately, this became known throughout the kingdom; everyone was aware of what had happened in David's life.

The household of King David was completely depleted of moral capital. It was a short time later that David's oldest son committed an egregious act; he raped his half-sister. David had no moral authority or capital to address this situation, so he did nothing.

One of David's other sons, who was actually the full brother of the victim, was outraged by this atrocity. He took matters into his own hands, declaring that this would not stand, and he killed his brother. What could David do? He had no moral capital. He had committed adultery and murder himself, and he had covered it up. So, he did nothing, which led to discord in the kingdom.

There were people in the nation advising the king, insisting that he needed to put his son to death and deal with the situation. However, David felt powerless. As a result, there was conflict, and ultimately, Absalom was driven out. For a period of time, he lived away from the kingdom, causing heartbreak for both the king and the nation.

Eventually, David sought to reach out, repair the rift, and reconcile with Absalom. He brought Absalom back to the kingdom, and for a moment, it seemed like everything would be okay. However, as we read in Second Samuel, chapter 15, Absalom began to hold gatherings with the people. They discussed the problems in the nation, highlighting serious issues in leadership.

It is easy to find a group of people who agree with you when discussing politics. Absalom pointed out the injustices in the nation, and people responded, saying, "You're right! There are real problems we need to address." In Second Samuel, chapter 15, verse 6, we read that Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel. Just six verses later, the situation escalated further.

Seven verses later, David's advisor came to King David and spoke to him. The messenger said, "The hearts of the men of Israel are with Absalom." The beginning of the rebellion, the beginning of the coup, had started.

The next thing we see in Second Samuel, Chapter 15, is recorded at verse 23. David has left his palace in Jerusalem, just below where the temple would one day stand. It wasn't there yet, but he leaves the city of David in Jerusalem. He goes outside of his palace, outside of the city, down to the east into what is called the Kidron Valley. He is standing at the brook that goes through the Kidron Valley. Up above him, to one side, is his palace and his kingdom; to the other side is the wilderness of Judah.

As he stands there, the high priest of the nation, a man by the name of Zadok, comes down with some of the Levites, the priests, and they are carrying the Ark of the Covenant of God. Yes, that same thing that Indiana Jones got back—the gold box with the angels' outstretched wings over the top of what is called the mercy seat, the lid on that box, the physical representation of the presence of God. They bring it out to David, and there he is, the King, standing at a crossroads. There is his kingdom and there is the wilderness he knew so well.

The priest says they will come with him, and David says to that man, "Zadok, no, take it back up into the temple." The temple was not yet there, so he tells them to take it back up to the tabernacle. He leaves, crosses the brook, and goes up the Mount of Olives. He goes out into the wilderness that he knew from his childhood, the wilderness from which all pursued him, the wilderness he knew from his battles with his enemies. Now, the enemy that is pursuing him is his son.

Why did David leave? He could have stayed in his place; he could have stayed in the palace. He could have stood his ground. No doubt there were advisors saying, "You need to stay. You need to deal with this punk kid. Who does this guy think he is? You're the King, not Absalom." Absolutely, there were counselors telling him he needed to stay. Yet, David left. Why did he leave? I think the answer to it is given to us in Second Samuel, Chapter 15. You can turn there if you'd like; it's to the left in your Bible.

You're going to pass a whole bunch of different books: Nehemiah, Ezra, Chronicles, Kings, and then Second Samuel, Chapter 15. You can note it down in your notes for later.

In Second Samuel, Chapter 15, verse 25, the king said to Zadok the high priest, "Carry the Ark of God back into the city. It's not coming with me. Take it back to the city. I appreciate your kindness, I appreciate your support, Zadok, I appreciate your friendship, but take it back to the city. If I find favor in the eyes of the Lord, then He, God, will bring me back and show me the Ark and the tabernacle. He'll bring me back and show me His dwelling place."

Verse 26 continues, "But if He, God, says, 'I have no delight in you,' then here I am; let Him do to me as seems good to Him."

Why did David leave? He left because he knew that he had sinned greatly. In his mind, he thought, "Maybe God’s done with me. Maybe this is it. This is the result of my failure. This is the result of my adultery, my murder. This is the result of me lying about it. This is the result of me not taking care of and ordering my house. My son raped his sister, my other son killed his brother, and maybe this is it. Maybe God’s done. If God is gracious and He finds favor in me, then He can bring me back. But if not, let Him do to me as seems good to Him."

There’s a question that lingers in the minds of many people who read the Bible. They hear that David is called in the Bible a man after God’s own heart, and then they read that passage where he commits adultery and murder and doesn’t order his house. They wonder, "How could it possibly be that he could be a man after God’s own heart? This guy’s a wicked, sinful man."

That right there is why he’s a man after God’s own heart. He says, "I’m going to leave it in the hands of the Lord. I deserve nothing but judgment. I’m going to leave it in the hands of the Lord." He leaves, and some of his closest friends come with him, along with some of his family members.

He goes into the wilderness and hears through counselors. You can read it in chapters 16 and 17 of 2 Samuel. There are some guys who are still in the household and the palace who are giving him information—spies, if you will. They tell him, "Listen, David, you need to hide because this isn't good. Absalom is going to gather the entire army of the nation with him, and he's coming to pursue you. He's going to find you; he's going to kill you. You need to hide."

David could have called out to his allies. He could have said, "Hey, I’ve got the king up there in Syria; he's a friend. He'll come and help me." He could have called his allies and said, "Hey, phone a friend. I’ve got a little problem. It's a household problem; it's not a big deal. It's not another nation doing it, but we've got to deal with this Absalom in my house. Come help me out." He could have called his mighty men, his generals, and said, "Listen, the army's with me. You guys are with me. We've defeated so many people over time. This guy's a little punk with long flowing hair; he's never seen battle in his life. He's a chump."

But he doesn't do that. He goes into the wilderness, and as he's there, he prays. Psalm 63 is his contemplative prayer to the Lord, and this is how he starts: "Oh God, you are my God." Have you ever prayed like that, where you just fall before the Lord and say, "Oh God, you are my God"?

At the very beginning, when God called the people of Israel, the nation of Israel, out of Egypt, He came and retrieved them by the leadership of Moses through plagues. It's recorded in the book of Exodus. In Exodus chapter 6, before they are taken out of Egypt, God says, "I will take you as my people, and I will be your God." God is going to establish a covenant with them, a relationship with them: "You will be my people, and I will be your God." David knew God as his God because he was in that covenant relationship with Him. In fact, at least five times in the Psalms—maybe seven times, because we're not entirely sure whether or not Psalm 118 was written by David, although it seems like it was—David says of God, "You are my God."

He knew God as his God and had a relationship with Him. So, he writes, sings, and prays here in Psalm 63: "O God, you are my God; early will I seek You. My soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where no water is."

Point number one on your outline, your sermon guide, is in your bulletin: God is your God only if you seek Him. God is your God only if you seek Him when in times of trouble. When experiencing deep, gut-wrenching, soul-wrenching trouble, the master or the God of your life is revealed by what or who you turn to. That thing that you trust in when you're going through trial, tribulation, or difficulty reveals who the master or God of your life is.

This is a challenging thing to consider because, when we go through trials or difficulties, there are a lot of different things that we turn to. Some people turn to a counselor or a friend. Some might turn to a brother or sister in the church—all well and good. However, some people, when going through very difficult situations, turn to alcohol, drugs, sexual promiscuity, or whatever it may be to try and deal with the soul-stirring, wrenching things that are going on.

The master of your life, the God of your life, will be revealed by what you first turn to. Notice here that David is in a soul-wrenching situation. He says, "God, you are my God; early will I seek You." This doesn't mean that all the people in the first service get up early and that they are the real spiritual people. Not so. Us late people can also mean that God is the first one I turn to.

Really, will I seek You? Why? Because my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. David is physically in that wilderness, but spiritually and emotionally, he is in that wilderness as well. When he says, "My soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You," he is expressing that his entire being—everything in him—is looking to You in this situation. His soul, his flesh, all that he is, is turning to You in this dry and weary experience he is going through right now.

We have a wonderful promise in the Scriptures, given by God through the Prophet Jeremiah. You can just jot it down: Jeremiah 29:13. There, God says, "And you will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all of your heart." The promise is that satisfying living water is found by the one who seeks the Lord. David found himself in that dry and thirsty land—physically, emotionally, and spiritually—at this point in his life. His first point of reference is, "God, You are my God," and he turns to You as he is in the wilderness, receiving word that Absalom is coming with the entire army of the nation against him. Those who once stood with him no longer stand with him, and he says, "God, I have nowhere to turn but to You."

Point number two: the Lord will satisfy the seeking soul. We have this sure confidence that the Lord will satisfy the seeking soul, and David knew this to be true. This is why, so many times in his life, he had looked for the Lord. We see it in the very next verse. Look at verse 2: "So I have looked for You"—past tense. "I have looked for You in the sanctuary to see Your power and Your glory."

When I am hungry, when you are hungry, when we are thirsty, we know where to turn. Right? If you're hungry at home, where do you go? The kitchen! Yes, absolutely. It's not a trick question; it's simple. We know where to turn.

When we are physically hungry or thirsty, we go to the kitchen or the fridge. We know where to find food and drink. The question is, where do you turn when, at the soul level, you are thirsting, parched, dry, famished, or starving? David says, "So I have looked for you in the sanctuary. I know where to find you, God, there in the sanctuary."

For David, there was this thing called the temple. At that time, the temple had not yet been built, but there was a tabernacle. In the tabernacle, there were priests and Levites, and it contained a holy place and the Most Holy Place, where the Ark of God was located. It was there that he could witness with his eyes the power and glory of God. He could see it tangibly. He says, "So I have sought you. I've looked for you in the sanctuary. I've seen your power and your glory."

I don't know about you, but sometimes that thought crosses my mind: I wish I had more of those tangible experiences, like the tabernacle, because God seems distant. You might think, "Well, David, that's kind of cool that you had that place to go to, where you could see His power and glory in the sanctuary." But remember, at this point in David's life, he couldn't go there. We just saw in Second Samuel that Zadok brought the Ark, and David said, "Take it back. If I find favor in the Lord's eyes, then He'll bring me back to see it." At this moment, he was in the wilderness, fleeing from Jerusalem, away from all those steadfast foundations.

Yet, he knew that even without the tabernacle, God could still be found. It's nice to have that physical place, but we no longer have it. There is no tabernacle, no physical temple that you and I can go to. However, it is not essential. David understood that he could still experience the presence, power, glory, and worship of God without the tabernacle and without the Ark.

How do we know that? Look at the next section, verses 3 through 5: "Because your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise you."

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, and my mouth shall praise you with joyful lips.

Now notice, it's very subtle, but there's a shift in tense from verse 2 to verses 3 and 5. In verse 2, he says, "So I have looked for you in the sanctuary to see your power and glory." But now, in verses 3 through 5, he says, "My lips shall praise you. 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."

Now remember, he does not know whether or not he will ever see that temple, that Tabernacle, again. He doesn't know if he will ever be able to be in the presence of the Ark of the Covenant, Lord, and yet he says, "I shall do this." In verse 2, he says, "I have looked for you in the sanctuary." It's in the perfect tense in Hebrew, and it speaks of an action that is done, it's completed.

But when we get to verses 3 through 5, when he says, "I shall do this," it's imperfect. The idea is that it is an action that is not yet completed; it's in the process of being done. There, in the wilderness, he is still worshiping as if he were in the Tabernacle because God does not dwell in tents or Tabernacles made with hands. We don't need to have those things. That's why you can tilt up a building and gather together, or you can be in the wilderness and worship the Lord, as David was at this point in time.

Even though he is under pressing circumstances and very troubling things are going on in his life, he says, "My lips shall praise you. I will bless you." Why? Because your lovingkindness is better than life.

Now think about this: this is David, the king of Israel. Even though it was 3,000 years ago, I imagine that the king of Israel had tasted some pretty good things in his life—tasted some really awesome experiences, foods, and all kinds of different things. Yet he says, "God, your lovingkindness is better than all that. It's better than all of that."

Because your lovingkindness is in my life, even though I'm in dire, deep, troubling circumstances, I'm going to bless you. I'm going to praise you with my lips. Then he has this expectation of coming good things. He says, "My soul shall be satisfied as with..."

Marrow and fatness. Now, we don't use words like "marrow" and "fatness" too much. I'm assuming you probably don't use those either. I really appreciate Eugene Peterson, who wrote The Message Bible, because he translates this as, "I will, in the future tense, eat my fill of prime rib and gravy."

Now, if you're a vegetarian or vegan today, God bless you; Jesus loves you too. But for the rest of us, I don't know about you, but prime rib and gravy—that's good! Marrow and fatness—it's good times. A little bit of horseradish, sorry. It's not something you do when you're all trapped in a room like this, talking about food. It's even worse in the third service because they're all having visions of double-doubles in their minds.

But notice the anticipation, the expectation: "I will, my soul shall be satisfied with marrow and fatness, and my lips shall praise you. My mouth shall praise you with joyful lips." What does that mean, "my mouth shall praise you with joyful lips"? Well, if you've ever eaten a good meal, you've had joyful lips. Mmm-hmm, yeah, that's good, right? My mouth is going to praise you with joyful lips because you are going to satisfy me.

He verbally praises God even though he's in terrible circumstances. He verbally acknowledges and glorifies God for His lovingkindness, for His support, for His continual provision.

Point number three on your outline: Those who taste of God's goodness should glorify Him mightily. Those who taste of the goodness of God should verbally glorify Him mightily. Whatever circumstance you're going through, even if things are falling apart in your life, we should glorify Him mightily. Why? Because His lovingkindness is better than life.

The real question is, have you tasted of His lovingkindness? Have you experienced that in your life? And if not, why not? What's holding you back from tasting and experiencing that the Lord is good?

So David says, "Your lovingkindness is better than life. My lips shall praise you. Thus will I bless you while I live. I will lift up my hands in your name. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth shall praise you with joyful lips." Then he continues in the next verse: "When I remember you on my bed, I meditate on you in the night watches."

Even though David is in a dry and thirsty wilderness at this point, his bed might just be dirt. He has gone from the palace to the pit, and now here he is, laying on the dirt, maybe somewhere in the wilderness. There are some of his mighty men with him, keeping watch to ensure that he is protected. As he goes to sleep during the night watches, he says, "When I remember you upon my bed, even though everything else is closing in on me, I meditate on you in those night watches." His mind is filled with meditations of God's lovingkindness and His goodness.

I remember you upon my bed; I meditate on you in the night watches. Point number four on your outline: The Lord is worthy of our continual devotion. What that means is we don't only rejoice in and praise God and glorify His goodness when everything is good. It's easy to do that, right? When everything is going really well and someone says, "Praise the Lord," you go, "Amen, yeah, amen, praise the Lord!"

But then, when things are really terrible and everything has hit the fan, and someone says, "Praise the Lord," your first reaction might be to mutter, "Thanks." Yet here David is in that circumstance. He says, "I remember you on my bed; I meditate on your lovingkindness. It's better than life." The Lord is worthy of our continual devotion, no matter the circumstance—whether in the temple or the wilderness, whether in the palace or the pit. He is deserving of our continual praise.

Why? The next verse tells us: "Because you have been my help." As he tries to sleep, meditating on the Lord, his mindful reflections on God's lovingkindness lead him to this realization: "You've been my help." He remembers when he was in the same wilderness and a lion came against the sheep; God was his help. He recalls being pursued by King Saul in this same wilderness, perhaps in the same cave where he used to hide, the cave of Adullam. Now, here comes his son Absalom, and he remembers how Saul tried to kill him, yet God protected him for eight years, the entire time he was in danger.

Israel was after me, and you protected me. When he would fight against the Philistines, the Moabites, or these different enemies, God, you have been my help. You have been my help; therefore, in the shadow of your wings, I will rejoice.

Now, don't think that by reading this verse, God has wings. This is Hebrew poetry; it's an anthropomorphic term that gives us a picture, and it's an important picture. It's the idea of a hen with her little chicks, or I think a better picture is a goose, Mother Goose, with her little goslings. Have you ever seen those? If you try to get close to them, they run behind Mama. She makes a noise, and they come rushing at you, right? They run to Mama and hide under the shadow of her wings. She is a shelter.

This is the picture that David is trying to give to you and to me. Because you have been, in the past, my help, therefore, in the shadow of your wings, I will rejoice. You've taken care of me in the past; I'm going to find my shelter in you.

In verse 8, my soul follows hard after you. The King James Version says, "my soul follows hard after you, close behind you, and your right hand upholds me." David has seen God's power and glory in the sanctuary, but he has also experienced God's lovingkindness, protection, shelter, and goodness throughout his life.

When he meditates upon this in his present terrible circumstance—everything is falling apart in his life, in his household, and in his kingdom—he realizes that God is the place where he finds joy and rejoicing. So, he decides to run to God and follow close behind Him. As he follows close behind, God will uphold him.

Point number 45 on your outline: the Lord will support the seeking soul. We already saw number two: the Lord will satisfy the seeking soul. Secondly, the Lord will support the seeking soul. As you pursue the Lord, as you seek after Him, my soul seeks after you, it pursues you, and holds on to you.

Now, in contrast, David in verses...

Nine through eleven now turns away from himself to his enemies. Unfortunately for him, at this moment, his enemy was his own son. Notice the contrast: in the Psalms, Hebrew poetry often uses parallel ideas, and this one is called antithetic parallelism, a contrasting parallel idea.

In verse 8, he says, "My soul follows hard after You, and Your right hand upholds me." David expresses his intent to pursue the Lord with his soul, and the result is that God will support him. However, look at verse 9: "But those who pursue or seek my life, or my soul"—the same word—is to destroy it. David is pursuing the Lord, and God is upholding him, while these people are pursuing David to destroy him. What will happen to them? They shall go into the lower parts of the earth, which refers to the idea of hell, destruction, or Sheol. They shall fall by the sword. Jesus said in Matthew 26, verse 52, "For all who draw the sword will die by the sword."

Here, David pictures those who are pursuing to destroy him with the sword, while he is seeking and following the Lord. He states that they will fall by the sword and become a portion for jackals. What does that mean? It means they will be a portion for jackals or foxes, as noted in the King James Version. The idea is that when these pursuers of David die, their bodies, their carcasses, will be left in the open as a shame to them—unburied.

In Middle Eastern culture, if you die, you are buried the same day. Even today, when someone dies, they are buried that day. In Hebrew thought, to be left unburied at sundown is a shame. This is why the book of Deuteronomy states, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree." If you are left out in the open, exposed and unburied, it signifies that no one loves you or is willing to come and bury you; you are left for shame.

David continues, saying that these enemies, his pursuers who seek to destroy him, will die and lay in an open area, ashamed. But the King shall rejoice in God. David has the expectation and anticipation of returning to his place and rejoicing in God—not rejoicing in his own power, his own strength, or his own accomplishments.

Ingenuity, his army, the King shall rejoice in God, and everyone who swears by God shall glory. But the mouth of those who speak lies shall be stopped. This is David's prayer as he's in the midst of this thing: "God, you are my God; early will I seek you. My soul thirsts for you; my flesh longs for you in a dry and thirsty land where no water is. I've looked for you in the sanctuary to see your power and your glory, because your lovingkindness is better than life. My lips shall praise you. I will bless you while I live; I will lift up my hands in your name. My soul shall be satisfied as with prime rib and gravy, and my mouth shall praise you with joyful lips."

In contrast, those he says that pursue. Point number six on the back of your outline: David had this certainty that God will ultimately vindicate his followers. David could have turned to his allies, his army, or any sort of earthly method to try and destroy this rebellion and take care of it by his own hands. But at the end of the day, he stood at that crossroads where he had the choice to go back to the palace and do it his way or cross this brook and go to the wilderness, trusting it into God's hands.

David became, even though he was a sinful man like every single one of us, a man after God's own heart. If they would have had Ashley Madison 3,000 years ago, his name would have been found on the list. Think about it. Even though he was a sinful man, he committed himself into God's hands, saying, "God, I'm going to commit myself into your hands. You do with me as you will. Maybe this is your judgment, but it's in your hands." He trusted that God would ultimately vindicate his followers, and that has to be our trust when the enemy comes against us: "God, it's in your hands, and you fight the battle."

Then would you stand with me as we close in prayer? Father God, thank you for...

Your Word to us, and I pray that we would commit this to our hearts. I pray that we would even memorize this section of Scripture, to think on it, to meditate upon it, and to be reminded that You are our help. You are our support; You are the one who provides and protects us.

May we look to You for all that we need and experience Your vindication. I pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.