Copyright © 2007 by Greg Clements. Permission is granted to copy and distribute these documents as long as no fee of any kind is charged and this copyright notice is included in the document.

April 1, 2007 Psalm 63 Read v 1 – 5 v1 Is it good to acknowledge to God that "you are my God?"

v1 What does it mean to "earnestly seek?"

Deuteronomy 4: 28,29 … with all your heart and with all your soul. 1 Chronicles 28:9 2 Chronicles 15: 10-15…. They sought God eagerly, and he was found by them. Matthew 6: 31-34 … seek first his kingdom

Matthew 22: 36-40 "… " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' …

v1 In what way does a soul "thirst?"

Isaiah 55:1-…Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? …

Matthew 5: 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

v1 When are we in a "dry and weary land?"

v2 How can we behold God in church?

1 Kings 8: 6-11… the glory of the LORD filled his temple.

Acts 7: 54-55 … Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, …

1 Corinthians 14:24,25 …while … prophesying, …he will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, "God is really among you!"

2 Corinthians 3:7-8 …the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, …, 8will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? 2 Corinthians 3: 18And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, …

v3 Why should we glorify God?

Luke 2:20… glorifying and praising God for all the things they had …seen, Romans 15:5-9…glorify God for his mercy, …

v4 Why is it good to praise God?

Acts 11: 17-18 praised God, saying, "So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance …." Acts 12:22,23 …

Ephesians 1: 3 … (he) has blessed us in the heavenly realms 1 Peter 1: 3…In his great mercy he has given us new birth

v4 Why do some people lift their hands in worship?

Nehemiah 8:5-6 Psalm 28: 2 Psalm 134:1,2 … Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the LORD.

Psalm 141:1,2 Lamentations 3: 41,42 1 Timothy 2: 8 I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, …

v5 How do you feed your soul? Psalm 19: 7 The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul.

Psalm 23:3 he restores my soul. Psalm 130:5,6 … in his word I put my hope. Proverbs 2: 1-10 2 turn your ear to wisdom, … knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. Proverbs 16: 24 Proverbs 19:8 Proverbs 22:5 Proverbs 24:14 Know also that wisdom is sweet to your soul;… Matthew 11: 28-29 "Come to me, … you will find rest for your souls. Hebrews 4: 12 For the word of God … penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit,…

Read v 6 – 11 v6 What are the "watches of the night?"

Deuteronomy 6:4-7 … Talk about them Psalm 1: 2 … and on his law he meditates day and night.

v6 What does this verse indicate about the times we should think about God?

v7 What is it about being under God’s protection that helps us worship him?

Hebrews 13: 5-6 … be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; ..

v8 What does it mean to "stay close" to God? Numbers 32:10-12 …they followed the LORD wholeheartedly.'

John 8:31 …Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. … John 10:27-29 My sheep listen …

v9 and 10 What do we know about the author’s relationship to God?

What is the fate of those who oppose the godly? Psalm 1: 4-6 … They are like chaff that the wind blows away. 5 … the wicked will not stand in the judgment, Proverbs 5: 21-23 Proverbs 10: 16 Proverbs 10:29,30 Proverbs 15: 29 Proverbs 24:19-20 2 Thessalonians 1: 8-9 … They will be punished … and shut out from the presence of the Lord …

2 Peter 2: 9… the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment…

v11 Should we swear by God’s name? Exodus 20: 7 "… the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.

Joshua 23:6,7 …do not invoke the names of their gods or swear by them… to settle disputes Exodus 22: 11 1 Kings 8:31,32

Jeremiah 12: 14-16… swear by my name, saying, 'As surely as the LORD lives'-..then they will be established

Amplified Bible verse 11 … who swears by Him [that is, who binds himself by God's authority, acknowledging His supremacy, and devoting himself to His glory and service alone; every such one] shall glory, …

v11 silenced Romans 3: 19 so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God.

April 1, 2007 Psalm 63 leader’s pages

Commentaries state that David was most likely being chased by Saul or Absolam at this time. David was cut off from the sanctuary in Jerusalem at this time.

"The New Bible Commentary Revised" D. Guthrie and J. Motyer eds. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. (1970) page 489

Read v 1 – 5

v1 Is it good to acknowledge to God that "you are my God?"

v1 What does it mean to "earnestly seek?"

The answer is in verse 1, seek with body and soul.

Deuteronomy 4: 28,29 There you will worship man-made gods… 29 But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul.

1 Chronicles 28:9 …my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him... If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.

2 Chronicles 15: 10-15 They assembled at Jerusalem … they sacrificed to the …12 They entered into a covenant to seek the LORD, … with all their heart and soul. … 14 They took an oath to the LORD with loud acclamation…15 All Judah rejoiced about the oath because they had sworn it wholeheartedly. They sought God eagerly, and he was found by them. So the LORD gave them rest on every side.

2 Chronicles 30: 18-20 Although most of the many people … had not purified themselves, yet they ate the Passover, … But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, "May the LORD… pardon everyone 19 who sets his heart on seeking God…even if he is not clean according to the rules of the sanctuary." 20 And the LORD heard Hezekiah and healed the people.

Matthew 6: 31-34 So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Matthew 22: 36-40 "… which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 37Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' … 39And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

Acts 17: 24-27 "The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth…. 26From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. 27God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.

Hebrews 11: 6 … without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

v1 In what way does a soul "thirst?"

When we chase after things not eternal, not of God.

Isaiah 55:1-2 "Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters;… Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. 2 Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.

Matthew 5: 6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

1 Peter 2:1-3 … rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander … 2…crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

v1 When are we in a "dry and weary land?"

persecuted, troubled, cut off from friends, in need of help

When we chase after things not eternal, not of God.

v2 How can we behold God in church?

1 Kings 8: 6-11 The priests then brought the ark of the LORD's covenant to its place in the inner sanctuary of the temple… 10 When the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud filled the temple of the LORD. 11 And the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled his temple.

Acts 7: 54-55 … they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. 55But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, …

1 Corinthians 14:24,25 But if an unbeliever or someone who does not understand comes in while everybody is prophesying, he will be convinced by all that he is a sinner and will be judged by all, 25and the secrets of his heart will be laid bare. So he will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, "God is really among you!"

2 Corinthians 3:7-8 .. the ministry that brought death, which was engraved … on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, …, 8will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious?

2 Corinthians 3: 18And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord…

What other ways is God evident to us?

miracles, healings, changed lives

v3 Why should we glorify God?

Luke 2:20The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, …

Romans 15:5-9 May the God … give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, 6so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father ... 7Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. 8For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews …, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs 9so that the Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy, as it is written:

1 Peter 2:11,12 11Dear friends, I urge you, … abstain from sinful desires, … 12Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

v4 Why is it good to praise God?

Acts 11: 17-18 So if God gave them the same gift as he gave us, … who was I to think that I could oppose God?" 18When they heard this, they … praised God, saying, "So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life."

Acts 12:22,23 They shouted, "This is the voice of a god, not of a man." 23 …, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, …

2 Corinthians 1: 3-4 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ…4who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.

Ephesians 1: 3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

1 Peter 1: 3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

v4 Why do some people lift their hands in worship?

Nehemiah 8:5-6 Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him because he was standing above them; and as he opened it, the people all stood up. 6 Ezra praised the LORD, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, "Amen! Amen!" Then they bowed down and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.

Psalm 28: 2 Hear my cry for mercy as I call to you for help, as I lift up my hands toward your Most Holy Place.

Psalm 134:1,2 1 Praise the LORD, all you servants of the LORD who minister by night in the house of the LORD. 2 Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the LORD.

Psalm 141:1,2 1 O LORD, I call to you; come quickly to me. Hear my voice when I call to you. 2 May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.

Lamentations 3: 41,42 Let us lift up our hearts and our hands to God in heaven, and say: 42 "We have sinned and rebelled and you have not forgiven.

1 Timothy 2: 8 I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing.

v5 How do you feed your soul?

soul OT word "The Hebrew contrasts two...concepts which are not found in the Greek and Latin tradition: "the inner self" and "the outer appearance", or, as viewed in a different context, "what one is to oneself" as opposed to "what one appears to be to one’s observers." Expository Dictionary of the Old Testament" M. Unger and W White, Jr. eds. Thomas Nelson Publishers (1980) page 388

Psalm 19: 7 The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul.

Psalm 23:3 he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

Psalm 24:4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false.

Psalm 130:5,6 5 I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. 6 My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.

Proverbs 2: 1-10 2 turn your ear to wisdom, apply your heart to understanding, …call out for insight,…cry aloud for understanding, … look for it … search for it… 5 then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. …the LORD gives wisdom,….you will understand what is right and just and fair—every good path. 10 For wisdom will enter your heart and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.

Proverbs 16: 24 Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.

Proverbs 19:8 He who gets wisdom loves his own soul; he who cherishes understanding prospers.

Proverbs 22:5In the paths of the wicked lie thorns and snares, but he who guards his soul stays far from them.

Proverbs 24:14 Know also that wisdom is sweet to your soul; if you find it, there is a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.

Isaiah 55:1-3 "…all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. 2 Why spend money on what is not bread,,,, Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare…. hear me, that your soul may live. …

Matthew 11: 28-29 "Come to me, …Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

1 Thessalonians 5: 23,24 May God himself, … sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.

Hebrews 4: 12 For the word of God is living and active…. it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

Read v 6 – 11

v6 What are the "watches of the night?"

The 12 hours of the night were divided into 3 watches. "The New Bible Dictionary" J.D. Douglas ed. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. (1962) page 1317

Think about God at all times.

Deuteronomy 6:4-7 4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

Psalm 1: 2 … and on his law he meditates day and night.

v6 What does this verse indicate about the times we should think about God?

All the time.

v7 What is it about being under God’s protection that helps us worship him?

Hebrews 13: 5-6 … be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; …" 6So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?"

v8 What does it mean to "stay close" to God?

Numbers 32:10-12 11 'Because they have not followed me wholeheartedly, not one of the men twenty years old or more who came up out of Egypt will see the land… except Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun, for they followed the LORD wholeheartedly.'

John 8:31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. … and the truth will set you free."

John 10:27-29 27My sheep listen to my voice; …they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. 29My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand.

v9 and 10 What do we know about the author’s relationship to God?

David trusted God to deliver him.

What is the fate of those who oppose the godly?

God will deal with them.

Psalm 1: 4-6 … They are like chaff that the wind blows away. 5 … the wicked will not stand in the judgment,

6 For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

Proverbs 5: 21-23 …man's ways are in full view of the LORD, 22 The evil deeds of a wicked man ensnare him; the cords of his sin hold him fast. 23 He will die for lack of discipline, led astray by his own great folly.

Proverbs 10: 16 The wages of the righteous bring them life, but the income of the wicked brings them punishment.

Proverbs 10:29,30 The way of the LORD is a refuge for the righteous, but it is the ruin of those who do evil. 30 The righteous will never be uprooted, but the wicked will not remain in the land.

Proverbs 15: 29 The LORD is far from the wicked but he hears the prayer of the righteous.

Proverbs 24:19-20 19 Do not fret because of evil men… 20 for the evil man has no future hope, and the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out.

2 Thessalonians 1: 8-9 … those who do not know God ... 9They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord …

2 Peter 2: 9… the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment…

v11 Should we swear by God’s name?

Exodus 20: 7 "… the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.

allowed for bearing witness

Exodus 22: 11 the issue between them will be settled by the taking of an oath before the LORD that the neighbor did not lay hands on the other person's property. The owner is to accept this, and no restitution is required.

Joshua 23:6,7 6 "… be careful to obey all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses…7 Do not associate with these nations that remain among you; do not invoke the names of their gods or swear by them…

1 Kings 8:31,32 "When a man wrongs his neighbor and is required to take an oath and he comes and swears the oath before your altar in this temple, 32 then hear from heaven and act. Judge between your servants, condemning the guilty …

Jeremiah 12: 14-16… "… I will uproot them from their lands and I will uproot the house of Judah from among them. 15 But after I uproot them, I will again have compassion … 16 And if they learn well the ways of my people and swear by my name, saying, 'As surely as the LORD lives'-..then they will be established among my people.

Amplified Bible verse 11 But the king shall rejoice in God; everyone who swears by Him [that is, who binds himself by God's authority, acknowledging His supremacy, and devoting himself to His glory and service alone; every such one] shall glory, for the mouths of those who speak lies shall be stopped.

v11 silenced

Romans 3: 19 so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God.

Summarize verse 11

Summarize this Psalm.

Next: Psalm 66

Copyright © 2007 by Greg Clements. Permission is granted to copy and distribute these documents as long as no fee of any kind is charged and this copyright notice is included in the document.