I Delight To Do Thy Will, O My God Series

This is a Messianic Psalm – a Psalm of Incarnation. And I prefer to call it the Psalm of Obedience.

Key Verse– [v 8]. “I delight to do Thy will O My God”.

I believe this verse is key not just because of its Messianic content but also because of its Divine intent. There is a relevant message in it for you and me.

That is why I wish to title the sermon – “I delight to do Thy will O My God”.

And my pray is that at the end of today our hearts’ desire and the whole purpose of our lives would be to, “delight to do Thy will O My God”.

1. Superscription

The superscription tells us that this Psalm is a Psalm of David written to the Choir Director. Hebrew Bibles include this superscription as the first verse of the Psalm suggesting that it is part of the inspired text.

If so, this is then an autobiographical but inspired song – and based on V.3, the chorus of which might go something like

This is my story; This is my song.

2. Theme of the Psalm

[Vv. 7-8]. The theme of the Psalm is Perfect Obedience

3. Three Parts

The Psalm can be divided into three parts:

1. [Vv. 1-5] Rescue from the Miry Pit.

David talks about his rescue.

2. [Vv. 6-10] Response with a Messianic Promise.

God reveals for a mere glimpse the underlay of His plan. [Just like Superman tears his shirt to reveal the outfit].

3. [Vv. 11-17] Reminder of the Mindful Provision.

David completes the Psalm with the hope of a future rescue.

4. Three Tenses

The Psalm is written to us in three tenses.

• Past Tense: [Vv.1-5]. Praise of what the LORD has done

• Present Tense: [Vv. 6-10]. Joy of what the LORD expects

• Future Tense: [Vv.11-17]. Promise of what the LORD will do

5. Five sided-Gem

We have been looking at these Psalms as a diamond with many facets.

Based on the five angles covered we can call this Psalm by any of these five names

1. Psalm of Patience

2. Psalm about the Pit

3. Psalm of Praise

4. Psalm of Promise, or

5. Psalm of Perfect Obedience

I. Psalm about Patience:

The Psalm begins with “I waited patiently for the LORD”.

In Hebrew v.1 goes: “Qavah, qavah, Yehovah….” Or

• “Waiting, I waited.” Or

• “Patiently I was patient”.

Or as some versions go:

• “Patiently I waited”

It is interesting that the word for ‘Patience’ in the Bible is interchangeable with ‘longsuffering’…

• “I was suffering a long time while I waited for the LORD”.

1. Waiting seems to be the norm.

We all wait at some level or the other.

Some desperately, some wearily.

For some of us the wait for certain things has been many years.

We even use the expression,

• “I have suffered enough”, or

• “I have suffered all my life”.

However, I hope is that in this waiting we can say with the Psalmist,

“I have with long suffering waited for the LORD”.

David had learned the habit of waiting on the LORD.

Other Psalmist [unknown] join in in Psalm 130, also in other places too.

Ps 130:5. I wait for the LORD, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope.

2. Waiting is difficult but that is the language of the Bible.

• Words like Hope [129 times]-Promise [53 times]-Reward [80 times] etc. all have the implication of something that will be fulfilled in the future.

3. David encourages us to expect deliverance

David is reminding us to patiently wait on the Lord, for the LORD alone is a sure help. He alone is the ONLY help:

Ps 34:19. "The righteous person may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all;"

4. Result of deliverance [v.3]

[v.3] He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; Many will see and fear And will trust in the Lord.

• When people see this, and hear my testimony it will be a reason for them to fear the LORD and put their trust on Him for themselves.

5. Avoiding relapse [v.4]

Ends the first section of the Psalm by warning against relapse and the benefits of trusting God for the future.

[V. 4] How blessed is the man who has made the Lord his trust, And has not turned to the proud, nor to those who lapse into falsehood.

• Proud probably because we are not in the messes like the others.

• Falsehood probably attributing the reason of deliverance to something other than God Himself.

• “Lapsing into falsehood” has the same bearing as “following after other idols”. Some of your translations reflect that.