MY SOUL IS SATISFIED--PSALM 63
Introduction: The Writer and Occasion is stated in the Superscription It says “A Psalm of David when he was in the wilderness of Judah.” This Psalm, like chapter 62 probably belongs to the time of Absolom’s rebellion.
There are several reasons why this is thought to be when Absolom was rebelling.
1. The writer is a king - vs.11
2. He is away from home and in a weary land - vs.1
3. He longs to be back in the sanctuary - vs. 2
4. Enemies seek to kill him - vs. 9
5. He is confident of their overthrow - vs. 9,10
6. And he himself rejoices in God - vs. 7
The theme of this psalm is satisfaction. David with his loyal followers had left Jerusalem by the Jericho road. The Jericho road led through the northern part of the wilderness of Judah. This is the same wilderness where David often found refuge from the actions of Saul, but this time He’s fleeing from his own Son. No doubt his heart was heavy. No doubt there were many obstacles along the way. But it’s in these times that the grace of God becomes reality.
The language of this Psalm suggests that it was written at night (vs. 6). Under the circumstance David was not likely to sleep restfully, and yet his soul found rest in communion with God. David did not stop singing because he was in the wilderness. But he simply adjusted his worship to fit the situation. The child of God can come to a point in his life where no matter what the circumstances are you can still praise God!
I. DAVID’S DESIRE - vs. 1-2
A. David desire communion with God
1. David’s communion with God was so sweet that he wasn’t going to let the desert destroy it.
2. God can be just as real in the desert as he is in the Palace.
B. On Many Occasions God Appeared to his children while they were in the wilderness
1. Hagar saw God in the wilderness - Gen. 16:13
2. Moses saw God in the wilderness - Ex 3:1-4
3. Elijah saw God in the wilderness - I Kings 19:4-18
4. Here David finds out that he’s just as real in the wilderness as he was in Jerusalem.
C. David could enjoy communion with God in the wilderness because of his personal relationship to God
1. David said, “O God, Thou art my God”
2. Jehovah was the God of David
a. Not only by Creation, but by Covenant
b. Not only by virtue of his claims, but also by David’s Choice
c. Not only by Conversion, but by Consecration
3. The reason some people cannot make it through the wilderness experience is because they do not have a
personal relationship with God
D. “Early will I Seek Thee”
1. Seek God early in Life
a. 75% of those that get saved, get saved before the age of 15
b. 95% of those that get saved, get saved before the age of 25
c. Over 25 the odds of you getting saved are 1 in 10,000
d. Over 35 the odds of you getting saved are 1 in 50,000
e. Over 45 the odds of you getting saved are 1 in 200,000
f. Over 55 the odds of you getting saved are 1 in 300,000
g. Over 65 the odds of you getting saved are 1 in 500,000
h. Over 75 the odds of you getting saved are 1 in 750,000
2. Seek God early each Day
a. In the Morning, while the day is fresh is the best time to meet with God.
b. Before your mind gets cluttered with the cares of the day you need to spend some time with Him.
I met God in the Morning
When my day was at its Best
And His Presence came like Sunrise,
Like a Glory in my Breast.
All Day Long the Presence Lingered;
All Day Long he Stayed with Me;
And we Sailed in Perfect calmness
O’er a Very Troubled Sea.
Other Ships were Blown and Battered,
Other Ships were Sore Distressed,
But the Winds that Seemed to Drive Them
Brought to us a Peace and Rest.
Then I Thought of other Mornings
With a Keen Remorse of Mind
When I Too had Loosed the Moorings
With the Presence left behind.
So I Think I Know the Secret
Learned from Many a Troubled way
You Must Seek him in the Morning
If you Want Him through the Day.
3. Seek God early in every Problem
a. We always try to work it out by ourselves and end up making the problem worse.
b. We use God, the Church, and the Bible as a last resort.
c. Someone said, “The Wise Man Does first what the Fool Does Last.”
d. Peter said, “Cast your cares on him for he careth for you.”
e. Don’t try to carry what only he can handle. Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there
E. “My soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee.”
1. The soul and flesh denote the whole man.
2. His whole being went out after God.
3. Matthew 5:6 “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled.”
4. David was in a “Dry and Thirsty Land” where there was no water. This is true literally because the wilderness
of Judah was desert country. But David was also dry spiritually. David was in exile from his throne and the
place of worship, but God was still able to give him spiritual water away from the worship place.
II. DAVID’S DELIGHT - vs. 3-6
A. God’s Love was David’s Delight
1. David regards the loving-kindness of God as better than a life of prosperity and pleasure.
2. David would rather have God’s Love in the wilderness than to have prosperity and pleasure in Jerusalem.
3. He realized the truth in Acts 17:28 “For in him we live and move and have our being.”
4. David is saying like the songwriter, “I’d rather have Jesus”
B. Thanksgiving vs. 4-6
1. We need to bless the Lord with our lives as well as our lips.
2. The lifting up of the hands was the attitude of worship and symbolized the lifting up of the heart.
3. Hebrews 12:12 “Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down”
4. There ought not be dead services in our Churches. There would never be if we would keep a heart of
thankfulness.
C. In vs. 5 David passes from thirst to satisfaction.
1. vs. 1 “My Soul Thirsteth for thee”
2. vs. 5 “My soul shall be Satisfied”
3. It is the Saviour alone who can give satisfaction.
4. The words marrow and fatness in vs. 5 express the idea of bountiful provision
5. Ephesians 3:20 “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we can ask or think....”
D. Verse 6 reveals that David not only had a feast in the night, but also a song in the heart.
1. Quiet hours have a way of awakening the memory.
2. Recollections remind us of who God is and what he can do.
3. David found a good occupation for those nights he couldn’t sleep.
4. Meditation is not mere daydreaming, but continuous thought.
5. We need to be continually thinking about God’s blessings.
a. It would cause more rejoicing.
b. It would cause less grumbling.
III. DAVID’S DEFENSE - vs. 7-8
A. Shelter - vs. 7
1. Protection is well assured. It is guaranteed by both God’s promises and by man’s experiences.
a. The Word of the Lord is Trusted
b. The Promises of the Lord are Tested
c. The Deliverance from the Lord is Treasured
2. “In the Shadow of thy Wings” here is a beautiful picture.
a. Rain and snow can’t pierce it.
b. The wings make a complete covering.
c. There is resistance in the feathers without and softness in the feathers within.
d. To that baby chick, the mother hen’s wings means Security, Solace, Serenity, Strength.
3. The Shelter was:
a. Reasonable -- It Met the Need
b. Reliable -- It Had been Proven Before
c. Real -- Not Mere Imagination of the Mind
d. Restful -- David Felt Secure
B. Support -- vs. 8
1. In this verse we find that the seeker is sought.
2. The expression “My Soul Followeth hard after thee” literally means “is Glued to thee”
3. David is saying “My soul completely depends upon thee”
a. We see a mutual relationship.
b. David depends on and cleaves to God and God holds him up with his powerful right hand.
4. It is our business to depend on Him and it’s His business to be faithful.
IV. DAVID’S DESTINY - vs. 9-11
A. The Punishment of the Rebellious -- vs. 9-10
1. The Path of the Righteous leads Upward.
2. The Path of the Rebellious leads Downward.
3. David looks confidently to the defeat and destruction of his enemies
B. The Prosperity of the Righteous -- vs. 11
1. There’s a Better day coming for the children of God
2. The child of God can be satisfied knowing that this is not all there is to it.
3. I Corinthians 15:19 “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.”
