Psalms 63-64

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TALKS FOR GROWING CHRISTIANS

The Believer’s Thirst for God; God’s Vindication for the Believer

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BACKGROUND NOTES



DOCTRINAL POINT(S)

  1. Remembering and meditating bring refreshment and motivation.

  2. God’s righteous judgment brings positive results.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

  1. Can you say, “Oh my God”?

  2. Let’s glory in God and not gloat!

QUESTIONS

  1. What evidence implies that Psalm 63 was written while David was escaping from Jerusalem at the time of Absalom’s revolt?

  2. What was David’s physical condition in the wilderness? What was his response?

  3. What was David thinking about during the night in the Judean Wilderness?

  4. What should be our response when we observe God’s righteous judgment take place?

ANSWERS

  1. Verse 11 seems to imply that David was already the crowned king. Verse 2 seems to indicate that the Ark of the Covenant was already installed in Jerusalem in a tent that David had set up for it before the Temple was built.

  2. David was physically exhausted and in need of food and water. He was in need of protection for himself and the people who were with him. He turned to the Lord and found refreshment of soul, which at this point was of critical importance.

  3. David remembered and meditated on the things of the Lord when he lay awake at night. He remembered the times of worship in the Lord’s house back in Jerusalem. He meditated with joy on the Lord’s promises of help, protection, and security.

  4. We should not gloat, but we can glory in God (Psalm 64:10).

DISCUSS/CONSIDER

  1. Psalm 63 can be a wonderful psalm of personal mediation. Read aloud the first phrase, “O God, You are my God,” several times, putting the emphasis on a different word each time. How could this exercise help you express various emotions in your prayer to God?

  2. Discuss the positive results from Psalm 64:9-10 that come from God’s righteous judgment: 1) People see the results and they have a more reverential fear of God. 2) Those who see these things tell others that this is the activity of God. 3) The righteous rejoice in the Lord. 4) The righteous renew their trust in the Lord.

CHALLENGE

  1. When it seems your enemies are shooting at you with poisonous arrows, remember that God has ways of making the strategy and tactics of the enemy backfire, resulting in their own defeat. Let God have the last word.

KEY VERSES

  • “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 there is no water. So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory.” Psalms 63:1-2

  • “Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You.” Psalms 63:3

  • “The righteous shall be glad in the LORD, and trust in Him. And all the upright in heart shall glory.” Psalms 64:10

Psalms, Old Testament, TalksDeb HarmsPsalms 63-64