God’s Glory The Saint’s Satisfaction
Psalm 63
2 To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.
3 ¶ Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.
4 Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.
5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips:
6 When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches.
7 ¶ Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.
8 My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.
9 But those that seek my soul, to destroy it, shall go into the lower parts of the earth.
10 They shall fall by the sword: they shall be a portion for foxes.
11 But the king shall rejoice in God; every one that sweareth by him shall glory: but the mouth of them that speak lies shall be stopped.
How
can a man be satisfied? “(Eccl 1:8 KJV) All
things are full of labour; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with
seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.”
The pleasure of sin is but for a season (Heb.11:23); the things we see on
this earth are but for a little while (2Cor.4:17,18;2Pet.3:10), and the
treasures of earth are corrupted by moths and rust, or thieves break through and
steal (Mt.6:19). How then, when all
material things are swiftly passing away, can a man be satisfied?
That is the dilemma of all mankind.
God’s
glory is the only complete satisfaction that is available.
It is according to his riches in glory that God supplies the needs of his
people (Php.4:19). It is according
to the riches of his glory that God grants us strength with might by his spirit
in the inner man (Eph.3:14-16). David
declared that he would be totally satisfied when he was made like unto Christ in
the resurrection; “(Psa. 17:15 KJV) As
for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I
awake, with thy likeness.” However,
while we live in this materialistic world, let us be wise and listen to the
advice of Paul to Timothy; “(1 Tim 6:17-19 KJV) Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not
highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us
richly all things to enjoy; That they do good, that they be rich in good works,
ready to distribute, willing to communicate;
Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to
come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.”
Only God and his glory can satisfy his people. Only God and his glory can satisfy the sinner.
One
question that comes to mind when we think on this subject is, “What is God’s
glory?” When God’s glory is
spoken of in the scriptures, it refers to his magnificence, excellency, beauty,
majesty, honour and brightness. It becomes readily apparent then, that the glory of God is
God himself. When one speaks of man
giving God glory, let it not be thought that man adds anything to the essential
greatness and blessedness of God. On
the contrary, to give God glory is to joyfully honour him with praises and
acknowledgement of God’s greatness and glory.
(See Ex.15:1-19;1Chron.16:7-36;Ps.50:23;Rev.4:9-11.)
I
chose to title this article “God’s Glory The Saint’s Satisfaction”
because I felt it best described the passage of scripture that is set before us.
In this sixty-third Psalm, David speaks of seeking after, and
passionately longing for, the glory of God (Ps. 63:1,2).
Not only does he speak of this passionate longing for the glory of God
but, he also declares that God’s glory is what shall satisfy him (Ps.63:5-7).
In this article we shall seek to find out why God’s glory satisfies
man, what that satisfaction results in and, seek to stimulate our selves to have
a passion for God as did David.
We
find, in the scripture that, David was a man after God’s own heart
(Acts13:22). That being so, we
conclude that whatever God loved was that which David had a passion for as well.
I am convinced that God loves himself supremely.
Notice the following scriptures and how they connect together:
Hebrews 1:4 tells us that the glory of Christ is the glory of God.
Not only so but, we see that God gave Christ glory because God loved
Christ: (John 17:24 KJV) “ Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given
me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given
me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.”
Now, if the glory of Christ is the glory of God, and God gave Christ
glory because He loved Christ, it is only logical to accept that the scriptures
teach us that God’s glory is His love for Himself.
David, being a man after God’s own heart loved God and his glory.
Everything about God is glorious and honourable, and David yearned with a
strong passion for this glory of God.
David
spoke of his longing for God as being kin to the thirst of a man who lived in a
land that was dry and parched from a prolonged drought.
I can see in my mind a man who wanders about with one thought on his
mind-WATER! Every tissue in this man’s body seems to be parched and
dry, his mouth is like cotton, if he continues much longer in this state, he
will die. So ought we to long for
the glory of God in our hearts and lives for, truly, we shall be worse than dead
without it.
David
also speaks of a longing and yearning to see the power and glory of God as he
had seen it when he assembled with the saints at God’s house.
Certainly, there is a wonderful understanding of the presence of God when
his children come together by faith in his name and in his word.
Yet, in David’s day, there were visible manifestations of God’s
glory. No doubt, he could look back
in history to times when God appeared to the people of Israel and revealed
himself to them. One time that
comes to mind is when Moses met with God face-to-face.
When Moses came out of this meeting with God, the glory of God was
apparent upon the countenance of Moses- his face was shining. In fact, the brightness of the shining of Moses’ face was
such that the people were afraid to see him (Ex.34:29-35). Another occasion was when the tabernacle was completed.
At this time, the glory of God filled the place to the extent that Moses
could not even enter into the tabernacle to minister before the Lord.
This same glory of God led the people through all their journeys, whether
by day or by night (Ex.40:36-38). David
had, in his life, seen some manifestations of God’s glorious, sovereign care
for his people, as well. Surely,
this is what he longed for, and there is a great deal to commend in that
longing. May God help us to have
that same passion for God.
Why
would God manifest himself in such a manner, though?
We know that God does all things for the glory of his great name: (Isa.
48:11 KJV) “For mine own sake,
even for mine own sake, will I do it: for how should my name be polluted? and I
will not give my glory unto another.” Yet,
we find another reason, as well; love. This
love, however, is not a love that is to be separated from God’s love to
himself. It is, in fact, an
overflowing of God’s love to himself that prompts him to love us.
(Psa. 36:7-10 KJV) “How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God!
therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.
They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt
make them drink of the river of thy pleasures. For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we
see light. O continue thy
lovingkindness unto them that know thee; and thy righteousness to the upright in
heart.” Men trust God because of
His glorious mercy, faithfulness (Ps.36:5) righteousness, judgment and the
preservation of his creatures (Ps.36:6). When
we see these glorious attributes of God spoken of in relation to man, we must
see them as the God’s love for himself overflowing in love and kindness to
man. God, being the blessed God
(1Tim.1:11), is eternally happy in, and of, himself.
God is so happy in himself that he wants us to share in his joy.
Thus, God allows us to partake of that joy or, as David said, (Ps.36:8)
“thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures.”
God manifests his power and glory to man because he enjoys himself and
wants man to partake of the same joy.
This
love of which we speak was esteemed very highly by David.
He considered the love of God to be better than life itself (Ps. 63:3)
He was certainly correct. God’s
love extends far beyond this life, and into the world to come.
God saved men that he might be glorified (Eph.1:1-14), and that he might,
in the ages to come, continue to reveal the gracious love that God has toward us
(Eph.2:4-7). When we consider this great love that God has toward us,
isn’t it a marvel that we would seek to find our satisfaction in anyone, or
anything, other than God? “Oh,
dear God, our Father, turn our souls toward thee that we might glorify thy name
and enjoy thee forever.”
As
we study this, let us remember that God has not loved us for our sakes alone.
He loves us because he has chosen to love us and display his glory.
In fact, that is the end for which God created the world (Rev.4:11).
For this reason, we find that the love of God toward man creates a circle
of glory. That is, God manifests
His glory in loving man, man passionately longs for and partakes of this glory,
and, then, glorifies God for His greatness and for loving such an unworthy
creature. Let us see this in our
text: in verses one and two, David
yearns for God’s glory. Then, in
the beginning of verse three, he experiences God’s lovingkindness. Finally, in verses three through eight, David praises and
worships this great and glorious God. Praise
and worship glorify God: (Psa. 50:23 KJV) “Whoso
offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth his conversation aright
will I show the salvation of God.” Not
only does praise glorify God but, it also creates in man a lasting passion for
God; for, after this, David declares that his soul would follow “hard after”
God (Ps.63:8). Thus we see that
God’s overflowing love for himself returns to the glory of God.
There
is one thing that is needful for us to remember as we thing about the blessings
of enjoying God. It is very easy to
take our focus off of God and begin to think upon the wonderful gifts he gives.
If we do so, we then have neglected to seek God and his glory, and,
instead, have set up his gifts as an idol.
We must never forget that God is very jealous of his glory, however. (Isa. 42:8 KJV) “I
am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither
my praise to graven images.” You
might say then, “How can I pray and ask God to give me the things I need if I
must not focus on the needs?” The
answer from the word of God is that we must seek first the kingdom of God
(Mt.6:33) and all these things would be added to us.
That does not mean that we should not pray for material things but, it
does mean that the glory of God should be our primary aim even when we pray.
We glorify God in prayer by acknowledging his greatness, power, ability
to bless and his all sufficiency for us when
we ask God for the things we need (Ps.18:1-3;50:14,15;Jn.14:12,13).
After God glorifies himself by answering our prayers, we are to respond
by giving him the praise for granting that which we asked of him
(Ps.50:14,15;Php.4:6,7). Thus, we
can receive the blessings of God and glorify God when we pray.
How
do we gain this passion for God? First
of all, we must seek God early (Ps.63:1). God
is not to be our last resort after all else has failed.
We are given the command, (Exo. 20:3 KJV)
“Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” If we seek other things before God, we have set those things
higher in our affections than we
have set God. We must also thirst
for God. That is, we must realize
our need for the glory of God, and our need to give glory to God (Ps.63:1).
Oh, if we could only see the glory of God and how desirable he truly is!
Sadly, most of us (not the world alone but, professing Christians) seek
our pleasures in persons and things other than the almighty, all sufficient God.
We seek to drink somewhere other than the fountain of life (Ps. 36:8,9),
not realizing that we shall never be satiated apart from God and his glory.
May we come to be like the Psalmist when he said, (Psa. 73:25-28 KJV)
“Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I
desire beside thee. My flesh and my
heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.
For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed
all them that go a whoring from thee. But
it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that
I may declare all thy works.”
We
must also learn to praise God, if we are to be satisfied in him (Ps.63:3).
Praise gives God the glory that is due him (Ps.50:22,23). I will even venture to say that we shall never have complete
satisfaction in God until we learn to praise him. Praise is the consummation of satisfaction in God.
Praise is part of the enjoyment of that which is a pleasure to a person.
We are not satisfied with a lovely song, content with a lover, or full of
pleasure in a beautiful sunset, until we tell someone about the great pleasure
we have in it. Praise is an
essential part of joy. We MUST
verbally express our pleasure. So
it is with God. We praise God
because we see His worth; (1 Chr. 16:23-29 KJV)
Sing unto the LORD, all the earth; show forth from day to day his
salvation. Declare his glory among
the heathen; his marvellous works among all nations.
For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised: he also is to be feared
above all gods. For all the gods of
the people are idols: but the LORD made the heavens. Glory and honour are in his presence; strength and gladness
are in his place. Give unto the
LORD, ye kindreds of the people, give unto the LORD glory and strength.
Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and
come before him: worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.”
Praise is the consummation of pleasure in the glory of God.
It
is also beneficial to us in our pursuit of a passion for God if we meditate upon
him. Notice that David meditated
upon God and his greatness: (Psa. 63:5,6KJV)
“My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth
shall praise thee with joyful lips: When
I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches.”
Contrary to what is probably popular opinion, meditation is not foreign
to human nature. As we go through
the day, we (consciously or unconsciously) hum or sing our favorite songs, think
upon the ones we love, and plan for our enjoyment. This, in itself, is a form of meditation.
Certainly, if we love God, we will meditate upon him as well.
In the scriptures, we find that the blessed man is the one who meditates
day and night in the law of the Lord (Ps. 1:1,2).
We also find that the word of the Lord causes the heart to rejoice
(Ps.19:8) and will lead us to be like the Lord (2Cor.3:18).
When
we meditate upon God we will remember past blessings and manifestations of his
glory. This will give us cause to
rejoice (Ps.63:7). Past experiences
teach us that we can trust God. That
trust (hope) will not leave us sad that we trusted God (Rom.5;1-8) but, will
give us cause to “rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” (Rom.5:2)
We can rejoice in that we know God has shown his mercy and love to us,
and shall do so in the future as well (Ps.36:7-10;63:1-8;Rom.5:1-8).
All
of these are part of being satisfied in God.
Seeking the glory of God brings the blessing of God, which causes us to
glorify God. We then remember the
times that we experienced the blessings of God.
This causes us to closely follow God (Ps.63:8), and we find ourselves
rejoicing (Ps.63:10). We have
become satisfied in God, and have glorified God!
Let
me conclude by saying this, man glorifies God most when he is satisfied in God
even in times of afflictions. Habakkuk
was so contented in God being his strength and saviour that he declared he would
rejoice in God-even in the worst of times.
(Hab. 3:17 KJV) “Although
the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour
of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be
cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls:
Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.
The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet,
and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my
stringed instruments.”