The Comfort of Knowing God - Psalm 131
The Comfort of Knowing God - Psalm 131
By Pastor Lee Hemen
May 13, 2007 AM
As loving parents we desire to raise our children with certain concepts of humility, peace, and hope that will be the guides for their lives. It is these essentials of character that will long outlive any of us as parents if they are found active in the lives of our children long after we are gone. While my mother and father were not necessarily “perfect” parents, they did try to instill in each of us the same kind of character qualities found in David’s Psalm. It is here, in the teaching of these characteristics, that true motherhood is found. It is found in David’s description in the comfort of knowing God.
To paraphrase Martin Luther who wrote concerning this little Psalm of David, “It is one of the shortest Psalms to read, but one of the longest to learn.” It speaks to us if it were the voice of a young child, but it contains the experience of a man in Christ. Lowliness and humility are seen here in connection with a heart set apart for God, a will subdued to the mind of God, and a hope looking to the Lord alone. It was a spiritual truth David had discovered for himself and that we can learn anew this morning. It is found in the comfort of knowing God. Let’s find out how…
READ: Psalm 131
David found himself chased by Israel’s king Saul who sought to kill him even when he would not lift a hand in killing Saul. Later, David found himself immersed in personal sin that lead to his own moral captivity, self-degradation and the loss of his firstborn son. Then, later in life, he had to protect himself from his own children who plotted to seize the throne from him. Through it all, while David was far from perfect, he did display certain characteristics that held him in good stead. David discovered that in the comfort of knowing God there is found…
I. A Spiritual Humility (v.1)!
1. David discovered that knowing God makes us humble, knowing ourselves keeps us humble! Being chosen from the pasture to the throne room had left David in awe. He never quite felt he belong where God had placed him and yet he was the first to dance before the Lord when given a victory by God. Michal, his first wife and the daughter of King Saul, rebuked his behavior. David responds by telling her, “It was before the Lord, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the Lord’s people Israel—I will celebrate before the Lord. I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes.” (2 Samuel 6:21-22) He would write in wonder, “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?” (Psalm 8:3-4) He would marvel at how children could praise and know God and would declare, “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” (Psalm 8:1) This is why David would sing, “My heart is not proud, O Lord, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me!” He only concerned himself with knowing God! David discovered that in the comfort of knowing God there is found a spiritual humility.
EXAMPLE: Some men never discover the fact that in true humility there is really a very great strength. Isn’t it interesting to note that when asked what many men remember most about their loving mothers, usually humility is at the top of the list! Why is that? I believe it is because they saw in their mothers, who displayed humility, a great inner strength of character. In a world where many want to be known for their flamboyant lifestyles, true humility is an outstanding quality. While a humble life can be learned, spiritual humility is only found in complete surrender of your will to God. Not like the Hindu who looses himself to nothingness, but rather in Jesus Christ where the surrender of your life is necessary: “For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” (Romans 10:10) David discovered that in the comfort of knowing God there is found a spiritual humility.
Out of a life that realizes it is not its own, that it does not really have control of its own destiny, comes an even greater strength. It is found when one realizes that nothing in the world matters as much as living for God alone. In this there is gained a quietness that infiltrates the soul. The warrior King David discovered that in the comfort of knowing God there is found…
II. A Spiritual Peace (v. 2)!
1. David discovered that you cannot have the peace of God until you know the God of peace! He would ask God to discover in him any disquieting thought, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts,” he would ask. David would continue by asking God to go even further: “See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23-24) He knew that spiritual peace is found in being not only honest with yourself, but by being honest with God. If he had offended God in any way he wanted God to reveal it to him. This is a difficult thing for anyone to do, let alone a king! But spiritual peace is found in the soul that has discovered the peace of God. This is not some lifestyle or physical exercise that can be ultimately mastered. Rather, it is the giving up of yourself to the Lord. Jesus would say, “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:25-26) Isaiah reminds us that God “will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in” God. (Isaiah 26:3) This is why David would sing, “But I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me.” David had learned that knowing the peace of God brings the confident peace of a child who trustingly rests in the arms of his mother. In the comfort of knowing God there is found a spiritual peace.
EXAMPLE: It's often difficult for parents to "let go" of their children, allowing them to be independent. Because of the strong emotional bond, this is especially true of mothers. They like to keep their “chicks” close as long as possible. Yet in order for children to “fly” on their own, you have to let them go at some point. Dave Branon writes, “Imagine letting go when your child is very small, as Hannah did with Samuel. For us today, that kind of sacrifice is inconceivable.” We have a hard enough time letting go of our own lives let alone those of our children! Yet Hannah could say, “My heart rejoices in the Lord” (1 Sam. 2:1). She found an inner peace in letting go. We often guard our lives as if we had complete control of them. We do not. Paul would say that “since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:1) David discovered in the comfort of knowing God there is found a spiritual peace.
Out of spiritual humility comes an inner peace that no one can take away from you. It is not dependent upon the outward circumstances of life nor the emotion of the moment. It is rooted in the cross of Christ bought and paid for by His blood shed on it for you. But there is more! David also discovered that in the comfort of knowing God there is found…
III. A Spiritual Hope (v. 3)!
1. David discovered that the greatest enemy of man is not disease but despair! He would cry out in times of anguish, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, and am not silent.” (Psalm 22:1-2) In utter dejection he would cry, “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.” (Psalm 51:1) Yet even in the depths of despair David would find the glimmer of God: “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul.” (Psalm 23:1-3) For David spiritual hope was only found in his relationship with God alone. He discovered that he could not rely on his friends, family, or counselors but he could always find spiritual hope in God! This is why Isaiah would write of Jesus, “In his name the nations will put their hope.” (Matthew 12:21, Isaiah 42:4) This is why Paul would write to the Roman Christians, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13) The hope of the soul comes from a heart given to God. When David had lost his kingdom, his people had spat on him, and he was running for his life, David would still sing, “My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.” (Psalm 62:1-2) This is why as their ruler he would tell his people to “put your hope in the Lord both now and forevermore.” David discovered that in the comfort of knowing God there is found a spiritual hope.
EXAMPLE: The children of Rose Martin knew she loved her Corvair. The low-slung, rear-engine vehicle was a popular model in the 1960s until consumer advocate Ralph Nader denounced it as a casket on wheels. Rose ignored his warnings and drove it around her hometown in Rhode Island for 36 years. She kept it functioning--no matter what the cost. So when she died in May 1998 her children, out of respect for their mother, buried in her cherished white Corvair. What a difference between Rose and the man who had placed on his tombstone these words: “Why do you stand there and weep for me? Don’t you know I am not here?” In the movie “The Hiding Place” about two sisters imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp for hiding Jews, Corrie Ten Boom’s sister Betsie whispers to her, “We will both soon be free!” Corrie was released from Ravensbrook and her sister died and went home to be with the Lord. Throughout their ordeal Betsie reminded Corrie to not hate their cruel captors. Like David, she discovered that in the comfort of knowing God there is found a spiritual hope.
Conclusion:
This Psalm of David teaches us about the comfort of knowing God. It speaks to us concerning a spiritual humility, a spiritual peace, and a spiritual hope. Let me ask you: Do you know God through His Son Jesus Christ?
By Pastor Lee Hemen
May 13, 2007 AM
As loving parents we desire to raise our children with certain concepts of humility, peace, and hope that will be the guides for their lives. It is these essentials of character that will long outlive any of us as parents if they are found active in the lives of our children long after we are gone. While my mother and father were not necessarily “perfect” parents, they did try to instill in each of us the same kind of character qualities found in David’s Psalm. It is here, in the teaching of these characteristics, that true motherhood is found. It is found in David’s description in the comfort of knowing God.
To paraphrase Martin Luther who wrote concerning this little Psalm of David, “It is one of the shortest Psalms to read, but one of the longest to learn.” It speaks to us if it were the voice of a young child, but it contains the experience of a man in Christ. Lowliness and humility are seen here in connection with a heart set apart for God, a will subdued to the mind of God, and a hope looking to the Lord alone. It was a spiritual truth David had discovered for himself and that we can learn anew this morning. It is found in the comfort of knowing God. Let’s find out how…
READ: Psalm 131
David found himself chased by Israel’s king Saul who sought to kill him even when he would not lift a hand in killing Saul. Later, David found himself immersed in personal sin that lead to his own moral captivity, self-degradation and the loss of his firstborn son. Then, later in life, he had to protect himself from his own children who plotted to seize the throne from him. Through it all, while David was far from perfect, he did display certain characteristics that held him in good stead. David discovered that in the comfort of knowing God there is found…
I. A Spiritual Humility (v.1)!
1. David discovered that knowing God makes us humble, knowing ourselves keeps us humble! Being chosen from the pasture to the throne room had left David in awe. He never quite felt he belong where God had placed him and yet he was the first to dance before the Lord when given a victory by God. Michal, his first wife and the daughter of King Saul, rebuked his behavior. David responds by telling her, “It was before the Lord, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the Lord’s people Israel—I will celebrate before the Lord. I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes.” (2 Samuel 6:21-22) He would write in wonder, “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?” (Psalm 8:3-4) He would marvel at how children could praise and know God and would declare, “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” (Psalm 8:1) This is why David would sing, “My heart is not proud, O Lord, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me!” He only concerned himself with knowing God! David discovered that in the comfort of knowing God there is found a spiritual humility.
EXAMPLE: Some men never discover the fact that in true humility there is really a very great strength. Isn’t it interesting to note that when asked what many men remember most about their loving mothers, usually humility is at the top of the list! Why is that? I believe it is because they saw in their mothers, who displayed humility, a great inner strength of character. In a world where many want to be known for their flamboyant lifestyles, true humility is an outstanding quality. While a humble life can be learned, spiritual humility is only found in complete surrender of your will to God. Not like the Hindu who looses himself to nothingness, but rather in Jesus Christ where the surrender of your life is necessary: “For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” (Romans 10:10) David discovered that in the comfort of knowing God there is found a spiritual humility.
Out of a life that realizes it is not its own, that it does not really have control of its own destiny, comes an even greater strength. It is found when one realizes that nothing in the world matters as much as living for God alone. In this there is gained a quietness that infiltrates the soul. The warrior King David discovered that in the comfort of knowing God there is found…
II. A Spiritual Peace (v. 2)!
1. David discovered that you cannot have the peace of God until you know the God of peace! He would ask God to discover in him any disquieting thought, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts,” he would ask. David would continue by asking God to go even further: “See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23-24) He knew that spiritual peace is found in being not only honest with yourself, but by being honest with God. If he had offended God in any way he wanted God to reveal it to him. This is a difficult thing for anyone to do, let alone a king! But spiritual peace is found in the soul that has discovered the peace of God. This is not some lifestyle or physical exercise that can be ultimately mastered. Rather, it is the giving up of yourself to the Lord. Jesus would say, “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:25-26) Isaiah reminds us that God “will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in” God. (Isaiah 26:3) This is why David would sing, “But I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me.” David had learned that knowing the peace of God brings the confident peace of a child who trustingly rests in the arms of his mother. In the comfort of knowing God there is found a spiritual peace.
EXAMPLE: It's often difficult for parents to "let go" of their children, allowing them to be independent. Because of the strong emotional bond, this is especially true of mothers. They like to keep their “chicks” close as long as possible. Yet in order for children to “fly” on their own, you have to let them go at some point. Dave Branon writes, “Imagine letting go when your child is very small, as Hannah did with Samuel. For us today, that kind of sacrifice is inconceivable.” We have a hard enough time letting go of our own lives let alone those of our children! Yet Hannah could say, “My heart rejoices in the Lord” (1 Sam. 2:1). She found an inner peace in letting go. We often guard our lives as if we had complete control of them. We do not. Paul would say that “since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:1) David discovered in the comfort of knowing God there is found a spiritual peace.
Out of spiritual humility comes an inner peace that no one can take away from you. It is not dependent upon the outward circumstances of life nor the emotion of the moment. It is rooted in the cross of Christ bought and paid for by His blood shed on it for you. But there is more! David also discovered that in the comfort of knowing God there is found…
III. A Spiritual Hope (v. 3)!
1. David discovered that the greatest enemy of man is not disease but despair! He would cry out in times of anguish, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, and am not silent.” (Psalm 22:1-2) In utter dejection he would cry, “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.” (Psalm 51:1) Yet even in the depths of despair David would find the glimmer of God: “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul.” (Psalm 23:1-3) For David spiritual hope was only found in his relationship with God alone. He discovered that he could not rely on his friends, family, or counselors but he could always find spiritual hope in God! This is why Isaiah would write of Jesus, “In his name the nations will put their hope.” (Matthew 12:21, Isaiah 42:4) This is why Paul would write to the Roman Christians, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13) The hope of the soul comes from a heart given to God. When David had lost his kingdom, his people had spat on him, and he was running for his life, David would still sing, “My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.” (Psalm 62:1-2) This is why as their ruler he would tell his people to “put your hope in the Lord both now and forevermore.” David discovered that in the comfort of knowing God there is found a spiritual hope.
EXAMPLE: The children of Rose Martin knew she loved her Corvair. The low-slung, rear-engine vehicle was a popular model in the 1960s until consumer advocate Ralph Nader denounced it as a casket on wheels. Rose ignored his warnings and drove it around her hometown in Rhode Island for 36 years. She kept it functioning--no matter what the cost. So when she died in May 1998 her children, out of respect for their mother, buried in her cherished white Corvair. What a difference between Rose and the man who had placed on his tombstone these words: “Why do you stand there and weep for me? Don’t you know I am not here?” In the movie “The Hiding Place” about two sisters imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp for hiding Jews, Corrie Ten Boom’s sister Betsie whispers to her, “We will both soon be free!” Corrie was released from Ravensbrook and her sister died and went home to be with the Lord. Throughout their ordeal Betsie reminded Corrie to not hate their cruel captors. Like David, she discovered that in the comfort of knowing God there is found a spiritual hope.
Conclusion:
This Psalm of David teaches us about the comfort of knowing God. It speaks to us concerning a spiritual humility, a spiritual peace, and a spiritual hope. Let me ask you: Do you know God through His Son Jesus Christ?
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