Psalm One Hundred and Sixteen

by Dr. Henry M. Morris

(taken from the Defender's Study Bible)

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Psalm 116:1 I love the LORD, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications.

Psalm 116:2 Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live.

Psalm 116:3 The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow.

Psalm 116:4 Then called I upon the name of the LORD; O LORD, I beseech thee, deliver my soul.

Psalm 116:5 Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful.

Psalm 116:6 The LORD preserveth the simple: I was brought low, and he helped me.

Psalm 116:7 Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the LORD hath dealt bountifully with thee.

Psalm 116:8 For thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling.

Psalm 116:9 I will walk before the LORD in the land of the living.

land of the living. This verse certainly implies a future bodily resurrection. The Psalm 116:8 expressed confidence in deliverance from death, and Psalm 116:15 assures us that the death of God's saints is seen by God and is precious in His sight.

Psalm 116:10 I believed, therefore have I spoken: I was greatly afflicted:

Psalm 116:11 I said in my haste, All men are liars.

Psalm 116:12 What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me?

all His benefits. God has given multitudes of benefits to every person. “He giveth to all life, and breath, and all things” (Acts 17:25). There is only one thing we can do to repay Him—that is, to receive His “cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord” (Psalm 116:13). When certain men asked Jesus how they could work the works of God, He answered: “Believe on Him whom He hath sent” (John 6:28-29). Jesus has drunk the bitter cup of God's judgment for us (Matthew 26:39), so now our “cup runneth over” with “goodness and mercy” (Psalm 23:5-6).

Psalm 116:13 I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD.

the cup of salvation. The answer to the question in Psalm 116:12 (“what shall I render unto the Lord?”) is simply to accept His great gift of salvation. Compare John 6:28-29. The cup of salvation provides “living water ... springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:10, 14). We can now say: “My cup runneth over, ... and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever” (Psalm 23:5-6).

Psalm 116:14 I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the presence of all his people.

Psalm 116:15 Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.

death of his saints. Although death is the great enemy of all men, those who have been redeemed and forgiven no longer need fear its “sting” (1 Corinthians 15:55) or drown in its sorrow (1 Thessalonians 4:13), knowing that death is merely an entrance into the joyful presence of their Savior, to whom they are like precious gems (Malachi 3:17).

Psalm 116:16 O LORD, truly I am thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid: thou hast loosed my bonds.

Psalm 116:17 I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the LORD.

Psalm 116:18 I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the presence of all his people,

Psalm 116:19 In the courts of the LORD'S house, in the midst of thee, O Jerusalem. Praise ye the LORD.