God Must Have Priority
TRANSLATION
(H) A Song of Ascents. (1) Yahweh, remember David and all his afflictions, (2) how he swore to Yahweh and vowed to the mighty One of Jacob, (3) “I will not enter my house or climb into bed. (4) I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids (5) until I find a place for Yahweh, a dwelling for the mighty One of Jacob.”
OBSERVATIONS
These opening verses of the psalm contain several parallelisms and one repetition. The author juxtaposed “swore” and “vowed” (vs. 2), “enter my house” and “climb into bed” (vs. 3), “give sleep to my eyes” and “slumber to my eyelids” (vs. 4), and “place” and “dwelling” (vs. 5). The repeated phrase identified Yahweh as “the mighty One of Jacob” (vss. 2 & 5).
OUTLINE
I. Request: “Remember David.” (1)
II. Reason: David prioritized building a house for Yahweh. (2-5)
IDEA STATEMENT
Placing Yahweh’s interests above our own is where worship must begin.
APPLICATION
While preaching in Pisidian Antioch, Paul gave the following description of King David from Yahweh’s perspective: “I have found David, son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do” (Acts 13:22). David’s resolve to build a dwelling place for Yahweh, expressed in this psalm, was first recorded in 2 Samuel 7:2 which reads, “Here I am, living in a palace of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent.” Both references demonstrated the king’s desire to place Yahweh’s interests above his own. When we adopt the same stance, “God must come first,” Yahweh is pleased, and we will inevitably be blessed.
This was the same issue Jesus faced in the Garden of Gethsemane the night prior to his crucifixion. Knowing the suffering and shame he was about to face, he agonized in prayer pleading, “Father, if it be possible, let this cup (of suffering) be taken from me” (Mt. 26:39). In his humanity, he dreaded what he knew was about to happen. But then he added the proviso that all those who truly love God will learn to pray: “Yet not as I will but as you will.” He placed the Father’s perfect plan above his own desires even when that meant experiencing the horrors of the cross.
Whenever we are tempted to follow our own inclinations and abandon the will and purposes of God, we need to remember that denying ourselves and taking up the cross is the way to ultimate joy and fulfillment. Like David and like the Savior, we must learn to say “you first” to the Father in whatever circumstances we may find ourselves. Our attitude should always be, “Your will must take precedence over mine. Not as I desire, but have your way.”