Psalms 116 - ESV - Bible Reading / Study Notes

Psalm 116

I Love the Lord

116:1   I love the LORD, because he has heard
    my voice and my pleas for mercy.
2   Because he inclined his ear to me,
    therefore I will call on him as long as I live.
3   The snares of death encompassed me;
    the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me;
    I suffered distress and anguish.
4   Then I called on the name of the LORD:
    “O LORD, I pray, deliver my soul!”
5   Gracious is the LORD, and righteous;
    our God is merciful.
6   The LORD preserves the simple;
    when I was brought low, he saved me.
7   Return, O my soul, to your rest;
    for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.
8   For you have delivered my soul from death,
    my eyes from tears,
    my feet from stumbling;
9   I will walk before the LORD
    in the land of the living.
10   I believed, even when¹ I spoke:
    “I am greatly afflicted”;
11   I said in my alarm,
    “All mankind are liars.”
12   What shall I render to the LORD
    for all his benefits to me?
13   I will lift up the cup of salvation
    and call on the name of the LORD,
14   I will pay my vows to the LORD
    in the presence of all his people.
15   Precious in the sight of the LORD
    is the death of his saints.
16   O LORD, I am your servant;
    I am your servant, the son of your maidservant.
    You have loosed my bonds.
17   I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving
    and call on the name of the LORD.
18   I will pay my vows to the LORD
    in the presence of all his people,
19   in the courts of the house of the LORD,
    in your midst, O Jerusalem.
  Praise the LORD!

Footnotes

[1] 116:10 Or believed, indeed; Septuagint believed, therefore

Commentary

Consecration to God; simple words, demonstrating a deep personal gratitude; the psalmist is overwhelmed by God's goodness to him.

v1-2: The God who answers prayer, even from an individual; the psalmist is making personal statements; I, my, me. He hears the penitent sinner pleading for mercy. And we love Him because He first loved us.

v3-4: The terrors of sin drag the soul towards death, and only God can deliver. The words here refer to being at the death's door. Whatever our circumstances, we can find deliverance.

But, praise God, He can deliver. Again; I, my, me; the words are genuine and from the heart.

v5-7: Simple testimony to the character of God, and personal gratitude that God intervened, "He saved me." His soul can be at rest, for God has stepped in in power and grace.

v8: Delivered, or saved; this is God's work in our lives.

v9: We are delivered from something v8), and delivered into something, that is a life of obedience.

v10-11: Testimony of personal suffering. Sometimes such circumstances lead to hasty words, which may be unwise or untrue.

v12-14: The response of gratitude, 'What more can I do?' He is worthy, therefore I will give Him my life; such is the response of the grateful heart.

'I will fulfil my vows to the Lord." here is testimony and accountability; encouragement and provocation. The Psalmist is living his life in community - he fulfils thse vows 'in the presence of all his people.'

v15: Even in death God will remember His own.

v16: Commitment to a life of submission.

v17-19: There is a place for worship and submission, and that is amongst God's people. Even though this psalm is very personal, it ends with the psalmist seeking fellowship with like minded people.