Tears In A Bottle
Psalms Series • Sermon • Submitted
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· 323 viewsTo ask God to store our tears “in his bottle” is to affirm our trust in God’s attentive care to the detail of our miseries.
Notes
Transcript
Introduction:
The RNC has just come to a close this last week after a week of the DNC. While many contrasts can be elaborated upon, there are several comparisons: the primary comparison being both conventions were accusatory of each other. Racism, immorality, lies, conspiracies, opposition, provoking violence, and even plagiarism were topics from both the conventions — with the only difference in naming who’s the guilty party. Distrust of the other side was paramount as each campaigned for every American to join in on their distrust. American politics have totally shifted from emphasizing what each party has to offer into a platform to express how evil the other parties are— even Harris had just months ago spoke of the evils of Biden only to have a change of mind to have a shot at defeating their shared enemy, Trump. This political scene has degraded now to an environment of negativity and the ultimate divisive elementary demeanor of the good guys verses the bad guys. It is no longer just two different set of ideas, but now two enemies fighting for a chance at victory.
I don’t care too much what political affiliation you may have because in times like these, every Christian in our country today can relate to and use King David’s Psalm that we are going to look at this morning.
Transition:
The 56th Psalm has somewhat interesting title subscription to say the least. If you’ll notice just over verse #1 of this particular Psalm, we can gather (as with many of David’s psalms) this one is intended to be a song. And then notice the words in some versions: “Upon Jonath-elem-rechokim”. This is translated, “The Silent Dove in Distant Places.” I believe that it will be made evident why that David entitled this Psalm as such throughout the course of this morning’s sermon.
Psalm 56 is an individual lament that came to be used as a community lament. This psalm has a few statements of trust, so we would be entirely wrong if we called it an individual psalm of trust. This psalm gives us an opportunity to deal with the deepest sorrows that grow out of life’s detrimental circumstances and, at the same time, offers us an occasion to make the tender request of God that he would store up our tears.
Scripture Reading: Psalm 56
For the music director, according to The Silent Dove of Distant Lands. Of David. A miktam. When the Philistines seized him in Gath.
1 Be gracious to me, O God, because humankind has trampled me; fighting all the day he oppresses me.
2 My enemies trample all day, because many are attacking me proudly.
3 When I fear, I trust you.
4 God, whose word I praise, God I trust; I do not fear. What can mere flesh do to me?
5 All day they twist my words; all their thoughts are against me for evil.
6 They attack, they hide, they watch my steps, as they lie in wait for my life.
7 Because of iniquity will they escape? In anger cast down the peoples, O God.
8 You have kept count of my wonderings. Put my tears in your bottle; are they not in your book?
9 Then my enemies will turn back when I call. This I know because God is for me.
10 God, whose word I praise, Yahweh, whose word I praise,
11 God I trust; I do not fear. What can mere humankind do to me?
12 My vows to you, O God, are binding upon me. I will pay thank offerings to you,
13 because you have delivered my soul from death. Have you not kept my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living?
Sometimes silence is more powerful than the spoken word. Psalm 56 offers a classic example in the repeated question, “What can mere mortals do to me?” (v:4), and “What can man do to me?” (v:11). The implied answer, perhaps more powerful because it is a silent answer, is “Nothing!” This is an illustration of the effectiveness of the rhetorical question. The psalm, of course, does not leave the implied answer entirely undefended, because King David’s experience is that when he calls for help, his enemies turn back, confirming his knowledge that “God is for [him]” (v:9).
While the link between the historical circumstances and the psalm is not always transparent, there are, as indicated in the title, some pretty firm links between Psalm 56 and the chapter of David’s life that is recorded in the book of 1 Samuel— Psalm 56 is about the seizure of David by the Philistines in Gath before he was king.
For the music director, according to The Silent Dove of Distant Lands. Of David. A miktam. When the Philistines seized him in Gath.
The title of the psalm connects it to David’s years of fleeing from Saul, and particularly “when the Philistines had seized him in Gath” (see 1 Sam. 21:10–22:1; 27:1–28:2).
David was seeking refuge in the Philistine city of Gath. Not yet king, David was hiding from Saul. Eventually, however, the men of Gath came to their king, Achish, saying, “Do you know who has come to town? David—the one about whom they sing in Israel, ‘Saul has slain his thousand, but David his ten thousands.’ And one of those ten thousands was our own hero, Goliath.”
Realizing he had been discovered, David knew he was in trouble. And it was at this point that he penned this psalm…
Psalm 34 links that poem to David’s feigned insanity, while Psalm 56 makes no reference to this detail but rather mentions David’s “arrest” by the Philistines of Gath.
This is an aerial view of Tell es-Safi, biblical Gath, one of the five cities that made up the Philistine pentapolis.
The writer of 1 Samuel does not give any specific information about this Philistine arrest. However, when informants approach the king about David’s public popularity and Saul’s declining approval, David acts like a madman “in their hands” (1 Sam. 21:13), which may imply that they take him into custody to control or manage his behavior.
Transition:
For the music director, according to The Silent Dove of Distant Lands. Of David. A miktam. When the Philistines seized him in Gath.
“A Dove on Distant Lands/Oaks”
This is probably a tune name to which the psalm was sung
For the music director, according to The Silent Dove of Distant Lands. Of David. A miktam. When the Philistines seized him in Gath.
“A miktam”
Psalms 16 and 56–60. Some propose that, in view of the peril that these psalms expose, it might be a “silent prayer” that David prayed, understanding the noun to come from the verb ktm, “to cover” (the lips), thus suggesting a gesture of silence.
this psalm is thought to be composed of two parts plus a vow to thanksgiving. Schaefer thinks of it in terms of three movements, and I have adjusted his outline to reflect the presence of the almost identical refrain:
I. The prayer for deliverance (56:1–4)
I. The prayer for deliverance (56:1–4)
This is the first movement
Be gracious to me, O God, because humankind has trampled me; fighting all the day he oppresses me.
Gerald H. Wilson sees the imagery of the dog pursuing its prey and snapping at the heels of its victims, taking the verb sh’p in the sense of “pant or gasp (for breath)”
My enemies trample all day, because many are attacking me proudly.
King David feels he is under the constant oppression of the enemy. We do indeed have many enemies; but God is the Most High
Nonetheless David is determined—the pronoun is emphatic—to put his trust in God:
When I fear, I trust you.
Each day his problems were actually the catalyst for growing his faith. Trust is the antidote for fear. Verse 4 clarifies this:
God, whose word I praise, God I trust; I do not fear. What can mere flesh do to me?
David was confident that with the help of the Lord he would no longer fear what mere “flesh” could do to him.
“In God we trust” … that sounds familiar!
Verses 4 and 10–11 comprise a refrain, almost verbally identical. The second half of verse 10, however, repeats the first half but inserts “YHWH” for God, thus identifying God by his covenant name.
Ps 56 4
“What can mere flesh do to me?”
The final question is a rhetorical one with the implied answer “Nothing.” The end of verse 11 is virtually synonymous with the end of verse 4, with ’adam (“humankind,” rather than basar, “flesh,” as here) as the word for “man.”
Transition:
I. The Prayer for Deliverance (56:1–4)
I. The Prayer for Deliverance (56:1–4)
So this first movement is rooted in the trust that God is powerful enough & loves him enough to deliver him. Deliver him from what exactly? This is the second movement.
II. The Peril of Death (56:5–11)
II. The Peril of Death (56:5–11)
From the heights of faith David returns to the urgent reality of present distress.
All day they twist my words; all their thoughts are against me for evil.
much like the political scene!
They attack, they hide, they watch my steps, as they lie in wait for my life.
They mark his steps like hunters tracking their game. They watch for every opportunity to take his life.
Because of iniquity will they escape? In anger cast down the peoples, O God.
This is similar to the curses that are found in the imprecatory psalms. The peoples of David’s world were definitely among his troublemakers.
Should such wicked men escape punishment? David asks God to humble these people with judgment. The Lord knows all the days of David’s fugitive life, when he was driven from his home to become a wanderer.
In verse 8, King David notes that God has recorded his misery:
You have kept count of my wonderings. Put my tears in your bottle; are they not in your book?
“You have kept count of my wonderings”
The NIV makes it imperative, “Record my misery,” but it is actually a declarative clause with the emphatic “you”: “As for my misery, you yourself have recorded it.” The psalmist is confident God will carry out, given his attention to keeping a record of human misery.
You have kept count of my wonderings. Put my tears in your bottle; are they not in your book?
“Put my tears in your bottle”
No emotional expression is more tender and intimate than tears, and here David expresses that in his request that God would store them.
It’s like he’s saying, “Lord, You record the things I’m crying about, the things I’m dealing with, the things I’m working through,”
We may compare Jesus’s words that our heavenly Father is aware of every sparrow that falls to the ground and that “the very hairs of your head are all numbered” (Matt. 10:29–30)
29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And one of them will not fall to the ground without the knowledge and consent of your Father. 30 And even the hairs of your head are all numbered!
You have kept count of my wonderings. Put my tears in your bottle; are they not in your book?
“Are they not in your book?”
The language is metaphorical, speaking of God’s careful attention to his people’s sorrow, so much so that he keeps a record of it and fills a bottle with their tears.
David is in a place where he probably shouldn’t be, yet his heart is still toward his Father and God knows that. I’m convinced that when we’re in heaven, we’re going to be blown away by how much our Father loved us, even when we were in Gath.
Here, we sense that David has come into the understanding that there can be no triumph without trouble. Trouble never leaves you in the same place it found you. It will either make you bitter or better. Jeremiah preached for years, but not a single person responded. In fact, they threatened his life, threw him into prison, and labeled him a false prophet. Finally in his frustration, Jeremiah complained to the Lord… YHWH responds:
Jeremiah 12:5
“If you run with foot soldiers and they have made you weary, then how will you compete with horses? If you have fallen in a peaceful land, then how will you do in the thickets of the Jordan?
YHWH is saying here:
“Jeremiah, if you’re getting tired racing the footmen, how will you be able to handle the real trials that are coming?” the Lord asks: “If you’re faltering in the land of peace, how will you make it when you’re taken from the land of Jordan into a more difficult arena?” God is not condemning Jeremiah, but simply reminding him that the struggles he was facing were to strengthen him for that which was coming.
This life is not for recreation but for preparation. Do you know that? The Lord is preparing us not only for what He knows is coming ten or twenty years from now, but also for the ages beyond. Why? Because He knows there will be significant things for us to do.
Then my enemies will turn back when I call. This I know because God is for me.
The significance of God’s careful accounting of sorrow will have the effect of turning back our enemies when we call on God, and the result is help that is roused by God’s care.
One of the obstacles we meet in faith and prayer is the doubt that God hears our prayers, and that he even cares. Thankfully, this is the underlying sentiment of the prayer, that God has heard him (56:9)—a faith that enables him to pray confidently
Even in Gath, David knew God was for him. Make note of that and DO NOT forget it… ever!! [(Romans 8:31)].
What then shall we say about these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
When did God prove that He was for us?
Not when we were in church, not when we were walking with Him, but when we were at the worst place, for it was when we were sinners that Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). David knew something of this. A man after God’s own heart, he knew the heart of the Lord.
God, whose word I praise, Yahweh, whose word I praise,
Here comes the refrain again to this song:
God I trust; I do not fear. What can mere humankind do to me?
What can man do to me?
There are three terms for humanity in the psalm: ’enosh (“man,” 56:1; ), basar (“flesh,” 56:4; NIV: “mere mortals”), ’adam (“man,” 56:11), emphasizing mortality over against the immortal God. In comparison, “God” (’elohim) appears nine times, and YHWH once (v:10), very likely to stress the overpowering presence of God against human nature, which is so responsive to human threats and the human attribute of fear.
David is certain that God is on his side. His enemies, therefore, will be put to flight. David therefore repeats (essentially) the refrain of v. 4. He will praise God’s word of promise.
Illustration:
Even the world knows
A Classic Sermon: Stanislav Svec was a Baptist preacher in Czechoslovakia, and in one of his sermons (“Abide with Us!”), he tells about being incarcerated in a Nazi concentration camp during World War II: “During the last war, I was taken along with a number of my school-chums to a labour camp in Nazi Germany. All my friends knew that I was a Christian, and sometimes they mocked me, good-naturedly. But when the air raids came and we were in danger and fear, they all tried to be close to me as if I could make them safer.”20 The psalmist had put his trust in God, and he knew that the damage “mere mortals” could do to him was limited (v. 4). Our suppliant had his “mockers” too, just watching his every step (v. 5). People do mock, but God takes note of his children’s sorrows (v. 8).
Transition:
II. The Peril of Death (56:5–11)
II. The Peril of Death (56:5–11)
What stories do we have to tell the future of enduring a time like this as a Christ follower? Here now in the last movement, King David leaves a lasting legacy of thanksgiving:
III. The Gratitude for Deliverance (56:12–13)
III. The Gratitude for Deliverance (56:12–13)
King David concludes his song with the overflow of his heart
My vows to you, O God, are binding upon me. I will pay thank offerings to you,
The type of offering suggested here is the “peace offering” that was voluntary, part of which was eaten by the worshiper (Lev. 3; 7).
David acknowledges his obligations before God. He will give thank offerings as his love response. He can speak of his deliverance from death as an accomplished fact:
because you have delivered my soul from death. Have you not kept my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living?
The Lord had delivered his feet from stumbling as the enemy attempted to thrust him down. David was permitted to “walk before God,” i.e., serve him acceptably, here in the “light of the living,” i.e., in the land of light as contrasted with the darkness of death.
“God,” David prayed, “You have rescued me from death previously. Therefore, I know you’ll rescue me from this place presently.” We can say the same thing, for God has rescued us from eternal death. Therefore, I know He’ll see us through and do what’s best for us…
Romans 8:32
Indeed, he who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all, how will he not also, together with him, freely give us all things?
If God spared not His Son to rescue you from eternal death, then you must know He’s going to give you whatever you have need of presently. God is not mad at you or down on you. He’s for you. He proved it on the Cross of Calvary. Therefore, be confident and convinced: Philippians 1:6
convinced of this same thing, that the one who began a good work in you will finish it until the day of Christ Jesus,
—even in your Philistine city of Gath
So What?
So What?
John Calvin has said "One of the obstacles we meet in faith and prayer is the doubt that God hears our prayers, and that he even cares. Thankfully, this is the underlying sentiment of the prayer, that God has heard him (56:9)—a disposition of faith that enables him to pray confidently.” To ask God to store our tears “in his bottle” is to affirm our trust in God’s attentive care to the detail of our miseries.
A Jewish saying captures well the sentiment of verse 8: “There is no door through which tears do not pass.” In another place Isaiah says—and John repeats this twice in the book of Revelation—that God will wipe away the tears from all faces, a metaphor to tell of the complete eradication of sorrow. The terms of David’s prayer suggest that God gives attentive detail to our misery.
As Christians were put to death for their faith, they could cling to the words from Psalm 56:4: “In God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” Justin Martyr, depicted in this mosaic from the Church of the Beatitudes, was beheaded for his faith in AD 165.
Since the refrain is a key to interpretation, the reason King David can exclaim “What can mortal man do to me?” is that he knows two things:
The first is that God is with him—God has delivered him from death (56:13; see also 56:9b), not in absentia, but God was there in the situation to save him. God is not a distant, absent God. In fact, one of the most repeated declarations the Scriptures ever make is from Isaiah 7:14:
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look! the virgin is with child and she is about to give birth to a son, and she shall call his name ‘God with us.’
God is with us (Immanuel). And the Lord incorporates that idea in the covenant formula that marks out his special relationship with Israel: “I will be your God, and you shall be my people, and I will dwell in your midst”. This metaphor is a way to describe this idea in a picture that we can understand.
So What?
So What?
Second, God keeps our tears to remind himself of the misery we have endured in life (see also Isa. 49:16). Isaiah’s vision of the day of salvation when God wipes our tears away (Isa. 25:8; cf. Rev. 7:17; 21:4) is another metaphor that informs us that our misery that God has remembered will be obliterated.
In Conclusion:
Silence can be a powerful answer.
God’s collecting our tears is a sign of his solicitous care.
Faith sometimes relapses into a need for confirmation.
Trust and fear are not congenial companions, but neither are they total strangers.
What a psalm, right? Times are challenging. Times are changing. Times are trying, but God is the same, yesterday, today and forever, and He loves you with His unfathomable love!