We are to listen to God and walk in His ways, but did you also notice that God would not only subdue our enemies but that He would satisfy our hearts? “with honey from the rock I would satisfy you” (Psalm 81:16 ESV).
We do not normally get honey from a rock, so what does this passage mean?
In Scripture, the word “rock” can be a reference to Jesus Christ. Moses struck a Rock and water poured forth for the Israelites to drink (Exodus 17), and Paul said, “that Rock is Christ” (1 Corinthians 10:4). So Jesus was struck on the cross, giving up His life for us, and through His death on the cross, the Holy Spirit flows to all who believe.
In Psalm 81 we are told that we get “honey from the rock” which refers to the sweetness of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and the satisfaction all believers receive from His death in their place. In other words, the gospel is sweet, and it is satisfying. Like Samson who got honey from a lion’s carcass (Judges 14), so believers get sweetness from the cross of Jesus, the Lion of the tribe of Judah.
Being in God’s Word, as illuminated by God’s Spirit, is where we get grace and power. It’s where we receive nourishment and refreshment. It’s how we become transformed, by the renewing of our minds (2 Corinthians 3:17-18).
One thing to keep in mind is that we don’t want to become legalistic in our study of God’s Word. We don’t study our Bibles to earn favor with God. Jesus already earned our favor with God through His righteous living and sacrificial death. We need to be in God’s Word to enjoy spiritual life.
There are so many ways we can let the Word of Christ dwell in us richly. We start by praying, seeking the Lord, asking Him to fill us with Jesus from the Word. We want to be purposeful about reading scripture and we should not be content to walk away from our Bible reading with only some facts or information. We want to come seeking transformation for our hearts and lives, to apply everything we read, asking the Holy Spirit to lift us up out of being downcast and burdened.
One of the things I’ve gotten a lot of pleasure from is using a free offline Bible program called e-Sword. You can download it here, and it is available in different versions for Windows, Apple Mac, iPad, and iPhone. You can also get commentaries, books, devotions, along with the Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge (TSK Cross References) for free. TSK is a wonderful tool to find other verses that contain similar thoughts, concepts or words. Within this program, one can also go to “Tools” and then “Sermon Audio” and start listening to some awesome faith-building sermons.
Let’s make this practical:
Imagine that you are feeling isolated, forgotten, longing for love and connection and satisfaction. In the past you might have found some comfort in one or more of a hundred ways: watching a numbing amount of media, becoming lost to the likes and dislikes of social media, excessive online shopping, demolishing a tub of ice cream, medicating your stress through alcohol or cigarette, choosing to be over busy. And while that would have numbed your inner pain for a short time, your heart and soul would have remained empty and the temptation to these temporary pleasures would have returned again and again.
But now we know that what we are really longing for is the love of God, the presence of Jesus and being filled with the Spirit. This we don't find in the kitchen, in a bottle or a packet, or in a media screen, we find it at the cross. Your true friend is Jesus. Jesus laid down His life for you (1 John 3:16). Jesus is the lover of your soul (Romans 8:38-39). He is the One that is Faithful and True (Revelation 19:11). So, in the midst of your distress, you turn to the Scriptures where you read in 2 Corinthians 4:7-10:
"We have this treasure from God, but we are like clay jars that hold the treasure. This shows that the great power is from God, not from us. 8 We have troubles all around us, but we are not defeated. We do not know what to do, but we do not give up the hope of living. 9 We are persecuted, but God does not leave us. We are hurt sometimes, but we are not destroyed. 10 We carry the death of Jesus in our own bodies so that the life of Jesus can also be seen in our bodies.”
And your heart is encouraged knowing that Christ is in You. He is with you in your difficulties. He is your faithful and true friend, never leaving nor forsaking you.
So now, when those feelings of longing and loneliness come, we learn to turn from food and drink and smoking and all those other idols to the Bible as a habit; and we begin to meditate on the love of God displayed at Calvary (1 John 3:16). We begin to experience the presence of Jesus. The Spirit of God becomes active in our hearts, and powerful in our lives as we open the Bible and read. Jesus said, "these words of mine, they are Spirit and they are life" (John 6:63).
When we study the Word of God we are coming to Jesus in our emptiness, asking to be filled; coming with all of our soul-thirstings and asking to be quenched; coming with all of our heart-longings and asking to be satisfied. We will know if we have seen the face of God, have experienced His power, glory, and love, when we sense a true fullness as if we have eaten a large meal of good food. That’s what real Bible study is like! And if we don’t do it, we are in danger of seeking fullness elsewhere.
Question 5. Think about the situation described above and the teaching of this lesson. Please share a situation that you have encountered and how applying these principles would now change the outcome:
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We started our lesson today in Psalms and I would like to end with this same book as it brings much comfort to those of us who are traveling through depression and experiencing many feelings. Could I ask you to listen to this beautiful gospel sermon by Tim Keller which is called Praying Our Tears. I am sure you will find this time well spent.
Question 6. In this sermon, we heard that there are three common ways that people deal with tears: being under-aware of our feelings in a religious way, being over-aware of our feelings using a secular therapeutic approach, and the gospel way of seeing them as an opportunity for growth. What are your thoughts and feelings about your own tears in the light of the gospel?
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Harris writes, "I did not see it like this before. I am challenged to invest my tears. Not to fear them, not to feel guilty about it but invest them. To tread them as a seed that will bring a harvest of joy. So I do invest right now all the tears of my life for the glory of Jesus and the Kingdom of God."
Tori writes, "It’s absolutely beautiful this sermon and I am so grateful to have listened to it. God has transformed my thoughts and feelings and suffering and tears from things that I would block, I would give too much power to, to things that I can plant at the feet of the cross in order to mold, change and uplift me to be more in the image of Christ. It truly was beautiful this sermon. Those who sow with tears will reap with joy ! His word is alive and ever so real."
Carnell writes, "This has given me a different perspective. I will invest my tears because I will grow in the grace of God through them which will bring a harvest of joy. In praying my tears I am reminded of God's grace displayed on the cross and reassured that my suffering don't compare to my glory in the life to come."
Question 7. Have you received the gospel of Jesus Christ today in your study of God's Word?
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Question 8. Have you applied the gospel of Jesus Christ in your life today?
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