Psalm 63:3 says that “God’s steadfast love is better than life.” It might help for a moment to remember that David was the Psalmist and that he wrote this Psalm when he was in the wilderness. He was either running from Saul or he was running from his son Absalom. Those were the two times David was living in the desert. I’m of the opinion that it was the latter period, when his son Absalom raised up an army and took the city of Jerusalem by force. David fled from the comfort of his home and escaped into the desert with his general, Joab. Verse 1 of Psalm 63 describes the situation for us. David writes, “O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.” It seems to me that this describes not only the state of his soul, but also his physical surroundings. Can you imagine having a son that you love attempt to kill you in order to take your place in the world? What a painful time for David it must have been. He was not only driven from the comforts of his home, but driven from the family he loved and trusted to support him. What a desperate time it must have been for him.
It’s in that context that David makes the statement that “God’s steadfast love is better than life.” Life can be the most disappointing adventure one can imagine at times. I think it was for David. My Dad used to mention that the five most repeated words in the Bible are “and it came to pass.” He wasn’t a real Bible scholar and I can’t say I remember him reading it at all, but somewhere along the way he picked up that statement and kept it with him. I think it’s because of how true it is. Everything comes, but nothing in life comes to stay. It comes only to pass. All our successes, all our accomplishments, all our joys and all our pleasures will come to pass. In other words, I’d say that the difference between “life” and “God’s steadfast love” is that one is only temporary and one lasts forever. Which one is better? Think about it! Nothing in life is completely satisfying and fulfilling.
However, God’s “steadfast love” is! That’s what David means in verses 5 and 6. He writes, “My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips, when I remember you upon my bed and meditate on you in the watches of the night.” You know that our souls are not satisfied by food. David is really saying that as a great meal satisfies my body, feasting on or tasting “God’s steadfast love” and meditating on that is the only thing that truly feeds his soul. Not every little boy can grow up to be an NFL or NBA star. Not every little girl can grow up to be princess or a ballerina. No matter how much we might want to encourage the dreams of our children we all must recognize that life is going to be a disappointment in many ways. Even if we accomplish great things, our successes and victories only come to pass. God’s steadfast love is the only thing that came to stay! Think about it.
Free From Religion
The first word in the letter Paul wrote to the Galatians is “Paul.” Up to Acts 13:9, The Apostle was called by his Jewish name, Saul. It made him acceptable to his Jewish audiences. When he joined Barnabas and John Mark on the first missionary journey to Galatia, his role changed radically. To begin with the journey was led by Barnabbas who brought his cousin, John Mark, along. Both Barnabbas and John Mark were solid Jewish believers. I would argue that their intention was to go to the Jews only, but while on the Island of Cyprus a “Jewish” false prophet attempted to prevent the governor, Sergius Paulus, a Roman Official, from accepting the faith. It was then that Paul stepped up and cursed the false “Jewish” prophet with blindness. Sergius Paulus became the first gentile convert under the Apostle Paul’s ministry. It is interesting that after Acts 13:9, Saul becomes Paul from that point on. Some early church fathers think that Saul took his gentile name at that time to honor his first convert who had the same name. But I see it as part of God’s plan to move Paul from a Jewish focus to a gentile focus.
Being of the tribe of Benjamin (As we read in Philippians), I’m fairly certain that his parents named Saul after the first King of Israel. Saul, the King, was head and shoulders taller than most of the men in Israel at that time and it made him stand out. It is interesting that “Paul” means “small” or “little.” Maybe that was an intentional change for this proud Pharisee who was humbled and knocked to his knees and blinded by the Lord. Paul’s blindness led to his salvation, but not so with the “Jewish” false prophet. Instead it led to the salvation of Paul’s first gentile convert. The Jews who insisted on forcing the Law into the salvation equation were as furious with Paul’s message as the Religious leaders were of Jesus who put Himself above the Law. Religious people hated Jesus. Religious people hated Paul. Religious people are violently opposed to a salvation message that is freely offered to irreligious people.
The second thing worth noting in Galatians 1:1is that Paul calls himself an “Apostle – not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised Him from the dead.” Paul’s apostleship to the gentiles came directly from God. As Rushdoony observes, “Paul is emphatic because there was a major effort to belittle his calling, his teaching, and his person.”[1] This attack on Paul came from the Judaizers who insisted on connecting obedience to the law with salvation by grace through faith. Paul preached a Gospel that put the person and work of Christ at the center. It forced each person to see their sinfulness and their need for a savior. It took God’s divine intervention in this hyper-religious Pharisee’s life to get his attention. It takes divine intervention today as well for religious people to get the truth of the Gospel. Jesus did not come to set up another religion but to destroy all religion. It always takes divine intervention to set a person free from the law of sin and death.
[1] Rousas John Rushdoony, Romans & Galatians (Vallecito, CA: Ross House Books, 1997), 315.