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Commentary on Psalms 116 verses 1–9
In this part of the psalm we have,
I. A general account of David's experience, and his pious resolutions (Psa 116:1, Psa 116:2), which are as the contents of the whole psalm, and give an idea of it. 1. He had experienced God's goodness to him in answer to prayer: He has heard my voice and my supplications. David, in straits, had humbly and earnestly begged mercy of God, and God had heard him, that is, had graciously accepted his prayer, taken cognizance of his case, and granted him an answer of peace. He has inclined his ear to me. This intimates his readiness and willingness to hear prayer; he lays his ear, as it were, to the mouth of prayer, to hear it, though it be but whispered in groanings that cannot be uttered. He hearkens and hears, Jer 8:6. Yet it implies, also, that it is wonderful condescension in God to hear prayer; it is bowing his ear. Lord, what is man, that God should thus stoop to him!-2. He resolved, in consideration thereof, to devote himself entirely to God and to his honour. (1.) He will love God the better. He begins the psalm somewhat abruptly with a profession of that which his heart was full of: I love the Lord (as Psa 18:1); and fitly does he begin with this, in compliance with the first and great commandment and with God's end in all the gifts of his bounty to us. "I love him only, and nothing besides him, but what I love for him." God's love of compassion towards us justly requires our love of complacency in him. (2.) He will love prayer the better: Therefore I will call upon him. The experiences we have had of God's goodness to us, in answer to prayer, are great encouragements to us to continue praying; we have sped well, notwithstanding our unworthiness and our infirmities in prayer, and therefore why may we not? God answers prayer, to make us love it, and expects this from us, in return for his favour. Why should we glean in any other field when we have been so well treated in this? Nay, I will call upon him as long as I live (Heb., In my days), every day, to the last day. Note, As long as we continue living we must continue praying. This breath we must breathe till we breathe our last, because then we shall take our leave of it, and till then we have continual occasion for it.
II. A more particular narrative of God's gracious dealings with him and the good impressions thereby made upon him.
1.God, in his dealings with him, showed himself a good God, and therefore he bears this testimony to him, and leaves it upon record (Psa 116:5): "Gracious is the Lord, and righteous. He is righteous, and did me no wrong in afflicting me; he is gracious, and was very kind in supporting and delivering me." Let us all speak of God as we have found; and have we ever found him otherwise than just and good? No; our God is merciful, merciful to us, and it is of his mercies that we are not consumed.
(1.)Let us review David's experiences. [1.] He was in great distress and trouble (Psa 116:3): The sorrows of death compassed me, that is, such sorrows as were likely to be his death, such as were thought to be the very pangs of death. Perhaps the extremity of bodily pain, or trouble of mind, is called here the pains of hell, terror of conscience arising from sense of guilt. Note, The sorrows of death are great sorrows, and the pains of hell great pains. Let us therefore give diligence to prepare for the former, that we may escape the latter. These compassed him on every side; they arrested him, got hold upon him, so that he could not escape. Without were fightings, within were fears. "I found trouble and sorrow; not only they found me, but I found them." Those that are melancholy have a great deal of sorrow of their own finding, a great deal of trouble which they create to themselves, by indulging fancy and passion; this has sometimes been the infirmity of good men. When God's providence makes our condition bad let us not by our own imprudence make it worse. [2.] In his trouble he had recourse to God by faithful and fervent prayer, Psa 116:4. He tells us that he prayed: Then called I upon the name of the Lord; then, when he was brought to the last extremity, then he made use of this, not as the last remedy, but as the old and only remedy, which he had found a salve for every sore. He tells us what his prayer was; it was short, but to the purpose: "O Lord! I beseech thee, deliver my soul; save me from death, and save me from sin, for that is it that is killing to the soul." Both the humility and the fervency of his prayer are intimated in these words, O Lord! I beseech thee. When we come to the throne of grace we must come as beggars for an alms, for necessary food. The following words (Psa 116:5), Gracious is the Lord, may be taken as part of his prayer, as a plea to enforce his request and encourage his faith and hope: "Lord deliver my soul, for thou art gracious and merciful, and that only I depend upon for relief." [3.] God, in answer to his prayer, came in with seasonable and effectual relief. He found by experience that God is gracious and merciful, and in his compassion preserves the simple, Psa 116:6. Because they are simple (that is, sincere, and upright, and without guile) therefore God preserves them, as he preserved Paul, who had his conversation in the world not with fleshly wisdom, but in simplicity and godly sincerity. Though they are simple (that is, weak, and helpless, and unable to shift for themselves, men of no depth, no design) yet God preserves them, because they commit themselves to him and have no confidence in their own sufficiency. Those who by faith put themselves under God's protection shall be safe.
(2.)Let David speak his own experience. [1.] God supported him under his troubles: "I was brought low, was plunged into the depth of misery, and then he helped me, helped me both to bear the worst and to hope the best, helped me to pray, else desire had failed, helped me to wait, else faith had failed. I was one of the simple ones whom God preserved, the poor man who cried and the Lord heard him," Psa 34:6. Note, God's people are never brought so low but that everlasting arms are under them, and those cannot sink who are thus sustained. Nay, it is in the time of need, at the dead lift, that God chooses to help, Deu 32:36. [2.] God saved him out of his troubles (Psa 116:8): Thou hast delivered, which means either the preventing of the distress he was ready to fall into or the recovering of him from the distress he was already in. God graciously delivered, First, His soul from death. Note, It is God's great mercy to us that we are alive; and the mercy is the more sensible if we have been at death's door and yet have been spared and raised up, just turned to destruction and yet ordered to return. That a life so often forfeited, and so often exposed, should yet be lengthened out, is a miracle of mercy. The deliverance of the soul from spiritual and eternal death is especially to be acknowledged by all those who are now sanctified and shall be shortly glorified. Secondly, His eyes from tears, that is, his heart from inordinate grief. It is a great mercy to be kept either from the occasions of sorrow, the evil that causes grief, or, at least, from being swallowed up with over-much sorrow. When God comforts those that are cast down, looses the mourners' sackcloth and girds them with gladness, then he delivers their eyes from tears, which yet will not be perfectly done till we come to that world where God shall wipe away all tears from our eyes. Thirdly, His feet from falling, from falling into sin and so into misery. It is a great mercy, when our feet are almost gone, to have God hold us by the right hand (Psa 72:2, 23), so that though we enter into temptation we are not overcome and overthrown by the temptation. Or, "Thou hast delivered my feet from falling into the grave, when I had one foot there already."
2.David, in his returns of gratitude to God, showed himself a good man. God had done all this for him, and therefore,
(1.)He will live a life of delight in God (Psa 116:7): Return unto thy rest, O my soul! [1.] "Repose thyself and be easy, and do not agitate thyself with distrustful disquieting fears as thou hast sometimes done. Quiet thyself, and then enjoy thyself. God has dealt kindly with thee, and therefore thou needest not fear that ever he will deal hardly with thee." [2.] "Repose thyself in God. Return to him as thy rest, and seek not for that rest in the creature which is to be had in him only." God is the soul's rest; in him only it can dwell at ease; to him therefore it must retire, and rejoice in him. He has dealt bountifully with us; he has provided sufficiently for our comfort and refreshment, and encouraged us to come to him for the benefit of it, at all times, upon all occasions; let us therefore be satisfied with that. Return to that rest which Christ gives to the weary and heavy-laden, Mat 11:28. Return to thy Noah; his name signifies rest, as the dove, when she found no rest, returned to the ark. I know no word more proper to close our eyes with at night, when we go to sleep, nor to close them with at death, that long sleep, than this, Return to thy rest, O my soul!
(2.)He will live a life of devotedness to God (Psa 116:9): I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living, that is, in this world, as long as I continue to live in it. Note, [1.] It is our great duty to walk before the Lord, to do all we do as becomes us in his presence and under his eye, to approve ourselves to him as a holy God by conformity to him as our sovereign Lord, by subjection to his will, and, as a God all-sufficient, by a cheerful confidence in him. I am the almighty God; walk before me, Gen 17:1. We must walk worthy of the Lord unto all well-pleasing. [2.] The consideration of this, that we are in the land of the living, should engage and quicken us to do so. We are spared and continued in the land of the living by the power, and patience, and tender mercy of our God, and therefore must make conscience of our duty to him. The land of the living is a land of mercy, which we ought to be thankful for; it is a land of opportunity, which we should improve. Canaan is called the land of the living (Eze 26:20), and those whose lot is cast in such a valley of vision are in a special manner concerned to set the Lord always before them. If God has delivered our soul from death, we must walk before him. A new life must be a new life indeed.
“Turn, O my soul, into your rest: for the Lord has been bountiful to you.” The brave contestant applies to himself the consoling words, very much like Paul, when he says, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith. For the rest, there is laid up for me a crown of justice.” These things the prophet also says to himself: Since you have fulfilled sufficiently the course of this life, turn henceforth into your rest, “for the Lord has been bountiful to you.” For eternal rest lies before those who have struggled through the present life observant of the laws, a rest not given in payment for a debt owed for their works but provided as a grace of the munificent God for those who have hoped in him. Then, before he describes the good things there, telling in detail the escape from the troubles of the world, he gives thanks for them to the Liberator of souls, who has delivered him from the varied and inexorable slavery of the passions.
“For he has delivered my soul from death: my eyes from tears, my feet from falling.” He describes the future rest by a comparison with things here. Here, he says, the sorrows of death have compassed me, but there he has delivered my soul from death. Here the eyes pour forth tears because of trouble, but there, no longer is there a tear to darken the eyes of those who are rejoicing in the contemplation of the beauty of the glory of God. “For God has wiped away every tear from every face.” Here there is much danger of a fall; wherefore, even Paul said, “Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” But there the steps are firm; life is immutable. No longer is there the danger of slipping into sin. For there is neither rebellion of the flesh nor cooperation of a woman in sin. Therefore, there is no male and female in the resurrection, but there is one certain life, and it is of one kind, since those dwelling in the country of the living are pleasing to their Lord. This world itself is mortal and is the place of mortals. Since the substance of visible things is composite and every composite thing is apt to be destroyed, we who are in the world, being part of the world, necessarily possess the nature of everything. Therefore, even before the soul is separated from the body by death, we people frequently die.
For it is clear that the soul does not die with the body, because it is not of the body. And that it is not of the body Scripture teaches us in many ways. For Adam received the breath of life from the Lord God “and became a living soul,” and David says, “Turn, O my soul, into your rest, for the Lord has been good to me.” And learn the nature of God’s goodness: “For he has freed my feet from falling.” You see that David rejoices in the remedy of such a death, because an end has been put to error, because guilt has perished but not nature. And so he says, as if liberated and free, “I shall please the Lord in the land of the living.” For that22 is the land.… Further, he says that the land of the living is that resting place of souls, where sins do not enter in and where the glory of the virtues lives. Now that land is filled with the dead, because it is filled with sinners, and it was rightly said, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead.” But likewise he also said above, “His soul shall dwell in good things, and his seed shall inherit the land”; that is, the soul of one who fears God will dwell in good things, so that it is always in them and in conformity with them. The passage can also be taken to refer to one who is in the body, so that he too, if he fears God, dwells in good things and is in heavenly things, for he possesses his body and enjoys mastery over it as if it had been reduced to slavery, and he possesses the inheritance of glory and of the heavenly promises.
Theodosius, now at peace, rejoices that he has been snatched away from the cares of this world, and he lifts up his soul and directs it to that great and eternal rest. He declares that he has been admirably cared for, “since God has snatched his soul from death,” the death that he frequently withstood in the treacherous conditions of this world, when he was disturbed by the waves of sin. And God has snatched his eyes from tears, for sorrow and sadness and mourning shall flee away. And elsewhere we have, “He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and death shall be no more; neither shall there be mourning or crying or pain.” If, then, death will be no more, he cannot suffer a fall when he is in that rest, “but he will please God in the land of the living.” For while humankind is here enveloped in a mortal body subject to falls and transgressions, that will not be so there. Therefore, that is the land of the living where the soul is, for the soul has been made to the image and likeness of God; it is not flesh fashioned from earth. Hence, flesh returns to earth, but the soul hastens to celestial rest, and to it is said, “Turn, my soul, to your rest.”
Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the LORD hath dealt bountifully with thee.
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SUMMARY
Psalms 116:7 is a tender and profound self-admonition from the psalmist's soul, urging it to return to a state of deep peace and tranquility. This imperative is firmly grounded in the confident assurance of God's unwavering faithfulness and abundant generosity, acknowledging His past acts of deliverance and benevolent provision. It serves as a timeless invitation to cease from anxiety and turmoil, finding ultimate solace and security in the Lord's proven goodness and steadfast care.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
The verse employs several impactful literary devices that enhance its meaning and emotional resonance. Apostrophe is prominently featured as the psalmist directly addresses his own "soul," personifying it and commanding it to "return unto thy rest." This direct address highlights the internal struggle and the deliberate act of faith required to reorient one's inner being away from turmoil and towards peace. The use of the Imperative Mood ("Return") underscores the active and volitional nature of finding this rest; it is not a passive state but a conscious decision to align oneself with God's truth and character. Furthermore, the verse utilizes a Causal Clause ("for the LORD hath dealt bountifully with thee"), which provides the theological justification and motivation for the command. This structure demonstrates a logical progression: the command to rest is not arbitrary but is firmly rooted in the undeniable reality of God's past and present goodness. There is also an implicit Contrast between the previous state of distress (implied by the need to "return") and the desired state of "rest," emphasizing the transformative power of God's intervention and the peace it brings.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Psalms 116:7 speaks deeply to the biblical theme of divine provision and the human need for true rest. It echoes the broader concept of God as the ultimate source of peace and security, a theme woven throughout Scripture from the Sabbath rest in creation to the promised rest in the land of Canaan. The psalm's emphasis on God's "bountiful dealings" highlights His hesed (steadfast love) and faithfulness, which are the unchanging foundation for human trust. This verse teaches that our ability to find peace is directly linked to our remembrance and acknowledgment of God's past goodness. When we recall how God has faithfully provided, delivered, and sustained us, our souls are empowered to release anxiety and settle into His sovereign care. This is an active, faith-filled response to God's character, inviting us to cease our striving and find our sufficiency in Him, trusting that His past goodness is a guarantee of His future faithfulness.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
In a world characterized by constant demands, anxieties, and uncertainties, Psalms 116:7 offers a profound and practical spiritual discipline. It calls us to intentionally and actively command our souls to find their true repose in God, rather than allowing them to be tossed about by circumstances or internal turmoil. This "return to rest" is not an escape from reality but a re-anchoring of our inner being in the unchanging character of God. When we are overwhelmed by worry, fear, or the pressures of life, this verse reminds us to deliberately recall and meditate on the countless ways the Lord has "dealt bountifully" with us—His past provisions, His specific deliverances, His enduring grace, and His unwavering faithfulness. This act of remembering God's goodness serves as a powerful antidote to anxiety, empowering us to release our burdens and trust in His continued care. It encourages a conscious shift from self-reliance and striving to a posture of confident dependence on the One who has proven Himself abundantly good, fostering a deep, abiding peace that transcends external circumstances.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What does "Return unto thy rest, O my soul" mean practically for a believer today?
Answer: Practically, it means to actively and consciously redirect your inner being—your thoughts, emotions, and will—away from worry, fear, striving, or self-reliance, and back to a state of trust and dependence on God. It's a deliberate choice to cease spiritual agitation and to find your security and peace in God's presence and His promises. This often involves prayer, meditation on Scripture, and recalling God's past faithfulness. It's a spiritual discipline to bring your soul into alignment with divine truth, rather than letting it be consumed by worldly anxieties, finding solace in the ultimate rest God provides, as hinted at in Hebrews 4:9-11.
How is the "rest" mentioned in Psalms 116:7 different from simply relaxing or taking a break?
Answer: The "rest" (menuchah) in Psalms 116:7 is far deeper than mere physical relaxation or a temporary break from activity. It is a spiritual and existential rest, a profound inner peace and security that comes from knowing God's sovereign care and His abundant provision. It's a cessation from the striving of self-sufficiency and the burden of trying to control outcomes. While physical rest is important, this biblical rest is about the soul finding its true home and security in God, even amidst external challenges. It's a rest that transcends circumstances, rooted in faith in God's character, echoing the invitation of Matthew 11:28.
What does it mean that "the LORD hath dealt bountifully with thee"?
Answer: This phrase signifies that God has acted with abundant generosity, kindness, and faithful provision toward the psalmist. It means He has shown Himself gracious and benevolent, often through specific acts of deliverance, sustenance, or blessing in times of need or distress. It's a declaration of God's proven track record of goodness and His unwavering commitment to His people. For the psalmist, it's a powerful reminder of God's past mercies, which serve as the unshakeable foundation for present and future trust, allowing the soul to find its rest. It speaks to the consistent and overflowing nature of God's hesed (steadfast love).
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Psalms 116:7 finds its ultimate and most profound fulfillment in Jesus Christ. The longing for "rest" expressed by the psalmist, a rest from the turmoil of life and the burdens of sin, is fully realized in the person and work of our Savior. Jesus Himself extends the ultimate invitation, saying, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). He is the true menuchah, the secure dwelling place for our souls. His atoning sacrifice on the cross is the supreme act of the Lord "dealing bountifully" with us, providing complete forgiveness, reconciliation with God (Romans 5:1), and liberation from the endless striving of self-righteousness. Through His finished work, we enter into a spiritual Sabbath rest, ceasing from our own works to trust in His perfect obedience and sacrifice. The peace that guards our hearts and minds, as promised in Philippians 4:7, is a direct result of our union with Christ, who is our peace. In Him, our souls find eternal repose, knowing that God has indeed dealt bountifully with us beyond measure, granting us grace upon grace and every spiritual blessing in Christ (John 1:16 and Ephesians 1:3).