Chapter 116
Themes, discussion questions, Christ connections, and denomination lenses.
Just read this chapter →Scripture
KJV1I love the LORD, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications.
2Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live.
3The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow.
4Then called I upon the name of the LORD; O LORD, I beseech thee, deliver my soul.
5Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful.
6The LORD preserveth the simple: I was brought low, and he helped me.
7Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the LORD hath dealt bountifully with thee.
8For thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling.
9I will walk before the LORD in the land of the living.
10I believed, therefore have I spoken: I was greatly afflicted:
11I said in my haste, All men are liars.
12What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me?
13I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD.
14I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the presence of all his people.
15Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.
16O LORD, truly I am thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid: thou hast loosed my bonds.
17I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the LORD.
18I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the presence of all his people,
19In the courts of the LORD’s house, in the midst of thee, O Jerusalem. Praise ye the LORD.
“Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.”
Overview
Psalm 116 is a deeply personal song of thanksgiving from one who has been delivered from the brink of death. The psalmist declares, 'I love the LORD, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications.' The sorrows of death compassed him and the pains of hell got hold of him, but he called upon the name of the LORD and was delivered. He asks, 'What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me?' and answers by taking the cup of salvation, calling upon God's name, and paying his vows. He declares, 'Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.'
Key Themes
Love Born from Answered Prayer
The psalmist's love for God is not abstract but deeply personal — rooted in the experience of crying out in distress and being heard and delivered.
Gratitude's Response
The question 'What shall I render unto the LORD?' reveals that true gratitude seeks a way to respond — and the answer is worship, testimony, and faithfulness.
The Preciousness of Saints' Lives
God does not view the death of His faithful ones lightly — their lives are precious in His sight, and He guards them with great care.
Study Questions
What does it mean to say 'I love the LORD, because he hath heard my voice' (v. 1)? Is love a proper response to answered prayer?
How does the psalmist answer his own question about what to render to the LORD (vv. 13-14)?
What does 'Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints' (v. 15) mean?
What is 'the cup of salvation' (v. 13)?
How does this psalm model a life of ongoing thanksgiving rather than a single moment of gratitude?
Connection to Christ
Jesus took the cup of salvation at the Last Supper — the Passover meal during which this psalm would have been sung. He is the one who faced the sorrows of death and the pains of hell, yet was delivered through resurrection. His death was indeed precious in the Father's sight, and through it, He renders to God what we could never render ourselves.
Personal Reflection
Take time to journal or meditate on what God is teaching you through Psalms 116. How can these truths transform your thinking and actions today?