February 11th in the Year of Our Lord 2021

Psalms 17:15

As for me, I shall behold Your face in righteousness;

I will be satisfied with Your likeness when I awake. 

My reading this morning was Psalms 15-17. With the reading plan that I am doing this year, every Wednesday morning I am reading the Psalms. I truly love the Psalms when reading them this way. Some of the Scriptures affect the mind but the Psalms affect the heart. Both the mind and heart most be reached to affect the will.

It is the desire of my heart to behold the face of God and he look upon me as righteous in his sight. I will be satisfied when I awake in the likeness of God. In this world I work, but I cannot work for righteousness; however, I know that I am being justified, as a gift, by his grace, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a mercy seat in his blood through faith. (Rom.3:24-25) Therefore, I trust that I will behold the face of God in righteousness.

Psalms 17, particularly verse 15 is my favorite in all of the Psalms because it is the desire of my heart. E. Bendor Samuel paraphrased Psalms 17:15: 

Well, they can have it all as far as I’m concerned. My interest lies in spiritual rather than material treasures. It is enough for me that I will look upon Your face as one who has been declared righteous and not as a guilty sinner. I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness. (BBC, Ps.17:15)

He also pointed out that Psalms 17:15 contains all of the elements of 1 John 3:2. Both David and the apostle John wrote under the inspiration of the same Spirit. Both Psalm 17:15 and 1 John 3:2 are about supreme satisfaction, a great transformation, and an enlarged vision. David believes that he will be supremely satisfied with the likeness of God, that he will be like God when his is raised from the dead; however, 1 John 3:2 adds a couple of interesting elements. First, instead of talking about himself, John says we; he speaks of all believers being supremely satisfied and undergoing a great transformation. John also adds to this, it can be seen in Psalms 17:15, but not as clearly. We will have an enlarged vision of God because we will finally see him in all of his glory. 

It should be understood that neither David nor John mean that we will become a god but we will be like him in his nature. In other words, sons of God. It is the desire of my heart to see God in all of his glory and be transformed into his likeness. On that glorious day I will be supremely satisfied.