449_Satisfied with His likeness
Psalm 17 Hear a just cause, O Lord; attend to my cry!
Give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit!
2 From your presence let my vindication come!
Let your eyes behold the right!
3 You have tried my heart, you have visited me by night,
you have tested me, and you will find nothing;
I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress.
4 With regard to the works of man, by the word of your lips
I have avoided the ways of the violent.
5 My steps have held fast to your paths;
my feet have not slipped.
6 I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God;
incline your ear to me; hear my words.
7 Wondrously show your steadfast love,
O Savior of those who seek refuge
from their adversaries at your right hand.
8 Keep me as the apple of your eye;
hide me in the shadow of your wings,
9 from the wicked who do me violence,
my deadly enemies who surround me.
10 They close their hearts to pity;
with their mouths they speak arrogantly.
11 They have now surrounded our steps;
they set their eyes to cast us to the ground.
12 He is like a lion eager to tear,
as a young lion lurking in ambush.
13 Arise, O Lord! Confront him, subdue him!
Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword,
14 from men by your hand, O Lord,
from men of the world whose portion is in this life.
You fill their womb with treasure;
they are satisfied with children,
and they leave their abundance to their infants.
15 As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness;
when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness.
Some years ago, a famous American businessman who had amassed incredible wealth was interviewed. He had everything—real estate, private jets, luxury cars, and access to power. When asked what he still longed for, he replied: “Just a little more.” That phrase stuck with me. Just a little more, says every man—whether money, fame, recognition, pleasure, or security. But there’s a deeper question underneath that craving: What, if anything, will ever truly satisfy us?
King David also had everything—success, status, songs written in his honor, military victories. Yet in Psalm 17, we find that his longing was not for more of everything. He wanted something much greater – to behold the face of God in righteousness, and to be satisfied with His likeness.
Psalm 17 begins as a plea: “Hear a just cause, O Lord!” Indeed, the psalm reads like a man in a king’s court, crying to the king for justice. David is surrounded by enemies and under threat. Rather than resorting to revenge, or seeking human help, he turns to God the righteous judge. He does not hope for partiality, but puts his hope in God’s knowledge of his innocence. It is not that he is sinless. Rather, in this matter, he knows he has done nothing to provoke his enemy. And he knows that God hears the prayer of the righteous.
David knew from painful experience that God does not show partiality. Even though he was “a man after God’s own heart,” his sin brought down great sorrow and death on his family. Despite the scars of his failures, he appeals now with a clear conscience, for he has been justified. The Lord has put away his sin. And more, he knows that God has tested and tried him by day and by night, and found no secret disloyalty, no dallying with sin in him.
David’s integrity was a result of his spiritual discipline, his conscious decision to follow the Lord rather than the ways of wicked men. He kept guard over his words, choosing not to transgress with his mouth. He honored the word of God by guiding his steps by it.
And he found his refuge. It was not in his mighty armies or political alliances, but under the wings of God. “Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings,” this brave warrior asks of God, like a little child longing for the shelter of his parents’ love. David, the giant-slayer, the man of war, knew the secret of strength: true safety is found in the presence of God, not in the prowess of man.
David had seen what earthly power could do. He had watched the wicked rise—ruthless, arrogant, self-absorbed. They speak proudly, and lurk to pounce on their prey. They live for the here and now, leaving behind wealth for their numerous children. He did not ask for revenge but for safety.
But while others are satisfied with earthly achievements and joys, David declares in verse 15, “As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness.” While the grave ends the hopes and joys of the wicked, for David, his eternal joy is just beginning.
David knew that he would see God’s face “in righteousness.” David’s righteousness was counted to him because he trusted in God who had made an eternal covenant with him. His integrity was the natural outflow of that trust in God. His was a life that earnestly sought to walk in the fear of God. And the result? He would be satisfied. He would awaken—whether from literal sleep or from death itself—to find himself bearing the likeness of God, and to be satisfied.
Thus, centuries before the Word became flesh, David saw death as a gentle sleep, as the Lord Jesus did, speaking of Lazarus, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.” And to awaken from that sleep is not just to see God but to be like him, in his righteousness. As John said, “When we see him we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.” The joy of eternal life is not just living forever but being, once again, in the likeness of God.
Indeed, this joy was his daily pursuit. Psalm 27:4 reflects this, “One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in His temple.” F. B. Meyer described this: “The mind will be satisfied with His truth, the heart with His love, the will with His authority. We shall need nothing else.”
Like David with Bathsheba, we get distracted. We chase satisfaction in this world. But whether it is our career goals, relationships, financial security, or religious activity., they will never fill us. We will keep seeking just a little more.
Let us live with David’s perspective, waking each morning with a holy hunger—not to chase the world’s rewards, but to behold the face of God in righteousness. Let us throw aside our time on social media and do the will of God. Let us worship not only with our lips but with lives of integrity and humility.
Let us open our hearts to God’s searchlight. What do we truly seek? What do we reach for to fill our emptiness, allay our anxiety, calm our restlessness? Are we not hungry all the time because we are seeking something other than God? Let us, like David, set our hearts on his righteousness, in faith. Let us seek to ascend his holy hill through the way of our Lord. Let us seek only one thing, to dwell for ever in his house. And so, we shall be filled with satisfaction, not by what we’ve earned, accumulated, or achieved, but when we awake in his likeness.