Our Soul Our Greatest Asset – Psalm 25

In Psalm 25, David entrusted his soul to God.

“A Psalm of David. To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, I trust in You. Let me not be ashamed. Let not my enemies triumph over me. Indeed, let no one who waits on You be ashamed. Let those be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause.” Psalm 25:1-3

The word for “soul” in Hebrew is נֶפֶשׁ (nephesh). The Brown-Driver-Briggs Old Testament Hebrew-English Lexicon defines “Nephesh” as the “soul, the person-self, seat of the appetites, emotions or passions, activity of mind, will or character.” The soul is like the OS (Operating System) of the person.

David entrusted his soul to God. Our soul is our greatest asset. People safeguard money, homes, cars, jewels, and gold, but these possessions are temporal. Our souls are eternal. When our earthly body ceases to function, our soul either enters paradise or hell.

In Luke 12:19-20, God said to the man who stockpiled great riches for himself on earth, “Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?” In Matthew 16:26, Jesus asked, “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”

David entrusted his soul to God alone. He declared, “O my God, I trust in You.” David asked the Lord to keep him from being duped by enemies. Soul saboteurs tried to shame him into denying the Lord. David prayed, “Let me not be ashamed.” He prayed for others as well, “Let no one who waits on You be ashamed.” No, vice versa, “Let those be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause.”

“Show me Your ways, O Lord. Teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation. On You I wait all the day.” Psalm 25:4-5

David did not need to be prodded like a stubborn mule to learn from God. He asked God to show him, teach him and lead him. David said to God, “I am waiting on You.” “You are the God of my salvation.” He did not have a plan B. He was all in with God. David was the Lord’s disciple.

“Remember, O Lord, Your tender mercies, and Your loving kindnesses, for they are from of old. Do not remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions. According to Your mercy remember me, for Your goodness’ sake, O Lord.” Psalm 25:6-7

How did David want God to think of him? As that young rebel who crossed every line that he should not have crossed? No! He asked the Lord to remember him in the light of the Lord’s tender mercies and loving kindnesses. In other words, don’t consider me in the light of my works but in the light of Your works... according to Your grace and not by works of righteousness which I have done. Thus, we should also pray for ourselves that God would be gracious unto us for the sake of what His Son Jesus Christ did for us on the cross and at the empty tomb.

“Good and upright is the Lord. Therefore, He teaches sinners in the way. The humble He guides in justice, and the humble He teaches His way. All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth to such as keep His covenant and His testimonies.” Psalm 25:8-10

The goodness and uprightness of the Lord moves Him to teach us sinners His way. He could leave us to our own devices and we would perish, but no, He stops and reaches out to us.

Romans 2:4 says that “the goodness of God leads you to repentance.” Hebrews 3:15 says, “Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.” 1 Peter 5:5-6 says, “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.”

The first step on the road to recovery of our soul is humility before the Lord. Tell the Lord that you need Him. Ask Him to forgive your sins! Ask Him for mercy and truth. Confidence in God’s mercy helps us to receive God’s truth.

In Micah 6:8 the Lord says, “He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?”

David mentions those who keep the Lord’s covenant. A covenant is a committed relationship. A committed relationship is the framework in which the Lord chooses to work with us.

David mentions those who keep the Lord’s testimonies. The Lord’s testimonies are the results of His active intervention in the world. Those who see the hand of God at work in our world today, are to happy share the testimonies of His miracles.

“For Your Name’s sake, O Lord, pardon my iniquity, for it is great.” Psalm 25:11

In our New Testament times, our sins are forgiven in the Name of Jesus. God’s forgiveness is based on the merits of Christ. Human acts of penance do not earn God’s forgiveness. Human financial donations to God’s work do not purchase forgiveness. Human acts of charity do not erase misdeeds. 1 John 1:7 says, “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”

David had great sin, but he had an even greater Savior. Romans 5:20 says, “Where sin abounded, grace abounded much more.”

“Who is the man that fears the Lord? Him shall He teach in the way He chooses. He himself shall dwell in prosperity, and his descendants shall inherit the earth. The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him, and He will show them His covenant.” Psalm 25:12-14

The Hebrew word for “fear” in Psalm 25:12 refers to reverent fear of God rather than a terrified alienation. In John 21:17, Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, You know all things.” We should not come to the Bible with a proud attitude as though we of the modern era are so much more enlightened than those who wrote the Bible. No, the Bible was inspired by God. It has been preserved by God. Christ lives in the text of the Bible. Rather than inform the Bible about what we perceive is right and wrong, we should let the God of the Bible inform us. So often I pray respectfully to the Lord, saying, “I need Your help to understand this text” and He helps me. Luke 24:45 says, “He [Jesus] opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.”

“My eyes are ever toward the Lord, for He shall pluck my feet out of the net. Turn Yourself to me, and have mercy on me, for I am desolate and afflicted. The troubles of my heart have enlarged. Bring me out of my distresses! Look on my affliction and my pain and forgive all my sins. Consider my enemies, for they are many. They hate me with cruel hatred. Keep my soul and deliver me. Let me not be ashamed, for I put my trust in You. Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for You. Redeem Israel, O God, out of all their troubles!” Psalm 25:15-22

“Net” is frequently used in the Scriptures as a means of enemies to capture and detain God’s servant. David declares his situation. His feet were in a net, held fast and entangled, so that he could not extricate himself from it. Friends were far away and enemies were all around. He felt distressed, troubled and isolated. His body ached with pain. His enemies hated him. They were cruel towards him.

David asked the Lord to deliver his soul from the enemy’s net. He reminded the Lord that he was trusting in Him to rescue him. He did not want to compromise with evildoers. He prayed that integrity and uprightness would preserve him. He asked God to redeem him, to purchase him out of the captivity of his captors.

Our Lord Jesus Christ also experienced such cruel hatred and mistreatment while He was here on earth. He still does in the sense that whatever someone does to the least of His brethren, they do to Him.

What David say when he was in trouble? He wrote, “My eyes are ever towards the Lord.” In Hebrews 12:2, Paul put it this way, “Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before Him He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

“Dear Lord Jesus, unto You we entrust our souls! You are our Savior and Redeemer. Thank You for saving our souls. Thank You for turning what was meant for evil against us into a blessing. In our lives Lord, be glorified! For it is in Your Name Jesus that I pray. Amen.”