Psalm 116:13 NKJV
I will take up the cup of salvation,
And call upon the name of the Lord.
Giving by Receiving
MY NOTES
“I will take up the cup of salvation, And call upon the name of the Lord.” Psalm 116:13 (NKJV)
Have you ever been in a position where someone did something so incredibly kind for you—something so massive—that you felt the immediate, almost desperate urge to “repay” them? You start looking for a gift, a gesture, or a way to balance the scales.
The Psalmist was in that exact spot. He was looking at the overwhelming goodness of God, the way the Lord had delivered his soul from death and his eyes from tears, and he asked the ultimate question: “What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits toward me?” (v. 12).
His answer is one of the most profound paradoxes in all of Scripture: “I will take.”
Think about that. Usually, if you want to repay a debt, you give something back. But when it comes to God, the only way to truly “repay” Him is to take even more from Him. Our God is so infinitely wealthy in grace that He is most honored not when we try to pay Him back, but when we gratefully receive the abundance He offers.
The Cup of Salvation
The “cup of salvation” that David mentions was likely a cup of thanksgiving used during festivals—a public, solemn act of drinking to show everyone, “This is how much God has done for me.” For us today, it represents the “golden chalice of the covenant.” It is the fullness of God’s saving grace, and our job is simply to lift it up and drink deeply.
But we cannot talk about this cup without looking at The Son of David.
Imagine Jesus in the Upper Room on the night He was betrayed. He picked up the cup, sang these very words with His disciples, and transformed the “cup of salvation” into the New Covenant in His blood. But before that cup could be a cup of blessing for us, it had to be a cup of sorrow for Him.
In Gethsemane, Jesus looked at a different cup—the cup of the Father’s wrath against sin. It was bitter, it was heavy, and it was terrifying. Yet, He said, “The cup which My Father has given Me, shall I not drink it?” (John 18:11). Because He emptied the cup of bitterness to the dregs, He was able to hand us a cup overflowing with sweetness, joy, and eternal life.
Calling on the Name
David pairs “taking the cup” with “calling on the name of the Lord.” In our human relationships, if someone does us a huge favor, we often say, “I hope I never have to trouble you again!”
But God is different. To God, our continued dependence is an honor. Our prayers are not a “trouble” to Him; they are His delight. The best way to show gratitude for what God did yesterday is to call on Him for what you need today. Worship, in its purest form, is taking the salvation God provides and then asking for more of His presence, more of His wisdom, and more of His strength.
Today, don’t try to balance the scales with God. Don’t try to be “good enough” to earn what He has already given. Just lift up the cup. Drink deep of His mercy. And then, call on His name again.
Prayer
Abba, I look at my life and realize I could never possibly repay You for Your relentless goodness, Your mercy, and Your grace. Thank You for Jesus, who willingly drank the bitter cup of suffering so that I could freely lift up the cup of salvation. Forgive me for the times I try to earn Your love or hide from You out of a false sense of obligation. Today, I joyfully take up the blessings You have laid out for me. I drink deeply of Your peace and Your strength. I call upon Your name, declaring my allegiance to You, and I boldly ask for Your continued grace to carry me through this day. I praise You for this, and I ask for this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Key Takeaways
- Grace is a Gift, Not a Debt: You cannot pay God back for His goodness, and He isn’t asking you to. The best way to honor a gift is to use it, enjoy it, and thank the Giver.
- Our Cup Was Filled at His Expense: Every time we experience peace, forgiveness, and salvation, we are drinking from a cup that cost Jesus everything to fill.
- Dependency Honors God: Do not let shame keep you from asking God for help. He doesn’t view your prayers as a nuisance; He views your reliance on Him as the highest form of worship.
Cross-References (NKJV)
Luke 22:20 “Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.’”
John 18:11 “So Jesus said to Peter, ‘Put your sword into the sheath. Shall I not drink the cup which My Father has given Me?’”
1 Corinthians 10:16 “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?”
Psalm 116:17 “I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the Lord.”
Things to Think About
- The “Repayment” Struggle: Do you often find yourself trying to “earn” God’s favor or “pay Him back” for His blessings? How does the idea of “giving by receiving” change your perspective on your relationship with Him today?
- The Full Cup: List 3-5 specific “benefits” or blessings God has poured into your cup recently. Take a moment to “drink” them in—acknowledging that they are gifts of pure grace.
- The Next Request: If the best way to thank God is to call on Him again, what is the biggest thing you need to ask Him for today?
Daily Scripture
Jude:
20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,
21 keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling,
And to present you faultless
Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,
25 To God our Savior,
Who alone is wise,
Be glory and majesty,
Dominion and power,
Both now and forever.
Amen.
Closing
“The Lord bless you and keep you;The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you;The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.” ’ Numbers 6:24-26 NKJV
Grace be with you. Amen.
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Summary of Commentaries:
Psalm 116:13 highlights how we should take up the “cup of salvation” as an expression of gratitude towards God, aligning it with worship and devotion. We serve such a God who loves us to the extent that He offers us the cup of salvation and then, after giving us this, the greatest gift of saving our very souls, to call upon His name. Commentators, including Charles Spurgeon and Albert Barnes, emphasize that receiving this cup symbolizes acknowledging God’s mercy and blessings. The psalmist’s promise to “call upon the name of the Lord” signifies ongoing worship, prayer, and a desire for further divine grace. This reciprocal relationship underscores the significance of gratitude and continual supplication to God for His plentiful blessings. Ultimately, the act serves as both worship and acknowledgment of God’s loving nature
Commentaries:
Charles Spurgeon
“I will take the cup of salvation.” “I will take” is a strange answer to the question, “What shall I render?” and yet it is the wisest reply that could possibly be given.
The best return for one like me,
So wretched and so poor,
Is from his gifts to draw a plea
And ask him still for more.
To take the cup of salvation was in itself an act of worship, and it was accompanied with other forms of adoration, hence the Psalmist says, and “call upon the name of the LORD.” He means that he will utter blessings and thanksgivings and prayers, and then drink of the cup which the Lord had filled with his saving grace. What a cup this is! Upon the table of infinite love stands the cup full of blessing; it is ours by faith to take it in our hand, make it our own, and partake of it, and then with joyful hearts to laud and magnify the gracious One who has filled it for our sakes that we may drink and be refreshed. We can do this figuratively at the sacramental table, we can do it spiritually every time we grasp the golden chalice of the covenant, realizing the fulness of blessing which it contains, and by faith receiving its divine contents into our inmost soul. Beloved reader, let us pause here and take a long and deep draught from the cup which Jesus filled, and then with devout hearts let us worship God.
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Enduring Word
I will take up the cup of salvation: Gratitude drove the psalmist to receive from God. Before we can do anything for Him, we begin by gratefully receiving. (Guzik)
i. “It is a profound insight: The only way we can repay God from whom everything comes is by taking even more from him.” (Boice)
ii. “We can do this figuratively at the sacramental table, we can do it spiritually every time we grasp the golden chalice of the covenant, realizing the fulness of blessing which it contains, and by faith receiving its divine contents into our inmost soul.” (Spurgeon)
iii. There is a connection between the phrases, I will take up the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the LORD. “The cup of salvation is the cup of blessing, which is given to the soul. Let the soul take it and drink it, but let him remember that the very partaking is in itself of the nature of a pledge of loyalty; it is the oath of allegiance in which he calls upon the Name of Jehovah.” (Morgan)
iv. We continue to marvel at how significant it is that Jesus sang these words on the night of His betrayal and arrest, having instituted the cup of salvation under the New Covenant with His apostles (Luke 22:20). Jesus received that cup of salvation from His Father and gave it unto His people. (Guzik)
v. “Within a very little while after this singing, He, in Gethsemane, spoke of a cup, and in complete surrender to His Father’s will, consented to drink it. That was the cup of sorrows, of bitterness, of cursing. Having emptied it, He filled it with joy, with sweetness, with blessing. When we take that cup let us never forget the cost at which He so filled it for us.” (Morgan)
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Albert Barnes
I will take the cup of salvation – Compare the notes at Psalms 11:6. The “cup of salvation” means the cup by which his sense of the greatness of the salvation might be expressed – the cup of thanksgiving. Compare the notes at 1 Corinthians 10:16. The reference seems to be to a custom in festivals of drinking a cup of wine as a special expression of thanks or of obligation. The act would be more solemn, and the truth more deeply impressed on the mind, when accompanied by some religious rite – some ceremonial, as in the Lord’s Supper, expressly designed to call the mercy of God to remembrance.
And call upon the name of the Lord – Engage in a solemn act of devotion; make it a matter of special ceremony or observance to call the mercy of God to remembrance. This was one way of rendering to the Lord a return for the benefits received at his hands; as it is now. Christians do this at the table of the Lord – in the observance of the Lord’s Supper.
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John Gill
I will take the cup of salvation,…. Or “salvations”; not the eucharistic cup, or the cup in the Lord’s supper, which the apostle calls “the cup of blessing,” 1 Corinthians 10:16; though some so think, and that the psalmist represents the saints under the Gospel dispensation; nor the cup of afflictions or martyrdom for the sake of Christ; being willing, under a sense of mercies received, to bear or suffer anything for his sake he should call him to; as knowing it would be a token to him of salvation, and work for his good: but rather an offering of praise for temporal salvation, and for spiritual and eternal salvation; in allusion to a master of a family, who at the close of a feast or meal, used to take up a cup in his hands, and give thanks; see Matthew 26:27;
and call upon the name of the Lord; invocation of the name of the Lord takes in all worship and service of him, public and private, external and internal; and particularly prayer, which is calling upon the Lord in the name of Christ, with faith and fervency, in sincerity and truth: and the sense of the psalmist is, that he would not only give thanks for the mercies he had received, but continue to pray to God for more; and this was all the return he was capable of making.
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Matthew Henry
“I will take the cup of salvation,that is, I will offer the drink-offerings appointed by the law, in token of my thankfulness to God, and rejoice with my friends in God’s goodness to me;” this is called the cup of deliverance because drunk in memory of his deliverance. The pious Jews had sometimes a cup of blessing, at their private meals, which the master of the family drank first of, with thanksgiving to God, and all at his table drank with him. But some understand it not of the cup that he would present to God, but of the cup that God would put into his hand. I will receive,
First, The cup of affliction. Many good interpreters understand it of that cup, that bitter cup, which is yet sanctified to the saints, so that to them it is a cup of salvation. Phil. 1:19, This shall turn to my salvation; it is a means of spiritual health. David’s sufferings were typical of Christ’s, and we, in ours, have communion with his, and his cup was indeed a cup of salvation. “God, having bestowed so many benefits upon me, whatever cup he shall put into my hands I will readily take it, and not dispute it; welcome his holy will.” Herein David spoke the language of the Son of David. Jn. 18:11, The cup that my Father has given me, shall I not take it and drink it?
Secondly, The cup of consolation: “I will receive the benefits God bestows upon me as from his hand, and taste his love in them, as that which is the portion not only of my inheritance in the other world, but of my cup in this.”
I will call upon the name of the Lord. This he had promised (v. 2) and here he repeats it, v. 13 and again v. 17. If we have received kindness from a man like ourselves, we tell him that we hope we shall never trouble him again; but God is pleased to reckon the prayers of his people an honor to him, and a delight, and no trouble; and therefore, in gratitude for former mercies, we must seek to him for further mercies, and continue to call upon him.
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Adam Clarke
I will take the cup of salvation — Literally, The cup of salvation, or deliverance, will I lift up. Alluding to the action in taking the cup of blessing among the Jews, which, when the person or master of the family lifted up, he said these words, “Blessed be the Lord, the Maker of the world, who has created the fruit of the vine!”
But it may probably allude to the libation-offering, Numbers 28:7; for the three last verses seem to intimate that the psalmist was now at the temple, offering the meat-offering, drink-offering, and sacrifices to the Lord. Cup is often used by the Hebrews to denote plenty or abundance. So, the cup of trembling, an abundance of misery; the cup of salvation, an abundance of happiness.
And call upon the name of the Lord. — I will invoke his name, that I may get more of the same blessings; for the only return that God requires is, that we ask for more. Who is like GOD? One reason why we should never more come to a fellow-mortal for a favor is, we have received so many already. A strong reason why we should claim the utmost salvation of God is, because we are already so much in debt to his mercy. Now this is the only way we have of discharging our debts to God; and yet, strange to tell, every such attempt to discharge the debt only serves to increase it! Yet, notwithstanding, the debtor and creditor are represented as both pleased, both profited, and both happy in each other! Reader, pray to him, invoke his name; receive the cup-accept the abundance of salvation which he has provided thee, that thou mayest love and serve him with a perfect heart.
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The Pulpit Commentaries
I will take the cup of salvation. It has been usual to explain this of actual participation in the contents of a cup offered at a sacrificial meal, and then passed round to the worshippers. But there is no clear evidence of any such usage, except in connection with the Passover, which cannot here be in question. Hengstenberg there fore proposes to regard the phrase as a mere metaphor, like the “cup of trembling” (Isaiah 51:17, Isaiah 51:22), and understands the psalmist to mean that he will gladly and thankfully receive God’s mercy vouchsafed to him, and thus show his gratitude for it. And call upon the Name of the Lord (comp. Psalms 116:4 and Psalms 116:17).
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