Psalm 42

October 16, 2015

The thirst for God (Ps 63:1-63:4)

A psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah

“O God!

You are my God!

I seek you!

My soul thirsts for you!

My flesh faints for you!

I am like in a dry and weary land.

There is no water.

So I have looked upon you

In the sanctuary.

I behold your power and glory.

Because your steadfast love

Is better than life,

My lips will praise you.

So I will bless you

As long as I live.

I will lift up my hands.

I will call on your name.”

This Psalm 63 refers to the time that David was in the wilderness with his outlaw band of warriors against King Saul. There is no indication of any choral element in this psalm. David was seeking God. His soul was thirsty for God, like in Psalm 42. His flesh was faint without God. He was like in a dry and weary land without water. He wanted to look on the sanctuary of God, but it did not exist at this time. He wanted to behold the power and glory of God. He realized the steadfast love of God was better than life itself. His lips would praise and bless God as long as he lived. He was going to lift up his hands and call upon the name of God.

September 26, 2015

Hope in God (Ps 43:5-43:5)

“Why are you cast down?

O my soul!

Why are you disquieted within me?

Hope in God!

I shall again praise him!

My help!

My God!”

This is an exact repeat of the refrain that ended Psalm 42. The psalmist accused his soul of upsetting him. He was going to hope in God. He would sing his praises again. God was his help. Thus despite some grievances, this northern psalmist still believed and praised God.

September 26, 2015

Hope in God (Ps 42:11-42:11)

“Why are you cast down?

O my soul!

Why are you disquieted within me?

Hope in God!

I shall again praise him!

My help!

My God!”

Of course, we have a happy ending to this psalm. The psalmist accuses his soul of upsetting him. He was going to hope in God. He would sing his praises again. God was his help. Thus despite some grievances, this northern psalmist still believed and praised God.

September 26, 2015

God is my rock (Ps 42:9-42:10)

“I say to God.

‘You are my rock.

Why have you forgotten me?

Why must I walk around mournfully?

Why does the enemy oppress me?’

With a deadly wound in my body,

My adversaries taunt me.

They say to me continually.

‘Where is your God?’”

The psalmist said to God that he was his rock. Yet at the same time, he wanted to know why he was forgotten. Why was he in mourning? Why did his enemy oppress him? Why did he have a deadly wound? Why were his adversaries continually taunting him, asking him where his God was? This does not sound like a happy man, but someone upset at his rock that was not doing more for him.

September 24, 2015

A northern plea (Ps 42:6-42:8)

“My soul is cast down within me.

Therefore I remember you

From the land of Jordan,

From Hermon,

From Mount Mizar.

Deep calls to deep

At the thunder of your cataracts.

All your waves have gone over me.

All your billows have gone over me.

By day,

Yahweh commands his steadfast love.

At night,

His song is with me.

It is a prayer to the God of my life.”

The psalmist was far from the Temple in the land along the Jordan River. He was at Mount Hermon, the northern mountain range between Syria and Lebanon. He was at Mount Mizar, a small mountain range near Mount Hermon which was the source for the Jordan River. He felt like he was in the deepest spot possible. Thunder and cataracts filled his eyes. He felt like waves and gases had overcome him. However, he still was steadfast in the love of Yahweh during the day. At night he sang his song to God, the source of his life.

September 24, 2015

Remembering the Temple (Ps 42:4-42:6)

“These things I remember,

As I pour out my soul.

How I went with the throng.

I led them in procession

To the house of God.

There were glad shouts.

There were songs of thanksgiving.

There was a multitude keeping a festival.

Why are you cast down?

O my soul!

Why are you disquieted within me?

Hope in God!

I shall again praise him.

My help!

My God!”

This psalmist remembers the Temple worship as he poured out his soul. There was a great crowd and a great procession to the house of God with happy shouts of joy. Everyone was keeping the festival. However, now he was cast down because his soul was disturbed and disquieted. He, however, hoped that he would again praise God in his Temple. He relied on God as his helper.

September 24, 2015

Longing for God (Ps 42:1-42:3)

To the choirmaster leader, a Maskil of the Korahites

“As a deer longs

For flowing streams,

So my soul longs

For you,

O God!

My soul thirsts for God,

For the living God!

When shall I come,

When shall I behold,

The face of God?

My tears have been my food,

Day and night,

While people say to me continually,

‘Where is your God?’”

There is a problem is this one psalm or 2 psalms of 42 and 43. There is no heading for Psalm 43, so that it probably was together with Psalm 42. For clarity purposes, I have decided to use the Oxford Bible division of 2 psalms rather than one. The title no longer has David, but this is a Maskil of the sons of Korah, who were first mentioned in 1 Chronicles, chapter 9. There name appears on 11 psalms. This is a maskil or psalm that has the plea of someone longing for God. He was like a deer looking for flowing water. His soul longed for God. His soul thirsted for the living God. Notice that is not the Lord or Yahweh, but the more generic God. However, like many others, he wanted to see the face of God. His tears had become his sustenance day and night. People kept asking him where his God was.