Satisfied in God
Psalm 63
Satisfied in God
Psalm 63
“These poets knew far less reason than we for loving God. They did not know that he offered them eternal joy; still less that he would die to win it for them. Yet they express a longing for him, for his mere presence, which comes only to the best Christians or to Christians in their best moments. They long to live all their days in the temple so that they may constantly see “the fair beauty of the Lord” (Ps. 27:1). Their longing to go up to Jerusalem and “appear before the presence of God” is like a physical thirst (Ps. 42)… Lacking that encounter with him, their souls are parched like a waterless countryside (Ps. 63:2).”
~ C.S. Lewis, Reflections on the Psalms
Main Idea: Our souls' deepest longings and greatest needs are satisfied by God alone.
I. Longing for the Lord (63:1-2)
“Think how powerful are the desires in human hearts. One person covets gold, another silver, another possessions, another ancestral lands, another plenty of ready money, another vast herds, another a spacious house, another a wife, another high rank, and another children. You are familiar with these desires, and you know how powerful they can be in the hearts of men and women. Everyone burns with desire, but there are precious few who can say to God: ‘My soul thirsts for you.’ People thirst for the world … where their souls are meant to be thirsting for God.”
~ Augustine, Psalms
II. Satisfied in the Lord (63:3-8)
Mark 8:36: For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?
Matthew 5:6: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”
Revelation 22:17: The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.
III. Safe in the Lord (63:9-11)
Isaiah 25:6-8: On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples
a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine,
of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.
And he will swallow up on this mountain
the covering that is cast over all peoples,
the veil that is spread over all nations.
He will swallow up death forever;
and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces,
and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth,
for the Lord has spoken.
“Miktam” Moments: When I am Afraid
Psalm 56
Faithful Justice
Psalm 55
Main Idea: When I am afraid, I put my trust in God.
I. The Storm Before the Calm
This psalm commemorates a defining moment that re-oriented David’s response to a recurring problem - specifically “when I am afraid.” “Miktam” moments generally include two equally important components:
The Calamity that Reveals the Problem - in this case fear
The “Solution” that Magnifies the Problem - in this case panic
1. The Calamity that Reveals the Problem: Fear
David summarizes the longer story that landed him in Gath in the opening phrases of our psalm:
Psalm 56:1-2, 5-6: Be gracious to me, O God, for man tramples on me;
all day long an attacker oppresses me;
my enemies trample on me all day long,
for many attack me proudly.
All day long they injure my cause;
all their thoughts are against me for evil.
They stir up strife, they lurk;
they watch my steps,
as they have waited for my life.
2. The “Solution” that Magnifies the Problem: Panic
When David left Jonathan, fear took the driver’s seat in his decision-making. Scripture gives us no explanation of what David was thinking here, but this could not have been a smart move. David shows up in Gath, home of the giant he killed and beheaded in front of everybody, carrying the giant’s sword.
It’s after this traumatic string of events that David has his “miktam” moment: His fear-driven panic had put the word of God at risk. David was facing Saul’s opposition and his resulting ordeal because God had anointed him king instead of Saul. In the aftermath of this chaotic, traumatic episode, David realized that he had responded improperly to fear and, consequently, through his panic, had put God’s promise at risk. This was not the posture of a person who trusts in the LORD.
This psalm is written to be sung out loud as a reminder of what to do when fear threatens to drive you to panic. David’s “miktam” moment broke the hold of fear and panic and re-oriented him to the bigger story of what was happening in his life.
Psalm 56:3-4: When I am afraid,
I put my trust in you.
In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
What can flesh do to me?
II. The God Who Tracks our Tears
David found his way out of fear and into trust by remembering God’s awareness, God’s character, and God’s management.
Psalm 56:7-8: For their crime will they escape?
In wrath cast down the peoples, O God!
You have kept count of my tossings;
put my tears in your bottle.
Are they not in your book?
God’s Awareness: He Never Overlooks Anything
People’s sins against us are not overlooked by God any more than the tears those crimes cause go unnoticed before God.
God’s Character: He Always Is Who He Is
When David begs God at the beginning of this psalm to be gracious to him, he is asking God to be who He is on David’s behalf. This gracious God - the great I AM - whose word he trusted, had chosen David. David remembered the character of God and made the conscious decision to trust Him to be who He is.
God’s Management: He Always Does What He Says He Will
The story of God’s management is this: His enemies face His wrath. His chosen will know His salvation. No wonder David repeats our main point! For all of the nasty stuff that David endured “all day long” from enemies who wished to “trample on” him, he came to the conviction that he would outlast them because “God is for me!”
III. The Vows that Shall be Kept
God, whose word I trust, will keep His promises to me:
He will be gracious to me, though man seek to trample on me (56:1)
He will keep count of my tossings, put my tears in his bottle, writing them all in his book, though criminals commit their crimes against me
He will deliver my soul from death and my feet from falling, while my enemies turn back.
I will walk before God in the light of life - now and forever!
We know how the story ends. David is delivered from and through many trials into the kingship God chose him for.
Psalm 56:12-13: I must perform my vows to you, O God;
I will render thank offerings to you.
For you have delivered my soul from death,
yes, my feet from falling,
that I may walk before God
in the light of life.
Faithful Justice
Psalm 55
Faithful Justice
Psalm 55
A “Miskal” is a song meant to convey a lesson.
Main Idea: Justice belongs to the Lord as our sustainer, protector, and provider.
I. A Fearful Plea (55:1-8)
David calls out to the Lord repeatedly in his life, 9 times chronicled in 1st & 2nd Samuel (1 Samuel 23:1-3, 23:4-5, 23:10-11, 23:12-14, 30:8-9, 2 Samuel 2:1-2, 5:17-21, 5:22-25, 21:1)
II. A Furious Response (55:9-15)
David begins to express anger toward the situation by offering his ideas for how to deal with it. He is being personally attacked, and his first instinct is to fight back.
“As so often, David the anointed king is a type of Jesus the Messiah. What David experienced is fulfilled in Jesus. When Jesus sang this psalm, he did so with an intensity of feeling we can scarcely imagine.”
~ Christopher Ash, The Psalms: A Christ-Centered Commentary
Jesus lived with all of these same burdens, and he desires to see justice served.
III. A Faithful Hope (55:16-23)
David lived a life of violence, but acted against his type to "call to God.” He has learned that this fight was not his fight, and he will fight through prayer.
We have an innate desire to respond to injustice, and the proper response is to call upon the Lord and place our trust in His eternal wisdom and character.
Jesus prayed a similar prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus and David both trusted in the Lord that He would keep His promise.
Psalm 55:22: Cast your burden on the Lord, and He will sustain you; He will never permit the righteous to be moved.
David's lesson in this song:
God will sustain you in your time of need
God can and will carry your burden if you will trust Him. He is always protecting you, guiding you, and saving you.
The Lord is able to provide for our needs:
In His omnipotence, He knows what we need, when we need it.
In His all-abiding presence, He is able to meet you where you are
In His kindness, He made a way for us to be reconciled to Him
We can cast our cares on Him because he cares for us and will sustain us through our trials. We can know that He is in control, we can live in the truth that He is Just and has put an end to the power of sin and death, so we are safe in His protection. He invites us to trust Him, to see that He is good, and that He will provide for us in our greatest need.
John 16:33: “In the world, you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
We will suffer. We will experience emotional pain. We will be betrayed. We will be desperate and alone. But you are all invited to cast your burden on the Lord. Your troubles are not yours to carry. Jesus came to bear that burden and offer us a better way to live.
From Plea to Praise
Psalm 54
From Plea to Praise
Psalm 54
Main Idea: During distressing times, we should call upon the Lord who upholds our lives.
I. I Called (54:1-3)
“Selah. As if he said, ‘Enough of this, let us pause.’ He is out of breath with indignation. A sense of wrong bids him suspend the music awhile. It may also be observed, that more pauses would, as a rule, improve our devotions: we are usually too much in a hurry: a little more holy meditation would make our words more suitable and our emotions more fervent.”
~ Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David
II. He Will Answer (54:4-5)
54:1–2 Plea
54:3 Enemies
54:4 God, David’s Helper
54:5 Enemies Annihilated
54:6–7 Praise
He asked in the first verse for deliverance, and here he returns thanks for upholding: while we are seeking one mercy which we have not, we must not be unmindful of another which we have
~ Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David
Colossians 2:13-15: And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.
III. We Will Celebrate (54:6-7)
The Psalmist adds, “for it is good,” and surely we may read this with a double nominative, God’s name is good, and so is his praise. It is of great use to our souls to be much in praise; we are never so holy or so happy as when our adoration of God abounds. Praise is good in itself, good to us, and good to all around us. If David’s enemies are described in the third verse as not setting God before them, he here declares that he is of a different mind from them, for he resolves to have the Lord in perpetual remembrance in his sacrifices and praises.
~ Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David
Responding to Evil
Psalm 52
Responding to Evil
Psalm 52
Main Idea: Rather than loving evil, the righteous trust in God’s steadfast love.
The “superscription” of Psalm 52 tells us the exact historical context of this song: “A Maskil of David, when Doeg the Edomite, came and told Saul, “David has come to the house of Ahimelech.” This is recorded in 1 Samuel 21-22, as Saul orders Doeg to kill all of the priests of Nob, because Ahimelech assisted David.
I. Recognizing Evil (52:1-4)
David identifies both the fruit and the root of Doeg’s sinful actions:
The Fruit of Evil: Wicked Words
“Why do you boast of evil, O mighty man” (52:1a)
“Your tongue plots destruction, like a sharp razor” (52:2)
“You love lying more than speaking what is right” (52:3b)
“You love all words that devour, O deceitful tongue” (52:4)
Proverbs 18:21: Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.
James 3:5–8: So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
Matthew 12:36-37: “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
The Root of Evil: Disordered Loves (“You love evil more than good” - 52:3a)
Matthew 15:11: “It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.”
Luke 6:45: The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
II. Trusting God (52:5-7)
After diagnosing evil, David turns his attention to two responses to wickedness:
God’s Response (52:5): He will break down, snatch, tear, and uproot the wicked in judgment.
The Righteous Response (52:6-7): Seeing, fearing, and laughing (cf. Ps. 2:4; 37:12-13)
The wicked “trust in the abundance of riches” and “sought refuge in their own destruction” (cf. Phil. 3:19); meanwhile, the righteous make God their refuge and find contentment, safety, and life in him.
Hebrews 13:5: Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
1 Timothy 6:6–10: “… godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.”
III. Pursuing Righteousness (52:8-9)
David draws two contrasts between the wicked and the righteous:
The wicked will be “uprooted” (52:5) while the righteous are like “a green olive tree” (52:8a; cf. Ps. 1)
The wicked trust in the abundance of riches (52:7) while the righteous trust in the steadfast love of God (52:8b)
The pursuit of righteousness will be marked by the following postures:
1. Thanksgiving (1 Thess. 5:16-18)
2. Waiting (cf. Rom. 12:19)
“Before or among the saints David intended to wait, feeling it to be good both for him and them to look to the Lord alone, and wait for the manifestation of his character in due season. Men must not fluster us too much; our strength is to sit still. Let the mighty ones boast, we will wait on the Lord.”
~ Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David
3. Worship
Hitchhiker's Guide to Repentance
Psalm 51
Hitchhiker's Guide to Repentance
Psalm 51
Main Idea: God always answers the sinner's prayer of repentance.
I. The Basis of Repentance (51:1-2)
Psalm 51:1-2: Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin!
False Basis: Track record, comparison, bargaining.
True Basis: The nature and character of God is the basis of our repentance.
"When the person from whom I have a right to expect nothing gives me everything."
~ Michael Card, Inexpressible
God is a bigger savior than you are a sinner.
Romans 11:5-6: So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.
Nothing in my hand I bring,
simply to the cross I cling;
naked, come to thee for dress;
helpless, look to thee for grace;
foul, I to the fountain fly;
wash me, Savior, or I die.
~Augustus Montague Toplady, Rock of Ages (1762)
II. The Heart of Repentance (51:3-6)
Psalm 51:3-6: For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you may be justified in your words
and blameless in your judgment.
Suppress: Hide, Rationalize, Blame shift
Confess: David has come to see his sin in God’s sight.
Psalm 51:5: Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
and in sin did my mother conceive me.
Sin is only sin because God is real.
2 Corinthians 7:10: For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.
III. The Fruit of Repentance (51:7-19)
"When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said 'Repent,' He willed that the whole life of believers should be repentance."
~ Martin Luther
Psalm 51:7-17: Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones that you have broken rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins,
and blot out all my iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from your presence,
and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold me with a willing spirit.
Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will return to you.
Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God,
O God of my salvation,
and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;
you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
“All enjoyment spontaneously overflows into praise… except where intolerably adverse circumstances interfere, praise almost seems to be inner health made audible… men spontaneously praise whatever they value, so they spontaneously urge us to join them in praising it: 'Isn't she lovely? Wasn't it glorious? Don't you think that magnificent?' We delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation.”
~ C.S. Lewis
Our Help in Great Trouble
Psalm 46
Our Help in Great Trouble
Psalm 46
“We sing this psalm to the praise of God, because He is with us and powerfully and miraculously preserves and defends His church and His word against all fanatical spirits, against the gates of hell, against the implacable hatred of the devil, and against all the assaults of the world, the flesh, and sin.”
~ Martin Luther
Main Idea: Though this world is full of trouble, we can turn to God for refuge, strength, and help.
I. The Power of God (46:1-3)
The first stanza of Psalm 46 vividly describes the world in trouble and tumult. The “trouble” the Psalmist is experiencing is like the earth giving way, the mountains being moved and trembling as they are thrown into the raging seas, and the waters of chaos roaring and foaming.
In the midst of this great trouble, the Psalmist begins by remembering: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (cf. Ps. 14:6; 59:16; Jer. 16:19). Though everything around the Psalmist seems to be shaking in chaos, God is unmoved and unchanged. Even if the “worst case scenario” happened, God himself is our refuge from the storms of life. “Therefore, we will not fear…”
“Alps and Andes may tremble, but faith rests on a firmer basis, and is not to be moved by swelling seas. Evil may ferment, wrath may boil, and pride may foam, but the brave heart of holy confidence trembles not. Great men who are like mountains may quake for fear in times of great calamity, but the man whose trust is in God needs never be dismayed.”
~ Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David
II. The Presence of God (46:4-7)
In contrast to the chaos of verses 2-3, verse 4 now envisions a peaceful, quiet river flowing in the city of God (cf. Ps. 23:2b). Just as Jerusalem had an internal water tunnel into the heart of the city to access its life-giving nutrients and blessings, “God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved” (Ps. 46:5).
This internal reservoir of God’s presence in the midst of the city points us to greater gospel realities:
The incarnation of Jesus Christ (Matt. 1:23; 28:20)
The giving of the indwelling Holy Spirit (Jn. 7:37-39; 14:16-18)
The “river of the water of life” in the eternal city of God (Rev. 21:6, 22:1; Heb. 11:10)
While the city of God is nourished, protected, and secured internally by the presence of God, it is seemingly threatened from the outside by the nations raging against her (cf. Ps. 2). While the nations and kingdoms may seem threatening and mighty, the Lord simply “utters his voice, and the earth melts.” They are no match for the “the Lord of hosts” and the “God of Jacob.”
“We expect the military metaphor to be associated with defense, “refuge.” We expect the personal metaphor to be connected with intimacy, “with us.” But the terms are deliberately rearranged so that we get intimacy with the warrior God and defense from the family friend. A powerful God (Lord of hosts) befriends (is with us); a personal God (God of Jacob) protects (is our refuge).”
~ Eugene Peterson, Where Your Treasure Is: Psalms that Summon You from Self to Community
III. The Peace of God (46:8-11)
The first commandment given in this Psalm is to “Come, behold the works of the Lord” (46:8). Specifically, we are to watch for the way the Lord will fulfill his promise of everlasting peace. The Lord will one day:
Make wars cease (lit. ‘sabbath’) to the ends of the earth
Break the bow that will shoot sharp arrows
Shatter the spear that pierces foes
Burn chariots that chase in hot pursuit
The Psalmist is reminding us that God will not only protect us in the midst of our trouble, but he will also lead us forward in Jesus Christ to full and ultimate victory. He will be “exalted among the nations” and “exalted in the earth” (cf. Phil. 2:9-11).
The final invitation of this Psalm is: “Be still, and know that I am God.” This invitation has two audiences:
The nations who rage: stand down, cease and desist, and surrender to the Lord of hosts.
God’s people: “The Lord will fight for you, and you only have to be silent.” (Ex. 14:13-14)
Mark 4:37–40: And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?”
When Bad Things Happen to Good People
Psalm 44
When Bad Things Happen to Good People
Psalm 44
Main Idea: In our unexplained suffering we hold fast our confidence in God’s faithful love in Christ.
I. Past Victories (44:1-8)
The psalmist recalls stories passed down from Israel’s ancestors. The allusions in these verses are to events we read about in the “conquest” recorded in the book of Joshua (44:1-3), to their establishment in the Promised Land (44:4-8), the present day victories (44:5).
In naming these past and present victories in Israel’s story, they are all attributed to the hand of God. These are not their victories, as much as they are God’s victories:
What deeds you performed (44:1)
You with your own hand drove out the nations (44:2)
Them you planted (44:2)
You afflicted the peoples (44:3)
Them you set free (44:3)
Your right hand and your arm (44:4)
Through you we push down our foes (44:5)
You have saved us and put to shame (44:7)
II. Present Disaster (44:9-16)
There is a dramatic shift in tone in these verses; instead of a focus on the victorious past, the emphasis moves to a disastrous present. This is not a psalm of celebration, but of lament.
Contrast between 44:1-8 (victory) and 44:9-16 (defeat):
Victory: drove out the nations (44:2)
Defeat: scattered us among the nations (44:11)
Victory: them you set free [from slavery] (44:2)
Defeat: You have sold your people [into slavery] (44:12)
Victory: we push down our foes (44:5)
Defeat: made us turn back from the foe (44:10)
Victory: put to shame those who hate us (44:7)
Defeat: my . . . shame has covered my face (44:15)
In this section there is a similar emphasis on God’s hand. However, He is no longer the cause of victory, but it appears that he is the cause of their defeat. A few points of reflection on this difficult reality:
We need to be cautious in directly attributing to God the direct cause of every disaster that comes our way
We need to acknowledge, rest in, and trust God’s sovereignty.
Even if we cannot always know what or who is behind every event, even more important is our response to our suffering, and that is humility and trust.
III. Protest of Loyalty (44:17-22)
In this next section, we see another reason for disorientation for the people of Israel. Not only is the suffering inconsistent; it is also unexplained from their vantage point. The suffering we experience on this side of Eternity can often feel this way. Without any apparent change in our faithfulness or obedience, we experience fluctuations in our Christian life: periods of fruitfulness and barrenness; of victory and defeat; of advance and retreat.
“The psalm doesn’t develop it, but implies the revolutionary thought that suffering may be a battle-scar rather than a punishment; the price of loyalty in a world which is at war with God. If this is so, a reverse [e.g., a military defeat] as well as a victory may be a sign of fellowship with him, not of alienation.”
~ Derek Kidner, Psalms 1-72
IV. Protest of Loyalty (44:17-22)
The concluding prayer in verses 23-26 is full of the language of lament. It gives us a pattern for our own prayers in face of unexplained suffering
Lament gives words to our perception that God is distant and uncaring.
Lament cries to God for His help
“Suffering of any kind confronts our self-sufficiency. We are always dependent upon God’s help, but pain makes that gap real. . . . By asking God for help, we are not only marshaling the resources of an omnipotent God; we are also reminding our hearts that God can be trusted.”
~ Mark Vroegop, Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy
3. Lament ultimately trusts in God’s character
For the one who has trusted in Christ, God’s “steadfast love” (hesed) has been shown to us through the cross of Christ. When we cry, “Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love”, what we are saying as Christians is, “Save us (help us), because we know (we are confident), that you love us (and will always love us), even in the midst of our suffering. And, the reason we can be absolutely sure of your love is because you gave your Son on the cross for us.”
Romans 8:31-32, 35-39: If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? . . . Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered” (Ps 44:22). No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, not things present nor things to come nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
What Makes You Tick?
Psalm 42-43
What Makes You Tick?
Psalm 42-43
Main Idea: Jesus satisfies our soul’s greatest desires and disarms our deepest doubts so we can hope in Him.
Four reasons why Psalm 42 & Psalm 43 should be read as one unit:
In a number of Hebrew manuscripts, the psalms are joined together as one unit.
Psalm 43 has no introductory title, although every other psalm in book two does (except Psalm 71).
The common refrain repeated three times at the end of each stanza links the composition as one cohesive whole (42:5; 42:11; 43:5).
The content and themes of both psalms are consistent and united.
I. A Deer and Our Soul’s Desires (42:1-6a)
2 Corinthians 10:5: We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.
Have you realized that most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself? Take those thoughts that come to you the moment you wake up in the morning. You have not originated them, but they start talking to you, they bring back the problem of yesterday, etc. Somebody is talking. Who is talking to you? Your self is talking to you. Now this man's treatment was this; instead of allowing this self to talk to him, he starts talking to himself, Why art thou cast down, O my soul?' he asks. His soul had been repressing him, crushing him. So he stands up and says: 'Self, listen for a moment, I will speak to you'.”
~ Martin Lloyd-Jones, Spiritual Depression: Its Causes and Cure
Matthew 6:19-23: Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
II. The Deep and Our Sin’s Destruction (42:6b-11)
“We sometimes forget that the kind of thirst for God of which the Bible speaks is also a terrible experience. It means that we feel a famine of his presence, and absence of his grace and power. Spiritual thirst is painful, not pleasant; it may produce melancholy, not melody in our lives.”
~ Sinclair Ferguson, Deserted by God
It is normal to hurt. When Jesus says “my soul is very sorrowful” (Matt. 26:38; Mark 14:34), the word “very sorrowful” is the same as that of “cast down” (Psalm 42:6b). Elsewhere we see Jesus echoing this Psalm using the words “my soul … in turmoil” (John 12:27). Therefore, this psalm is a window into the life and mind of our Lord Jesus.
Christ, as our high priest, is always able to sympathize with us (Heb. 2:17-18). He himself enters into the crashing waves of grief so common to God’s people. “Most of the Lord’s family have sailed on the sea which is here so graphically described” (Charles Spurgeon).
III. Our Defender and Our Savior’s Delight (43:1-5)
“Prayer is yoked with praise. He who is the living God, is the God of our life, from him we derive it, with him in prayer and praise we spend it, to him we devote it, in him we shall perfect it. To be assured that our sighs and songs shall both have free access to our glorious Lord is to have reason for hope in the most deplorable condition.”
~ Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David: Psalms 22–57
Jesus is the vindicator (43:1), the defender (43:1), the deliverer (43:1), the refuge (43:2), the one whom we cry out to in prayer (43:2), the light (43:3), the truth (43:3), the fulfillment of the tabernacle on the holy hill (43:3), the final dwelling place (43:3), the perfect altar (43:4) sacrificed on our behalf. He is and ought to be our exceeding joy (43:4). He is our God, and he is our hope.
Taste and See
Psalm 34
Taste and see
Psalm 34
Main Idea: We can taste and see the Lord’s goodness by looking to Christ in every circumstance.
I. Recounting the Lord’s Praise (34:1-3)
David’s first impulse after experiencing divine deliverance (cf. 1 Sam. 21:10ff) is to call God’s people to worship the Lord together. This corporate worship involves blessing, praising, boasting, hearing, magnifying, and exalting the Lord.
I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation. It is not out of compliment that lovers keep on telling one another how beautiful they are; the delight is incomplete till it is expressed. It is frustrating to have discovered a new author and not to be able to tell anyone how good he is; to come suddenly, at the turn of the road, upon some mountain valley of unexpected grandeur and then to have to keep silent because the people with you care for it no more than for a tin can in the ditch; to hear a good joke and find no one to share it with.
~ C.S. Lewis, Reflections on the Psalms
The key to enjoying the Lord through corporate worship is humility (34:2); the humble are easily edified and make their boast and exaltation in the Lord, not themselves. “Who can make God great but those who feel themselves to be little?” (Charles Spurgeon)
Hebrews 10:23–25: Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
II. Remembering the Lord’s Provision (34:4-14)
Rather than trying to provide for himself or take credit for his own deliverance, David acknowledges the Lord’s provision. He tells us the Lord provides for his people through:
1. Saving (34:4-7)
Rather than carrying the weight of our suffering, anxieties, and fears ourselves, those who look to God are made “radiant” (cf. 2 Cor. 3:18) as He protects us on all sides (2 Kings 6:15-17).
2. Satisfying (34:8-10)
Those who “taste and see” the goodness of the Lord and humbly take “refuge” in him will “lack no good thing” (cf. Matt. 5:6). “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.” ~ Augustine, Confessions
3. Sustaining (34:11-14; cf. 1 Pet. 3:8-17)
The Bible isn’t interested in whether we believe in God or not. It assumes that everyone more or less does. What it is interested in is the response we have to him: Will we let God be as he is, majestic and holy, vast and wondrous, or will we always be trying to whittle him down to the size of our small minds, insist on confining him within the boundaries we are comfortable with, and refuse to think of him other than in images that are convenient to our lifestyle?... To guard against such blasphemous chumminess with the Almighty, the Bible talks about the fear of the Lord – not to scare us but to bring us to awesome attention before the overwhelming grandeur of God, to shut up our whining and chattering and stop our running and fidgeting so that we can really see him as he is and listen to him as he speaks.
~ Eugene Peterson, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction
III. Recognizing the Lord’s Presence (34:15-22)
Though affliction will come upon both the righteous and the wicked, the Lord has promised to be near His people, especially when they are “brokenhearted” over life’s circumstances or “crushed in spirit” over their own sin (cf. Matt. 5:3.).
When pain and suffering come upon us, we finally see not only that we are not in control of our lives but that we never were. Over the years, I have come to realize that adversity… pulled those who already believed into a deeper experience of God’s reality, love, and grace. One of the main ways we move from abstract knowledge about God to a personal encounter with him as a living reality is through the furnace of affliction… Believers understand many doctrinal truths in the mind, but those truths seldom make the journey down into the heart except through disappointment, failure, and loss... the great theme of the Bible itself is how God brings fullness of joy not just despite but through suffering, just as Jesus saved us not in spite of but because of what he endured on the cross. There is a peculiar, rich, and poignant joy that seems to come to us only through and in suffering.
~ Tim Keller, Walking with God through Pain and Suffering
When these promises feel too good to be true or out of reach, we must look to the finished work of Christ. Though it appeared God the Father was absent as Christ was crucified, his intact bones (John 19:36) are a reminder of God’s steadfast love and deliverance, so that “none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.”