Psalms 42 and 43, my soul thirsts for God

 

Psalms 42:1 ¶  «To the chief Musician, Maschil, for the sons of Korah.» As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. 2  My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God? 3  My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God? 4  When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me: for I had gone with the multitude, I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holyday. 5  Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.

 

The hunted and thirst driven deer pants after streams of water as persecuted David pants after God. His soul thirsts for God like the deer pants for water, for the living God, and David longs to appear before Him.

 

Psalm 63:1 ¶  «A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah.» O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; 2  To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the

sanctuary.

 

While his enemies push him and mocking him ask where his God is, David’s tears have become his food, figuratively speaking.

 

Psalm 6:6  I am weary with my groaning; all the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears.

 

Psalm 80:5  Thou feedest them with the bread of tears; and givest them tears to drink in great measure.

 

Psalm 102:9  For I have eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with weeping,

 

David attended the services for God on a day of remembrance, a holy day set apart for the Lord. Hear Psalm 63:2 again;

 

Psalm 63:2  To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the

sanctuary.

 

He rebukes his soul for being depressed and downtrodden and tells himself to hope in the Lord. David has hope and faith that he will yet praise God for his supernatural deliverance.

 

Psalm 143:3  For the enemy hath persecuted my soul; he hath smitten my life down to the ground; he hath made me to dwell in darkness, as those that have been long dead. 4  Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is desolate.

 

1Samuel 30:6  And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.

 

Psalm 27:13  I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.

 

These Psalms are such great things to claim and pray for in our own troubles.

 

Psalm 42:6 ¶  O my God, my soul is cast down within me: therefore will I remember thee from the land of Jordan, and of the Hermonites, from the hill Mizar. 7  Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts: all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me. 8  Yet the LORD will command his lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life. 9  I will say unto God my rock, Why hast thou forgotten me? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? 10  As with a sword in my bones, mine enemies reproach me; while they say daily unto me, Where is thy God? 11  Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.

 

The needful cry of David continues as he recognizes his depression over his circumstances. One affliction after another like the waves of the sea come crashing over him. But he hopes in God and knows that God will comfort him. He believes that. Yet he still feels as if God has forgotten him. He wants to know why he must keep mourning over his oppressions from those who hate him. Their reproach is like a deep wound a sword makes while they, every day, mock him by demanding, “Where is your God?” Then David repeats verse 5 in verse 11 declaring that God is his hope, that he believes he will yet praise God for deliverance, this God who will restore him.

Those of us who have been in dire straits can certainly understand this Psalm. This articulates something we may have felt at being mistreated by others, a financial circumstance, the loss of a loved one, or being told we had a potentially fatal disease.

 

Psalms chapter 43 – read the last Psalm again with this one

 

Psalm 43:1 ¶  Judge me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation: O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man. 2  For thou art the God of my strength: why dost thou cast me off? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? 3  O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles. 4  Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy: yea, upon the harp will I praise thee, O God my God. 5  Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.

 

Psalm 35:1 ¶  «A Psalm of David.» Plead my cause, O LORD, with them that strive with me: fight against them that fight against me.

\

David seeks help from God, deliverance from a people who are ungodly, from deceitful and unjust persons. He feels abandoned by God in the oppression caused by his enemies. This is a repetition of the thought of verse 9 of the last Psalm and these two Psalms appear to be part of the same thought.

 

Psalm 42:9  I will say unto God my rock, Why hast thou forgotten me? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?

 

David and we both plead for God’s leading, His light and His truth. Solomon let us know.

 

Proverbs 3:5  Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

 

David is confident that God’s light and God’s truth will lead David to the altar of God and cause David to praise God.

 

Psalm 116:16  O LORD, truly I am thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid: thou hast loosed my bonds. 17  I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the LORD. 18  I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the presence of all his people, 19  In the courts of the LORD’S house, in the midst of thee, O Jerusalem. Praise ye the LORD.

 

Again, the sentiment is repeated in the last Psalm in verse 11.

 

Psalm 42:11  Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.

 

In David’s depression he still believes that he will yet have reason to praise God, and that David trusts in God’s deliverance. Again, those of us facing difficult circumstances can relate to these Psalms and can pray them back to God as they are so relevant in our day and time.