Psalm 42:1-11 & 43:1-5
Q.1. Why did the writers long for God’s presence? What was their question? What had changed in their relationship with God? How did they respond to his changed circumstances? – (Ps.42:1-4)
There are days when everything is bright, and other times when all is gloomy. The sons of Korah wrote this song, to teach us how to deal with depression – My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me all day long – ‘Where is your God?’ … my adversaries revile me, while they say to me all day long – ‘Where is your God’ (Ps.42:3 & 10). In their despair, they longed for refreshment that can only come from God – 1 As the deer pants for the water brooks, So my soul pants for You, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God … (Ps.42:1-2). Their depression was accentuated by their changed circumstances, as they expressed – These things I remember, and I pour out my soul within me. For I used to go along with the throng and lead them in procession to the house of God, with the voice of joy and thanksgiving, a multitude keeping festival (Ps.42:4). That is what suffering can do, if we become locked in morbid introspection. What is the answer?
Q.2. What are the recurring themes of this song? In what way is it a ‘pep talk’? What memories of the past encouraged them? What hope kept their faith steadfast? – (Ps.42:3-11)
A good place to start when we are down, is to admit and express how we are feeling – O my God, my soul is in despair within me … I will say to God my rock, “Why have You forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?” (Ps.42:6 & 9). Psalms 42 and 43 were probably one Psalm. They contain a recurring theme and chorus – Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him For the help of His presence … The help of my countenance and my God (Ps.42:5, 11; Ps.43:5). It was a kind of ‘pep talk’: They admitted that they had lost their inner peace and composure, and that they were in despair. They told themselves to rest in and hope in God. They remembered better days, and by faith visualized a day when God would answer their cries and restore the joy of their relationship with Him. The Bible often draws attention to the hind (a sure-footed deer) – He makes my feet like hinds’ feet and sets me upon my high places (Ps.18:33 c.f. 2 Sam.22:34; Hab.3:19). The deer could run swiftly and safely in mountainous terrain, because of her unique design … the ability to place her back feet exactly where she had placed her front feet. When we make up our mind to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, our emotions will follow in a way that pleases God (1 Pet.2:21-23). That is a great secret when struck down by depression.
Q.3. Why were the writers in despair? What answer did they long for from God? How did they reveal their heart’s desires? What connects Psalm 43 to Psalm 42? What hope kept them steadfast? – (Ps.43:1-5)
This Psalm unfolds the same theme, but with these additional insights – 1 Vindicate me, O God, and plead my case against an ungodly nation; O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man! 2 … Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? (Ps.43:1-2). They were oppressed by living in a hostile environment, in which certain opponents were focusing their attacks against them. It was so intense, that they felt abandoned by God – For You are the God of my strength; why have You rejected me? (Ps.43:2). In their consternation they cried out – 3 Send out Your light and Your truth, let them lead me; Let them bring me to Your holy hill and to Your dwelling places. 4 Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy; And upon the lyre I shall praise You, O God, my God (Ps.43:3-4). In the depths of their despair, they held onto a vision of joining others in the praise and worship of God. Like the previous song, they challenged their feelings and called on their inner resolve to hope in God – Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him For the help of His presence … The help of my countenance and my God (Ps.43:5 c.f. Ps.42:5, 11). He is our only true source of help.
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