Beloved, I am glad to share with you today the above theme from Ps 43:1 and following. Indeed, thispsalm is linked to the previous one as emphasized in the final repetition of verses 6 and 12 of Ps 42:1-12. My soul often needs to be so exhorted not to be slaughtered, to expect God and to celebrate Him again and again. He was not only my salvation; He is also “my God,” the One on whom I constantly depend, the source of “my strength” (verse 2). His light and truth will lead me to intelligent worship if I ask Him as the psalmist does here (verses 3 and 4). The underlined expression, “the God of my life,” is completed in verse 4 by another remarkable one: the “God of the joy of my joy.” Dear believers, is God enough to make us happy? Is He the source of our joy as He was for Jesus? (Luke 10.17-24).
Do me justice, O God! David, in the first place, complains of the extreme cruelty of his enemies; but in the verses that immediately follow, he shows that there was nothing that seemed more painful to him than to be deprived of the possibility of access to the sanctuary. We have proof that he appreciates the testimony of a good conscience in this, that he recommends the defense of his cause to God. The term judge, which he first uses, is nothing more than to defend his cause; and it expresses its meaning more clearly by adding, pleading my case. The substance and object of his prayer was, in fact, that he could be delivered from the wicked and malevolent men by whom he was unjustly persecuted. But since it is to the wretched and innocent, who are unjustly afflicted, that God promises his help, David, in the first place, submits to be examined by him, that having discovered and proved thoroughly the rectitude of his cause, he can finally grant him help. And since it is a most encouraging source of consolation for us to see that God disdains not to know our cause, likewise, it is futile for us to hope that He will avenge the wounds and wrongs that are done to us, unless our own integrity is manifest enough to cause Him to be favorable to us against our adversaries. By the ruthless nation we mean all the company of David’s enemies, who were cruel and devoid of all the feelings of humanity. The following, concerning the deceitful and wicked man, could indeed apply to Saul; but it seems rather to be a form of discourse in which the singular number is used for the plural.
For you are the God of my strength. Putting as a shield against temptation the fact that he had experienced the power of God to be present with him, he complains that his life is spent in mourning, because he sees himself as abandoned to the will of his enemies. He considered it absolutely certain that his enemies had the power to harm him only to the extent that the Lord allowed them to do so; and that is why he asks, as if it were something quite inexplicable, how it happened that his enemies prevailed against him while he was under the assured protection and guardianship of God. From there, he gathers the courage to pray, so that God may again like to show his favor, which he seemed to have hidden from him for a time. The term lumière should be understood as designating a favour; for adversities not only obscure the face of God, but also cover the heavens, so to speak, with clouds and fog, likewise, when we enjoy the divine blessing that enriches, it is like the joyful light of a serene day shining around us; or rather the light of life, dissipating all that thick darkness that overwhelmed us with pain.
By this word, the psalmist implies two things; first, that all our miseries do not come from any source other than this, that God takes away from us the pledges of his paternal love; and, secondly, that as soon as he pleases to manifest to us his serene and graceful face, deliverance and salvation also arise to us. He adds truth, because he only expected this light from God’s promises. Unbelievers desire God’s favor, but they do not look up at His light; for man’s natural disposition always tends toward the earth, unless his mind and all his feelings are lifted up by the word of God. In order to encourage himself in the hope of obtaining God’s grace, David confidently relies on the fact that God, who is true and cannot deceive anyone, has promised to assist His servants. So we must explain the sentence thus: Send your light, that it may be a sign and testimony of your truth, or that it may truly and effectively prove that you are faithful and free from deception in your promises.
For knowledge of divine favor must be sought in the Word of God; nor does faith have any other foundation on which it can rest with security than his word; but when God reaches out to help us, the experience of this is not a small confirmation of both word and faith. David declares what was the main object of his desire and what purpose he had in sight in seeking to deliver himself from his calamities, when he said: Let them direct me and lead me to your holy hill. As the main cause of his sorrow was to be banished from the congregation of the pious, so he placed the height of all his enjoyment in this, so that he would be free to take part in religious exercises and worship God in the sanctuary.
Tacitly, in fact, David makes a vow of thanksgiving to God; but there is no doubt that, by these words, he implies that the goal he had in mind in seeking to deliver himself from his afflictions was, as in the past, he could be free to return to the sanctuary, from where he was driven out by the tyranny of his enemies. And he deserves to be particularly noticed, that although he was deprived of his wife, spoiled with his possessions, his home and all his other earthly comforts, he always felt such a burning desire to come to the temple, that he forgot almost everything else. But it is now enough for me to notice it briefly, as in the previous psalm where this holy desire of David was dealt with at greater length, which must be imitated by all the faithful. Nevertheless, one might ask how is it that this mention is made here of Mount Zion, which was assigned to the service of God only after Saul’s death? The only solution to this difficulty that can be given is that David, in composing this psalm at a later period of his life, uses, in accordance with the revelation that had been given to him later, a language that he would have used much more generally by speaking only of the tabernacle, and without specifying anything of the place.
And I will go to the altar of God. Here he promises God a solemn sacrifice, in commemoration of the deliverance he should obtain from him; for he speaks not only of daily or ordinary service, but mentioning the altar on which it was customary to offer peace offerings, he expresses the sign of gratitude and thanksgiving. For this reason too, he calls God the God of his joy, because, delivered from pain and restored to a state of joy, he decides to openly recognize such a great advantage. And he calls it the joy of his joy, so that he can express with more illustriousness the grace of his deliverance.
The following verses have been compiled for your edification and grouped together for your better understanding.
The faithful expect the intervention of Jehovah:
- God as Judge of the Great Day
Ps 58:12 And men will say, Yes, he is a reward for the righteous; Yes, he is a God who judges on earth. Ps 96:13 Before the Lord! For he comes, for he comes to judge the earth; He will judge the world justly, and the people according to his faithfulness. Ec 3:17 I said in my heart: God will judge the righteous and the wicked; for there is a time there for all things and for all works. Hb 12:23 of the assembly of the firstborn inscribed in heaven, of the judge who is the God of all, of the spirits of the righteous who have come to perfection,
- God our strength
Ps 28:8 The Lord is the strength of His people, He is the rock of the deliverances of His anointed. Ps 46:2 God is for us a refuge and a support, a help that is never lacking in distress. Ps 81:2 Sing with joy to God, our strength! Cry out with joy to Jacob’s God! Ps 89:22 My hand will sustain him, and my arm will strengthen him.
- House of God, love for
Ps 23:6 Yes, happiness and grace will accompany me Every day of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for the rest of my days. Ps 26:8 Eternal! I love the stay of your house, The place where your glory dwells. Ps 27:4 I ask the Lord one thing, which I long for: I would like to dwell all my life in the house of the Lord, to contemplate the magnificence of the Lord and to admire his temple. Ps 122:1 Song of degrees. From David. I am joyful when I am told: Let us go to the house of the Lord!
- Hope in God
Ps 31:25 Strengthen yourselves and let your hearts be strengthened, all of you who hope in the Lord! Ps 33:18 Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon those who fear him, Upon those who hope in his goodness, Ps 146:5 Blessed is he who has for help the God of Jacob, Who puts his hope in the Lord, his God! Jer 17:7 Blessed be the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose Eternal is the hope!
From all the above, we note that knowing such a God, would our soul still be dejected or agitated! “Let your heart not be troubled,” the Lord said to His disciples, “you believe in God, believe in me too ” (John 14:1-3). And elsewhere: “Have faith in God” (Mark 11:20-24). Faith is the great remedy for all that this world can inflict on us of sadness or agitation. It is our resource today as it will be that of the remaining Faithful Jew in the time of affliction. Thepsalm is very similar to the previous one: There is perhaps more clarity in the character of the enemy (the king who acts according to his will, the iniquitous) and the apostate nation. The Spirit undoubtedly has in view the afflictions of the pious residue. In his despondency, the supplicant exhales through these psalms the changing thoughts of his heart; sometimes he addresses Himself to God, sometimes to His own soul, and sometimes to the enemy who oppresses Him. The affliction of every believer is naturally expressed in such a way; and all of us who await Jesus, and experience what the world is without Him, should find the reflection of our exercises in these psalms. We should all be aware that we will be mourning our beverage if we do not stand close to God’s water currents. For the enemy of Ps. 42 is the enemy and oppressor of the outside, the good. Although it is only naturally, in the circumstances and not in the depths of the Atonement, it is nevertheless interesting to note the analogy that exists between verse 3 and what the Lord said on the cross; but in Ps. 43, which forms as a supplement to the previous, the ungodly nation, the Jews, and the deceitful and perverse man, the wicked, are before us – the kind oppressor remaining on the scene (verseand 2), for we know that they will both be present then. The fact that this is the Jewish nation brings the thoughts of the residue further back to the holy mountain, to God’s abodes and to his altar. Our prayers are with you all.
PRAYER OF ACCEPTANCE OF JESUS CHRIST AS LORD AND PERSONAL SAVIOR
I now invite every person who wants to become a new creation by walking in the truth, to pray with me the following prayer:
Lord Jesus, I have long walked in the lusts of the world ignoring your love for humans. I admit to having sinned against you and ask your forgiveness for all my sins, because today I have decided to give you my life by taking you as Lord and personal Savior. I recognize that you died on the cross of Calvary and rose from the dead for me.
I am now saved and born again by the power of the Holy Spirit. Lead me every day to the eternal life that you give to all who obey your Word. Reveal yourself to me and strengthen my heart and faith, so that your light may shine in my life right now.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for accepting me into your divine family, so that I may also contemplate the wonders of your kingdom.
I will now choose a nearby waterpoint to baptize myself by immersion, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
All adoration, power and glory are yours, now and forever and ever. Amen!
I would be happy to respond to any questions and comments you may have, before sharing with you tomorrow “the confession and restoration of David (Ps 51).”
May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you abundantly.
David Feze, Servant of the Almighty God.