Psalm 43

Recall that today’s reading, Psalm 43 continues the lament that began in Psalm 42. In today’s first two verses the psalmist speaks of an ungodly nation, an unjust man, and the oppression of the enemy. Since the psalmist likely lives in the far north of Palestine, one wonders if the enemy, that “ungodly nation” is, in fact, one of the northern or eastern nations that are hostile to Israel. Or does an “unjust man” refer to a single individual? Not an important issue, just wondering…

What is important is that the psalmist wants to be cured of his illness or rid of his enemy so that he can join the entourage that will be going to Jerusalem: Send out Your light and Your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to Your holy hill and to Your dwelling! (v. 3) I was thinking of the light and truth by which the psalmist wishes to be led. Truth is straightforward; light might refer to understanding or knowledge or simply to the feeling of God’s presence. We should all be led by God’s light and truth!

One small item from my past – Then I will go to the altar of God… (v. 4a) The psalmist is probably speaking of the temple in Jerusalem, but “to the altar of God” is an item from my Boy Scout days, where there was an “Ad Altare Dei” merit badge for Catholic boys. I dropped out of Boy Scouts before earning any merit badges, but that would have been my first.

Psalm 42

Two Study Bibles pointed out that Psalms 42-43 are clearly one Psalm, but for some reason they have been split up in the Psalter. (See Ps. 42:5,11 today and Ps. 43:5 tomorrow.)

Again, Study Bible information… The heading, “…to the Sons of Korah” and the geographical names in verse 6 suggest that this Psalm reflects the annual pilgrimage from the far north of Palestine (where the Korahites had been assigned cities) to Jerusalem for Passover. However, in today’s reading it seems that the psalmist is ill and not able to make the journey. He regrets not going, both for his own longing for the festival and for his responsibility to lead the people in procession (v. 4). He is also troubled that his illness contributes to his enemies’ taunts and their continued rejection of God: …my adversaries taunt me, while they say to me all the day long, “Where is your God?” (vv. 3b, 10b, twice mentioned for effect). Still, as with all laments, the psalmist expresses his confidence in God’s deliverance (vv. 5, 11), while also directly appealing to God for quicker action. (See v. 9.) But aren’t we all like that?

Psalm 41

I was struck by the benefits accorded a person who gives to the poor – s/he is blessed, delivered, protected, praised, defended, sustained, and healed. (vv. 1-3) Makes me think that we should be doing more…

David ties his sin and his illness together in verse 4. Shades of Job’s friends…! But this illness seems more pronounced than what he felt in his previous laments; in this one it seems that David is on his deathbed. His enemies are gloating, waiting for him to die. Even one of his best friends has turned against him. (v. 9) Here I have Amasa in mind – David’s nephew, who deserted him and became Absalom’s chief general. David had even called him “my bone and my flesh” (see II Samuel 19), so his desertion must have been painful for David. The Psalms are divided into five books, possibly mirroring the Pentateuch. Today’s Psalm ends Book I. Verse 13 is thus a concluding doxology for the Book, less so for the Psalm.

Psalm 40:9-17

Today’s reading has a mix of themes – praise and thanksgiving in verses 9-11 and a lament in verses 12-17. It’s interesting that David speaks to the larger assembly of his own proclamation of God’s love and mercy to him. In so doing he mentions a number of the Lord’s attributes in those early verses: deliverance, righteousness, faithfulness, salvation, love, and mercy. Jesus later gave us His own “Great Commission” in Matthew 28:19-20. Again, David was ahead of his time.

When he gets to the laments he mentions both internal and external struggles that trouble him. But again he closes with praise and thanksgiving. I was touched by verse 17a: As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me. Some translations have “afflicted” in that pairing of poor and needy. But whatever the translation, David is confident of the Lord’s universal love. As the Marine Corps motto says, “No one left behind…”!

Psalm 40:1-8

In contrast to the many laments we have read this past month, in today’s reading we see David thanking and praising the Lord for deliverance from past difficulties, although we have no idea of the nature of those difficulties. The first three verses are direct, more personal thanksgivings. Then David goes on to offer encouragement to his fellow Israelites by reflecting on their corporate faith, all the while continuing to give praise to God for … Your wondrous deeds and Your thoughts toward us… These verses are so very different from what we have been reading!

Then we get to verses 6-8. My Study Bibles agree on confusion as to these verses. David is rejecting sacrifices and offerings (quoted in Hebrews 10:5-7), instead preferring obedience: I delight to do Your will… (v. 8b). Note – this is the same David who entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread (see I Samuel 21:1-6) in direct disobedience to the Law. (See Jesus’ comments on this incident in Mark 2:25-26.) So David, in agreeing with Jesus’ words a thousand years later was well ahead of his time!

Psalm 39

I’m not sure what to make of this Psalm. It has all the elements of a lament, but in describing his situation it almost seems like David’s “enemy” is God Himself (see verses 9b-11), not unlike Job’s friends seeing Job’s illness as God’s punishment for Job’s sin.

Most prominent in this Psalm is David’s reflecting on some “end of life” questions (vv.4-6, 12b, 13b). But even with him mourning his situation and his end-of-life questioning David remains faithful: And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in You. Deliver me from all my transgressions. (vv. 7-8a). David has hope (faith) and confession as his main tools against any adversity he faces. As with other Psalms, we could well follow his example.

Psalm 38:13-22

Psalm 38 is a full-bodied lament, with all of the necessary elements: David’s situation, his plea for help, his claim of his innocence or his cry for vindication, and his thankfulness for deliverance (past or confident future). Yesterday’s reading was full of David’s situation – his pain, physical or emotional. Today we see the rest of those elements.

David’s cry for vindication from his enemies’ attacks is prominent in today’s reading. Verses 13 and 14 form a direct response to the treachery David describes in verse 12. Then verses 16, 19, and 20 all speak of his enemies’ activities against him. But up against these five verses focusing on his enemies David has four verses relating to his plea for help and his trust in the Lord’s deliverance – verses 15, 18, 21, and 22. Verse 18, in particular is unusual in David’s laments: I confess my iniquity; I am sorry for my sin. Instead of protesting his innocence David is confessing his own sin. We don’t always see him confessing his iniquity when he is troubled by all these external events. It’s a good lesson for us to remember!

Psalm 38:1-12

Almost all of today’s reading is David’s lamenting of his situation (vv. 1-8, 10). What’s left is his reaching out to the Lord (v. 9), his friends distancing him (v. 11), and his enemies taking advantage of his condition (v. 12). I don’t recall any of our earlier laments where David is so focused on his plight.

It’s hard to tell whether David is in physical pain or in anguish over his own sin. Verses 3b and 4 seem to stand alone as for any sin in his life: …because of my sin. For my iniquities … are too heavy for me. If you see those verses as the key to his situation, then all the other verses are metaphorical. However, the overwhelming evidence is toward physical pain: … arrows have sunk into me … no soundness in my flesh … no health in my bones … my wounds stink and fester … bowed down and prostrate … my sides are filled with burning … no soundness in my flesh.

But whether physical pain or anguish over his sin, why would his friends and family depart from him (v. 11)? That I don’t understand. To me that would be the really deep hurt, an emotional pain difficult to accept. A sad situation for David…

Psalm 37:35-40

Tom said it all for Psalm 37 yesterday. Putin and the Ukrainians are a nice fit for the wicked and the righteous! But will Putin disappear, as David suggests in verse 36: Then he passed away, and behold, he was no more; I searched for him, but he could not be found? Hitler is no more; Stalin is no more; others are no more; Putin…?

And a good note from John yesterday on the ambiguity of pronoun capitalization. I stand CoRrEcTeD.

Psalm 37:23-34

Just a day or two ago I commented that almost every verse in that day’s reading had to do with the wicked. Today is just the opposite – it’s all about the righteous. The word “wicked” only appears three times, in Psalm 37:28,32,34, and even there two of those occasions are half-verses. But today is about the righteous.

Verse 23 is intriguing when we look at the ESV translation with no deific capitalizations: The steps of a man are established by the LORD, when he delights in his way… Neither pronoun is capitalized in the ESV, but we know from the context that at least one of them should be. The NASB and the NKJV have “He” capitalized: The steps of a man are established by the LORD, And He delights in his way. Because they have “He” capitalized, we know that this is a proper translation. Surprisingly, however, when I read this verse in the ESV, I imagined the “his” to be capitalized: The steps of a man are established by the LORD, when he delights in His way… This incorrect translation results in another comment that I made a few days ago, that we are more fully blessed when we follow the path that the Lord has laid out for us. So even reading the non-capitalized ESV incorrectly leaves us with a very positive statement. Fun!