“As
a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and
appear before God?...By day the Lord commands his steadfast love, and
at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life…Why
are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my
God.”-Psalm 42:1-2, 8, 11 (ESV)
Psalm
42 is one of eleven psalms attributed to the sons of Korah as the
authors. The eleven so signed are 42, 44-49, 84-85, 87-88. These
“sons of Korah” were Levites, leaders in music and worship before
the Ark of the Covenant in the wilderness and also after the
construction of the temple in Jerusalem. It is believed the “son
of Korah” who wrote Psalm 42 (and possibly 43) was separated from
his fellow worshipers for some reason, and is crying out in this
psalm, telling how he longs to be back with those who enjoy
worshiping God together. His enemies taunt him, but he continues to
long for the fellowship of a brotherhood of worshipers “as a deer
pants for the flowing streams” and as a thirsty man longs for
water. Scholars believe that Psalm 42 and 43 were once a continuous
Psalm, as the same refrain is repeated in Psalm 42:5 and 11, and in
Psalm 43:5. Moreover, in Psalm 43, the writer (whether the same ‘son
of Korah’ as of Psalm 42) holds out positive hope that he will soon
be restored to his position of lyre-player and leader of worship with
his believing brethren. He states positively in Psalm 43:3-4: “Send
out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to
your holy hill and to your dwelling! Then I will go to the altar of
God, to God my exceeding joy; and I will praise you with the lyre, O
God, my God.” Then he concludes in Psalm 43:5, as the writer (the
same one?) does in Psalm 42:8 and 11: “Why are you cast down, O
my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God, for I
shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.”
We
learn some valuable spiritual lessons from Psalm 42 and 43. In spite
of suffering and hardships, even taunts from the enemy concerning the
believer’s dependence on God and questioning who God is, the
Psalmist remains steadfast in his belief in God. Discouragement, for
many reasons, comes to all of us at times. Life is sometimes unkind
and we must learn to “bear with the punches.” Just as a person
cannot live very long without water to allay thirst, so the believer
cannot go long without refreshment of belief that God is present,
even in the dark times, and will be the guide and stay of his/her
life. To come back from the hard, dark places, the Psalmist first
recognizees his condition and moves from being away from God to
experiencing restoration with Him (Ps. 42:1). He reaffirms that,
whether day or night, God has not moved. The One who loves the
believer is ever keeping watch. The believer just needs to realize
there is no need ‘to be cast down.” Hope in God is shaft of
light that leads out of the pits of doubt and darkness, of turmoil
and suffering to the living God. The triumphant cry is “Hope in
God, for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God” (Psalm
42:5, 11 and Psalm 43:5).
The
Holy Spirit woos a person in the first place to put his trust in the
Lord God. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And
this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God, not a result of
works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8 -9, ESV). Jesus
promised us the Holy Spirit, who walks beside us, teaches us, keeps
us in God’s mercy and goodness: “If you love me, you will keep my
commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you
another Helper to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom
the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him.
You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. I will not
leave you orphans. I will come to you.” -John 14:15-18 (ESV).
Praise be to God! - Ethelene Dyer Jones 08.27.2017
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