SPIRITURAL DIARY
FOR 2/12/2012 7:26:53 AM
My Worship Time Focus: Trusting God
Bible
Reading & Meditation
Reference: Psalm 42-43
Message of the verses: In today’s SD we begin book two in the book
of Psalms, as there are five different books totaling 150 Psalms in all. In book one we saw most of the psalms written
by David, but that is not the case in some of the other books as they have
different authors as is the case of Psalms 42 & 43. In his introduction to these two Psalms Dr.
Wiersbe points out that he believes that these two psalms were at one time just
one psalm, but does not know why they were separated.
Korah was a grandson of Kohath and he was killed in
a rebellion against the Lord which is found in Numbers chapter 16. His sons escaped the judgment (Numbers 16:11)
and became worship leaders in the sanctuary as seen in 1Chronicles 9:19 and
following; and also 26:1-19. We see them
also named in the titles of Psalms 44-49, 84 and 87-88, and they were also
mentioned in the introduction to Psalm 39.
John
MacArthur writes in his introductory commentary these words, “These people are
probably better regarded as the Levitical performers, rather than the authors
of these psalm (i.e., ‘For the sons of Korah’).” Some commentators that I have read believe
that David was the author of this psalm and the background was again when
Absalom was rebelling against David. In
Dr. Wiersbe introduction he writes, “Some associate these psalms with Absalom’s
rebellion, but the geography in verse 6 seems to put the setting too far north
for that, since David camped over the Jordan at Mahanaim. The author was evidently a Levite exiled
among Gentiles (43:1) who oppressed him and questioned his faith (42:3, 10;
43:2). He was a worship leader who had
led groups of pilgrims to Jerusalem for the assigned festivals (84:7; Ex.
23:14-17; 34:18-26; Deu. 16:1-17). It
was time for such a journey but he wasn’t able to go, and this grieved his
heart because he felt that the Lord had forgotten him (42:9; 43:2).
I want to also look at what Charles
H. Spurgeon wrote in his introduction to Psalm 42: “Subject. It is the cry of a man far removed
from the outward ordinances and worship of God, sighing for the long loved
house of his God; and at the same time it is the voice of a spiritual believer,
under depressions, longing for the renewal of the divine presence, struggling
with doubts and fears, but yet holding his ground by faith in the living
God. Most of the Lord’s family have sailed on the sea which is
here so graphically described. It
is probable that David’s flight from Absalom may have been the occasion for
composing this Maschil.”
There is a wonderful song that was
written from verse one of Psalm 42 that I want to put into this SD since it is
one of my favorite songs and the reason for that is that it is a song from
Scripture:
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Lyrics:
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As
the deer panteth for the water
So my soul longeth after thee You alone are my hearts desire And I long to worship thee Chorus You alone are my strength my shield To You alone may my spirit yield You alone are my hearts desire And I long to worship thee You're my friend and You are my brother, Even though you are a king. I love you more than any other, So much more than anything. I want You more than gold or silver, Only You can satisfy. You alone are the real joy Giver, And the apple of my eye. |
At
the end of his introduction to these Psalm’s 42-43 Dr. Wiersbe writes “The
psalms are intensely personal, containing over fifty personal pronouns; and the
writer fluctuated between faith and despair as he wrestled with the Lord. He questions the Lord eleven times as he
wonders why God doesn’t do something for him.
We see him passing through three stages before he comes to victory and
peace.”
Longing
for God (42:1-5): “1 For
the choir director. A Maskil of the sons of Korah: 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; When shall I come and appear before God? 3 My tears have been my
food day and night, While they say to me all day long, "Where is your
God?" 4 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. 5
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.”
As
I read the different commentaries and found out the disagreement with who they
believe authored this psalm and when in the history of Israel that it was
written I have come to no conclusions of my own at this time, but perhaps after
studying these psalms I will have formed an opinion of my own, however I know
that this was inspired by God’s Holy Spirit as he inspired all Scripture, and
because it is part of God’s Word I can learn from it and hopefully grow in my
faith because of the study from these two psalms.
One
of the things that I have always remembered about Psalm 42 was the first verse
and how I see a person longing for the Lord and describe it as he may have seen
a deer panting for water because it could not find any. The writer describes his longing for the
living Lord, the Lord he desires to serve, and yet he is in a place where he
cannot fulfill that desire. He is in a
place where he is being treated badly because of his faith, perhaps living in a
Gentile nation. The writer is thirsting
for the Lord and asks the Lord when will He appear to him, for his prayers are
not being answered. He remembers the
times when he led people up to Jerusalem for the feasts and longs to do that
again, and yet he cannot do it because of the circumstances that he finds
himself in.
His
mood changes as seen in verse five when he remembers that there is no reason to
be in despair because God is on the throne and because of that He is always in
control so we see that his faith in the Lord is increased by remembering the
Lord is in control.
Spiritual
meaning for my life today: I have
been in the place where the author of this psalm was and there are times when
troubles come into my life that I too forget that the Lord has a plan for my
life and that God is still on His throne.
Life is sometimes hard, but I remember that as Dr. Wiersbe has written
that life is full of tests and it is how we handle those tests that can help to
build our character, or they can drag us down and cause us to have our circumstances
overwhelm us and that is why we need to remember another thing that Dr. Wiersbe
has written in many of his books: “The
successful Christian life is a series of new beginnings.”
My Steps of Faith for Today:
1.
Continue to trust the Lord knowing that
He is always on His throne and in control of all things.
2.
Continue to seed the Lord’s help and
direction as I go through the circumstances of life seeking to learn
contentment.
2/12/2012
8:29:59 AM
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