Benefits of the History Class (Psalm 143)

Here we have another psalm by David describing a difficult situation in which he found himself. It is not possible to identify it, so he may be describing an experience he had written about elsewhere or he may be describing an isolated experience. Yet we can see a consistent response by David to times of difficulty in his life and that response is that he wrote down his prayer for help. Why did he do so?

I suspect the main reason is that he wrote songs on behalf of God’s people for them to use when in similar situations. This aspect is a reminder that it is not wrong to sing sad songs to God. Paul reminds us in Ephesians and Colossians that our songs of praise are one means by which God’s people are taught about Christian living. What should they do in difficult times to please the Lord? David here teaches them an appropriate response. Is this not why he is called the sweet psalmist of Israel (2 Sam. 23:1)?

Another reason why he would have written the psalm would be for his own benefit. Later on, he would be able to look at what he had composed and see how the Lord had helped him in the circumstances. Each psalm that he wrote described a stage or occasion in his spiritual journey. They are like diary entries that encourage the recorder in after days.

So we can read this psalm as describing a common experience of God’s people or as a specific response by David to a time of spiritual darkness that he came through with God’s help.

The concern (vv. 1-2)

How would we express our spiritual concerns to God? David in these verses shows us that several elements can exist in an attitude of proper concern. The first element is authenticity, which we can see in the fact that the prayer is David’s genuine prayer – it describes what he is going through at the moment. All prayer must be actual in order to be authentic. We have all prayed inauthentic prayers, perhaps out of custom or habit. The point is not that the words might be the same. Rather, do they express our hearts when we say them?

It is not surprising that David pleads for mercy. What is surprising is that he recognises that in order for God to act mercifully he will have to act faithfully and righteously. Yet there is no contradiction here. David is aware that the Lord must always be righteous even when he is showing mercy. And we recognise that truth as well. The apostle John says that if we confess our sins the Lord is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). David knew that he could only be forgiven on the basis of an atoning sacrifice, and so do we. He looked ahead to the coming of the Saviour typified in the Levitical sacrifices and we look back to the cross on which the true sacrifice was made.

A third feature of his concern was the possibility of divine judgement for his sins. I don’t think he is referring to rebellious sins here. Instead he is aware that even his best devotion is imperfect. Note that he calls himself God’s servant. Despite his best efforts, he knew that he fell short of God’s standards. He knew that he deserved punishment for his best efforts, never mind his worst. David here is very sensitive concerning the Lord’s high standards. He does not object to the standards, but he is concerned about his failings. The Lord is pleased when he sees this kind of concern being expressed.

The crushing (vv. 3-4)

David graphically describes where he is by a series of word pictures. He is being chased for his life, he is being trampled underfoot, he is sitting in isolation, he is without inner strength, and he is overwhelmed by the oppression he feels. What is the point of speaking like this in prayer? Why does David not just say, ‘Lord, I am having a difficult time. Please help me.” I would suggest two possible reasons.

First, true prayer is an expression of our feelings. I have often heard it said that a Christian should ignore his feelings, but no one has ever told me why. In the Christian life, there are what we can call positive and negative feelings. Among the positive feelings are joy and peace. When these are absent, they are usually replaced by the feelings of sadness and confusion, even inner disturbances. We are not to pretend that they are not there. If that is where I am at present, they should be part of my current prayer life. The time will come when joy and peace will return, and then my prayers will be different.

Second, true prayer is a sharing with God. We give what we have and he gives what he has. All we have to give in prayer are our hearts, our minds and our words. Whenever we pray, we always give God sinful hearts, we think with sinful minds and we use words that come from them. And when we pray, we share with God where we are. We are not informing him – after all, David is where he is primarily because of God’s providence. Sometimes our sinful hearts and minds are reluctant to say where we are, perhaps because we think we will disappoint God. The impression is sometimes given that Christians should not be like David was here. But the reality is very different.

The consolation (vv. 5-6)

Sometimes the remedy for difficult times is to look forward. Thinking about heaven has helped many a struggling Christian. At other times, the remedy is to look back to the days of old. Neither view is escapism. I suspect David was looking back to the Exodus or to the Entrance into the Promised Land. They were great days of God’s love and power when his kingdom made great progress. As he thought about them, he found his longings for God stimulated. This is an important insight in the psalm as we can deduce from the word ‘Selah’. It is as if David says to those using his psalm, ‘Note carefully this detail and imitate it.’

How can we do this? The answer is by reading about what God can do. The Book of Acts tells us what he did through the apostles. Church history is laden with accounts of great days of God’s Spirit when revivals and awakenings occurred, sometimes over wide areas, at other times more localised. They are spiritual consolations, medicine from heaven for our sad souls. When we read them, we will find our longings for God will become stronger and stronger, like the way a thirsty traveller through a desert longs for water. I think David is saying that he could experience as an individual in the present what vast numbers had experienced together in the past – the joyful and peaceful presence of God.

                   

The consequences (vv. 7-10)

Thinking about those past events stirs David to even more earnest prayer. He wants the Lord to answer him the following day. He confesses that the danger remains a reality, yet thinking about the power of God has made him expectant of deliverance. Because of his contemplations, he now believes that God can help him soon. This is the first consequence (vv. 7-8a).

The second consequence is a desire for ongoing protection. He has placed himself in the Lord in a manner similar to how someone would put himself inside a place of safety. Of course, the big difference between those refuges and God is that they are static whereas he is mobile. David knows that his protecting God will take him somewhere and therefore he prays for guidance. God is always determined that each of his people make progress, therefore we should be praying for his directions (vv. 8b-9).

A third consequence is that David realises anew the covenant commitments of God to teach his people about his will. Notice how he now wants a straightforward path, unlike the one he has been led along surrounded and harassed by his opponents. (In contrast to David, there are some people who imagine that spiritual heights are obtained by complicated routes and arduous climbs. So they make difficulties for themselves that God did not require.) David says that believers being led along level paths by the Spirit can obtain great heights. He is not despising the way that God has led him. But he knows that God can lead him in easier ways from a spiritual point of view. This is a wonderful description of the Christian walk.

David describes the Spirit as his guide. We can think of this picture in different ways. First, the Spirit is his personal guide, almost as if David was the only one who needed guidance. Second, the Spirit is his knowledgeable guide – following the Spirit will not lead us into false locations. Third, the Spirit is his powerful guide – who will confront David if the Spirit is ahead of him?

The conclusion (11-13)

David, the servant of God, closes the psalm with expressions of confidence about deliverance from God. Having taken a little look into the history of God’s people he now anticipates an end to his time of trouble and complete victory over his foes.