Bible Study - Storm (4) - The Shelter of GOD'S Encouragement - Psalms 42 and 43 - December 28, 2014
Bible Study – Strom (4) – The Shelter of GOD’S
Encouragement – December 28, 2014
This is lesson four (4) in our series entitled “Storm
Shelter: Psalms of GOD’S Embrace.”
Our focus scripture is Psalms 42:1-3, 6-8; 43:3-5.
GOD encourages me when I feel overwhelmed. All of us
feel overwhelmed at times in our lives, including Christians. When we are
overwhelmed to whom, where or what do we turn?
Psalms 42 and 43 were not written by King David but
written by one person who was a member of a group referred to as the “sons of
Korah.” The “Advanced Bible Commentary,” Winter 2014-2015, published by
LifeWay, One LifeWay Plaza, Nashville, TN37234-0175, page 51 states “The title
to Psalm 42 ascribes it to the “sons of Korah.” This was a family of Levites,
descendants of the clan of Kohath (1 Chronicles 6:22), who serve in the temple.
Among their duties was service as a kind of temple choir (vv. 33-38; 2
Chronicles 20:19). We should not take the title to mean that Psalm 42 was
written by a committee. Its ascription to the “sons of Korah” means they
belonged to a specific temple collection of songs and that a single member of
the guild of Korah wrote it. Beyond that information, we do not know when or by
whom the psalm was composed. The sons of Korah had a long history of
association with the sanctuary, and this psalm could have been written during
the lifetime of David or much later. Neither do we know the specific
circumstances that prompted the psalmist to compose the song.”
Continuing on to page 53 it reads, “The three
refrains at 42:5, 11 and 43:5 divide the text into three stanzas: 421-5,
42:6-11 and 43:1-5. Each stanza has a distinctive focus. In 42:1-5, the
psalmist felt he had lost contact with God and no longer had the joy of his
salvation. In 42:6-11, although he had not lost faith in God, he considered
himself to be abandoned by God and that he had to endure the taunts of his
enemies, who somehow perceived the nature of his plight. In 43:1-5, the
psalmist described his distress over the evil he saw about him and appealed to
God for vindication and enlightenment.”
This is a great introduction to these two psalms which
most Bible scholars believe that they were originally written as one psalm. On
page 51, the writer of this part of the lesson commentary, Doctor Duane
Garrett, professor of Old Testament at the Southern Baptist Theological
Seminary, wrote:
“First, both psalms repeat the refrain “Why
am I so depressed? Why this turmoil within me? Put your hope in God, for I will
still praise Him. My Savior and my God (42:5, 11; 43:5). Second, Psalm
43 has no title. This is unusual in Book II of the Psalter (Psalm 42-72). One
would expect that Psalm 43 would have a title of its own if it were composed
separately. Third, a number of old Hebrew manuscripts present the two
psalms as one. Against this view, it is not clear what would have motivated an
editor to divide the one psalm into two. Perhaps one psalmist wrote both psalms
as separate works but in the same style. But even if the two psalms were written
separately, their format and content are so similar that they can be studied as
one.”
We know the trinity of man is the body, soul and
spirit. The body ties us to earth and was made for functioning upon earth. The
spirit gives life to the earth body and lives forever. The soul is the product
which is produced when the body and the spirit function. It is the spirit that
is released upon the death of the earth body and goes into eternity to either
live with GOD provided it has been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, JESUS or
into outer darkness, if it has not been redeemed. The rebirth of the spirit is
the choice every person makes. GOD’S Spirit moves within every person and issues
him an invitation to accept JESUS as his or her Savior and to make HIM LORD of
his or her life. Accepting GOD’S invitation to accept CHRIST as his or her
Savior results in the miracle of rebirth in the person’s spirit, which instantly
becomes the new born-again Spirit of that person. It is the born-again Spirit
that goes immediately to heaven upon the death of the physical body to live for
eternity, never to be judged by GOD; only to be rewarded.
In these psalms the writer is having a monologue
discussion between his earthly mind and his soul. The psalmist knows the
Spiritual relationship he had with GOD but now that relationship cannot be
realized because he was depressed or that his soul was “dissolving.” The reason
his soul was dissolving was that his illness had cut off his communication and
presence with GOD. To him GOD was associated with a physical place. He had to
find just the right spot to fellowship with GOD.
Christians have the joy of knowing that GOD is
everywhere. They can call upon HIM 24/7. This psalmist once knew the presence
of GOD but what he believes and thinks about GOD shapes his concept of GOD.
This can happen to Christians. We get false notions about GOD and our
relationship with CHRIST but what does GOD’S Word, the Bible, reveal to us? We
as Christians are responsible to go to GOD’S Word and seek answers to our
questions but often we go to the person who will give us a feel good answer.
But is that person’s response the truth based upon GOD’S Word?
The Bible is very clear as stated in Matthew 7:7-11
by JESUS:
7 Keep on asking and it will be given you; keep on
seeking and you will find; keep on knocking [reverently] and [the door] will be
opened to you. 8 For everyone who keeps on asking receives; and he who
keeps on seeking finds; and to him who keeps on knocking, [the door] will be
opened. 9 Or what man is there of you, if his son asks him for a loaf of
bread, will hand him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will hand him a
serpent? 11 If you then, evil as you are, know how to give good and advantageous
gifts to your children, how much more will your Father Who is in heaven
[perfect as He is] give good and advantageous things to those who keep on
asking Him!
Most of us want answers instantly. Sometimes answers
do come quickly but often it takes time. Often the reason they take time is
because we are not ready to receive, comprehend and respond to the answer.
In these psalms, the writer is depressed and his
depression has blocked the joyous relationship he once had with GOD. His desire
is to rekindle that relationship.
On pages 52-53 of the commentary, Dr. Garrett wrote,
“The HCSB rendition loses the sense of the internal dialogue between a man and
his soul but it captures the reality of what he is experiencing. Specifically,
we can list four implications of the question that the psalmist repeatedly
addresses to his soul.
Depression: The psalmist was beset by lingering
sorrow over which he had no control. He could not shake off the gloom that
clung to him.
Confusion: The psalmist felt alienated from his own
soul, his inner life and could not comprehend why his thoughts and feelings seemed
to be in rebellion against his higher ideals. Strangely, he had to try to
encourage his own soul, and he spoke to it as if to another person. He held
fast to his faith in God, and yet he continued to experience depression, as
though he had lost faith. This, too, bewildered him.
Apathy: In Hebrew thinking, the soul animates the
person. When the psalmist said that his soul was “dissolving away,” he implied
that he had lost energy and initiative. His words suggest that he knew he should
have gotten up and become busy dealing with the problems around him, but he
couldn’t do it. In spite of what he knew to be right, he just didn’t seem to
care.
Despair: The psalmist had not lost all hope, but he
continued to experience feelings of hopelessness. He was looking for answers,
wanting to know how to regain the optimism that comes from knowing that God was
watching over him.”
Let’s explore!
Again, we see that this psalm is a Maskil or a poem intended
to be contemplative. The two psalms focus upon spiritual and physical
depression. One of the hallmarks of depression is darkness. Darkness can come
from Satan or mental problems. Redemption from either is specific and unique.
Discernment is a must.
Let’s read Psalm 42:1-3:
Longing for God For the choir director. A • Maskil
of the sons of Korah.
1 As a deer longs for streams of water, so I long
for You, God. 2 I thirst for God, the living God. When can I come and appear
before God? 3 My tears have been my food day and night, while all day long
people say to me, “Where is your God?”
This psalm involves a person who has experienced the
presence of GOD in his life but at this time in his life the person feels that
GOD had abandoned him. The person is seeking to re-establish the relationship
he had. The intensity of the person’s desire is compare to the intense thirst
of a deer desperately seeking water to quench its thirst and sustain its life. The
deer can smell the water but it must find its source.
The psalmist considered his need for water to
sustain his physical life vital and his need for Spiritual water, which can
only be supplied by GOD, to be just as vital to sustain his Spiritual life.
Spiritual water is only available from GOD through relationship.
Do you recall what JESUS told the Samaritan woman at
the well in John 4:13-14:
13 Jesus said, “Everyone who drinks from this water
will get thirsty again. 14 But whoever drinks from the water that I will give
him will never get thirsty again —ever! In fact, the water I will give him will
become a well of water springing up within him for eternal life.”
Also, JESUS said in John 7:37-39:
37 On the last and most important day of the
festival, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone is thirsty, he should come
to Me and drink! 38 The one who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, will
have streams of living water flow from deep within him.” 39 He said this
about the Spirit. Those who believed in Jesus were going to receive the Spirit,
for the Spirit had not yet been received because Jesus had not yet been
glorified.
WOW!!! If only we as Christians would die to self
and allow the living water to flow through us. What would our world look like?
This psalmist earnestly desired to rekindle his
relationship with GOD but he was unable to because of his depression which exacerbated
his desire to rekindle his relationship with GOD. Since GOD was associated with
certain places, the psalmist considered the places where he once had a
relationship with GOD and thought about returning to them to rediscover GOD and
for GOD to see that he still desired a relationship with him.
The psalmist was distraught and cried because he
could not rediscover the relationship he once had with GOD. His desire was so
intense that food was of no concern. His constant crying sent a message to
those around him that he had not found GOD, therefore, the person seeking GOD
became a point of ridicule. This again exacerbated the person’s depression
because there was either a problem with the person seeking GOD or with his
GOD/god.
The psalmist was seeking the One True GOD of Israel
or the living GOD. It was common for the Jews to consider that a person who did
not have a relationship with GOD to suffer because of sin. This psalmist was
much like Job and knew that he had not sinned, yet he did not seemingly have a
relationship with GOD.
Depression is a serious health issue.
The psalmist focuses upon the times of great joy
when he worshipped in specific places as we read our next verses.
Let’s read Psalm 42:4-6:
4 I remember this as I pour out my heart: how I
walked with many, leading the festive procession to the house of God, with
joyful and thankful shouts. 5 Why am I so depressed? Why this turmoil within
me? Put your hope in God, for I will still praise Him, my Savior and my God. 6
I am deeply depressed; therefore I remember You from the land of Jordan and the
peaks of Hermon, from Mount Mizar.
This psalmist recalled the joy of his relationship
with GOD, so why is he depressed? The psalmist still utters the words of praise
but the joy is gone. Why? Knowing the relationship and joy he once had with GOD
at one time did not carry over to this time in his life. Why?Depression is dark and it is a mental illness. It is of great concern to the person with the illness and to those around him.
Let’s continue with verses 7-11:
7 Deep calls to deep in the roar of Your waterfalls;
all Your breakers and Your billows have swept over me. 8 The Lord will send His
faithful love by day; His song will be with me in the night— a prayer to the
God of my life. 9 I will say to God, my rock, “Why have You forgotten me? Why
must I go about in sorrow because of the enemy’s oppression?” 10 My adversaries
taunt me, as if crushing my bones, while all day long they say to me, “Where is
your God?” 11 Why am I so depressed? Why this turmoil within me? Put your hope
in God, for I will still praise Him, my Savior and my God.
The psalmist compares his or her depression to a
large waterfall. Huge amounts of water that falls from on high into a hole
making a thunderous sound. All the water that falls is continuous, never ending
and consumed. It reminded the psalmist of the endless troubles that keep coming
upon him. They never cease. His troubles keep buffeting him like the endless billows
and waves produced by the raging waters. Trouble keeps buffeting his body. The
psalmist tried to deal with his problem but it is greater than him. He needs
relief from GOD.
The psalmist knows the ability of GOD to bring him
relief as stated in verse 8 but it does not happen, yet GOD is his rock to Whom
he prays. The psalmist questioned, Where is GOD and why has HE forgotten me?
The psalmist hated being in that state of mind, yet
he cannot do anything about it. Those around the psalmist, taunted him. We do
not taunt a person with a visible problem such as a broken leg, yet those who
have a mental illness are often taunted because he cannot suck it up and deal
with it. With a broken bone once it is set, it heals but with mental illness we
cannot look into the mind and see the broken part. It needs professional help
to be mended and it takes time.
The psalmist was eager to have answers and has the
desire to be healed and restored.
I believe medicine is a gift from GOD. GOD can heal
with the touch of HIS hand, through medicine or both. GOD is a good therapist
and so are those HE gifts to help others.
The psalmist still places his trust in GOD for
healing.
Let’s read Psalm 43:1-5:
1 Vindicate me, God,
and defend my cause against an ungodly nation; rescue me from
the deceitful and unjust man. 2 For You are the God
of my refuge. Why have You rejected me? Why must I go about
in sorrow because of the enemy’s oppression?
The psalmist was being
taunted by others because of his mental state. He asked GOD to let the ungodly
to see that HE was active in his life and the psalmist was not guilty of some
un-confessed sin.
People can be
relentless in blaming or criticizing the less fortunate. He asked GOD to defend
his cause. His cause was depression. An ungodly person or nation could not see
that he needed help rather than being ridiculed by deceitful and unjust man.
The deceitful and ungodly hide their short-falls and see the short-falls of
others as weakness. They do this to cover their own deficiencies.
The psalmist seeks
refuge in GOD and he asks GOD why HE had not come to his aid, which in his mind
equates to GOD’S rejecting him. If GOD would vindicate him that would
counteract his enemy’s oppression of him or at least he thought it would.
Then it seems that the
psalmist has a thought as we read these next verses.
Let’s continue with
verses 3-5:
3 Send Your light
and Your truth; let them lead me. Let them bring me to
Your holy mountain, to Your dwelling place. 4 Then I will come to
the altar of God, to God, my greatest joy. I will praise
You with the lyre, God, my God. 5 Why am I so depressed? Why
this turmoil within me? Put your hope in God, for I will still
praise Him, my Savior and my God.
When we are in the
dark, we need light. The psalmist has been in darkness and he desperately needs
light. Simply put, if GOD would send him light, he could find HIM. GOD is light
and light reveals truth and GOD is truth. Light exposes the hidden things in
life such that a person can separate truth from error. It would allow the
psalmist to put matters into proper perspective.
The psalmist asks GOD
to lead him to the place where HE was residing. Once GOD leads him to the place
of HIS presence, GOD can see him and in turn he hopes that he will experience
GOD. Then he can obediently serve HIM as a priest. Being a priest was his
greatest joy. When he has joy in his heart, he expresses it in song. The
psalmist knows that he once had this joy, so, why is he so depressed and has such
turmoil within?
Turmoil comes from a
Hebrew word which can mean “the roar of the crowds” or “the thunderous crash of
waves.” The psalmist was struggling with where he was and where he wanted to be
in relationship with GOD and those around him.
On page 58, Dr. Garrett wrote, “When
we go to church, it can be one of two things. It can be going into a building where
people sing songs, listen to messages, and carry out certain religious rituals.
Or, it can be an encounter with GOD.” Do we go through the motions or do we
seek an intimate, loving relationship with GOD through faith in CHRIST and the desire to obediently serve HIM as led by the indwelling Holy Spirit?
Then the psalmist seems
to have a breakthrough. He knows that his
hope is in GOD and he will still seek HIM and praise HIM because of this hope.
The psalmist acknowledges GOD as his savior and GOD.
Christians are just as
susceptible to mental illness as anyone else. When we have the flu, a broken
bone or needing dental work we go to the appropriate trained person to diagnose
what needs to be done. When we have mental issues we go to the appropriate
trained person to diagnose what needs to be done to help us. During treatment
Christians must keep their focus upon their relationship with CHRIST because
during such times Satan can send negatives in hopes we will doubt the sovereignty
of GOD in all things. When mental illness is involved that means the family and
friends of that person must also stay focused upon the LORD and pray, pray,
pray and pray so more.
Thanksgiving, Christmas
and New Years are the times when depression raises its ugly head. The times
when most of us are the happiest for others it is the saddest. Prayers for all
who struggle and for those who have family members and friends who struggle
with mental illness.
In the words of Dr.
Vance Havner, “Christians must practice in the dark what they learn in the
light.” Blessings!!!