Psalm 143

Introduction

Psalm 143 is another psalm of David. And in this psalm he appeals to the Lord his God to hear him as he cries to the Lord for help.

He needs help, because there are enemies who are pursuing him and his life is in danger. And once again, David was writing as a prophet, because this psalm foretells the suffering of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. And just as Christ suffered in this life, so his people suffer various kinds of trials. And God sends trials into our life to stir us to pray.

Verses 1 and 2

In verse 1, David appeals to the Lord using three verbs: hear my prayer; listen to my cry; and come to my relief. A better translation of the last verb is ‘answer me’. So, he’s pleading with the Lord and there’s a note of urgency about his appeal. Hear me, he cries. Listen to me. Answer me. He’s pleading with the Lord because he’s in desperate need.

His prayer is a cry for mercy or for help. And he wants the Lord to answer him. And he’s counting for an answer on God’s faithfulness and righteousness. These are covenant words. When we say that God is faithful, we mean he will faithfully keep the promises he has made to his covenant people to be our God and to take care of us. When we say God is righteous, we mean he will do what is right according to the terms of his covenant. David is counting on the Lord, because the Lord his God has bound himself with a promise to love him and to take care of him.

And in verse 2 he asks the Lord not to bring him into judgment. That is to say, he’s asking the Lord not to stand over him as judge. If the Lord were to do that, then David would not be able to stand before the Lord, because, after all, no-one is righteous before the Lord. No one can stand up to his scrutiny and his judgment, because all of us are sinners who sin against the Lord continually.

And do you see what David is doing here? He’s coming before the Lord humbly. He’s casting himself on God’s mercy. He’s not going before the Lord with a proud heart. And he’s not saying that he deserves God’s help, because look at all the good things I’ve done. He’s not bring proud. He’s been very humble. He’s acknowledging his guilt and he’s admitting that he deserves nothing from God but God’s wrath and curse. Nevertheless, he’s hoping for mercy from the Lord his God who has bound himself to his people to be their God and to take care of them and to forgive them.

And when we come before the Lord, seeking his help, we’re to come humbly, confessing our sins and guilt and relying always on his grace and mercy towards us in Christ Jesus.

Verses 3 and 4

In verse 3 David refers to his enemy who pursues him. Later in the psalm, he’ll refer to enemies in the plural. And so, perhaps he’s referring in verse 3 to the leader of his enemies. Or perhaps he’s thinking of them collectively: his many enemies have morphed into one great enemy who is pursuing him.

And he says about his enemy that he crushes David to the ground and makes him dwell in darkness like those who are long dead. And so, his enemy has been hunting him down so that David has had to hide in the darkness. The previous psalm was written after the time when David had to hide from Saul in a cave. And so, perhaps he’s referring here to the same occasion and he likens the cave to a dark grave.

And he’s so afraid of what Saul might do to him that his spirit grows faint within him and his heart is dismayed and it seems to David that he’s as good as dead. It seems to him that he’s already entombed in the ground.

Verses 5 and 6

But in the darkness, he calls to mind and remembers the days of long ago. That’s in verse 5. And he meditates on God’s works and he considers what God has done. So, instead of thinking about his enemy, he begins to think about the Lord his God. And when he refers to days of long ago, he’s perhaps referring to the time of creation. And when he refers to God’s works, he thinking about all that God has done throughout the generations.

So, he’s thinking about all that God has done to create and sustain the world. And no doubt as well, he’s thinking about all that God has done to create and sustain a people for himself: how he once called Abram; and how he kept him safe through dangers; and he caused him to become a great nation; and then he rescued that nation from Egypt; and he brought them to the Promised Land and he gave it to them; and he kept them safe from the Philistines and other enemies. And then he kept David personally, protecting his life from Goliath and from David’s other enemies.

And so, instead of thinking about his enemy, he thinks about his God and how great he is. And he spreads out his hands in prayer to this mighty and powerful and good and great God. And he says that just as parched land longs for water, so his soul longs for the Lord his God. He’s looking desperately to the Lord his God for the help he needs against his enemy.

Verses 7 and 8

In verses 7 and 8 he once again calls on the Lord to answer him — and to answer him quickly. He once again says that his spirit fails. It’s becoming faint. And he asks the Lord not to hide his face from him. In other words, he’s asking the Lord not to turn his back on him in indifference, but to turn to him and to give him his attention. If the Lord turns from him, he’ll be like those who go down to the pit of death. He’s saying that there will be no hope for him if the Lord abandons him.

And so, he asks the Lord to let this happen: when the morning comes, when the new day dawns, let him hear of God’s unfailing love. So, the first thing he wants to hear when he wakes up in the morning is a message about God’s unfailing love. And he’s referring here to God’s steadfast love, which is his covenant love for his covenant people which is never-ending. Let him hear a message about God’s love and care for him.

And he’s praying for this, because he trusts in the Lord. And therefore he’s trusting in the Lord to hear and to answer him according to God’s steadfast love for his people.

And he also trusts in the Lord to show him the way that he should go. That’s at the end of verse 8. Now, he’s not asking for what we might call ‘guidance’. He’s not asking the Lord should he take path A or path B. Should I do this or that? He means: show me the way I should conduct my life. Show me how to live an upright life. In this crisis, show me how to behave so that I will not dishonour you by doing something wicked, but will do what is right in your sight.

Think of that occasion when David was hiding in the cave with his men. And Saul happened to come into the same cave to relieve himself. He wanted to use the cave for a bathroom break. Saul wasn’t aware that David was there, but David and his men could see Saul. And David’s men were urging him to take Saul’s life. ‘Now’s your chance. Kill him!’ So, what should David do? Should he listen to his men and kill Saul? Would that be right in God’s sight?

And we can imagine David praying to the Lord and asking him to show him the way he should go and to make known to him what is the right thing to do. And if you remember the story, you’ll know that he decided that it would not be right to kill Saul, because Saul was still the Lord’s anointed king at that time.

When we’re under pressure, when we’re going through trials and troubles, we can be tempted to do things to relieve our suffering, but which are wrong in God’s sight. We think to ourselves: normally this is wrong, but on this occasion, it makes sense for me to do this thing. But these are the occasions when we must seek the help of the Lord to know and to do what is right. Instead of trusting our own judgment, and relying on sinful methods, we must lift our soul to the Lord in prayer and seek to do his will.

Verses 9 and 10

Verses 9 and 10 are almost a repetition of verses 7 and 8, because once again David asks the Lord to rescue him from his enemies, which is a repetition of his appeal in verse 7 to answer him quickly. And he then asks the Lord to teach him to do God’s will, which is a repetition of his request in verse 8 to know the way he should go.

By repeating both parts of his prayer, David is showing us how important both of these things are. So, when we’re in trouble and facing trials and enemies, we should look to the Lord to rescue us. But we should also seek God’s help to do what is right in his sight and to keep us from doing what is wrong. When we’re facing opposition, we must trust the Lord to rescue us in his own way and when the time is right. And we must resist the temptation to take matters into our own hands and to do something sinful. In other words, we must rely on God’s good Spirit, who is the Holy Spirit, to lead us on level ground.

Verses 11 and 12

And the psalm ends with David appealing to the Lord to preserve his life for his name’s sake. So, God’s name and reputation are at stake. Will he remain faithful to his promises and do what is right by protecting his servant who trusts in him? And David appeals again to God’s righteousness and to his steadfast love and he asks the Lord to bring him out of trouble and to silence his enemies. Destroy all my foes, he says, because I am your servant. And what he means is: ‘I am your servant and you are my God in whom I trust. Therefore rescue me.’

Conclusion

David’s life was in danger and he appealed to the Lord his God to rescue him from his enemies.

And as I said at the beginning, David was writing as a prophet, because this psalm is ultimately about the Lord Jesus who was God’s servant who came into the world to do his Father’s will. But Christ’s great enemy — satan — pursued him throughout his life and stirred up all kinds of opposition against him. His enemies pursued him and they crushed him and they even made him dwell in the darkness of the tomb for three days and he went down to the place of the dead.

But in all his troubles and trials and suffering, he always did what was right. And God’s Good Spirit was with him so that he was wholeheartedly devoted to doing his Father’s will at all times and on all occasions. And when the morning of the resurrection came, he was raised from the dead, because though his Father turned his back on him for a time, his Father continued to love him with a steadfast and unending and eternal love.

And God preserved his life by raising him from the grave; and God brought him out of trouble by exalting him to the highest place, far above his enemies. And when Christ comes again in the future, all his enemies will be silenced and defeated for ever and for ever.

And so, as we read this psalm of David, we cannot help but think of King David’s greater Son, who suffered in an even greater way than David. And throughout the Lord’s life on earth, the Lord kept praying to his Father in heaven and appealing to him for help. Even on the cross, he committed his spirit into the hands of his Heavenly Father. And in this way he left us an example to follow. He taught us to turn to God our Father for help when we’re in trouble. And God is willing to hear our prayers because of Christ who has made peace for us with God by the sacrifice of himself on the cross.

But before I finish, I want to modify something that John Calvin says about this psalm. Calvin says that when we’re overtaken by adversity, we are to conclude that it is a rod of correction sent by God to stir us up to pray. So, whereas the Lord Jesus was sinless, we are sinners. And when we go astray, God may well send trouble into our lives so that we will return to him and pray for forgiveness. That, of course, is true.

But I want to modify what Calvin says, because when all is going well with us, when our life is comfortable, we can drift from the Lord because it seems we don’t need him. We are lulled into thinking that we can manage on our own and we don’t need his help. And when that happens, the Lord may send adversity and trials into our life to correct our foolish pride and to make clear to us that we depend on him for everything. He is the source of all that is good in the world; and we must seek all good things from him and give thanks to him for it.

This is true for us as individuals and it’s true for us as members of his church. He makes the church small and its witness ineffective and he surrounds the church with enemies to show us how weak we really are without him. And when we realise how weak we are without him, then we will turn to him in prayer and we’ll seek his help for ourselves and for his church. He makes his people and his church on earth face adversity so that we will realise how small we are and turn to him in prayer.