cast down in confinement psalm 42:1-11 psalm...

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Commentary by Clyde M. Miller Questions by John C. Sewell

Cast Down in Confinement

Psalm 42:1-11

Psalm 43:1-5

Landmark Publications, Inc., 1045 Maynor Street, Nashville, TN 37216, U.S.A., John C. Sewell, Ph.D., Editor.

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Cast Down in Confinement

by

Clyde M. Miller, Ph.D. Introduction: I. Psalm 42 begins Book II of the Psalter (42-72). `

A. Seven of these psalms are attributed to the sons of Korah (42, 44-49).

B. One is attributed to Asaph (50), 20 to David (51-70), three are anonymous (43; 67; 71) and one is attributed to Solomon (72).

II. The book of Psalms is presently divided into five books: I (1-41), II (42-72), III (73-89), IV (90—106), V (106-150).

A. No definitive reason can be given for the divisions.

1. Nor do we know who made the divisions, or when, or why?

B. Scholars have proposed one of three reasons for these divi-sions: 1) an indication of stages of psalm collection, 2) to corre-spond to the five major festivals of the Jewish religious calen-dar: Passover, Pentecost, Tabernacles, Purim, and Dedication, or 3) to correspond to the five-fold division of the Pentateuch (five books of Moses).

1. As for number 1, Book II ends with this note: “This concludes the prayers of David the son of Jesse” (Psalm 72:20).




a. This may very well refer to an early collection of psalms.

b. Eighteen psalms after this, however, are attrib-uted to David (Pss. 86; 101; 103; 108-110; 122; 124; 131; 133; 138-145).

c. Seventy-three psalms in all are attributed to David, and they cover the whole spectrum of the book of Psalms.

B. As for number 2, our present knowledge of the ancient use of the psalms in Israel’s festivals is too meager to allow any definite conclusion about these divisions on that ground.

C. Of the three conclusions listed above, the third seems the most likely.

1. The books of Moses have always been five in number, and these books have long been considered among the most sacred of the Hebrew Scriptures.

III. “The sons of Korah” does not likely indicate authorship.

A. This suggests a group of musicians and singers (2 Chron. 20:19), so the title may indicate who performed these psalms.

1. 2 Chronicles 20:19, Then some Levites from the Kohathites and Korahites stood up and praised the LORD, the God of Israel, with very loud voice. (NIV)

B. For the meaning of “for the director of music”, see the intro-duction to Psalm 19.




C. The word “maskil” could be “a literary or musical term” (NIV n.).

1. It may refer to that which is done skillfully or for meditation, or to a didactic or artful poem.

IV. It is generally considered that what we now have as Psalms 42 and 43 were originally one psalm.

A. Many Hebrew manuscripts, the Greek Septuagint (LXX), and several other ancient versions write them as such.

1. Furthermore, major (42:5, 42:11 and 43:5) and minor (42:9c,d; 43:2c,d) refrains tend to suggest as much.

a. Psalm 42:5, 11, Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so dis-turbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. (NIV)

b. Psalm 43:5, Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. (NIV)

c. Psalm 42:9, I say to God my Rock, "Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourn-ing, oppressed by the enemy?" (NIV)

d. Psalm 43:2, You are God my stronghold. Why have you rejected me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy? (NIV)




B. These two psalms may have been divided because of their use in Israel’s worship.

C. Psalm 42 expresses his yearning for God, and Psalm 43 his praise for anticipated renewal of communion with God.

V. The author is suffering some kind of containment that prevents his going to the temple.

A. He could be a prisoner of war, too sick to travel, or perhaps something else.

1. The specifics are absent.

a. It is likely enemies, perhaps foreigners, who taunt him with the question, “Where is your God?” (42:3c,d, 10:c,d).

i. Psalm 42:3, My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me all day long, "Where is your God?" (NIV)

ii. Psalm 42:10, My bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me, saying to me all day long, "Where is your God?" (NIV)

b. They are characterized as an “ungodly nation” (43:1), possibly pagan captors.




Commentary:




Reminiscing About Past Pilgrimages Psalm 42:1-5, As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me all day long, "Where is your God?" These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go with the multitude, leading the procession to the house of God, with shouts of joy and thanksgiving among the festive throng. Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and 6 my God. My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar. (NIV) Psalm 42:1, As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. I. Verse 1 is best considered as a couplet making use of emblematic parallelism, as the words “as” and “so” indicate.

A. In a time of drought or when being chased in the hunt, the deer could become extremely thirsty and “pant” for water.

B. The Psalmist is undergoing a spiritual drought because of his confinement that separates him from corporate worship.

Psalm 42:2, My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? (NIV) I. Verse 2 does not imply that he could “meet with God” only at the temple.




A. Solomon, at the dedication of the temple, believed that God would hear the prayers of sincere seekers whether they prayed at or toward the temple (1 Kings 8:22-53).

1. 1 Kings 8:22-53, Then Solomon stood before the al-tar of the LORD in front of the whole assembly of Is-rael, spread out his hands toward heaven and said: "O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below—you who keep your covenant of love with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way. You have kept your promise to your servant David my father; with your mouth you have promised and with your hand you have fulfilled it—as it is today. "Now LORD, God of Israel, keep for your servant David my father the promises you made to him when you said, 'You shall never fail to have a man to sit before me on the throne of Israel, if only your sons are careful in all they do to walk before me as you have done.' And now, O God of Israel, let your word that you prom-ised your servant David my father come true. "But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built! Yet give attention to your servant's prayer and his plea for mercy, O LORD my God. Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying in your presence this day. May your eyes be open toward this temple night and day, this place of which you said, 'My Name shall be there,' so that you will hear the prayer your servant prays toward this place. Hear the supplication of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray toward this place. Hear from heaven, your dwelling place, and when you hear, forgive. "When a man wrongs his neighbor and is required to take an oath and he comes and




swears the oath before your altar in this temple, then hear from heaven and act. Judge between your ser-vants, condemning the guilty and bringing down on his own head what he has done. Declare the innocent not guilty, and so establish his innocence. "When your people Israel have been defeated by an enemy because they have sinned against you, and when they turn back to you and confess your name, praying and making supplication to you in this temple, then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel and bring them back to the land you gave to their fa-thers. "When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because your people have sinned against you, and when they pray toward this place and confess your name and turn from their sin because you have afflicted them, then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel. Teach them the right way to live, and send rain on the land you gave your people for an inheritance. "When famine or plague comes to the land, or blight or mildew, lo-custs or grasshoppers, or when an enemy besieges them in any of their cities, whatever disaster or dis-ease may come, and when a prayer or plea is made by any of your people Israel—each one aware of the af-flictions of his own heart, and spreading out his hands toward this temple- then hear from heaven, your dwelling place. Forgive and act; deal with each man according to all he does, since you know his heart (for you alone know the hearts of all men), so that they will fear you all the time they live in the land you gave our fathers. "As for the foreigner who does not belong to your people Israel but has come from a distant land because of your name- for men will hear of your great name and your mighty hand and your outstretched arm—when he comes and




prays toward this temple, then hear from heaven, your dwelling place, and do whatever the foreigner asks of you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your own people Israel, and may know that this house I have built bears your Name. "When your people go to war against their enemies, wherever you send them, and when they pray to the LORD toward the city you have chosen and the temple I have built for your Name, then hear from heaven their prayer and their plea, and uphold their cause. "When they sin against you—for there is no one who does not sin—and you become angry with them and give them over to the enemy, who takes them captive to his own land, far away or near; and if they have a change of heart in the land where they are held captive, and repent and plead with you in the land of their conquerors and say, 'We have sinned, we have done wrong, we have acted wickedly'; and if they turn back to you with all their heart and soul in the land of their enemies who took them captive, and pray to you toward the land you gave their fathers, toward the city you have cho-sen and the temple I have built for your Name; then from heaven, your dwelling place, hear their prayer and their plea, and uphold their cause. And forgive your people, who have sinned against you; forgive all the offenses they have committed against you, and cause their conquerors to show them mercy; for they are your people and your inheritance, whom you brought out of Egypt, out of that iron-smelting fur-nace. "May your eyes be open to your servant's plea and to the plea of your people Israel, and may you lis-ten to them whenever they cry out to you. For you singled them out from all the nations of the world to be your own inheritance, just as you declared




through your servant Moses when you, O Sovereign LORD, brought our fathers out of Egypt." (NIV)

B. The tabernacle, however, was recognized as a place where God promised to meet with Israel in a special way (Ex. 25:22; 30:6,36; Num. 17:4),

1. Exodus 25:22, There, above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the Testimony, I will meet with you and give you all my commands for the Israelites. (NIV)

2. Exodus 30:6, 36, Put the altar in front of the cur-tain that is before the ark of the Testimony—before the atonement cover that is over the Testimony—where I will meet with you. Grind some of it to pow-der and place it in front of the Testimony in the Tent of Meeting, where I will meet with you. It shall be most holy to you. (NIV)

3. Numbers 17:4, Place them in the Tent of Meeting in front of the Testimony, where I meet with you. (NIV)

C. and the temple served the same purpose (Ps. 42:2b; 43:3-4).

1. Psalm 42:2, My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? (NIV)

2. Psalm 43:3, 4, Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide me; let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell. Then will I go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight. I will praise you with the harp, O God, my God. (NIV)




II. “The living God” here draws its imagery from the expression, “streams of water” (1a), which refers to streams that contain water all year, rather than the wadis that only flowed with water in the rainy season.

A. Psalm 42:1, As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.

B. “The living God” also conveys the thought of one who can and will respond to the needs of His creatures, in sharp contrast to false gods that can do nothing in response to those who call upon them (Isa. 40:10-31, et al).

1. Isaiah 40:10-31, See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power, and his arm rules for him. See, his re-ward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him. He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young. Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance? Who has understood the mind of the LORD, or instructed him as his counselor? Whom did the LORD consult to enlighten him, and who taught him the right way? Who was it that taught him knowledge or showed him the path of under-standing? Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales; he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust. Lebanon is not sufficient for altar fires, nor its ani-mals enough for burnt offerings. Before him all the nations are as nothing; they are regarded by him as




worthless and less than nothing. To whom, then, will you compare God? What image will you compare him to? As for an idol, a craftsman casts it, and a goldsmith overlays it with gold and fashions silver chains for it. A man too poor to present such an offer-ing selects wood that will not rot. He looks for a skilled craftsman to set up an idol that will not top-ple. Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood since the earth was founded? He sits en-throned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in. He brings princes to naught and reduces the rul-ers of this world to nothing. No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner do they take root in the ground, than he blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff. "To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?" says the Holy One. Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing. Why do you say, O Jacob, and complain, O Israel, "My way is hidden from the LORD; my cause is disregarded by my God"? Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like




eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Psalm 42:3, My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me all day long, "Where is your God?" (NIV) I. He weeps over the taunts of his enemies.

A. “Where is your God?” was a question frequently asked of Is-rael by pagans who had conquered them (79:10; 115:2; Joel 2:17; Mic. 7:10).

1. Psalm 79:10, Why should the nations say, "Where is their God?" Before our eyes, make known among the nations that you avenge the outpoured blood of your servants. (NIV)

2. Psalm 115:2, Why do the nations say, "Where is their God?" (NIV)

3. Joel 2:17, Let the priests, who minister before the LORD, weep between the temple porch and the altar. Let them say, "Spare your people, O LORD. Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, 'Where is their God?'" (NIV)

4. Micah 7:10, Then my enemy will see it and will be covered with shame, she who said to me, "Where is the LORD your God?" My eyes will see her downfall; even now she will be trampled underfoot like mire in the streets. (NIV)

B. Ancients believed that the outcomes of wars were deter-mined by the God or gods who were over the populace.




1. The victors, therefore, considered their gods stronger than the gods of the defeated.

2. Such taunts were considered by faithful Israelites as a blasphemy against God.

Psalm 42:4, These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go with the multitude, leading the procession to the house of God, with shouts of joy and thanksgiving among the festive throng. (NIV) I. Extended progressive parallelism advances the thought in each suc-ceeding line.

A. The author’s nostalgia for the temple is overwhelming.

1. He had been a leader of the joyous processions to the temple for the happy festivals.

2. Fond remembrances of the anticipation of an inspiring worship assembly and the fellowship of fellow worship-ers filled him with the anticipation of future joy.

Psalm 42:5, Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and(NIV) I. He chastises himself for his “downcast” demeanor.

A. Rather than being so “disturbed”, he needs to replace his de-pression with the hope of praising God again.




B. We humans often talk to ourselves and what we say to our-selves carries a lot of weight in determining who and what we become.

Past Joys and Present Distress

Psalm 42:6-11, my God. My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar. Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me. By day the LORD directs his love, at night his song is with me— a prayer to the God of my life. I say to God my Rock, "Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?" My bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me, saying to me all day long, "Where is your God?" Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. (NIV) Psalm 42:6. my God. My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar. (NIV) I. The psalmist is still reminiscing, this time about his boyhood home in North Israel.

A. How familiar is this pastime.

1. He hopes that those past happy carefree days will as-suage his present anguish and help him to “remember” his happy encounters with God that helped to shape his heart and life.

a. “Remember” here indicates conscious purpose.




b. Remembering his past blessings at the headwa-ters of the “Jordan” uplifts his soul (inner being) that is cast down within him.

c. Mount “Herman”, the most majestic mountain in Palestine, standing 9,000 feet in elevation, was a symbol of the majesty of God.

d. “Mount Mizar”, near the headwaters of the Jor-dan, here symbolizes his deep distress.

Psalm 42:7, Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me. (NIV) I. “Deep calls to deep” suggests wave after wave of troubled waters.

A. “In the Bible, turbulent waters are often considered poten-tially destructive (Ps. 18:4; 69:1-2; Jonah 2:3,6).

1. Psalm 18:4, The cords of death entangled me; the tor-rents of destruction overwhelmed me. (NIV)

2. Psalm 69:1, 2, Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me. (NIV)

3. Jonah 2:3, 6, You hurled me into the deep, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all your waves and breakers swept over me. To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever. But you brought my life up from the pit, O LORD my God. (NIV)

4. Verse 7 certainly bears out that connotation here.




B. The author may have happily played near these amazing wa-ters, but now they have become for him a symbol of over-whelming sorrow.

Psalm 42:8, By day the LORD directs his love, at night his song is with me— a prayer to the God of my life. (NIV) I. The sudden switch from lament to a wisdom statement of trust is common in laments.

A. “By day” and “by night” are complementary phrases here indicating daily assurance.

B. Apparently, God’s “love” prompts the psalmist’s “song” about God, and his “prayer” to Him.

Psalm 42:9, I say to God my Rock, "Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?" (NIV) I. Verse 9 is in part a repetition of 43:2.

A. Psalm 43:2, You are God my stronghold. Why have you rejected me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy? (NIV)

1. In 43:2, “stronghold” replaces “rock”.

2. “Stronghold” is an excellent definition of “rock”.

B. His expression of his deep depression does not mean that he has given up on God, as the verses before and after amply ver-ify.




1. “Forgotten” here expresses his momentary apprehen-sion, not his studied attitude.

2. This momentary lapse does not define who he is.

3. As is so often the case in laments, he is at his emo-tional limits in his effort to understand God.

4. However, he knows the proper place to take his prob-lem, that is, to God Himself.

Psalm 42:10, My bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me, saying to me all day long, "Where is your God?" (NIV) I. “Bones” is a metonymy for “body”.

A. “Mortal agony” poetically expresses his fear of being com-pletely overcome by his enemy.

B. “Where is your God?” repeats the question of 42:3. See the notes there.

1. Psalm 42:3, My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me all day long, "Where is your God?" (NIV)

Psalm 42:11, Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so dis-turbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. (NIV) I. Verse 11 repeats 42:5, with a slight emendation in 42:5.

A. Psalm 42:5, Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and (NIV)




1. See the notes there.

B. These words will be repeated in 43:5, thus providing a major refrain that expresses his dissatisfaction with his doubts.

Prayer for Vindication

Psalm 43:1-5, Vindicate me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation; rescue me from deceitful and wicked men. You are God my stronghold. Why have you rejected me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy? Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide me; let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell. Then will I go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight. I will praise you with the harp, O God, my God. Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. (NIV) Psalm 43:1, Vindicate me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation; rescue me from deceitful and wicked men. (NIV) I. Prayers for vindication are very common in laments.

A. There is no wish for personal vengeance in Psalm 42 or 43.

B. “Plead my cause” is a familiar phrase that introduces the lit-erary device of a covenant lawsuit.

C. God should summon his enemies into court, condemn them, and grant deliverance to the righteous oppressed.

II. “Ungodly nation” probably suggests a pagan people, though not necessarily so.




A. It could refer to “deceitful and wicked men” within Israel.

B. “Men” is singular in the Hebrew but it could be used in a collective sense.

C. “Nation/people” stands for the persons who constitute the nation.

III. The two motives offered for deliverance are the deceitful and un-just nature of his enemies (1c) and his trust in God (2a). Psalm 43:2, You are God my stronghold. Why have you rejected me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy? (NIV) I. Verse 2 has been discussed in conjunction with 42:9. See the notes there.

A. Psalm 42:9, I say to God my Rock, "Why have you for-gotten me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?" (NIV)

Psalm 43:3, Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide me; let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell. (NIV) I. “Light” is a metaphor of guidance (Ps. 4:6; 36:9; 44:3; 89:15), and “truth” is a metaphor for reliability.

A. Psalm 4:6, Many are asking, "Who can show us any good?" Let the light of your face shine upon us, O LORD. (NIV)

B. Psalm 36:9, For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light. (NIV)




C. Psalm 44:3, It was not by their sword that they won the land, nor did their arm bring them victory; it was your right hand, your arm, and the light of your face, for you loved them. (NIV)

D. Psalm 89:15, Blessed are those who have learned to ac-claim you, who walk in the light of your presence, O LORD. (NIV)

III. He longs for circumstances to change so that he can again go to God’s “holy mountain”, Mount Zion, that is, Jerusalem, especially the temple where God dwells, so that he can engage once more in the cor-porate worship there (cf. 42:4).

A. Psalm 42:4, These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go with the multitude, leading the pro-cession to the house of God, with shouts of joy and thanks-giving among the festive throng. (NIV)

Psalm 43:4, Then will I go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight. I will praise you with the harp, O God, my God. (NIV) I. The psalmist has become more hopeful now.

A. He envisions a positive answer to his prayer.

B. He praises God for his renewed hope.

C. God has become his “joy” and “delight”. Psalm 43:5, Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. (NIV)




I. With a slight emendation in 42:5, the refrains in 42:5, 42:11; 43:5 are identical.

A. Psalm 42:5, Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and (NIV)

B. Psalm 42:11, Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. (NIV)

C. Psalm 43:5, Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. (NIV)

II. These refrains assure the reader that the psalmist has not lost faith in God in spite of his deep agony with which he describes his de-pressed condition. Application I. Reminiscing about the carefree days of youth can help assuage the anguish of later burdens. II. Blessed is the believer who has had the youthful encouragement of a loving family background and a spiritual relationship with God that will bolster his faith and sustain his hope in times of trouble and sor-row.




Questions

Psalm 42:1-11

Psalm 42:1-5

(Questions based on NIV text.) 1. What is the Psalter? _____________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 2. How many psalms are in Book II of the Psalter? _________________ Which psalms are included in Book II? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 3. Who wrote the psalms in Book II? Exactly which psalms were written by each author? ____________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 4. Who were the sons of Korah? What was their connection with the psalms? _________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________




________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 5. What is a maskil? _______________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 6. Why are Psalms 42 and 43 being studied together in this one lesson rather than separately? Give evidence that this is an appropriate ap-proach to this study. _______________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 7. What problems was the author of Psalms 42 and 43 facing as indi-cated in these psalms? Be specific. ___________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 8. “As the ________________ _____________ for _______________ of _________________, so my _______________ _______________ for you, O __________________.” 9. Where could the psalmist “meet with God”? Where can we meet with God? _______________________________________________




________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 10. What is living water? How are living water and the living God as-sociated in Psalm 42? ______________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 11. What caused the psalmist to weep? What was the significance of this taunting to ancients? ___________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 12. What did the psalmist remember with nostalgia? Why could he not at the time of the writing of Psalm 42 continue this activity? ____ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 13. What do you say to yourself? How does this self-talk affect your self-concept and your actions and attitudes? ____________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________




________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 14. Why was the psalmist depressed and disturbed? What was his remedy for this condition? __________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 15. As used in verses 6 and 7, what do the following represent: (a) land of Jordan _________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ (b) Hermon ______________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ (c) Mount Mizar __________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ (d) deep to deep __________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ (e) waterfalls, waves and breakers _____________________________ ________________________________________________________ 16. At 42:8 there is a _______________ _______________ from _______________ to a _______________ _______________ of _____________, a technique ______________ in _______________. 17. Recite expressions in 42:9-11 that describe the psalmist’s severe emotional distress. ________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________




18. What was the psalmist’s attitude toward God while in the depths of distress? ______________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 19. For what does the psalmist pray in Psalm 43:1? ______________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 20. What did the psalmist ask God, whom he regarded as his strong-hold, in Psalm 43:2? _______________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 21. For what did the psalmist pray in Psalm 43:3? ________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 22. What did the psalmist promise to do if God granted his prayer? See Psalm 43:4. ___________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________




________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 23. What questions did the psalmist ask himself in Psalm 43:5? What did he conclude was the answer to his problems? ________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 24. Where in Psalms 42 and 43 did the psalmist seek personal ven-geance? Do you find this unusual? If so, how? _________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 25. Explain the phrase, “Plead my cause.” What are its implications? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 26. What two motives are offered for deliverance in Psalm 43:1? ___ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________




27. For what do light and truth serve as metaphors? Discuss related scriptures. _______________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 28. For what did the psalmist long? __________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 29. Compare Psalm 42:5, 42:11 and Psalm 43:5. ________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 30. What applications can you make to your life of the teachings in Psalms 42 and 43? ________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 31. Is it pleasing to God for his children to be depressed, discouraged, despondent? Explain your answer. ___________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________




________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 32. The book of Psalms is divided into five books. Book I consists of chapters _______________ - _______________, Book II of chapters _______________ - _______________, Book III of chapters _______________ - _______________, Book IV of chapters _______________ - _______________, and Book V of chapters _______________ - _______________. 33. While we do not know exactly how or why these divisions devel-oped, scholars have proposed the following three possible reasons: (1) _____________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ (2) _____________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ (3) _____________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 34. _______________ - _______________ psalms in all are attributed to _______________. In what way can it be said that Psalm 72:20 “concludes the prayers of David the son of Jesse” when others psalms written by David come after Psalm 72? ________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 35. Of the three possible reasons for the psalms being placed into five (5) books, which one do you believe is most likely correct? Why do you take this position? _____________________________________




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cast down in confinement psalm 42:1-11 psalm...

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