I. The Psalmist expresses a longing for God. (vv.1-3)
A. The psalmist reflects on going to the House of God. (vv.4)
II. The Psalmist wrestling with feeling of despair and attempting to remain hopeful. (vv.5-11)
Detailed Analysis
The Psalmist expresses a longing for God. (vv.1-3)
Verse 1 begins with the psalmist expressing a longing to be with God. The palmist paints a very graphic picture to convey how God’s presence is desired. The statement, “As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God,” suggests that not only does the psalmist long for the very presence of God, but also the protection from enemies. A deer enjoys drinking water, uses it for protection, and needs it for survival. When a deer is being hunted it uses the water as a place of refuge. The deer will get into the water and submerge itself so that the hunter’s dogs will not be able to trace its sent. The deer’s nose is the only part of its body that is left unsubmerged. This allows the deer to detect when the danger has subsided. The psalmist is articulating a strong yearning to be in the presence of God, and a feeling of vulnerability to danger. The psalmist’s inability to be in the presence of God is personal. The words ‘me’ and ‘I’ have a fixed presence throughout the text.
Verse 2 of psalms continues to deal with the soul of the psalmist. The palmist said, “My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and behold the face of God?” The language of the thirsty soul is also found in (Ps. 63:1, 143:6). Once again the psalmist uses strong imagery in the above statement. The above statement suggests that the psalmist feels internally disconnected from God. The psalmist expresses a longing for the living God. This may have been...
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...ed. The psalmist said, “Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God.” The psalmist remains caught between despair and hope.
The psalmist, in Psalms 42, begins with a thirst for the presence of God. The Psalmist is clear about wanting to return home. Home is where the temple or the ‘House of God’ was. The psalmist seems to believe that the only way to get in the presence of God was to return to the temple. The psalmist expresses feels of depression as the psalmist wrestled with feels of abandonment by God. The psalmist confronts God with two questions. “Why was he forgotten?” “Why does God allow the enemies to oppress him?” The psalmist is jaxaposited between despair and hope. Once again, the psalmist proclaims that continued hope will be in God and praises will be given.
The psalmist has been taken away from a familiar land.
The book of Psalms is a collection of prayers, poems and hymns. Ultimately Psalms can be categorized under three main literary genres: laments, praise hymns, and thanksgiving psalms. Laments which the majority of psalms falls under are meant to be used in broad fashion rather than to relate to one set situation. Praise hymns are to praise God and all of his Glory. Last, thanksgiving psalms are to thank God for responding to our needs. In addition there is a natural breakdown of the Psalms into five main sections. Psalms was written over many centuries by many different people with King David being the main contributor. In addition to David we see the following contribute: Moses, Heman the Ezrahite, Ethan the Ezrahite, Solomon, Asaph, and the sons of Korah. Upon examination we find the oldest psalm (90) and the latest (137) are sometime apart. The latest being around 586 to 538 B.C. It is concluded that some person (albeit unknown) must have started the compilation around 537 B.C. Psalms is the longest book in the Bible, it includes 150 individual psalms. Key topics include God, his creations, war, wisdom, justice, worship, judgement, and sin. Some Major events that take place in Psalms include : The glory of God and the dominion of man, Praising God for His works and words, Psalm of the Good Shepherd, Psalm of the Great Shepherd, Psalm of the Chief Shepherd, The wedding Psalm, Psalm of life and the Psalm of
Gathering context from the heading, Psalm 63 is about the refugee David. As described in the title, the psalm occurred when “he was in the wilderness of Judah” (Psalm 63). There were two occasions where David was in the wilderness of Judah. This statement could be reference to David fleeing from Saul in 1 Samuel 23-24 or from Absalom in 2 Samuel 15. One reason to believe that 1 Samuel 23-24 connects Psalm 63 through a common theme is that David refers to himself as “king” in Psalms. In 1 Samuel 23-24, David had not become king yet. A common theme of enemies trying to destroy David is seen in both Psalm 63:9-10 and 1 Samuel 23-24. Psalm describes that whoever plans to kill him will be fail to in their goal. This is observed in several attempts in 1 Samuel. Saul had attempted to hunt for David in 1 Samuel 23:13, 28, and 24. Psalm 63, however, has a close connection with the account of Absalom’s revolt in 2 Samuel
These and added aesthetic expressions in the Bible do not aim to advise us some lesson. They are absolutely a action of adorableness and artistry. Abounding of the psalms are expressions of anguish or approbation or anger. The purpose of such psalms was not to acquaint information; they do not accord a hypothesis to evaluate. They are expressions of God’s humans with which we can identify.
Psalm 89 of the Book of Psalms, advocates the message of consequentialism, foreground by man’s relationship with God, with direct lin...
In conclusion, Psalm 56 uses strong imagery and metaphor to gain sympathy from both his God, who he is begging toward, and the reader who can relate to his plight and misery. Through similar stanzas of slightly varied yet repeated text, the author emphasizes his point and ties back to the main theme of anything and anyone being conquerable with His God on their
Psalm 113 reads like a 1st century pep talk for those with spiritual burnout. The writer makes his case for the Lord by pointing to the many ways that God earns our praise. These nine verses of scripture are saturated with three specific reasons to praise the Lord – He is Su...
The theme of Psalms 23 and Sermon on the Mount is that if we put ourselves in the hands of god, he will provide everything that we need. In Psalms 23:1 and 23:2 (The New King James Version), it suggests that we will want for nothing because god is a shepherd and we are the sheep that he will lead to our food and water. It suggests the same idea in Sermon on the Mount 6:26 and 6:28 (The New King James Version), where he leads and provides for the fowls and the lilies on the grass. In Sermon on the Mount 6:30, it stated that if god can clothe the grass with beautiful flowers why would he not do so with someone else who has put their faith and trust in him. In Psalms
The first (Psalms 1:1-41:13), mostly written by David, has similarities of the book of Genesis, points to man's fallen nature, his blessings, and redemption by God. The second (Psalms 42:1-72:20), describe similarities of the ruins of Israel and its restoration from the book of Exodus, written by David and the sons of Korah. The third (Psalms 73:1-89:52), relates to the book of Leviticus, foretelling the Holiness of God, and the importance of the tabernacle. These psalms express praises and thanksgiving to God for His holiness, and were written ...
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God”. (Philippians 4:6 NASB) When a high risk situation presents itself, Paul gives instruction to make a petition or request to God followed thru with a heart of thankfulness. This implies that, it’s not making an All-Knowing God aware of your situation, but it’s embracing that you are not alone and that the Holy Spirit wants to lead you. King David records his coping strategy found in Psalms 23:
The psalms of the Bible are classified generally in three categories: lament, wisdom, and praise. The laments are by far the largest collection in the Psalms, containing more than sixty psalms. These psalms deal with various topics such as struggle, trial, hardship, and suffering. These Psalms resonate with us when we equally face these roadblocks in our lives and spiritual journey. They then help us pour out our hearts to God and express ourselves to him in a more formalized devotional manner.
Today’s culture is one where people like to do as little work as possible. Even when it comes to reading our own scripture, The Holy Words of God, a lot of people like to look up one verse and reference it to something without knowing what the rest of the passage says. Psalms 109 is no exception, it is one the more widely misused passages as of late. A popular verse from Psalms 109 is verse 8 which reads “Let his days be few; and let another take his office”, this is seen in reference to our current president, but what people fail to realize is what else David is actually praying. This paper is going to go through Psalms 109 and unpack it verse by verse to show the true meaning of what David was praying and to give us a new look at how to pray.
Psalm 23 is by far my favorite Psalm; it has gotten me through a lot in life. In this reflection paper I will be discussing what I think the psalm means, how it applies to life, the genre and set-up of the Psalm. I will first discuss what I think it means and how it has affected me.
Temptations are one of life’s most riveting tests or enticements that we face diurnal. Moreover, it causes us to yearn for something that we do not necessarily need or it causes us to sin. Furthermore, if we give into temptation, we may be blissful, but it will only be ephemeral. It is because of “The Fall of Man” that sin is second nature for us, which in turn makes it facile to give into temptation. In other words, as the verbal expression goes “we were born in sin and live therein.” As a result, our temptations can either make us or break us. The Bible states in Romans 7:19 that “For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do” (King James Version). Strictly speaking, albeit we aspire to do good, because of our sinful nature, it becomes a struggle. However, it is for this reason, our nefarious nature that God sent down his son from Heaven, to give us hope. My definition of hope is “a positive anticipation of God’s promise.” It is this hope that gives us a reason to live, a reason to go on and vigor to surmount these temptations. Moreover, it is his death, burial and resurrection that gives us the hope of his saving grace. Nevertheless, despite the fact that hope is inexhaustible, temptation is inevitable, therefore, the Gospel according to Matthew 26:41 states” Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak (King James Version).
Psalm 43 is a cry to God: “Judge me O God and plead my cause against