Psalms 13
The Psalmist, mourning
God’s absence and the triumph of his enemies, prays for relief before he is
totally destroyed, and is encouraged to hope his trust will not be in vain.
This psalm consists properly of three parts:
I. A complaint as of one
who was forsaken by God; who was persecuted, and who saw no means of
deliverance; who took counsel with his own heart how he might be delivered, but
who found no way in which it could be done, Psa_13:1-2.
II. An earnest prayer to
God that He would interpose; that He would attend to the cry of the sufferer;
that He would enlighten his mind; that his enemy might not be allowed to
prevail against him, and rejoice over his fall, Psa_13:2-3.
III. A cheerful confidence
in God that he would grant this favor, and interpose in his behalf, Psa_13:5-6.
This is entitled, “A Psalm
of David,” and there is no reason to suppose that he was not the author. Yet
there are in it no indications of the time when it was written or of the
circumstances under which it was posed. It would seem to have been time of
persecution, and it would be most natural to refer its composition to the
persecutions which David experienced from Saul. Most of the rabbinical writers
understand it as referring to the whole Hebrew people, and as expressing their
sentiments and feelings in times of persecution in general. The psalm, though
undoubtedly composed with reference to the special circumstances and trials of
the author, contains sentiments applicable at all times to believers, and may
be regarded as exemplifying the way in which pious feeling expresses itself in
times of persecution and trial. Individuals are at times in circumstances in
which the language of this psalm exactly expresses the feelings of their hearts;
and the psalm is of great value, therefore, in the church, as illustrating the
fact that good people may sometimes feel desolate and forsaken, as if even God
had left them; the fact that they will, in such circumstances, cry earnestly to
God for his interposition; and the fact that they will have, and will manifest,
as the result of such an appeal to God, a cheerful confidence in His protecting
care.
Psa 13:1 To the chief Musician, A
Psalm of David. How long wilt thou forget me, O LORD? for ever? how long wilt
thou hide thy face from me?
How long wilt thou forget me, O Lord? – literally,
“until when.” The psalmist breaks out into this cry “in the midst” of his
troubles. He had apparently borne them as long as he could. It seemed as if
they would never come to an end. We may presume that he had been patient and
uncomplaining; that he had borne his trials long with the hope and belief that
they would soon terminate; that he had waited patiently for deliverance,
uttering no words of complaint; but now he begins to despair. He feels that his
troubles will never end. He sees no prospect of deliverance; no signs or tokens
that God would interpose; and he breaks out, therefore, in this language of
complaint, as if he was utterly forsaken, and would be forever.
How long wilt thou forget me – The words translated here how long, to what length, to
what time, are four times repeated in the two first verses, and point out at
once great dejection and extreme earnestness of soul.
How long wilt thou forget me, O Lord? for ever - When God does
not immediately deliver his people from their enemies, or help them out of an
affliction; they are ready to conclude he has forgotten them; and sometimes
this continues long, and then they fear they are forgotten for ever; and this
they cannot bear, therefore they start questioning God in a querulous manner,
as the psalmist does here. God does not forget his people; oblivion does not
fall upon him with respect to common persons and things; and much less with respect
to his own dear children.
Forever - He had been forgotten so long, and there appeared to
be so little prospect of deliverance, that it seemed as if God never would
return and visit him with mercy. The expression denotes a state of mind on the
verge of despair.
Wilt thou hide thy face from me – friendship or favor is shown by turning the face
benignantly toward one; by smiling upon him; in Scriptural language, by
“lifting up the light of the countenance” upon one. Aversion, hatred,
displeasure, are shown by turning away the countenance. God seemed to the
psalmist thus to show marks of displeasure toward him, and he earnestly asks
how long this was to continue.
Psa 13:2 How long shall I take
counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? how long shall mine enemy
be exalted over me?
Take counsel in my soul - I am
continually framing ways and means of deliverance; but they all come to naught,
because thou comest not to my deliverance. When a soul feels the burden and
guilt of sin, it tries innumerable schemes of self-recovery; but they are all
useless.
How long shall I take counsel in my soul – nothing is worse than for a man to take counsel of his
own heart, or only to consult himself; for such counsel often casts a man down,
and he is ashamed of it sooner or later: but this seems not to be the sense
here; the phrase denotes the distressing circumstances and anxiety of mind the
psalmist was in; he was at his wits' end, and cast about in his mind, and had
various devises and counsels formed there; and yet knew not what way to take,
what course to steer;
Having sorrow in my heart daily – Every day; constantly. That is, there was no
intermission to his troubles. The sorrow in his heart seems to have been not
merely that which was caused by troubles from without, but also that which
sprang from the painful necessity of attempting to form plans for his own
relief - plans which seemed to be in vain.
having sorrow in my heart daily – by reason of
God's hiding his face from him; on account of sin that dwelt in him, or was
committed by him; because of his distance from the house of God, and the
worship and ordinances of it; and by reason of his many enemies that surrounded
him on every side: this sorrow was an heart sorrow, and what continually
attended him day by day.
how long shall mine enemy be exalted over me - Both physical and spiritual enemies.
Psa 13:3 Consider and hear me, O
LORD my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death;
Consider and hear me – literally, “Look, hear me.” God had seemed to avert
his face as if he would not even look upon him Psa_13:1; and the psalmist now
prays that he “would” look upon him - that he would regard his wants - that he
would attend to his cry.
Consider and hear me – Rather, answer me. I have prayed; I am seeking thy
face I am lost without thee; I am in darkness; my life draws nigh to
destruction; if I die unforgiven, I die eternally. O Lord my God, consider
this; hear and answer, for thy name’s sake.
Consider and hear me, O Lord my God – The psalmist
amidst all his distresses rightly applies to God by prayer, claims his interest
in him as his covenant God, which still continued notwithstanding all his
darkness, desertions, and afflictions; and entreats him to "consider"
his affliction and trouble, and deliver him out of it;
Lighten mine eyes – The allusion here is, probably, to his exhaustion, arising from trouble
and despair, as if he were about to die. The sight grows dim as death
approaches; and he seemed to feel that death was near. He says that unless God
should interpose, the darkness would deepen, and he must die. The prayer,
therefore, that God would “enlighten his eyes,” was a prayer that he would
interpose and save him from that death which he felt was rapidly approaching.
Lest I sleep the sleep of death - literally, “Lest I sleep the death;” that is, “in”
death, or, as in the common version, the sleep of death. The idea is, that
death, whose approach was indicated by the dimness of vision, was fast stealing
over him as a sleep, and that unless his clearness of vision were restored, it
would soon end in the total darkness - the deep and profound sleep - of death.
Death is often compared to sleep.
Psa 13:4 Lest mine enemy say, I
have prevailed against him; and those that trouble me rejoice when I am moved.
Lest mine enemy say, I have prevailed against him – That is, to triumph over him as having obtained a
complete victory.
Lest mine enemy say, I have prevailed against him – Which is an argument God would take notice of; and for
which reason he does not give up his people into the hands of their enemies;
Deu_32:27.
And those that trouble me – Hebrew, “My adversaries.” The reference here is the
same as in the former member of the verse. It is to the enemies that seemed
almost to have triumphed over him already, and under whose power he was ready
to sink.
When I am moved – Moved from my steadfastness or firmness; when I am overcome. Hitherto
he had been able to hold out against them; now he began to despair, and to fear
that they would accomplish their object by overcoming and subduing him.
When I am moved – When moved from my steadfastness and overcome by sin.
when I am moved - meaning from his house and family, from his country
and kingdom, from a prosperous state and condition to a distressed one; at
which the troublers of David's peace would rejoice. They that trouble the
saints are sin, Satan, and the world; and the two last rejoice when they are in
an uncomfortable and afflicted condition;
Psa 13:5 But I have trusted in thy
mercy; my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation.
But I have trusted in thy mercy – In thy favor; thy friendship; thy promises. His
original confidence had been in God only, and not in himself. That confidence
he still maintained; and now, as the result of that, he begins to exult in the
confidence that he would be safe.
But I have trusted in thy mercy – The faith,
hope, and comfort of the psalmist grew and increased by prayer; from
complaining he goes to praying, from praying to believing; he trusted not in
himself, not in his own heart, nor in his own righteousness and merits, but in
the mercy of God;
But I have trusted in thy mercy – Trust is followed by rejoicing in the deliverance
which God effects, and, instead of his enemy, the psalmist can lift the song of
triumph.
My heart shall rejoice in thy salvation – The word “salvation” here does not refer to salvation
in the future world, but to deliverance from his present troubles, or to God’s
interposition in putting him into a condition of safety. The idea is, that he
had entire confidence that God would interpose, and that there would yet be
cause to rejoice in that salvation as actually accomplished. He now calls on
his heart to rejoice in the assurance that it would be his.
my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation – which God is
the contriver, author, and giver of, and in which the glory of his perfections
is so greatly displayed: and a true believer rejoices more on account that God
is glorified by it than because of his own interest in it; and this joy is an
inward one, it is joy in the heart, and is real and unfeigned, and is what
continues, and will be felt and expressed both here and hereafter.
Psa 13:6 I will sing unto the LORD,
because he hath dealt bountifully with me.
I will sing unto the Lord, because he hath dealt
bountifully with me – The word which is here rendered “dealt bountifully”
means properly “to deal” with anyone; to “treat” anyone well or ill; and then,
to requite, or recompense. When used absolutely, as it is here, it is commonly
employed in a good sense, meaning to deal favorably, or kindly, toward anyone;
to treat anyone with favor. It means here that God had shown him kindness or
favor, and had thus laid the foundation for gratitude and praise. The psalm
closes, therefore, with expressions of joy, thankfulness, triumph. Though it
begins with depression and sadness, it ends with joy. This is often observable
in the Psalms.
I will sing unto the Lord – That heart is turned to God’s praise which has a clear
sense of God’s favor.
I will sing unto the Lord – In prayer faith
is encouraged, through believing the heart is filled with joy; and this joy is
expressed by the lips, in songs of praise to the Lord, ascribing the glory of
salvation to him, and giving him thanks for every mercy and blessing of life;
The psalm that began with
sorrowful complaining ends with the language of praise and of joy. So, too, it
is in our own experience. Afflicted, depressed, and sad, we go to God.
Everything seems dark. We have no peace - no clear and cheerful views - no joy.
As we wait upon God, new views of his character, his mercy, his love, break
upon the mind. The clouds open. Light beams upon us. Our souls take hold of the
promises of God, and we, who went to His throne sad and desponding, rise from
our devotions filled with praise and joy, submissive to the trials which made
us so sad, and rejoicing in the belief that all things will work together for
our good.
