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Psalm Forty-three
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 43
This
psalm is without a title; but may well enough be thought to be one of David's:
and the Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, Ethiopic, and Syriac versions, call it a
psalm of David, and the latter adds, when Jonathan told him that Saul intended
to kill him; and certain it is, that it was wrote by the same person, at the
same time, and upon the same occasion as the preceding, seeing some of the same
expressions are used in it, see Psalm 42:1, title;
and some take this and the preceding to be but one psalm, and this might be
written with that on account of the rebellion of his son Absalom.
Psalm 43:1 Vindicate
me, O God, And plead my cause against an ungodly nation; Oh, deliver me from
the deceitful and unjust man!
YLT
1Judge me, O God, And plead
my cause against a nation not pious, From a man of deceit and perverseness Thou
dost deliver me,
Judge me, O God,.... The Targum adds, with the judgment of
truth; see Romans 2:2;
and plead my cause; which was a righteous one; and therefore he
could commit it to God to be tried and judged by him, and could put it into his
hands to plead it for him; See Gill on Psalm 35:1;
against an ungodly nation; meaning either the
Philistines, among whom he was; or his own nation, when they joined his son
Absalom in rebellion against him: some understand it of the great numbers that
were with Saul, when he was persecuted by him;
O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man; either
Absalom, who, under pretence of a vow he had vowed in Hebron, got leave of
David to go thither, and then engaged in a conspiracy against him; or
Ahithophel, who had been his friend and acquaintance, but now joined with
Absalom. It is true of Saul, who, under pretence of friendship, sought his
ruin, and to whom he expressed himself almost in the same words here used; see 1 Samuel 18:17.
Psalm 43:2 2 For You are the God
of my strength; Why do You cast me off? Why do I go mourning because of the
oppression of the enemy?
YLT
2For thou [art] the God of
my strength. Why hast Thou cast me off? Why mourning do I go up and down, In
the oppression of an enemy?
For thou art the God of my strength,.... Who being
the strong and mighty God was able to deliver and save him, as well as to plead
his cause; and was the author and giver of strength, natural and spiritual, to
him; and was the strength of his heart, life and salvation; and is a good
reason why he committed his cause unto him;
why doest thou cast me off? this is the language of
unbelief: it being what was not in reality, only in appearance: the psalmist
was ready to conclude he was cast off and rejected of God, because he was
afflicted and left in a desolate condition by him, and he did not immediately
arise to his help and deliverance, and had withdrawn the light of his
countenance from him; but God does not cast off or reject any of his people;
they always continue in his love, and in his covenant, and in the hands of his
Son; they are always in his sight and family, and shall never perish eternally;
and whoever casts them off, or casts them out, he will not;
why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? See Gill on Psalm 42:9.
Psalm 43:3 3 Oh, send out Your light
and Your truth! Let them lead me; Let them bring me to Your holy hill And to
Your tabernacle.
YLT
3Send forth Thy light and
Thy truth, They -- they lead me, they bring me in, Unto Thy holy hill, and unto
Thy tabernacles.
O send out thy light and thy truth,.... By light is meant,
not the law, as Arama; but rather, as some JewishF16Midrash Tillim,
& Jarchi, in loc. interpreters understand it, the Messiah, the sun of
righteousness, and light of the world; who is the author of all light, natural,
spiritual, and eternal; and whose coming into the world is often signified by
being sent into it. The Spirit of God also is the enlightener of men, both at
first conversion and afterwards, and is sent down into their hearts as a
comforter of them, by being the Spirit of adoption. The Gospel of Christ is a
great and glorious light, which, with the Holy Ghost, is sent down from heaven;
though perhaps here rather may be meant the light of God's countenance, the
discoveries of his favour and lovingkindness, which produce light, life, joy,
peace, and comfort: and by "truth" may be meant, either Christ
himself, who is the truth; or the Gospel the word of truth; or rather the
faithfulness of God in the fulfilment of his promises; and so the words are a
petition that God would show forth his lovingkindness, and make good his word,
which would be of the following use:
let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy
tabernacles; that is, to the place of public worship, where the tabernacle
was, the "hill" where it was, which seems to be Mount Zion; and is
called "holy"; not that there was any real holiness in it; only
relative, because of the worship of God in it; and the "tabernacle"
is called "tabernacles", because of the holy place and the most holy
place in it; the one being the first, the other the second tabernacle, as in Hebrews 9:2; and
this hill and tabernacles represented the church and ordinances of God, to
which such who are possessed of light and truth are led.
Psalm 43:4 4 Then I will go to the
altar of God, To God my exceeding joy; And on the harp I will praise You, O
God, my God.
YLT
4And I go in unto the altar
of God, Unto God, the joy of my rejoicing. And I thank Thee with a harp, O God,
my God.
Then will I go unto the altar of God,.... Which was
in the tabernacle, either of burnt offerings, or of incense, there to offer up
the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving for mercies received. The altar under
the Gospel dispensation is Christ, on which such sacrifices being offered, are
acceptable to God, Hebrews 13:10;
unto God my exceeding joy; as over the mercy seat,
upon a throne of grace, and as his covenant God; or this is exegetical of the
altar, which is Christ, God over all, blessed for ever; and who is the object
of the unspeakable joy of his people, in his person, righteousness, and
salvation;
yea, upon the harp will I praise thee, O God, my God: the harp is a
musical instrument, used in that part of public worship which concerned the
praise of God under the former dispensation, and was typical of that spiritual
melody made in the hearts of God's people when they sing his praise, see Revelation 5:8.
Psalm 43:5 5 Why are you cast down, O
my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet
praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.
YLT
5What! bowest thou thyself,
O my soul? And what! art thou troubled within me? Wait for God, for still I
confess Him, The salvation of my countenance, and my God!
Why art thou cast down, O my soul?.... See Gill on Psalm 42:5 and See
Gill on Psalm 42:11.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》