Psalms 43:1 - Meaning and Application

David now turns to God in faith and prayer, and he speaks to him as his Judge, his strength, his guide, his joy, and his hope. He does this with fitting feelings and words. As his righteous Judge, he knows God will judge him, and because he knows his own heart, he trusts God will judge for him in justice (Psalm 43:1). He says, “Judge me, O God, and plead my cause.”

David had people accusing him, so he stands like a defendant before them. From their courts, where he had been wrongly condemned, he appeals to the highest court in heaven. He asks God to reverse their judgment and clear his innocence. He also had people who harmed him, so he comes as a plaintiff to the one who avenges wrongs, asking for justice on his own behalf and against them.

Notice who his enemies were. They were a sinful group, whom he calls an ungodly and unmerciful nation. People who are unmerciful show that they are ungodly, because those who fear and love their master will care for their fellow servants. There was also one deceitful and unjust man who led them, most likely Saul, who treated David badly and acted dishonestly toward him. If Absalom, David’s son, was meant instead, his character was no better. As long as there are such evil people in the world, it is no surprise that good people still suffer cruel treatment.

Some think David spoke this psalm by the Spirit of prophecy for the later use of the Jews in Babylon. If so, the Chaldeans were the ungodly nation in view. The psalm fit them well, as other Scriptures also do, though none of Scripture is to be treated as private and limited to one person or time. God may have intended it for their use, whether David saw that far ahead or not.

David’s prayer is, “Judge me.” As to the guilt he had before God because of sin, he asks, “Do not enter into judgment with me, or I will be condemned.” But as to the case his enemies had made against him, he says, “Lord, judge me, because I know I will be shown right. Plead my cause against them, stand with me, and show in your providence that I am in the right.” Anyone who has an honest cause may expect God to defend it. If God delivers us, we may say our cause has been pleaded, even if our enemies are not destroyed.

David also looks to God as his strength, his all-sufficient strength (Psalm 43:2). He says, “You are the God of my strength, my God, my strength.” All his strength comes from God, and he depends on God for it. God had often strengthened him before, and without God he is as weak as water, unable to do or endure anything for God. David is grieving now and feels no spiritual joy, yet he still finds God to be the God of his strength. If we cannot comfort ourselves in God, we can still lean on him, and we may receive inward support even when we lack inward joy.

David presses this point in prayer: “You are the God on whom I depend for strength, so why do you cast me off?” That was a mistaken fear, because God never casts off those who trust in him, even when they feel deeply troubled about their own condition. He also says, “You are the God of my strength, so why is my enemy too strong for me, and why do I go mourning under his heavy power?” It is hard to fit together the great power of the church’s enemies and the almighty power of the church’s God, but the final day will make it clear. Then all Christ’s enemies will become his footstool.

David next looks to God as his faithful guide (Psalm 43:3). He asks, “Lead me, bring me to your holy hill.” He wants God, through his providence, to bring him back from exile and open the way for him to enjoy God’s sanctuary again. His heart is set on the holy hill and the tabernacles, the place of worship, not on family comfort, royal favor, or entertainment. He can bear losing those things, but he longs to see God’s tabernacles again. Nothing looks so beautiful to him as those holy places.

To that end, he prays, “Send out your light and your truth.” He wants the good that comes from God’s favor, which is like light, and the keeping of God’s promise, which is truth. We need nothing more to make us happy than the good that flows from God’s favor and is included in his promise. His mercy and truth are enough. When we see those in God’s works, we know we are under safe guidance. Those whom God leads, he leads to his holy hill and to his tabernacles. So those who claim to be led by the Spirit, yet turn away from God’s appointed worship, are certainly deceiving themselves.

David also asks that God’s grace would bring him into fellowship with God and prepare him for the sight and enjoyment of God in the life to come. Some Jewish writers understood the light and truth here as the Messiah, the Prince, and Elijah, his forerunner. They had already come in answer to Old Testament prayers, but we still should pray for God’s light and truth, that is, the Spirit of light and truth. He makes up for Christ’s bodily absence, leads us into the mystery of true godliness, and guides us in the way to heaven. When God sends his light and truth into our hearts, they guide us toward the life above in our prayers, our goals, and our hopes. If we follow that light and truth with care, they will surely bring us to the holy hill above.

David also sees God as his joy, his great joy. If God leads him back to his tabernacles and restores his former freedom, he knows what he will do: “Then will I go to the altar of God” (Psalm 43:4). He will draw as near to God as he can, because God is his exceeding joy. Those who come to the tabernacles should also come to the altar. Those who enter God’s worship should prepare themselves to come to the more serious and special acts of worship. The nearer we draw to God, the closer we should hold to him.

Those who come to the altar of God must be careful that they truly come to God there, with the heart and with sincerity. We come to holy worship in vain if we do not come to the holy God himself. And those who come to God must come to him as their exceeding joy, not only as their future blessedness, but as their present joy, a joy greater than all the pleasures of this world. The original phrase is very strong, meaning “unto God, the gladness of my joy,” or “of my triumph.” Whatever we rejoice in, God must be the heart of that joy. All our joy in the gift should end in the giver.

When we come to God as our exceeding joy, our comfort in him should become the matter of our praise to him as God, and as our God: “Upon the harp will I praise you, O God, my God.”

David was skilled at the harp, and he used that gift to praise God (1 Samuel 16:16, 1 Samuel 16:18). We should give God our best, because he is worthy of the best we have to offer. It is fitting to honor him in this way, since he is the greatest of all.

David also set his hope on God, and that hope did not fail him (Psalm 43:5). Here, as before, he speaks sharply to his own soul because of his sadness and discouragement. He admits that he should not have given in to them, since he had no good reason to do so: “Why are you cast down, O my soul?” He then quiets himself by believing that he will yet praise God and enjoy God’s help and presence. “He is the health of my countenance and my God” means that God restores his joy, lifts his face, and remains his God. This is a truth we cannot hold too tightly, because it is what we must live and die by.