David wrote this Psalm either while running from either Saul or Absalom. This was a season of his life when he was suffering from betrayal and pain. We've seen other Psalms from this time in his life reflect the sorrow he felt. We've seen David ask the Lord how long this season would last? In this Psalm we see David express his deep devotion, love and commitment for the Lord. It is during these seasons that our love and commitment grow. It is hard to acknowledge that fact when your world is crumbling around you, but it is good to re-affirm our faith in Christ. It is noteworthy that David wasn't focused on his discomforts of being in the wilderness but on the spiritual affects on his life.
A Psalm of David when he was in the wilderness of
1 O God, You are my God;
Early will I seek You;
My soul thirsts for You;
My flesh longs for You
In a dry and thirsty land
Where there is no water.
2 So I have looked for You in the sanctuary,
To see Your power and Your glory.
As David stands in the wilderness he declares that Elohim you are my El. Everyone has a god and David declares his God to be Elohim. Seeking the Lord early may be better stated as seeking Him earnestly. David thirsted for God. Think of a man making his way through a desert all the while looking for a place to drink. That's how David saw his life. He was in a barren place but God was even there. That place might have seemed like a God forsaken place but even there David declared that the Almighty God was his Lord. David missed his normal place of worship in the sanctuary of the tabernacle. He longed to return there and seek after God's power and glory.
3 Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,
My lips shall praise You.
4 Thus I will bless You while I live;
I will lift up my hands in Your name.
5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness,
And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.
This reminds me of Philippians 1:21 where Paul looks at his life and wonders is it better to live or die. To live is Christ, to die is gain. Our life in the Lord is not about our here and now because sometimes we find the 'here and now' is in the wilderness. Our joy is wrapped up in the infamous lovingkindness of the Lord and that is better than life itself. Our life is a precious gift from the Lord and we, just like David, should spend it declaring praise to God. The biggest blessing of this life isn't living our best life now or having the stuff of the world, it is humbling our self and submitting to the Lord. It is seeking after Him. In that we will find our soul is satisfied. In Christ alone we find forgiveness of sins; that forgiveness is the only thing that can sooth a soul tortured by sin and shame. The spiritual satisfaction found in the Lord is similar to the satisfaction of eating the best banquet food. In that satisfaction, in this life, my mouth shall praise You, God.
6 When I remember You on my bed,
I meditate on You in the night watches.
7 Because You have been my help,
Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.
8 My soul follows close behind You;
Your right hand upholds me.
David found reassurance in his present circumstances by looking back and remembering what the Lord had done in his life. You can imagine David lying down at night after being on the run all day and meditating on the Lord. He had times of doubt and he wondered how long this would last, where it would it and how it would end. Where was God leading him? We've all felt this way. When we look back we should be sure to understand the Lord's hand in our life in prior circumstances. In this way, we glory in the Lord and we are sure to follow close behind Him, seeking after him. We are always in reach of the Lord, no matter where we are.
9 But those who seek my life, to destroy it,
Shall go into the lower parts of the earth.
10 They shall fall by the sword;
They shall be a portion for jackals.
11 But the king shall rejoice in God;
Everyone who swears by Him shall glory;
But the mouth of those who speak lies shall be stopped.
The men who sought David's life were not men who worshiped the Lord. These men opposed God and God's plan. David declared their hopelessness and their destination as surely as he declared God to be his God. These men would go to the lowest place, Hades. It was the hidden place that is granted to those who desire to be separated from the Lord. They would fall by the sword and be dragged off by the jackals. These men thought they were doing the bidding of the king. In reality they had separated themselves from God and their end would match their approach to life. But the king, the one who sought after God, he shall glory in the Lord and all who swear allegiance to him will do likewise.
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