Ezekiel Kimosop Supporter

What was the psalmist's problem in Psalm 42:3-4?

Psalm 42:1-4 says "As the deer pants for the water brooks,
So pants my soul for You, O God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God?
3 My tears have been my food day and night,
While they continually say to me,
“Where is your God?”

4 When I remember these things,
I pour out my soul within me.
For I used to go with the multitude;
I went with them to the house of God,
With the voice of joy and praise,
With a multitude that kept a pilgrim feast." (NKJV). 

To appreciate the psalmist's predicament, the Bible reader should read through the entire psalm. 

The psalmist exudes hope in v.5b, saying "... Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him
For the help of His countenance."

Was the psalmist possibly in exile at this point? The NKJV aptly titles the psalm "Yearning for God in the Midst of Distresses." The psalmist was suffering some heavy distress whose details are not disclosed in the psalm. He was longing for an opportunity to appear before God in the temple. There is a hint in v.44 that the psalmist used to worship God in the gathering of His people but it appears that this experience was curtailed under unclear circumstances. The psalmist reveals in v.9b that he was under the oppression of an undisclosed enemy. He was possibly captured by enemy forces and detained or imprisoned. 

The ridicule in v.11 is telling. The psalmist's enemies mock him all day long, saying "Where is your God?”. This could be an indication that he was under enemy captivity, far away from Israel. The mention of the territory in v.6 suggests that he was in a heathen location outside the territory of Israel: 

"Therefore I will remember You from the land of the Jordan,
And from the heights of Hermon,
From the Hill Mizar."

While we may not fully understand the circumstances behind the experience of the writer at this point, Psalm 42 reveals that the psalmist as most likely a downcast covenant Jew who was possibly held by enemy captors outside the territory of Israel. His liberty was curtailed and this could explain his distress. He longed for the communal temple worship which had preciously shaped his religious life. 

This psalm teaches us that no matter what distressful circumstances we find ourselves in, our covenant relationship with God will be preserved. We should therefore be encouraged that God is still with us in those difficult moments. We can commune with God and make petitions to Him and more importantly keep our hope on Him. At His appointed time, He will rescue us from our distress and affliction.

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