Psalms
Chapter 43
1
Do Me Justice, Lord, Defend My Cause
Make justice, O God, and defend my cause against an ungodly people; deliver me from the wicked and deceitful.
2
You are my God, my stronghold, why have you cast me out? Why should I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?
3
Send forth your light and your truth; let them be my guide, let them take me to your holy mountain, to the place where you reside.
4
Then will I go to the altar of God, to God, my gladness and delight. I will praise you with the lyre and harp, O God, my God.
5
Why are you so downcast, my soul, why so troubled within me? Hope in God; for again I will praise him— my Savior and my God.
Commentaries
43
The author of this psalm nostalgically recalls the Temple in Jerusalem and the grand ceremonies of earlier times. He now lives in a foreign land where his words, culture, and faith seem meaningless to others. ‘Where is your God?’ they ask, and he questions himself: ‘Who am I?’ This psalm features a heartfelt call to God, with a refrain of hope repeated three times. Who among us couldn’t see ourselves in this psalm? Human progress, no matter how great and helpful, introduces new problems and awakens new desires. Sometimes we are aware that we were created for something greater. Nothing ever fully satisfies us, and death is always near. How can we rekindle those moments of true joy? This psalm is fitting for acknowledging God’s absence and our deep longing for his presence.