Psalm, Chapter 42
Thirsting for God in Trouble and Exile.
For the music director. A [a]Maskil of the sons of Korah.
- Before we read chapter 42 we must unpack the title of this message
- First we have Thirsting for God in Trouble and Exile
o When you thirst for water you feel dry and barren like you are evaporating
o To thirst is a powerful metaphor for this internal desire or need for God
o We note that it happens in Trouble and Exile
o We don’t know what kind of trouble this speaks of but we do know that exile is the state of being barred from one’s native country, typically for political or punitive reasons (they had to flee their homeland and live in foreign land is the idea)
- This Psalm is written for the music director (the man or woman charged with directing the music, the praise, the worship of God with musical instruments and voices)
o You might say “the man responsible to get people to praise”
- I is referred to as a “Maskil of the sons of Korah”
o A Maskil is one who is enlightened, a scholar or one who serves with discretion because of some lesson learned or experience
o So to fully understand this chapter we must learn “what was the enlightenment of the sons of Korah”
So the summarization of the sons of Korah is this:
our own songs of renewed purpose and redemption should flow out of a heart of humility as we remember the fallen state from which He raised us and the redemption that we experience through His grace.
- Now having this understanding, we begin Chapter 42
42 As the deer [b]pants for the water brooks,
So my soul [c]pants for You, God.
- As the deep pants for the water brooks
o Deer run for their life from predators
o They get dehydrated and tired and they must have water
o When the deep pants for the water brooks he/she is desperate for it
- So my soul pants for You, God
o The metaphor of the thirsty deer is used to describe the urgency for which our innermost being needs God
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God;
When shall I come and [d]appear before God?
- My soul thirsts for God, for the living God
o Your soul is that part which is spiritual and lives forever
o It is the deepest part of who you are
o It is your spirit crying out (as deep cries to deep)
- When shall I come and appear before God?
o In other words, your soul can’s wait to see God (face to face)
o To see Him; and to be seen by Him; to have fellowship with one another
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