Psalms Thirteen Commentary

I. Introduction

We are going to forgo a detailed discussion of the setting of this psalm; generally speaking, it was probably occasioned by Absalom’s rebellion (2Sa 15:1-18:33). Against this backdrop, namely, Rebellion, and its sorry fallout, through the lips of His beloved servant David, the Holy Spirit elegantly outlines rebellious humankind’s Salvation struggle in a few, short, theologically packed verses of Jehovah God’s Holy Word.

We will follow this format:

Verse of Scripture utilizing the YLT text followed by an NASB mouse over of that verse. Key words in the YLT text will be footnoted with a link to a word study based on the Hebrew text, and/or a general discussion relative to the given word (we are not biblical Greek or Hebrew scholars, please consider our grammatical constructions with a critical eye).

Commentary We shall be commenting on this passage keeping before us at all times the crucial fact that every jot and every tittle comprising these verses came forth under the inspiration of the blessed Holy Spirit. We pray that He, by His grace, helps us along the way.

II. Psalm Thirteen Commentary Verses

13:1-2- Till When, O Jehovah, Dost Thou Forget Me? Forever?

YLT TEXT: To the Overseer^[1] — A Psalm of David. Till when, O Jehovah, Dost Thou forget[2]me? — for ever? Till when dost Thou hide[3] Thy face[4] from me? Till when do I set counsels[5] in my soul? Sorrow[6] in[n] my heart daily? Till when is mine enemy exalted over me [please allow us to profile this enemy as the commentary unfolds ]? (Psa 13:1-2, cf. Psa 13:1-2, NLT).

COMMENTARY: David is here praying. He is wrestling with his God Jehovah in prayer. He is out-loud crying heavenward the things that whisper-soft nevertheless much wail down deep in his troubled soul and broken heart (David loved Absalom very much). He is here walking openly and honestly before his God Jehovah in prayer: “…. Till when, O Jehovah, Dost Thou forget me? — for ever? Till when dost Thou hide Thy face from me? Till when do I set counsels in my soul? Sorrow in my heart daily?…”. Dearest Christian friend, have you ever wondered where God is in your hour of need? But then, if only it were but an hour! Sometimes He hides His face for days, weeks, months, years… We confess that we once wondered, and much cried out-loud heavenward, like David here. But God plowed the rough fields of our misunderstandings and eventually taught us something important. He taught us how to find Him, even Victory, in the mix, in the tough and ugly mixes that beset. Here is what He taught us whilst we muddled in the mix—how to keep our eyes fixed on Eternity. That lesson plan was, indeed is, a long one. You see He, Jehovah God, inhabits eternity, and allows Himself to be found there (Isa 57:15). And thus found, all is well, literally. Why? Because His good and blessed promises usward, His remedial promises usward, manifest on the shoulders of faith in Him, first and foremost. Please notice that they manifest by way of faith in His promises usward only second: it is the lesser reward, that faith rewarded, that tastes His sweet promises; it is by far the greater reward, that faith rewarded, that finds the very God Jehovah, even Him, inhabiting eternity (“A Letter of Invitation”). So what of David here then; no question he had beforetime by His grace found God? One can find the eternal God Jehovah by His grace, but be deceived by mundane time and space and lose sight of Him inhabiting eternity. That is the immediate motivation behind this psalm; it is a mundane one that relates the groping of a hurting child of God who momentarily lost sight of Eternity, of the very God who inhabits eternity. But there is so much more here, beyond the immediate, beyond the mundane.

Let us step back and take another look at this prayer of David’s, a summary-look; he sort of puts it like so: ‘…Till when dost Thou [forget me], till when dost Thou [hide thy face from me], O till when must needs I [get busy in futility only to grieve and sorrow]?…’. Or maybe like so:  ‘…You don’t/won’t do, You don’t/won’t do, and I can’t do…’ The Salvation struggle outline we mentioned in the introduction is surfacing. David did not know when he penned these particular words that he was one in a long line of saints through whom God would in fact remember His beloved people and no less shine His face upon them (Mat 1:1-6, 7-12, 13-17, Rev 5:5, 22:16). And it is quite fitting that David’s immediate complaint is against an enemy who rebelled against him (we hold that it is Absalom, his privileged, rebellious son), thus pressing manifold grief and trouble upon David. No less that unclean thing Satan, that rebel, the enemy of God and His people, presses manifold grief and trouble upon God’s people, and presumes to do the same to God (imagine that). It is entirely under inspiration that David relates to us that only God can thwart this enemy, this consummate hater of God and His exalted-by-grace-people (“Revelation Chapter Thirteen Commentary: Perched for a Kill”): “…Till when is mine enemy exalted over me…”, David asks the Overseer, who alone can (and in fact did! “…Till when?…” = “Holy Week”) defeat and deflate this enemy, this presuming killer of God’s Salvation-exalted people. We praise and thank you great savior God.

13:3-4- Look Attentively, Answer Me, O Jehovah, My God

YLT TEXT: Look attentively[7] Answer[8] me, O Jehovah, my God, Enlighten^[9] mine eyes, lest I sleep in death, Lest mine enemy^[10] say, `I overcame him,’ Mine adversaries joy when I am moved. (Psa 13:3-4, cf. Psa 13:3-4, NLT).

COMMENTARY: David petitions God here for himself, for his immediate circumstances in the way of Absalom’s rebellion, but the revelation carried along by that petition in keeping with the Salvation struggle setting is O so telling—Surely hell would throw a party if only it could occasion the demise of a child of God: “…Lest mine enemy say, ‘I overcame him,’ Mine adversaries joy when I am moved…” (Hbr 7:22, 25, red font added). We think that Jehovah God condescended to “look attentively,” and did answer David here, not only by thwarting Absalom, but particularly through David’s great descendant Jesus. God worked here in a big way; it is characteristic of Him to do things just like that. Here he worked out a seemingly impossible to resolve near-term problem for His son David, and all the while had in mind (Gen 3:15) to work out a seemingly impossible to resolve longer-term problem for His soon to be myriad sons and daughters. But notice just now an interesting literal turn of phrase—David asks his God to “look attentively,” yet straightaway asks God to enlighten his eyes: “…Look attentively; Answer me, O Jehovah, my God, Enlighten mine eyes…”. David does not presume to understand God’s answer; he throws himself upon the grace and mercy of God to explicate it—God’s timing, His decisions, the outworking of the same—and to quicken David in its exercise and application in his life (and beyond). Salvation is like that (Jhn 3:8). Of course we know that things ended badly for the rebel Absalom, not at all the way David would have wanted. We believe it ended the way God wanted it to end. See how difficult God’s answer was? ‘…O enlighten mine eyes…’. But things ended well for David, quite in line with his prayer: “…Lest I sleep in death, Lest mine enemy say, ‘I overcame him,’ Mine adversaries joy when I am moved…” (red font added). It did not end like that at all for David, quite the opposite. And precisely so is our God’s Salvation: SALVATION=ENDING WELL. Our heartfelt prayer is that it may end well for you dear reader; you, so dear, and precious, and valuable, that very heaven rejoices when you turn your heart over to your great savior God Jesus and love, and serve, and treasure Him (“A Letter of Invitation”).

13:5-6-Praised Be Your Name, O Jehovah, My Champion, My God

YLT TEXT: And I, in Thy kindness I have trusted,[11] Rejoice doth my heart in Thy salvation.[12] I do sing[13] to Jehovah, For He hath conferred benefits upon me! (Psa 13:5-6, cf. Psa 13:5-6, NLT).

COMMENTARY: What a blessed turn in the text, not unlike that from Romans 7:24 to Romans 7:25. Here is a view to Eternity regained, and the attendant confidence in the face of little(r) matters. Yes, here is a view to the One who inhabits Eternity regained, He, ever obliterating, outdistancing, overwhelming, little nuisances like rebellious pretenders, and Godless Goliaths, and other sorry low-plane things like that, be they mundane or spiritual. Having by His grace found the One inhabiting eternity once again, David recalls the bountiful kindness the Eternal One has shown him beforetime, and straightaway his confidence bursts forth, he, David, now riding onward on the wings of God his Champion like beforetime (Fig. 1). La, La-La-La, La-La-La-La-La… Sing brother David! Sing to your God and our God, the great Jehovah God, and rejoice in His Salvation: “…And I, in Thy kindness have trusted. Rejoice doth my heart in Thy salvation [How could he have forgotten this salvation? It happens, does it not?]. I do sing to Jehovah, For He hath conferred benefits upon me [us!]…” O my praise God, even Jehovah God, He, abounding in championing grace, and kindness, and mercy, extending the same to as many as would love, and serve, and treasure Him (“ A Letter of Invitation”).

Praised be your Name great Jehovah God, Blessed Champion. My heart rejoices in you, my soul shall sing your praises forever and ever! Amen.