Psalm 13
Notes
Transcript
Psalms of Summer Series
Psalm 13
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
1 How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?
3 Consider and answer me, O Lord my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,
4 lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,” lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.
5 But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
6 I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me.
1. Introduction – This morning we are looking at my favourite category of Psalms – Lament psalms.
a. This is a very important category because lament psalms actually make up the largest single category of psalms.
i. There are 67 individual lament psalms as well as 15 communal lament psalms
1. More than half of the Psalms can be categorized as laments.
2. What is a lament? In our culture, lamenting is almost non-existent. We tend to hide our sorrow, grief, pain, despair, depression.
a. But in the ancient world, lament was commonplace, culturally accepted and practiced and was done right out in the open.
i. The purpose of lament and lament psalms isn’t simply to vent or whine or complain. The purpose is to provide structure for crisis, grief or despair.
1. The purpose of lament psalms is to move someone from hurt to joy, from darkness to light, from desperation to hope.
a. Martin Luther said that a lament psalm is a place where hope despairs and yet despair hopes.
3. Generally Speaking – Laments psalms are very rigid in their structure – more so than any other category of psalm.
a. They all follow a similar pattern, and use similar words and phrases.
i. Most lament psalms begin with an invocation, a question to God. – How Long, O Lord?
1. Something has happened in the psalmist’s life, and he feels abandoned by God.
a. But there is something to be noted – even though the psalmist feels abandoned, notice that the first person he turns to is God – the very one he feels abandoned by.
ii. But laments are never mere venting – they are pleas for divine assistance.
1. In fact, they are statements of deep faith. Faith that even though God feels absent and distant, there is faith and trust that he still hears, that he still cares and that he will still meet the psalmist’ needs.
a. Laments begin with a protest – have you forgotten me?
b. But even after protest, the psalmist is moved to petition God for help. This is where the psalmist describes the pain and agony of his situation, and asks God to intervene.
1. Often in this section, the psalmist will refer to his enemies. Now we automatically jump right to literal human enemies, but the meaning could be wide ranging.
a. Sickness, accusations, loneliness, persecution, fear, guilt, as well as other severe personal challenges – all of these things and so much more could rightly be classified as ‘the enemy.’
i. The psalmist pleads with God to hear his cry and to meet him in his despair. He asks God to alleviate the suffering, whether is it social, psychological or spiritual.
c. But the awesome thing about lament psalms is that they almost never end in lament.
i. They move from protest – petition – praise.
1. They move from hurt to joy; from a place of abandonment to a place of trust.
a. In fact, praise begins to flow even though there is no actual indication of deliverance. There is no statement of salvation or deliverance; no indication that anything has changed.
i. But through his protest and petition, the psalmist has reminded himself of his standing before God.
ii. Some lament psalms end with a promise or a vow to praise. I will praise God, in the future – when I have experienced God’s deliverance, I will turn back to praise.
d. I love lament psalms because they live in real life.
i. When the promises of God and the experiences of life don’t quite line up with each other – lament psalms are there to move us from protest – petition – praise.
1. I love the lament psalms. When I was sick, laid up in bed for days on end, I fell in love with the lament psalms and they fed my soul and strengthened my faith through my time of darkness and despair.
e. The beauty of these psalms is their generality and vagueness. The psalmist didn’t go into specifics and I believe today we can read them, and they can speak to us, not matter how we feel.
i. No matter what we are going through, Psalms of lament can help us put words to some of the things we are thinking, feeling or experiencing.
4. Psalm 13 – So let’s look at Psalm 13 – a typical psalm of lament.
a. Protest – as you would expect, Psalm 13 begins with protest – a fourfold repetition of the question “how long?” How long – forever? Addressed to God.
i. How long, must I listen to these thoughts in my head? Must my heart ache?
1. How long…shall my enemies triumph over me?
2. The psalmist feels abandoned, his pain his unrelieved, and his situation is getting worse.
ii. This opening is short, abrupt, and aggressive and addressed directly to God.
1. Something has happened to David and things aren’t getting better.
a. And to top it all off, God seems to be hiding his face. Instead of God’s face shining upon him; instead of God turning his face toward him and giving him peace
i. David feels like God has forgotten him – and this thoughts are driving him crazy and his enemies are overcoming him.
iii. In verses 1 and 2 David is in full protest mode.
b. Petition – But David allows his protest to move him to a place where he can petition God.
i. The language of vv.3-4 backs off a bit, it’s not as aggressive as the opening.
a. But by using the phrase “Lord, my God” the pressure increases a little bit.
i. There is a relationship here between God and David and God should respond.
1. David requests God’s attention and action. Consider me – turn your face toward me once again.
a. Allow me once again to experience your blessing.
ii. David makes a series of requests. To God, for himself and for his situation.
1. David pleads for deliverance – whatever his situation is, whether its running from Saul or Absalom, sin, sickness – whatever ‘enemy’ is currently defeating David – he petitions God – the very one he feels abandoned by.
c. Praise – But there is a surprising twist at the end of this psalm. Nothing has changed between vv.4-5, but there is a noticeable change in attitude.
i. But I… There is an unanticipated expression of trust and confidence.
1. Either David is manic depressive or the lament has brought him from darkness to light.
a. David is able to praise at the end because lamenting has reminded him of who God is – in this case lamenting has reminded him of God’s salvation, his steadfast love and his goodness.
i. But notice that nothing has changed – except David’s resolve to praise instead of protest.
b. Even though nothing has changed, even though he is still suffering, even though he is still in the throes of despair – he will trust and praise God.
i. Because God has dealt bountifully with him in the past, and he knows that God will deal with him in the same way in the future.
5. Psalm 13 Meaning – So what does this mean and how does this help us today?
a. Well, generally speaking, Psalms of lament remind us that lamenting is OK.
i. Actually, lament is biblically accepted and practiced. In fact, there is a whole book of the Bible dedicated to lamenting – Lamentations.
1. The fact that there are 82 psalms that are categorized as laments, it shows us that grief, sorrow, pain, protest, petition and praise are natural experiences to the life of faith.
a. But apart from being biblically accepted – lament actually exemplifies a life of deep faith.
ii. I suspect that if I stood up here and talked or prayed like God had abandoned me, it would strike a wrong chord with some of you.
1. Or, it may be downright offensive to you. “You can’t talk to God like that.” “Michael, quit being so irreverent before God.” “That’s an unacceptable way to speak to God.”
b. Some may hear a lament psalm and think it’s irreverent, but I hear it, and I hear of a deep and personal relationship between God and the psalmist.
i. David speaks of God hiding his face from David – what does that imply? That they had a face to face relationship.
1. Now we obviously know that the David didn’t actually walk and talk with God, but they did have a deep connection and a highly personal and close relationship.
c. Some readers might read a lament psalm and see harsh accusations toward God, I see it, and I am struck my David’s high expectations.
i. To David, Numbers 6:24-26 wasn’t simply a benediction – David actually expected God’s face to shine on him. David actually expected God to turn his face toward him and give him peace.
24 The Lord bless you and keep you;
25 the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
26 the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
1. David expected a deep and personal connection with his God. So when God felt distant, David called him on it.
ii. I believe it is a sign of deep faith, confidence and trust – to vent to God, to lament to God and then in turn expect that same God to bring about deliverance.
1. Lamenting, far from being irreverent, is actually a sign of a deep relationship with God and a deep trust in him.
6. God’s Faithfulness – But we don’t just learn about ourselves in Psalm 13, we also learn about the nature and character of God.
a. David says that he trusted in God’s steadfast love. In other translations it says that he trusted in God’s unfailing love. The Hebrew word is hesed. And hesed is far from something that God does – it is something that he is.
i. The NT talks about God being love – about God being agape – well the OT talks about God’s unfailing love also, but it uses the word hesed.
1. And God’s steadfast love is so much more than a feeling, hesed refers to God’s loyalty – his covenant loyalty.
a. In Exodus 34:6, when God revealed his name and character to Moses, he said that he was abounding in steadfast love, hesed, and faithfulness.
6 The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,
ii. God is loyal to those he is in a covenant relationship with. He was loyal to Israel.
1. He made a covenant with Abe, Ike, and Jake, and he remained faithful.
a. Even when Israel wasn’t faithful, God still pursued them, not because they were great but simply because he loved them.
iii. God is loyal to us also. Through the shed blood of Jesus we too can enter into a covenant relationship with God – a new covenant through his blood.
1. And God is faithful to us. Even when we don’t hold up our end of it, God still pursues us.
a. His hesed will not allow him to abandon his own.
b. That is why the psalmist, and us today, can sing and praise God in anticipation of his deliverance. Because God is hesed, abounding in steadfast love for us his children.
7. Application – So for us today…how does this apply?
a. Well, you might be in a season of your life when the world is all as it should be. Maybe you’re living in the land that is plentiful, streams of abundance are flowing – so I would encourage to say “blessed be your name.” God is pouring out his blessings, so it is your responsibility to turn back and praise.
i. But maybe you are here this morning and you are feeling far from God – maybe you’re going through a tough season in your life – an illness, loneliness, abandonment or you are grieving.
1. Maybe you are on the road marked with suffering, how can you bring yourself to a place where you can say, “Blessed be your name?”
b. When God feels absent, how do we regain a sense of his presence?
i. How can we – like David – move from protest – petition – praise?
c. Two things that I’ve found helpful in my times of distress – first, we need to talk about how we are feeling.
i. Yes, talk with trusted friends and family members, or your pastor.
1. But more than any of that – talk openly and honestly with God about how you are feeling.
a. Take all your hurt, pain, grief, sorrow, despair, desperation and tell him about it.
i. Tell him that you feel distant from him, tell him that you feel like he has forgotten you.
1. He is big enough to handle it.
ii. Maybe you can take your pain and despair to him through writing. You can take a psalm of lament and write it out. And maybe in your season of despair you hold on to the psalm and you make it your own.
1. When nothing else in life is making sense, you hold to it, you read it out you pray it out and you allow it to move you from protest, to petition, to a place or maybe a vow of praise.
a. Or maybe you can write an original composition. Write to God and tell him the turmoil and despair you feel.
i. Write openly and honestly and aggressively about where you are at.
iii. When I was sick, I did this. Both writing out lament psalms and journaling to God. Deep in the bowels of my hard drives, I still have my laments. It was therapeutic, and it helped bring me from a place of despair to a place of hope.
d. Or if you are not in to writing, maybe you can try vocalizing the way you feel. Again, you can memorize a psalm of lament and pray it out loud to God.
i. Maybe go for a walk or in your car on the way to work – vocalize to God how you are feeling.
1. Saying the words and voicing those feelings of despair also acknowledges that there is a continuing connection with God.
e. But remember, the goal of lament is not simply to whine to God, to vent to him or complain to him.
i. The goal of lament is to bring us to a place where we can say, “But I…” The goal is to turn despair into hope, our pleas into praises.
8. Conclusion – When we feel abandoned, reached a tough season in life, we can take the full weight of our pain to God.
a. With eyes stinging with tears, we can gaze on his beautiful face. From a heart torn by anguish, we can focus on God’s unchanging character and commitment.
i. With our voices still cracking with grief, we can still rejoice in God’s goodness.
1. In the deafening silence, we can still hear the heartbeat of our loving Father.
ii. And we can come to a point of praise – where we recognize that God’s silence does not mean his absence.
1. And even when God doesn’t seem to answer, he is still there and we can still praise him – because of his hesed, his love and loyalty – and because he still loves and looks out for his children.
