The Psalmist Lament

Selah:

Sacred Songs of the Psalter

Max A Forsythe

^© Anno Domini 2005

From the pulpit at Pilgrim’s Rest

Presbyterian Church in America

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Introduction: According to Derek Kidner, we begin the second cycle of emotions from anguish to assurance in verse nine. This time around, the details go to a greater depth before emerging with a triumphal witness to take courage and wait upon the goodness and kindness of the Lord God of heaven and earth. I would call this section the Psalmist’s personal lament.

After the bold confession of earlier verses, here we sense the reality of the ongoing conflict within the context of a barely sanctified human condition. It is sadly the fact of a continuing humanity in us, the “old man” with us, as the Apostle realized and described it centuries later.

As any person with a strong spiritual sensitivity realizes, sanctification is an ongoing struggle until our Lord returns, or we go to be with Him. We see here David’s self-confessed distress throughout the five verses before us today. Our section may be conveniently divided into four general parts. Besides the opening note of confidence, these include the self-appreciated troubles and exhaustion in verses nine and ten. In verse eleven, the Psalmist outlines the social context of worldly persecution. And in verses twelve and thirteen the two threads are bound together in an unwholesome worldliness that defies any life in the Spirit.

Development: We begin in verse nine with a positively stated request: “Be gracious to me, O Lord.” Here, David realizes the necessity of dependence on the love, mercy and oversight of the God of heaven. Show me Your grace, O Lord and in Your great kindness, remember me, know me – show me the facets of Your great love. I use the word “facets” here as indicative of the many surfaces of a diamond, which is meant to reflect any light received back towards the audience which beholds it. Greatly multiplied it seems the sorrows of David have become. And in his confidence, the psalmist lays out a list of details which the Father in heaven may consider before overwhelming them with the light of His countenance.

But, we are getting ahead of ourselves here. Why does the psalmist desire the grace of God? He is dying in the midst of life and the distress of his soul here is all too real. In our day and age, stress is a well acknowledged phenomenon. Its un-natural ramifications seem to proceed from the natural side effects of an all to human secularization in American life. Despair is another word by which we may describe a personal reaction to the day after day challenges given to us by the ungodly.

I am reminded of Pavlov’s experiments with dogs. Those experiments seemingly serve the purpose of managers and overseers more than they describe the fascinations of hungry and thirsty worldings. By that, I mean there is a real institutional manipulation, done quietly to achieve domination in any field of endeavor. This is usually the work of people most likely to fail in any calling. But for means and purposes beyond their understanding, their empowerment, as it is instituted by liberal humanists is meant to discourage honest and intelligent laborers. Why else would so many obviously impaired leaders be dumped before the electorate in the hopes that some may be elected to worldly power.

Again, I am reminded of how psychological tests were used at the beginning of my career to sideline my calling to the ministry. To my High School Guidance counselor, as well as my early mentors in the church, the very thought that the words “calling” and “vocation” might be somehow be extraordinary in any spiritual sense, was suspect when it came to my supposed sanity! But, the Lord is indeed gracious – I have been called to better things than all my worldly adversaries ever supposed. And in the course of dealing with the humanistic challenges, I have – like David been better prepared to serve the Lord with humility.

Immediately after requesting the Lord’s blessing, David’s lament blossoms full bloom.

These troubles are self-appreciated and as a result of the stresses named – David is exhausted. David’s tears, in the midst of life afflict his soul and body as well. Years ago, someone asked me about my ongoing professional troubles. I admitted that “my soul did hurt.” And on one occasion, my doctor was worried that several body systems were all too close to collapse. And so I took a six week leave of absence to recover. Several times over the years, I have been exhausted with sighing – worrying that no matter what I might try and do or say would lead to no good end. My strength failed and my body grew weak – and why: because, as just another sinful man like David – I had not the confidence of the Lord’s leading.

The next verse, the eleventh describes the social context of David’s troubles:

All that and more did I experience in the liberal church of my youth. There was always an undercurrent of politics and professional demeaning that accompanied my career. There were people who agreed with me, but all too many stepped aside so as not to be associated with my non-progressive attitudes and thinking. In the church of my fathers, my quaint attachment to the old confessions somehow became all to dangerous to the future of their church. How well, do I know the heart of David here in this psalm.

Providentially, we live in a day and age when men are not yet murdered for disagreeing with fallen spirit of the age. But, the shadows of the Reformation and Western Civilization grow dimmer with every passing year. Even in the midst of ruling in Israel, David would be dismissed as a lame duck, centuries before that electoral situation came to light. I am certain that any recent conservative presidents know all too well the poetry of David. Think of Nixon, Ford, Reagan and Bush the elder and younger as they endured all manner of persecution for only trying to do things right. Contemporary history books could easily be understood in the light of verses twelve and thirteen? And in the social contest for a level philosophical playing field over the years, I have known the pain of urgent whisperings to any and all that because of who and what I was – the only safe things was to ignore anything and everything I believed in and advocated.

Application: Now, I do not mean to take an unfair opportunity to whine and moan about our contemporary culture. My only purpose is to demonstrate the reality of David’s emotions in the face of spirited opposition to the will of God in His day and time. Of course, we must always carefully measure the intent of our words, ministry and calling before the Lord of all the earth. And yes, I took encouragement in many diverse and different places. Years ago, when I was in Junior High School, my celluloid hero was the character Davey Crockett, the actor who played him made a deep impression upon me when he advised: “Be certain you are right, and then go ahead.” Given some detailed records from the Honorable Mr Crockett’s service in the United States House of Representatives, those words seem to be almost in tune with the fictional legend that grew up around his name in later years. Of course, he found the end of his days at the Alamo, but that too was a good cause.

Let us end our meditation as we began it, the very words that summoned up hope in David’s mind even as he laid his troubled life before the Lord: “Be gracious to me, O Lord.” What more can we ask, as we carry the Word of His Spirit before the world in our own day and time. Be with me Lord, give me strength to do my duty according to Your promise, strength and purpose. Amen.

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