Psalm 13

Psa 13:1

SUPERSCRIPTION: "A PSALM OF DAVID".

HISTORICAL SETTING: Psa 12 ended with ref to the "vilest of the sons of Adam", ie Cain, who slew his brother. Psa 13 begins with allusion to the same incident: "The voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground" (Gen 4:8,10; cp "souls under the altar" in Rev 6:9,10). In David's life, prob Saul's sustained hatred and persecution, which nearly broke his spirit, as the 4-fold "How long?" emphasized. Note the desperation written into such chapters as 1Sa 21, 23, and 27: "I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul." Alternatively, there is the suggestion of serious illness in v 3, which may be related to Psa 32, 38, 39, 41, and 51.

HOW LONG?: A question repeated in Psa 74:10; 79:5; 89:46. Notice similar questions in Hab 1:2; Dan 12:6; 8:13. The general answer to such questions is in Isa 54:17: "For a small moment have I forsaken thee" (cp 2Co 4:17). Job, in the midst of intense sufferings, asked the same question (Job 13:24). Cp also Psa 10:1.

HOW LONG WILL YOU HIDE YOUR FACE FROM ME?: David's sorest trial was the occasional feeling that God had turned His back on him. His constant and intense longing was to behold God's face: Psa 11:7; 17:15; 27:4,8; 34:5. In Psalms, always ref God's presence in ark/tabernacle/temple: see VL, Psalms, God's face. (NT) This plaintive repetition tells of Christ's human spirit sorely tried: "How am I straitened till it be accomplished!" (Luk 12:50). Yet even when at the lowest ebb, these words of faith imply confidence that there will be an end to the evil time. In spite of Psa 22:1, it is not possible to believe that the Father ever truly hid His face from His Son. But there were times when human weakness was tempted to believe that He did: Psa 11:7.

Psa 13:2

HOW LONG WILL MY ENEMY TRIUMPH OVER ME?: Samuel's anointing of David carried with it an implicit divine promise that one day the exaltation would be his, and not Saul's.

SORROW IN MY HEART... MY ENEMY TRIUMPH OVER ME: Even though the gospels tell but little of this side of the psychology of Jesus, there must have been times when these words were poignantly true.

Psa 13:3

GIVE LIGHT TO MY EYES: 'Save me from this present physical exhaustion'; this was the experience of Jonathan on eating the honey: 1Sa 14:27,29. On a spiritual level, God's "light" is sweeter than honey (Psa 19:8,10).

OR I WILL SLEEP IN DEATH: The "sleep" of death: Job 7:21; Psa 6:5; 146:3,4; Joh 11:11; 1Co 15:18; 1Th 4:13-16. Intended as a deliberate contrast with Saul's experience when he slept the sleep of "safety" with a spear poised over his heart (1Sa 26:8)?

(NT) A sense of possible failure of Christ's life work and of his death: cp Isa 49.

Psa 13:4

MY ENEMY: Many psalms speak of conflict with an enemy! But in none of them is the enemy the "orthodox" Devil, but always a man, or men -- or self!

I HAVE OVERCOME HIM: See Mat 27:43.

AND MY FOES WILL REJOICE WHEN I FALL: The vaunting spirit of evil did rejoice against Christ, but only for a short while. It did not endure even as far as the 3rd day.

Psa 13:5

YOUR UNFAILING LOVE: Heb "hesed" refers to God's covenants of promise. Through all this harassment David knew that the throne was to be his. The way through all these horrific situations is by trust (faith) in God's "mercy".

(NT) Gethsemane illustrates how, many a time, a despondent spirit in Jesus gave way at last before the positive steadfastness of his faith. ("Mercy" does not necessarily imply forgiveness of sins; rather, it could be translated "lovingkindness".) As stated above, it is connected with God's covenants of promise, having to do with eternal life, and confirmed by the blood of Christ the "covenant-victim" (Heb 9:13-17).

Psa 13:6

HE HAS BEEN GOOD TO ME: "He hath dealt bountifully" (AV). This v may be read either as a later addition, when faith had won through, or as a typical Hebraism -- expressing, even in the midst of depression, that the reinforcements of heaven are at hand and all-sufficient.

SUBSCRIPTION: "FOR THE DIRECTOR OF MUSIC".