Psalms 43

Psalm 43 serves as a continuation of the lament in Psalm 42, where the psalmist transitions from deep emotional turmoil to a resolve of hope rooted in divine vindication and the prospect of restored worship.

• The psalmist petitions God for a legal verdict against his deceitful adversaries (v. 1).
• He laments his current state of abandonment and mourning, questioning why God seems to have rejected him (v. 2).
• He prays for divine guidance through 'light and truth' to lead him back to the sanctuary (v. 3).
• He anticipates the joy of returning to the altar for worship (v. 4).
• He concludes by commanding his own soul to hope in God, his ultimate source of salvation (v. 5).

• The refrain in verse 5 ('Why art thou cast down...') which mirrors Psalm 42:5, 11
• The contrast between the 'ungodly nation' and the 'holy hill'
• The movement from 'mourning' (v. 2) to 'exceeding joy' (v. 4)
• The usage of 'light' (אור) and 'truth' (אמת) as guiding agents

This passage highlights the critical reality that true stability for the believer is not found in the absence of enemies or sorrow, but in the presence of God. It provides a canonical example of self-counsel, showing how Scripture encourages believers to preach truth to their own despairing souls.

When circumstances cause the soul to despair, the path to restoration lies in turning from the contemplation of one's own misery to the contemplation of God’s character and His promise of salvation.

The Psalm follows a clear arc from external legal pleading to internal psychological re-orientation. It moves from the desperation of being cast off by enemies to the anticipation of communion with God at the altar.

• Hope in God (Psalm 43:5)

• The deceitful and unjust man will be encountered by the righteous (Psalm 43:1)

• The author is likely a person barred from the temple, possibly a Levite or priest given the intimate familiarity with the tabernacle and the altar service.

• In ancient Israel, the tabernacle or temple was recognized as the earthly dwelling place of God’s presence, making exile from it a severe spiritual crisis.

• This psalm lacks a superscription and functions as the third stanza of the song begun in Psalm 42.

• Matthew Henry observes that the believer in distress should seek the 'light and truth' of God's Word to guide them. There is a historic interpretive tension here: some scholars view 'light and truth' as a specific allusion to the Urim and Thummim (Exodus 28:30) used by priests for divine guidance, while others, following a Christological lens like Henry, see this as an anticipation of the Holy Spirit leading the believer to Christ as the ultimate 'way, truth, and life' (John 14:6). Both positions agree on the necessity of divine illumination in the face of human confusion.

• The mention of 'light and truth' (Psalm 43:3) mirrors the language of the High Priest's breastplate in Exodus 28:30, invoking priestly intercession.

• שָׁפַט [H8199, shapat]: Literally to pronounce a sentence, used here as a petition for a legal ruling in favor of the righteous.
• רִיב [H7378, rib]: To grapple or hold a controversy; the petitioner is asking God to be his legal advocate.
• מָעוֹז [H4581, maoz]: A fortified place or stronghold; the psalmist relies on God as his defense against the 'oppression of the enemy'.
• יְשׁוּעָה [H3444, yeshuah]: Salvation or deliverance, which concludes the psalm, pointing to the health of the face (countenance).

• The absence of a title in Psalm 43, reinforcing its status as the direct continuation of Psalm 42.
• The shift in verse 4 where God is called 'God my exceeding joy', personalizing the relationship after the initial legal distance requested in verse 1.

• Scholars debate if this psalm was originally part of Psalm 42 and subsequently separated in the transmission of the Psalter, though there is no definitive textual evidence to confirm this separation.