BOOK II
Psalms 42-72
Part 1 of 2
Verses 1-4
For the director of music.
1 As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?
3 My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”
4 These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go with the multitude, leading the procession to the house of God, with shouts of joy and thanksgiving among the festive throng.
I. Stay Thirsty for God (verses 1-4)
v Verses 1-2
o The Psalmist compares his longing to for the living God with a deer’s need for water. Since water is needed to sustains the deer’s (or anyone’s for that matter!) life, what a fitting comparison!
o His thirst would not be quenched by anyone but God—the living God! Not just some dead idol or nameless faceless “deity” but the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
o The Psalmist wanted to go and “meet with God”.
v Verses 3
o The Psalmist has been “feasting on his tears”. You ever been there? The tears are compounded by the enemies who are taunting him asking “where is you God?”
v Verse 4
o He remembers the “good ole days”. The days of being able to be part of the corporate worship experience.
o Have you ever missed worshiping together with other believers for a long time and just “ached” to get back? That’s exactly what the Psalmist is saying!
Is this your desire? Do you crave God’s fellowship like this? The Old Testament saints NEVER knew God the way we do. NEVER. They never had the Holy Spirit living within their hearts. And yet I wonder how cold our affections grow for our Lord and Master? How many times do we forsake fellowshipping with Him when He wants to spend time with us?
This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.[4] He has already reached out to us. Will you reach out to Him and thirst for Him? Jesus said “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” [5]
[1] In many Hebrew manuscripts Psalms 42 and 43 constitute one psalm. Due to certain parallel phrases, there is no reason to doubt this construction. It does not change the meaning.
[2] maskil is, most likely, a musical term.
[3] Korah was a grandson of Kohath and was killed for rebelling against the Lord (Num. 16). However, his sons escaped judgment (Num. 16:11) and became worship leaders in the sanctuary (1 Chron. 9:19ff; 26:1–19).
[4] 1 John 4:10, NIV.
[5] Matthew 5:6, NIV.
Life Meets Theology 