1Vindicate me, O God, and plead my case against an ungodly nation; O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man! … 4I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy; and upon the lyre I shall praise You, O God, my God.
Who of us hasn’t suffered from false accusations, lies, and injustices leveled against us? The psalmist struggles with feeling overwhelmed to the point of crying out to God for His intervention, while wondering out loud (in the Lord’s presence) whether God has something against him: “why have You rejected me?” (vs. 2b). Detractors on one side, and rejection by God on the other! Is it any wonder that he challenges his soul, “Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?” (vs. 2b) It makes no sense since he acknowledges that God is his strength (vs. 2a). And then, just as in the previous psalm, he counsels himself:
Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him for the help of His presence. (Ps. 43:5, see also Ps. 42:5, 11)
What is particularly interesting is that the psalmist’s ultimate desire is not for God to destroy his enemies. He wants his vindication, to be sure, but his greater desire is to be rescued out of the despair interfering with His joyful worship of the Lord! The psalmist knows the constant struggle is upsetting his spiritual gyroscope that keeps him in balance as he navigates through life. The conflict has thrown him off his spiritual equilibrium, and he desires that back. Without God being centered in our lives, we cannot have any real victory over our enemies or our soul’s despondency.
Like the psalmist, we need to seek the guidance of God’s light and truth to guide our minds and hearts. These direct us to go into God’s presence in worship; for the OT believer, that was going to the tabernacle (or temple) with worshipful sacrifices at God’s altar. What he really desires is God, who is his “exceeding joy.”
What makes this more than just “religious speak” is genuine faith and a heart knit with God’s. When we seek to know and enjoy the Lord more than we desire solutions to our external problems, only then will we find victory over our inner despair.
Lord, in faith, I will seek You in worship so that the joy of my salvation might be renewed in You.
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