PSALM 42
AUTHOR: David
The Story Behind the Psalm
One of the loveliest little stories in the Bible pertains to a man named Barzillai. When David had fled the city of Jerusalem because of Absalom's rebellion, numbers of people had forsaken him. Included in these numbers were his own son, his trusted servant Shimei, the cripple Mephibosheth whom David had befriended in such a beautiful way, and David's close beloved lifetime friend, Ahithophel. When David got to Mahanaim, he was discouraged, lonely and heartbroken. An 80-year-old man named Barzillai came to David and brought him some victuals. He brought him food necessary for his sustenance. Upon receiving the food and the love of this wonderful old man, David wrote the 42nd Psalm. In verses I and 2 you will find how hungry he was to get back to the house of God. Notice verse 1, "As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after Thee, 0 God." David was so hungry to get back to the house of God and the place where God had put him. In verse 7 David says, "Deep calleth unto deep." This meant that one problem came right after another. How refreshed he must have been to find one old friend who cared! While meditating upon this sweet friendship, David writes this beautiful Psalm.
The Way It Was Used by God's People
This Psalm was especially dear to the Jewish people when they were in Babylonian captivity. They would especially read verses 5 and 11 and pray, long, and hope for deliverance from captivity back to their beloved
homeland. They found strength in the fact that God provided for David while he was away from Jerusalem and that God restored him. This gave them hope that perhaps the same fortune could be theirs.
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