Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary
Psalms 143:1

Clarke's Commentary

PSALM CXLIII

The psalmist prays for mercy, and deprecates judgment, 1, 2.

His persecutions, 3.

His earnest prayer for deliverance, 4-9.

Prays for God's quickening Spirit, 10, 11.

And for the total discomfiture of his adversaries, 12.

NOTES ON PSALM CXLIII

The Hebrew and all the Versions attribute this Psalm to David; and the Vulgate, Septuagint, AEthiopic and Arabic state that it was composed on the rebellion of his son Absalom: nor is there any thing in the Psalm that positively disagrees with this inscription. This is the last of the seven Psalms styled penitential.

Verse Psalms 143:1. In thy faithfulness answer me — Thou hast promised to support me in my difficulties, and, though my children should forsake me, never to withdraw thy loving-kindness from me. See the present unnatural rebellion of my son. Lord, undertake for me!

Bridgeway Bible Commentary

Psalm 140 - 143 Troubles for the godly

These four psalms are similar, and from the title of Psalms 142:0 it appears that all four belong to the time when David was fleeing from Saul. (See introductory notes to Psalms 34:0.)

Treachery and slander are the chief weapons that David’s enemies use to attack him. These men have the poison of snakes and the cunning of hunters (140:1-5). But Yahweh is David’s God, his defender in whom he trusts for victory (6-8). David’s enemies will receive a fitting punishment if they suffer the torments that they intended to inflict upon David (9-11). The righteous will praise God when they see his justice in punishing the wicked and delivering the innocent (12-13).
When a person is the victim of slanderous talk, such as David was at the time, he is tempted to use strong words and unwise speech in return. David prays that he may be kept from such sins. He does not want to follow the evil ways of the wicked (141:1-4). If a godly person ever has cause to rebuke him, David prays that he may receive it as a blessing, as if he has been anointed with oil. But he will always remain opposed to evil (5). People will be forced to take notice when God acts, for his punishments will leave the wicked completely shattered (6-7). Meanwhile, the wicked still live, and David prays that he will be saved from the traps they have set for him (8-10).

Still pursued by his enemies, David escaped from Gath and fled to the cave of Adullam, though at the time of this psalm others have not yet joined him (1 Samuel 22:1). He is overcome by a feeling of terrible loneliness. Feeling that no one cares for him, he cries out to God (142:1-4). He prays that God will deal with his enemies and so enable him to live a normal life in freedom and security again (5-7).

The frightening thought occurs to David that God might be using the enemy to punish him for his sins. He knows that he, like others, is a sinner, and there is no way of escaping punishment if God decides to act. He therefore casts himself entirely on the mercy of God for forgiveness and deliverance (143:1-2). David tells God about his troubles, how he has been pursued and is forced to live in darkness in the cave (3-4). He thinks of God’s mighty acts in the past and prays that God will save him again (5-6). He fears the hopelessness of those who die without God. He longs for a greater experience of God (7-8). He prays that God, having rescued him, will instruct and guide him in the future (9-12).

Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible

"Hear my prayer, O Jehovah; Give ear to my supplications: In thy faithfulness answer me, and in thy righteousness. And enter not into judgment with thy servant; For in thy sight no man living is righteous. For the enemy hath persecuted my soul; He hath smitten my life down to the ground: He hath made me to dwell in dark places, As those that have been long dead. Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me; My heart within me is desolate. I remember the days of old; I meditate upon all thy doings; I muse on the work of thy hands. I spread forth my hands unto thee: My soul thirsteth after thee, as a weary land. Selah"

"In thy faithfulness… in thy righteousness" (Psalms 143:1). David does not here plead any merit of his own, but based his plea upon the character of God who would surely keep the wonderful promises made to him through Nathan the prophet. God's righteousness would not allow him to nullify those great promises.

"Enter not into judgment with thy servant" (Psalms 143:2). David had touched the subject of abstract "justice" in his mention of God's righteousness, but he did not dare to press that, because of the consciousness of his own guilt. "He therefore deprecates a strictly retributive treatment, knowing that his life and conduct cannot endure the severity of God's judgment,"The Pulpit Commentary, op. cit., p. 351. freely acknowledging that, "No man living is righteous in God's sight," including himself, of course, in that confession.

One may well ask, just what was eating David's heart out here? The answer is found in the Word of God.

"Thus saith Jehovah the God of Israel (to David)… Thou hast smitten Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and thou hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and thou hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon. Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thy house, because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife. Thus saith Jehovah, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house; and I will give thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbor… I will do this thing before all Israel (2 Samuel 12:7-12)."

Nothing could have any more dramatically reminded David of these words of the Lord spoken to him through Nathan, than did the rebellion of Absalom. Knowing that he himself deserved to die, David nevertheless pleaded for God to spare him, which God, in his mercy assuredly did.

The earnestness of David's prayer here is seen in the fact of its being offered upon a number of grounds, the first of these (Psalms 143:1-2) being simply the grace of a loving and faithful God.

"The enemy hath persecuted… smitten me down… made me to dwell in dark places… (treated me as if I had) been long dead" This is another one of the grounds upon which David founded his prayer, namely, the evil conduct of Absalom his unscrupulous, reprobate son.

"My spirit is overwhelmed… my heart… is desolate" The grounds of his petition here is the very extremity of his own personal condition. Unless God is ready to destroy him, help must come at once.

"I remember… I meditate… I muse" David remembers the promises God had made to him; he mediates upon the marvelous deliverances God has provided for him in the past; he muses upon the fulfilment of the terrible prophecy of the disaster God would raise up against him, "from his own house." David pleads here that he is disciplined and corrected by God's dealings with him.

"I spread forth my hands unto thee… my soul thirsteth after thee" The soul-hunger and thirst for God has reached a climax in the heart of David, the very earnestness and eagerness of which are here pleaded as grounds of his petition.

"I spread forth my hands" This refers to a well-know gesture often associated with prayer.

Summarizing the various grounds upon which this great prayer is offered, we have: (1) the unmerited grace and faithfulness of God (Psalms 143:1); (2) God's righteousness to keep his promises (Psalms 143:1); (3) the satanic behavior of the enemy (Psalms 143:3); (4) the extreme personal need of the petitioner (Psalms 143:4); (5) the petitioner's trust in the God who has so often delivered him (Psalms 143:5); and (6) the psalmist's hungering and thirsting after righteousness (after God) (Psalms 143:6). It is the very nature of God to "fill" and "satisfy" those who hunger and thirst for Him (Matthew 5:6).

In these principles, one sees the transcending greatness of this remarkable prayer.

Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible

Hear my prayer, O Lord, give ear ... - See Psalms 4:1, note; Psalms 5:1, note.

In thy faithfulness answer me - That is, Show thy faithfulness to thy promises. God had made gracious promises to David (compare Psalms 89:19-37), and he now pleads that he would remember those promises, and accomplish in his behalf what he had said he would. God has also made gracious promises to his people, and they may always plead those promises as a reason why they should be heard, and why their prayers should be answered.

And in thy righteousness - Compare Psalms 31:1. In thy disposition to do right; to vindicate a righteous cause; to interpose when wrong is done. We, though sinners before God, may feel that our cause is a just one as toward our fellowmen, and, when wronged, we may ask God to interpose, as a righteous God, in our behalf. We cannot, however, ask him to save us on the ground of our righteousness toward him, for we have no such righteousness. See Psalms 143:2.

Calvin's Commentary on the Bible

1.Hear my prayer, O Jehovah ! It is evident that the oppression of his enemies must have been extreme, when David laments his case in such earnest and pathetic terms. The introductory words show that the grief he felt was great. His reason for speaking of the justice and faithfulness of God in connection we have shown elsewhere. Under the term justice, or righteousness, we are not to suppose that he speaks of merit, or hire, as some ignorantly imagine, but of that goodness of God which leads him to defend his people. To the same effect does he speak of God’s truth or faithfulness; for the best proof he can give of his faithfulness is in not forsaking those whom he has promised to help. In helping his people he shows himself to be a just and true God, both in not frustrating their expectation, and in so far as he shows in this extension of mercy what his nature is, that David very properly encourages himself in prayer by making mention of both.

Smith's Bible Commentary

Psalms 143:1-12 , another psalm of David.

Hear my prayer, O LORD, give ear to my supplications: in your faithfulness answer me, and in your righteousness. And enter not into judgment with your servant: for in thy sight shall no man living be justified ( Psalms 143:1-2 ).

God, I don't want justice for me, only for my enemies. For me I want mercy. No one living can be justified before God. Impossible! "There is none righteous, no, not one" ( Romans 3:10 ). God said, "I looked over the earth and there is none that doeth good. None that seeketh after God." You say, "That's pretty general." Yes, it is. Encompasses all.

For the enemy has persecuted my soul; he has smitten my life down to the ground; he has made me to dwell in darkness, as those that have been long dead. Therefore my spirit is overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is desolate. I remember the days of old; I meditate on all thy works; I muse on the work of thy hands ( Psalms 143:3-5 ).

I remember, I meditate, I muse.

I stretch forth my hands unto thee: my soul thirsts after thee, as a thirsty land ( Psalms 143:6 ).

Here is one of the reasons why David was referred as a man after God's own heart. Because he was thirsting always after God. Jesus said, "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled" ( Matthew 5:6 ). Here David describes it. "My soul thirsteth after Thee, as a thirsty land."

Hear me speedily, O LORD: my spirit faileth: hide not thy face from me, lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit. Cause me to hear thy loving-kindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee ( Psalms 143:7-8 ).

And now the prayer: deliver me, teach me, lead me, quicken me.

Deliver me from my enemies: I flee unto thee to hide. Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me in the land of uprightness. And quicken me, O LORD, for thy name's sake: for thy righteousness' sake bring my soul out of trouble ( Psalms 143:9-11 ).

And so the prayer. How important. "God, deliver me. And then teach me to do Thy will. Lead me in the right way and quicken me."

And of thy mercy cut off mine enemies, and destroy all them that afflict my soul: for I am thy servant ( Psalms 143:12 ). "

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

David appealed to God to answer his prayer because God is faithful and righteous. Evidently part of David’s suffering sprang from his own sin, since he asked that God not judge him. If He did, no one could stand because everyone is unrighteous. Another source of distress was an enemy who had ground David down so that he felt very depressed as well as afflicted.

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

1. The psalmist’s complaint 143:1-6

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

Psalms 143

In this penitential psalm, David prayed for deliverance and guidance. As in the previous psalm, he called out for help against evil adversaries. This psalm, too, is an individual lament.

"The psalm sharply contrasts the righteousness of Yahweh, God’s unconditioned inclination toward Israel, and Israel’s righteousness which will carry no freight in time of trouble. The psalm understands the vast and unbridgeable distinction between the two parties." [Note: Brueggemann, p. 104.]

Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

Hear my prayer, O Lord, give ear to my supplications,.... With these requests David begins the psalm; for it was to no purpose to pray and were heard; and for which he always appears to be concerned, as every good man will, and not to be heard only, but to be answered, as follows;

in thy faithfulness answer me, [and] in thy righteousness; he does not plead his own faith, with which he believed in God, as rama interprets it; though the prayer of faith is very effectual; but the faithfulness of God to his promises; he had promised to hear, answer, and deliver such as called on him in a time of trouble; and he is faithful that has promised, nor will he suffer his faithfulness to fail; he cannot deny himself; and on this the psalmist relied for an answer, as well as desired and expected it; not on account of his own righteousness, but either on account of the goodness and grace of God, sometimes designed by righteousness, or because of the righteousness of Christ, or for the sake of Christ, the Lord our righteousness; on whose account God is just and faithful to forgive sin, the blessing the psalmist wanted, as appears from Psalms 143:2.

Henry's Complete Commentary on the Bible

A psalm of David.

      1 Hear my prayer, O LORD, give ear to my supplications: in thy faithfulness answer me, and in thy righteousness.   2 And enter not into judgment with thy servant: for in thy sight shall no man living be justified.   3 For the enemy hath persecuted my soul; he hath smitten my life down to the ground; he hath made me to dwell in darkness, as those that have been long dead.   4 Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is desolate.   5 I remember the days of old; I meditate on all thy works; I muse on the work of thy hands.   6 I stretch forth my hands unto thee: my soul thirsteth after thee, as a thirsty land. Selah.

      Here, I. David humbly begs to be heard (Psalms 143:1; Psalms 143:1), not as if he questioned it, but he earnestly desired it, and was in care about it, for, having desired it, and was in care about it, for having directed his prayer, he looked up to see how it sped, Habakkuk 2:1. He is a suppliant to his God, and he begs that his requests may be granted: Hear my prayer; give ear to my supplications. He is an appellant against his persecutors, and he begs that his case may be brought to hearing and that God will give judgment upon it, in his faithfulness and righteousness, as the Judge of right and wrong. Or, "Answer my petitions in thy faithfulness, according to the promises thou hast made, which thou wilt be just to." We have no righteousness of our own to plead, and therefore must plead God's righteousness, the word of promise which he has freely given us and caused us to hope in.

      II. He humbly begs not to be proceeded against in strict justice, Psalms 143:2; Psalms 143:2. He seems here, if not to correct, yet to explain, his plea (Psalms 143:1; Psalms 143:1), Deliver me in thy righteousness; "I mean," says he, "the righteous promises of the gospel, not the righteous threatenings of the law; if I be answered according to the righteousness of this broken covenant of innocency, I am quite undone;" and therefore, 1. His petition is, "Enter not into judgment with thy servant; do not deal with me in strict justice, as I deserve to be dealt with." In this prayer we must own ourselves to be God's servants, bound to obey him, accountable to him, and solicitous to obtain his favour, and we must approve ourselves to him. We must acknowledge that in many instances we have offended him, and have come short of our duty to him, that he might justly enquire into our offences, and proceed against us for them according to law, and that, if he should do so, judgment would certainly go against us; we have nothing to move in arrest or mitigation of it, but execution would be taken out and awarded and then we should be ruined for ever. But we must encourage ourselves with a hope that there is mercy and forgiveness with God, and be earnest with him for the benefit of that mercy. "Enter not into judgment with thy servant, for thou hast already entered into judgment with thy Son, and laid upon him the iniquity of us all. Enter not into judgment with thy servant, for thy servant enters into judgment with himself;" and, if we will judge ourselves, we shall not be judged. 2. His plea is, "In thy sight shall no man living be justified upon those terms, for no man can plead innocency nor any righteousness of his own, either that he has not sinned or that he does not deserve to die for his sins; nor that he has any satisfaction of his own to offer;" nay, if God contend with us, we are not able to answer him for one of a thousand,Job 9:3; Job 15:20. David, before he prays for the removal of his trouble, prays for the pardon of his sin, and depends upon mere mercy for it.

      III. He complains of the prevalency of his enemies against him (Psalms 143:3; Psalms 143:3): "Saul, that great enemy, has persecuted my soul, sought my life, with a restless malice, and has carried the persecution so far that he has already smitten it down to the ground. Though I am not yet under ground, I am struck to the ground, and that is next door to it; he has forced me to dwell in darkness, not only in dark caves, but in dark thoughts and apprehensions, in the clouds of melancholy, as helpless and hopeless as those that have been long dead. Lord, let me find mercy with thee, for I find no mercy with men. They condemn me; but, Lord, do not thou condemn me. Am not I an object of thy compassion, fit to be appeared for; and is not my enemy an object of thy displeasure, fit to be appeared against?"

      IV. He bemoans the oppression of his mind, occasioned by his outward troubles (Psalms 143:4; Psalms 143:4): Therefore is my spirit overpowered and overwhelmed within me, and I am almost plunged in despair; when without are fightings within are fears, and those fears greater tyrants and oppressors than Saul himself and not so easily out-run. It is sometimes the lot of the best men to have their spirits for a time almost overwhelmed and their hearts desolate, and doubtless it is their infirmity. David was not only a great saint, but a great soldier, and yet even he was sometimes ready to faint in a day of adversity. Howl, fir-trees, if the cedars be shaken.

      V. He applies himself to the use of proper means for the relief of his troubled spirit. He had no force to muster up against the oppression of the enemy, but, if he can keep possession of nothing else, he will do what he can to keep possession of his own soul and to preserve his inward peace. In order to this, 1. He looks back, and remembers the days of old (Psalms 143:5; Psalms 143:5), God's former appearances for his afflicted people and for him in particular. It has been often a relief to the people of God in their straits to think of the wonders which their fathers told them of, Psalms 77:5; Psalms 77:11. 2. He looks round, and takes notice of the works of God in the visible creation, and the providential government of the world: I meditate on all thy works. Many see them, but do not see the footsteps of God's wisdom, power, and goodness in them, and do not receive the benefit they might by them because they do not meditate upon them; they do not dwell on that copious curious subject, but soon quit it, as if they had exhausted it, when they have scarcely touched upon it. I muse on, or (as some read it) I discourse of, the operation of thy hands, how great, how good, it is! The more we consider the power of God the less we shall fear the face or force of man, Isaiah 51:12; Isaiah 51:13. 3. He looks up with earnest desires towards God and his favour (Psalms 143:6; Psalms 143:6): "I stretch forth my hands unto thee, as one begging an alms, and big with expectation to receive something great, standing ready to lay hold on it and bid it welcome. My soul thirsteth after thee; it is to thee (so the word is), entire for thee, intent on thee; it is as a thirsty land, which, being parched with excessive heat, gapes for rain; so do I need, so do I crave, the support and refreshment of divine consolations under my afflictions, and nothing else will relieve me." This is the best course we can take when our spirits are overwhelmed; and justly do those sink under their load who will not take such a ready way as this to ease themselves.