Praising Scripture - Dec 18

Introduction...

12/18 Psalm 42:6-11,43:1-5 Praise God In the Midst of Distress
（Memorization Scripture: vv. 3-4）

6 O my God,my soul is cast down within me;
Therefore I will remember You from the land of the Jordan,
And from the heights of Hermon,
From the Hill Mizar.
7 Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls;
All Your waves and billows have gone over me.
8 The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime,
And in the night His song shall be with me—
A prayer to the God of my life.
9 I will say to God my Rock,
“Why have You forgotten me?
Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?”
10 As with a breaking of my bones,
My enemies reproach me,
While they say to me all day long,
“Where is your God?”

11 Why are you cast down, O my soul?
And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God;
For I shall yet praise Him,
The help of my countenance and my God.
……
Psalm 43:1-5
1 Vindicate me, O God,
And plead my cause against an ungodly nation;
Oh, deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man!
2 For You are the God of my strength;
Why do You cast me off?
Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?
3 Oh, send out Your light and Your truth!
Let them lead me;
Let them bring me to Your holy hill
And to Your tabernacle.
4 Then I will go to the altar of God,
To God my exceeding joy;
And on the harp I will praise You,
O God, my God.

5 Why are you cast down, O my soul?
And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God;
For I shall yet praise Him,
The help of my countenance and my God.


[Sharing]
When people get upset, emotion comes and goes. One moment ago, the psalmist said “Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.” ; then the next second, the psalmist got upset again. Yet when he was thirsty and cast down, he remembered God in the deserted land (the land of the Jordan, and from the heights of Hermon, from the Hill Mizar). Have you ever remembered God when you were in the midst of a toast during a class reunion? Have you ever sought for the presence of God while you richly enjoyed life? Perhaps, at this moment, you miss the presence of God? Maybe the reason behind His absence is that you have not prayed to God, read scripture, or you have not been to church to worship the Lord with the saints.
God so loves us that once we remember Him, He responds to us, “Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls; All Your waves and billows have gone over me.” (Psalm 42:7) This response excited the psalmist so much he immediately said, “The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, And in the night His song shall be with me—A prayer to the God of my life.” And then the chorus (v. 11) repeated itself again (v. 5). The verse “Deep calls unto deep” (v. 7) portrayed vividly how people and God are having a candid spiritual conversation. There is only the deep well that echoes the deep sound; and there is only water in the deep well that feeds the endless need and longing.

When it comes to psalm 43, the psalmist had seemingly gone out of the Valley of Baca, and remembered that He is a righteous God who gave him strength. The psalmist started to hope and pray that God would take him back to the holy mountain, back to the dwelling of God, so that he could once again praise the Lord with harp in the temple of God. And then again, the psalm ended with the chorus.

Psalm 42 and Psalm 43 together is the song that is prized and frequently sung by Christians and pilgrims. Have you ever gone through difficulty and realized that He who helps us with His countenance is our God? Can you have such a candid and truthful conversation with God in your difficulty, just like the psalmist? In difficult times, would you long for His presence, and even praise the Lord for standing and being your help and salvation?

【簡介】...

12/18
詩篇42:6-11,43:1-5 在困境中讚美 神 ——流亡者之歌（續）
可拉後裔的訓誨詩，交於伶長。(背誦43:3-4節)

42: 6 我的 神啊，我的心在我裡面憂悶，
所以我從約旦地，從黑門嶺，從米薩山，記念祢。
7 祢的瀑布發聲，深淵就與深淵響應，
祢的波浪洪濤漫過我身。
8 白晝，耶和華必向我施慈愛；
黑夜，我要歌頌、禱告賜我生命的 神。

9 我要對 神我的磐石說：
「祢為何忘記我呢？我為何因仇敵的欺壓時常哀痛呢？」
10 我的敵人辱罵我，好像打碎我的骨頭，
不住地對我說：「你的 神在哪裡呢？」

11 我的心哪，你為何憂悶？
為何在我裡面煩躁？
應當仰望 神，因我還要稱讚祂，
祂是我臉上的光榮，是我的 神。

43: 1 神啊，求祢申我的冤，
向不虔誠的國為我辨屈，
求祢救我脫離詭詐不義的人！
2 因為祢是賜我力量的 神。
為何丟棄我呢？
我為何因仇敵的欺壓時常哀痛呢？

3 求祢發出祢的亮光和真實，
好引導我，帶我到祢的聖山，
到祢的居所。
4 我就走到 神的祭壇，
到我最喜樂的 神那裡。
神啊，我的 神，
我要彈琴稱讚祢。

5 我的心哪，你為何憂悶？
為何在我裡面煩躁？
應當仰望 神，因我還要稱讚祂，
祂是我臉上的光榮，是我的 神。




【心得分享】
人在沮喪的時候，常常是反反複複的。前面才對自己的心說：「應當仰望 神，因我還要稱讚祂，祂是我臉上的光榮，是我的 神」，詩人馬上又憂悶了。在乾渴、憂悶、煩躁的時候，他在流亡之地 （約旦地、黑門嶺、米薩山）記念 神。你是否也曾在同學會杯觥交錯中想念 神？是否也曾在華麗的衣香鬓影中尋找 神的踪跡？是否因為多日沒有讀經禱告，沒有到教會與聖徒們一同敬拜 神，而想念 神的面？
神真是愛我們，我們才一記念祂，祂就回應我們：「祢的瀑布發聲，深淵就與深淵響應，祢的波浪洪濤漫過我身。【註】」歡喜得讓詩人馬上說：「白晝，耶和華必向我施慈愛；黑夜，我要歌頌、禱告賜我生命的神。」然後把副歌（11節）又吟唱了一遍。這個「深淵就與深淵響應」(7節）實在是人與 神心靈對話入木三分的形容。唯有深的井能回應出深邃的聲音，唯有深的水能供應深不見底的渴慕和需要。
到了四十三篇，詩人似乎逐漸走出了沮喪谷，記得 神是公義的 神，是賜他力量的 神。他開始恢復盼望，求 神帶領他回到聖山，回到 神的居所，重新在祭壇前彈琴稱讚 神！最後，再以副歌結束。
四十二篇和四十三篇加在一起的這首長詩，是許多天路客旅喜歡吟唱的詩歌。你是否也經歷過在沮喪受壓的困境中，認識了 神是那位用笑臉幫助我們的 神呢？你在受壓的困境中能否如這個詩人一樣與 神有這樣坦然真實的對話？你在人生哀歌的季節，是否渴想 神的同在，同時也堅信 神的幫助和拯救，甚至發出讚美？

【註】有些註解對11節中「波浪洪濤」的解釋是災難困苦。