Praising Scripture - Dec 18

Paising Month Introduction...

Psalm 42:6-11,43:1-5
（Memorization Scripture 42:6-8,43:3-4）
To the Chief Musician. A Contemplation of the sons of Korah.
42: 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.

43:1 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.

【Reflection】When people get upset, emotions are all over the place. In one moment, the psalmist said “Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.” and in the next, the psalmist gets upset. 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).

God so loves us that once we remember Him, He responds to us, “Deep calls to deep at the roar of Your waterfalls; all Your breakers and Your waves 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) portrays 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 seemingly went 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. Then, the psalm ends with the chorus.

Psalm 42 and Psalm 43 combine together to make one 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? Would 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?

【讚美月簡介】...

詩篇 42:6-11,43:1-5
(背誦經文42:6-8,43:3-4)
可拉後裔的訓誨詩，交於伶長。
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，求祢伸我的冤，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。
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。」（有些註解對這節中「波浪洪濤」的解釋是「災難困苦」）這個回應讓詩人馬上歡喜的說：「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43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。
42篇和43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？