Psalms In My Palms - Book 4 - Lament

Faithful To Your Promise!

Psalms 142:1-4; 143:1-12

       Back to a cave again, David had run for his life from King Saul. He had fled to his wife; then to Samuel; then to Jonathan; each time thwarted by Saul's pursuit. King Saul with hot fury was always on his trail. David even went to the Philistines. He had been Israel's hero after the killing of Goliath, the giant of Gath; but now he was ducking through alleys to keep from being killed. His own home was under surveillance, so he could not go there. Finally exhausted and fearful he crawled into the Cave of Adullam. (1 Samuel 22:1a). This was supposed to be a cave of REFUGE but it became a prison to David. This is the situation and position David was in when he wrote this Psalm!

Psalm 142 is a prayer in the Cave of Adullam where David turned to God for help. We know He knew God was his help, as he said so in Psalm 32:7-"You are My hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance.")

Psalm 142:1-2-(TEV)-:

1. "I call to the Lord for help;"

2. "I plead with Him."

3. "I bring Him all my complaints;"

4. "I tell Him all my troubles."

(Psalm 77:3; note the four things David did: called; pleaded; brought; and told God. For his: help; complaints; and troubles! Guess where we need to take ours!)

Psalm142:3-4-(TLB)-"For I am overwhelmed and desperate and You alone know which way I ought to turn to miss the traps my enemies have set for me." (Remember Psalm 141:9?). "There's one (trap) just over there to the right! No one gives a passing thought. No one will help me." (Psalm 3:3-4, God is our shield on our Right side. The pattern of warfare in David's day consisted of soldiers side by side as a fortress barrier. Each warrior held his sword in his right hand and a shield in his left, so the person on your right would be putting his shield to the left covering your right side to protect you. God is our shield on the right side protecting us from the enemy! David felt his right side had become a trap, as no human was there to shield him from the enemy. So he pleads, "No one cares a bit what happens to me."

Psalm 142:5-6-(CEB)-"I cry to You, Lord, for help. 'YOU ARE MY REFUGE,' I say. You are all I have in the land of the living."

"Pay close attention to my SHOUTING, because I have been brought down so low! DELIVER ME from oppressors because they are stronger than me." (This was a strong admission when he says: "I am alone"; "No one helps me"; "God is my only help"; so, "I cry out to my only Help. David is sure God hears him.

David gives his last plea in Psalm 142:7-(TEV)-"RESCUE ME from my trouble, then in the meeting of Your people I will praise You, because You have been good to me." David feels certain God will deliver him so he can join the worshippers singing as they go up to Mount Zion again. His place of REFUGE has become a prison to Him. We read in Psalm 34:1-2 what he has in mind. (NKJV). In Psalm 142:7 says, "Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise Your Name; the Righteous shall surround me, for You shall deal bountifully with me." This confidence comes from a prison atmosphere. This is why God did what He did in 1 Samuel 22:1b-2-his family came to him and others gathered until David had 400 men with him. He was their captain!

Without further ado, we will begin Psalm 143 which is categorized by scholars as Penitential, since it contains many LAMENTS which are personal to David and his situation of enemy's persecution. Psalm 143:1-4-(TEV)-"Lord, hear my prayer, listen to my pleas!" (I hope by the repetition of LAMENTS you are well aware of the proper place to take your own needs, complaints, and pleas for help!). David did! As he said, "Because You are Righteous and Faithful":