Salmos 42

Salmos 42:5

Stedman - If you refer to the inscription with which this psalm opens, you will find that it is addressed to the Choirmaster, and is called a Maskil of the Sons of Korah. These inscriptions are part of the inspired record; they belong with the psalm and indicate something vital about it. Maskil is the Hebrew word for teaching. This Psalm is intended to teach something to us. What? Judging by the repeated refrain, it is intended to teach us how to handle our blue moods, the times when we get up in the morning and say, "Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me?" We all know that there are some mornings when we spring out of bed, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, and say, "Good morning, God." There are other mornings when we only manage to pry open our eyelids, sit dejectedly on the side of the bed and say, "Good God, it's morning." These are the mornings that are in view here. The answer to each blue mood is, "Hope thou in God;" i.e., wait for God. He is working out his purposes and if you hang on you will yet praise him. Just a word further on the inscriptions. The Sons of Korah were a family of singers in Israel who passed along their musical office from generation to generation, and were noted as an outstanding family of musicians. Several of the Psalms come from them. The experience which this psalm reflects was unquestionably David's, but it was put to music by the Korah Family Singers, and dedicated to the Chief Musician, or the Royal Choirmaster. Most of us believe that the blues songs began with The St. Louis Blues, but actually they began in Jerusalem with The King David Blues. Here is one of The King David Blues. It is designed to teach us a very important lesson: How to handle our blue moods, those times when you say to yourself, "Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me?" Some scholars feel that the occasion which is reflected in this psalm was when David was excluded from the temple at the time of Absalom's rebellion. Late in David's reign Absalom took over the kingdom temporarily and David was driven into exile outside Jerusalem. It was probably on this occasion that he wrote this psalm. There is no mention of this in the psalm, but it clearly reflects a time of depression and frustration. But David does not accept that blue mood, that depression of spirit, as inevitable. He does something about it. The whole purpose of this psalm is to help us learn how to handle these times in our own lives. None of us need think that because we are Christians we shall escape times of depression; they will come. But when they come, we need to do something about them. I am afraid most Christians simply succumb to them. They just go along making everybody around them miserable because they are passing through times of depression. They are in a bad mood, and they wait for it to pass but do nothing about it. Lest you think that some of the great saints have never had this kind of trouble, let me share with you a quotation from an outstanding theologian and preacher of the l9th century, Dr. John Henry Jowett. He once wrote to a friend, I wish you wouldn't think I'm such a saint. You seem to imagine that I have no ups-and-downs but just a level and lofty stretch of spiritual attainment with unbroken joy and equanimity. By no means. I am often perfectly wretched, and everything appears most murky. I often feel as though my religious life had only just begun and that I am in the kindergarten age. But I can usually trace these miserable seasons to some personal cause, and the first thing to do is to attend to that cause and get it into the sunshine again. That is what this Psalm attempts to teach us: how to get into the sunshine again. It is a teaching psalm designed for that very purpose. As we look at it you will note that it traces three stages of the Psalmist's experience, and at the end of each stage there comes the refrain that describes what brought him through, "Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God." Now the first stage is one of intense longing and desire. (Psalms 42 - Ray Stedman Expository Studies) FOR THE HELP OF HIS PRESENCE: (Ps 44:3 Ps 91:15,16 Nu 6:26 Mt 1:23 Mt 28:20) Young's Literal has "The salvation of my countenance -- My God!" Holman Christian Standard Bible has "my Savior and my God." Berkley Version has an interesting translation as "My face healer." Jesus assures us of His abiding presence in some of His last words to His apostles… And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo (A marker calling for us to "pay attention" = Behold! Look! Listen!), I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Mt 28:18-20) Presence (06440)(panim/paniym/paneh) occurs over 2000x and is a masculine plural (it always occurs in plural in OT) noun which literally means face (Ge 43:31; Lev. 13:41; 1Kgs. 19:13). Paniym can be a substitute for the entire person (Ex 33:14,15). More often it is used figuratively. The Septuagint translates panim in this passage with the word prosopon which is literally "the eye (ops) toward (pros)" and thus the front, the face, countenance, appearance or presence. This makes God's Help very personal. He is not some distant, uninterested God! (Remember that next time you feel as if He has deserted you dear believer -- and memorize Hebrews 13:5-note!) The psalmist has a sense of God's presence. This reminds of those beautiful words "As for me, the nearness of God is my good." (Ps 73:28-note, cp Isa 58:2) Usage: 1745 verses in NAS and is most often translated before(868), face(259), faces(49), presence(131), countenance(12), open(15), surface(26), sight(26), front(86), Vine - panim (פָּנִים, 6440), “face.” This noun appears in biblical Hebrew about 2,100 times and in all periods, except when it occurs with the names of persons and places, it always appears in the plural. It is also attested in Ugaritic, Akkadian, Phoenician, Moabite, and Ethiopic. In its most basic meaning, this noun refers to the “face” of something. First, it refers to the “face” of a human being: (Ge 17:3). In a more specific application, the word represents the look on one’s face, or one’s “countenance”: (Ge 4:5). To pay something to someone’s “face” is to pay it to him personally (Dt. 7:10); in such contexts, the word connotes the person himself. Panim can also be used of the surface or visible side of a thing, as in Ge 1:2. In other contexts, the word represents the “front side” of something (Ex. 26:9). When applied to time, the word (preceded by the preposition le) means “formerly”: “The Horim also dwelt in Seir [formerly] … (Dt. 2:12). This noun is sometimes used anthropomorphically of God; the Bible speaks of God as though He had a “face”: (Ge 33:10). The Bible clearly teaches that God is a spiritual being and ought not to be depicted by an image or any likeness whatever (Ex 20:4). Therefore, there was no image or likeness of God in the innermost sanctuary—only the ark of the covenant was there, and God spoke from above it (Ex 25:22). The word panim, then, is used to identify the bread that was kept in the holy place. The KJV translates it as “the showbread,” while the NASB renders “the bread of the Presence” (Nu 4:7). This bread was always kept in the presence of God. (Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words) Victor Hamilton - (pānîm). Face. This particular word always occurs in the plural, perhaps indicative of the fact that the face is a combination of a number of features. As we shall see below, the face identifies the person and reflects the attitude and sentiments of the person. As such, pānîm can be a substitute for the self or the feelings of the self. In the Bible the “face” (along with the other parts of the body) is described not merely as an exterior instrument in one’s physiology, but rather as being engaged in some form of behavioral pattern, and is thus characterized by some personal quality. It is only natural that the face was considered to be extraordinarily revealing vis-a-vis a man’s emotions, moods, and dispositions. A “hard” face is indicative of defiance (Jer 5:3), impudence (Pr 7:13), ruthlessness (Deut 28:50). A “shining” face is evidence of joy (Job 29:24). A “shamed” face points to defeat, frustration, humiliation (II Sam 19:5). A “flaming” face is one convulsed by terror (Isa 13:8). An “evil” face is a face marked by distress and anxiety (Gen 40:7). A “fallen” face stems from very strong anger or displeasure (Gen 4:5). To make a person’s face “sweet” is to conciliate him or seek his favor (of God; 1Kgs 13:6; 2Kgs 13:4). The KJV translates freely this last phrase “X sought/entreated the Lord.” But the Hebrew runs literally “X made sweet the Lord’s face.” Similarly, this idiom is used of man (Pr 19:6). The phrase “to hide one’s face” means to show aversion or disgust (Isa 53:3) and “to turn away the face” is to reject (Ps 132:10). Conversely, “to raise the face” of another is to show favor, respect, acceptance (1Sa 25:35), or show partiality and favoritism (Lev 19:15). Most of these idioms and phrases are also applied to God. God’s face “shines” (Ps 4:6) as a sign of favor and good will. His face may “fall” in anger (Jer 3:12). God may “hide” his face (Ps 13:1). Five times one encounters the phrase “to see God’s face” probably in the technical sense of visiting the sanctuary for cultic worship; Ex 23:15; 34:20 (KJV, “none shall appear before me”); Dt 31:11; Ps 42:2; Isa 1:12. In each of these instances the verb rāâ “to see,” is pointed as a Niphal, and is translated then “to appear,” the idea of “appearing before” softening the concept of seeing God’s face. In one case (1Sa 1:22) the Niphal is indicated by the consonantal text. The thought of lērāôt pānāy, Niphal infinitive construct, “to appear before God” is acceptable, even mandatory, but the possibility of lirôt pānāy, Qal infinitive construct, is inconceivable, according to Ex 33:20. There are some exceptions to this, for example, Jacob (Gen 32:30) and Moses (Ex 33:11). They saw God “face to face” pānîm el pānîm. A man must perish if he looks on or even hears God (Ex 19:21). For this reason Moses (Ex 3:6), Elijah (1Kgs 19:13), and even the seraphim (Isa 6:2) cover their faces in God’s presence. The man who remains alive after seeing God is overwhelmed with astonishment and gratitude (Gen 32:30; Deut 5:24); with awe (Jdg 6:22–23; 13:22; Isa 6:5). In the New Testament God is manifested in Jesus who alone has seen the Father (Jn 1:18; 6:46; 1Jn 4:12). Christ is not only the Word through whom God is heard. He is the image through whom God is seen. (Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament) Help (translated "salvation" 61/77x)(03444) (yeshua see note on related word "Yehosua" in next paragraph) is from a root in Arabic = "make wide" or "make sufficient' sarar = "narrow," = "be restricted" or "cause distress." The idea of wide connotes freedom from distress and ability to pursue one's objectives. It means to move from distress (enemies, natural catastrophies, plague or famine, sickness) to safety which requires deliverance. Generally deliverance comes from some an outside source. The one who brings deliverance is known as the "savior." Yeshua may be used in everyday life free of theological overtones at a well Moses saved daughters of Reuel (Ex 2:17) but generally has strong religious meaning. And so we read Yahweh wrought deliverance - God of our salvation Ps 68:19-20. Yeshua can also describe salvation through human agents empowered by God. While the NT idea of salvation is primarily forgiveness of sin, deliverance from sin's power and defeat of Satan, the OT only begins to point in this direction. And so in the OT the majority of references to salvation speak of Yahweh granting deliverance from real enemies and out of real catastrophies. John