Let us turn to the portion of
Scripture that we read in Psalms 42 and 43, directing you to the
last verse of our public reading in Psalm 43 and verse 5. Psalm 43, 5, Why art thou cast
down, O my soul, and why art thou disquieted within me? hoping
God for I shall yet praise him who is the house of my countenance
and my God. I want us to consider what we
might term soul conversation as the psalmist again addresses
himself why art thou cast down O my soul and why art thou disquieted
within me are the questions that he puts to himself. Now, on Thursday, of course,
at the prayer meeting, we were considering another verse in
which we have a soliloquy where the psalmist is addressing himself.
Those words in Psalm 62, 5, My soul wait thou only upon God,
for my expectation is from Him. and I thought it might be profitable
to continue with that theme as we turn to this particular verse
this morning, soul conversation. In a sense here I don't just
have a single text because you will have observed doubtless
as we read through the Psalms that the content of our text
in good measure is also found in Psalm 42 at verse 5 and again
at verse 11. So we have a threefold text this
morning, Psalm 42, 5 and 11, Psalm 43, verse 5. And how necessary it is that
we should look to ourselves and address ourselves. We've been
very much aware of the pandemic, coronavirus and all that that
has entailed as we've been denied over the past weeks the opportunity
of true corporate worship and many a time we've said that this
judgment that is upon all the earth is one that begins very
much at the house of God. Now the Lord's voice does cry
unto the city The Prophet says, A man of wisdom shall see thine
eye, hear you the right, and who hath appointed it. We should be those then as God's
professed people who do hear his right. We're aware of who
is in these things and we look to ourselves. We're to examine
ourselves and prove ourselves and know ourselves. How right
then that we should come this morning and again address our
very souls. Why art thou cast down, O my
soul? Why art thou disquieted within
me? Hope in God, for I shall yet
praise Him who is the health of my countenance and my God. And as we consider these verses,
in these two Psalms. I want to deal with some three
headings this morning. First of all, the soul's inquiry,
the question that is being put to himself here by the psalmist. And then secondly, how the psalmist
is able to encourage himself and then finally to look at his
expectation how he can anticipate such good things because this
God is his God. First of all then, the soul's
inquiry and we see how it is a two-fold inquiry. There are
two questions that he asks himself. Why art thou cast down? Oh my
soul! And then again, why art thou
disquieted within me? And there's a certain emphasis
of course in the questions. It's part of that parallelism
that is so peculiar to the Hebrew poetry that we have here in the
Psalms. The same truth often expressed
in two, maybe three clauses to bring out the strength of what
is being said and the strength here of this particular question. He asks the question twice over
for emphasis and whilst there are two questions we might say
there is a threefold reason why is Saul is in this downcast condition. This is a spiritual man, of course,
who is speaking. This is probably one of the Psalms
of David, who composed so much of the Book of Psalms for the
worship of God in the tabernacle during his own day, and then
subsequently after Solomon in the temple. It's addressed to
the chief musician. Doubtless it would be sung then.
in the worship of God there in the Old Testament. He's a spiritual
man. And as a spiritual man, he's
aware of the needs of his never-dying soul. But what is a man profited
if he gained the whole world and lose his own soul? What shall
a man give in exchange for his soul? asks the Lord Jesus Christ
himself. Are we those who are concerned
then about the matter of our never-dying soul? Here the man
asks questions then of himself, his downcast condition. What
is it that brings the child of God into such low places? Well, three things. First of
all, because of the world. this world in which we're living,
and how conscious the psalmist is of the world about him. David here feels himself to be
cut off. He's cut off in some measure
from God himself. Look at what he says in the previous
psalm, 42 at verse 2, My soul thirsteth for God, for the living
God. When shall I come and appear
before God? Verse 4, When I remember these
things, I pour out my soul in me, for I had gone with a multitude.
I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy
and praise, with a multitude that kept holy to her. Oh, David
knew something, of course, of what it was to have to flee for
his very life. in the days when Saul was king,
how often Saul was seeking his destruction and many a time we
find David having to go into the wilderness, hide himself
in caves, always fleeing, always as he were cut off from the means
of grace from the house of God and even when he was established
as king there was that time when his own son Absalom rebelled
against him and he has to flee for his life and here is David
feeling these things in the world you see so many troubles and
those things that prevent him from gathering together for the
worship of God and in some small measure I suppose we have felt
that over these past weeks. Thankfully God has mingled his
judgment with his mercy and we've been able to have stream services
but those were not the true corporate worship that God requires of
his true church. David then is aware of the difficulties
and the trials and troubles that come in this world. In the world,
says the Lord Jesus Christ, ye shall have tribulation. Oh, this
doesn't surprise the child of God then. And here is David pleading
with God, and we praise here at the beginning of Psalm 43,
Judge me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation. or deliver me from the deceitful
and unjust man. So much to trouble David, how
he feels these things. He's surrounded, surrounded by
the taunts of ungodly men. Again, look at the language in
the previous psalm. Verse 3 of Psalm 42, my tears
have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto
me, Where is thy God? Verse 10, As with a sword in
my bones, mine enemies reproach me, while they say daily unto
me, Where is thy God? How it seemed, you see, that
God was so far from him. And here are his enemies always
taking advantage against him, mocking him, pouring scorn upon
his religion. Where is his God at this time?
But, then we see how David does determine that he will remember
his God. He will remember his God. Verse
6 of Psalm 42, Oh my God! my soul is cast down within me
therefore I will remember thee from the land of Jordan and of
the Hermonites from the hill Mysore." Though he's cast down
he will remember God even from the land of Jordan. Now Jordan of course is where
we see David fleeing in the rebellion of his son Absalom, there in
2 Samuel 17. And verses 22 and 24, he's going
over the river Jordan, he's fleeing from Jerusalem. But even in flight,
he will remember his God. Whatever his situation, he speaks
of Hermon. Now, That seems to be a reference
to the terrible conflict in Joshua chapter 12 where the children
of Israel fight against Zion and overcome him. There's a victory
granted. It was a great battle. He speaks
of these occasions, historic events, he looks back. Surely
there's a lesson for us here, we're to remember God, we're
to remember God's dealings, we're to remember those situations
in which God has appeared for us, even in the midst of all
our difficulties, all our dangers. Or David's determination, therefore
will I remember thee, says in that sixth verse, from the land
of Jordan and of the Hermonites, from the hill Mizah. That's the little hill. That's
the little hell. Small mercies are to be remembered.
What are small mercies? I was struck by what we read
later in Psalm 65 and there at the end of that Psalm we read
that God visits the earth, waters it, enriches it with the rivers
of God. He speaks of God's goodness in
his providences, granting good harvest and so forth. In verse
12, they drop upon the pastures of the wilderness and the little
hills rejoice on every side. Mysore is a little hill. But
you know, there's much rejoicing to be gained from the remembrance
of God's small mercies. Those little incidental things
that we can so easily forget. Oh, here is David's determination
then. In spite of all that he feels
of opposition in this wicked world, how he can look to his
God. So he does here at the beginning
of this 43rd Psalm. Judge me O God, plead my cause
against an ungodly nation, deliver me from the deceitful and the
unjust man. The world sometimes will cause
the child of God to be much troubled, even downcast. But then also, of course, besides
a wicked world, there's a great adversary, even Satan himself. The whole world, you know, lies
in wickedness. As we read there at the end of
John's first general epistle, the whole world lieth in wickedness,
or it might be rendered the wicked one. All this world, in a sense,
is the domain of Satan. How Satan is so active. And how
he goes about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. How
he comes to us and he tempts. He's the tempter and then he's
the accuser. oh how he entraps us and we fall
and we're ashamed and then he turns accuser and we're so ashamed
how can we come and make our confessions when we've been guilty
of this sin so very many times how he confounds us and confuses
us The Puritan Richard Sibbes says
of the devil, ever since he was cast down himself, he labors
to cast all down, his voices down, down, down to the ground. Oh, that's where he will have
us, you see. But you know, there's a great verse, there's a great
verse in Jeremiah 22, 29, the voice of God. And what does God
say? Oh, earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord. Even
when we're down, so down, we feel ourselves to be in the very
depths of the earth. Yet God speaks to his people
there. Look at verse 7 of that 42nd
Psalm. Deep calleth unto deep at the
noise of thy waterspouts, all thy waves and thy billows are
gone over me. Even when we're in the deeps,
still God is able to come and address us. That's our comfort. Or the devil might seek to bring
us down. But we can never be so low that
the Lord God is unable to reach us. And His voice, you see, it
extends to us. Even when we find ourselves in
those desperate plights. What are we to do? Well, we're
to remember the Lord. We're to remember where the Lord
is. Our God is in the heavens. and that's where we're to look
if she be risen with Christ seek those things that are above where
Christ sit us at the right hand of God set your affections on
things above not on things of the earth and that confirms Satan
when we seek to remember that being in heaven our God is the
one who does as he pleases Satan is not sovereign God is sovereign
God is sovereign, what a comfort it is to know that our God is
God and besides him there is none other or the believer then
might be much cast down because of the world in which we have
to live our poor lives and because of all those dreadful activities
of Satan But then also, in many ways, the chief of all our troubles,
what brings us down more than anything else, is ourselves. Isn't sinful self a terrible
burden to the child of God? What does David say here? He speaks of being disquieted. Disquieted
within me. Why art thou cast down, O my
soul? Why art thou disquieted within me? It's not so much those
things that are outside of himself. It's that that's in himself that
is his chief complaint, because it's from within, out of the
hearts of men that all evils proceed. What are our hearts
by nature? Our hearts are the very sink
of sin, and of iniquity and Paul Paul proved that and Paul confesses
that thank God, thank God again and again that there is such
a chapter in our Bibles as Romans chapter 7 and what does the Apostle
say there for I know that in me that is in my flesh there
dwelleth no good thing or there is nothing in us of any worth,
any value That's what we are by nature, sinners. All our righteousnesses are as
filthy rags. The very best that we ever do
is spoiled, tainted by our sins. And oh, this man David knew it
and felt it. How he cries out against himself
there in Psalm 38. Verse 6 he says, I am trouble. I am bowed
down greatly. I go mourning all the day long,
for my loins are filled with a loathsome disease. There is
no soundness in my flesh. I am feeble and sore-broken. I have roared by reason of the
disquietness of my heart. And yet, again in the midst of
all these things, He can utter those words, Lord, all my desire
is before Thee and my groaning is not hid from Thee. Or it's ourselves, is it not,
that cause us so often to be greatly troubled and cast down? Where will the scene end? Will
we ever, if we're those who have professed the name of our Lord
Jesus Christ, will we ever hold on even to the end? We prove
it, do we not? The flesh lost us against the
spirit and the spirit against the flesh and these are contrary
one to the other, says Paul and ye cannot do the thing that ye
would. We would do good but evil is
present with us. Evil is present with us because
we cannot be rid of ourselves. Who shall deliver me from the
body of this death, he cries out. He feels it. and he causes the Apostle to
be much downcast as he caused David and David to make this
inquiry to ask himself these questions Why? Why? Why art thou cast down O
my soul? Why art thou disquieted within
me? There's a lovely hymn to meditate
upon you know 780 here in the book one of Hart's hymns a dialogue
between a believer and his soul along him but it's very much a dialogue
the believer speaks in the first verse come my soul and let us
try for a little season every burden to lay by come and let
us reason what is this that cast thee down Who are those that
grieve thee? Speak, and let the worst be known.
Speaking may relieve thee. And the soul responds, Oh, I
sink beneath the load of my nature's evil, full of enmity to God,
captive by the devil, restless as the troubled seas, feeble,
faint, and fearful, plagued with every sore disease. How can I be cheerful? We haven't
time to read the whole of that hymn, but I do commend the prayerful
reading of those verses, that's dialogue. The soliloquy between the believer
and his own soul. And that's what we have here
of course in our text this morning. We have the soul's inquiry then,
but then in the second place in the second place to say something
with regards to the way in which the soul is encouraged. And what is it that's encouraging
here? Well, the very fact that a man or a woman can address
themselves in this fashion and speak to their own souls, surely
that's evidence that they're aware that they have an ever
dying soul. So, few really have any idea of soul matters they don't think
about those things and what we have in this verse and in those
previous verses in the 42nd Psalm verses 5 and 11 here we have
the mark of a living soul isn't that encouraging this is the
mark of a living soul to ask us questions as we find here
you turn to that Remarkable third chapter in the book of the Lamentations. The Lamentations of Jeremiah.
And what does he say there? Lamentations 3.39. Wherefore
doth a living man complain? It's the living man who complains.
It's the living man who feels these things. What are we by
nature? We are dead. Dead in trespasses
and sins. and Paul says there in the opening
words of Ephesians 2 you are the quickened who are dead in
trespasses and sins here is something to encourage us then if we have
any think of this experience there is some evidence there
that we are those who have living souls now we know what sin is
sin is not of God God is not the author of sin.
God is a vice too pure to behold iniquity. God cannot look upon
sin. Sin is very much of the creature,
but here is a difference, a sense of sin, where there is a sense
of sin that is so much of God. If you have any sense, any feeling
of what it is, to feel a stranger in this wicked world, this fallen
world, and to feel how dreadful it is to behold
those things that take place amongst the fallen sons of men. If we have any idea of what it
is to be tempted at times by Satan to feel that he's such
a dreadful foe, such a clever, wily foe. If we feel anything
of what it is to have a foreign nature in ourselves and it grieves
us. We want to do good and we find
it such a struggle because we're always as it were fighting with
ourselves. All of this is the evidence of
spiritual life within us. The hymn writer says it in that
little copy. And we often sing the words of
Psalm 89, new life from him we must receive before for sin we
rightly grieve. Or if we're grieving over sin,
it's because we know something of that gracious work of the
Holy Spirit within our heart. What a comfort that is. It's
the mark of a living soul. And where we feel these things,
does it not cause us to look to God? It's not enough to have
a sense of our sinnership. There must be something more
than that. We must be looking to God. We must be trusting in
God. That's where we have to look.
There's the objectivity of faith. That's the great thing, really.
To be looking away from ourselves. Oh yes, self-examination. is
a good and a necessary thing but again the words of the hymn
writer pour not on thyself too long lest it sink thee lower
look to Jesus kind a strong mercy joined with power looking away
unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith not only looking
in faith but looking in hope isn't this what what the Psalmist says to himself
as he seeks to answer those questions. Hope in God. Why aren't thou
cast down? Why aren't thou disquieted? Hope
in God, he says. My soul wait thou only upon God,
for my expectation is from Him. Those are the words we were looking
at only on Thursday evening. And remember what we said concerning
the great emphasis that we have there. My soul, he says, wait,
not just only upon God. No, we have that pronoun inserted,
wait thou, wait thou. only upon God, or how strongly
he addresses himself to be one who is really waiting upon God. Now look at the language that
we have in the second verse. He asks this question in verse
2, Thou art the God of my strength, why dost thou cast me off? Why does thou cast me off? He
feels that God is really casting him off. But does God really
do that? How do we reconcile that with
what God or what He said concerning God in Psalm 94 and verse 14? The Lord will not cast off His
people. neither will he forsake his inheritance."
Now there is the truth God never cast off His people. He has chosen
them in the eternal covenant of grace. He has saved them by
the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. There have been a gracious application
by the Spirit into their souls. Surely they say and they are
secure they are in Christ and once in Him in Him forever thus
the eternal covenant stands the Lord will not cast off His people
neither will He forsake His inheritance well what are we to make then
of these words in verse 2 why dost thou cast me off because
at times that's how we feel But you see our feelings are an unsafe
guide. We don't live on our feelings.
Oh yes, we contend for a feeling religion, but we don't live on
our feelings, we're to live on the Lord Jesus Christ. That's what we're to do, we're
to live on Him, we're to live the life of faith. and remember
always the vital thing is the blessed object of that faith
and the object, the only object is the Lord Jesus Christ and
so there is where we place our faith, there is where we put
all of our hope and you know isn't there an emphasis also
in the previous psalm here when he answers these questions in
verse 5 and says hope in God but look back at what he says
in the previous song verse 5 and verse 11 hope thou in God and
again he says it hope thou in God surely here there's such a force
in the Word of God that we are to take account of. Here is a
soul's encouragement then. If we know anything of these
feelings and we can enter in some measure
into the language of the Sámi's today it's a mark of life. We have living souls if we feel
these things. But we don't live on our feelings
we're to trust in God, we're to hope in God we live that life that is one
of complete and utter dependence upon the Lord Jesus Christ and
so in the third place the soul's expectation and we have that do we not at
the end of the psalm why I have cast down all my soul Why art
thou disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet
praise Him, who is the health of my countenance and my God."
Oh, what is David doing here? Well, he's doing a number of
things. First of all, he is very much looking forward. I shall yet praise Him, he says. There's that backward look But
there's also that forward look and there's that upward look.
As he looks forward, so he looks upward. What is this hope? You know, hope is such a remarkable
fruit of the Holy Spirit. And often we say, we might say
much about faith, but we say so little about hope. and yet
it's a twin grace of faith and look at the language that we
find in Romans 8 24 Paul there says we are saved by hope we
are saved by hope but hope that is seen is not hope for what
a man seeth why doth he yet hope for but if we hope for that we
see not then with patience or endurance do we wait for it all you see faith is bound up
with with patience, with endurance all these fruits of the Spirit
are connected one to the other faith, hope, patience and now
the Lord has to teach us these things in our own souls experience
hope in God for I shall yet praise Him who is the health of my countenance
and my God. All we have to look forward we
have to look forward and as we look forward so we will increasingly
have to lift up our eyes and look towards God in the heavens
Paul says I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not
worthy to be compared with the glory that shall follow. We look
not at the things that are seen but the things that are not seen.
The things that are seen are temporal. The unseen things are
the eternal things. This is how the believer lives
his life. We're not bound up with the things of time and of
sense. We're not to be. We're to recognize what they
are. They are but passing. are here only for a short while. All but what of our never dying
souls? Do not our souls have to do with
those eternal things? Those things that God has prepared
for his children in heaven? David then is looking forward
But see how David speaks here of the health of his countenance. I shall yet praise him, he says,
who is the health of my countenance. Now, a person's face tells us
a great deal about their state of health or certainly the the good physician would be able
to read something in the countenance of a person certainly when the
physician looks into the eye of that person they're able to make a proper
diagnosis and what does David say here?
he recognizes that God and God alone is the health of his countenance And how is God the house of his
countenance? Well, it's interesting to go
back and compare what he says in the previous psalm at verse
5. I say we have a threefold text in a certain sense, you
know, verses 5 and 11 there in Psalm 42, and here verse 5 in
Psalm 43, but there are subtle differences, important differences. and look at what he says back
in 42.5 he says hope thou in God for I shall
yet praise him for the help of his countenance there's a difference
isn't there? there's a difference, an important
difference really here at the end of 43 It's the health of
my countenance, and there in 42.5 it's the help of his countenance. It's when God looks upon him.
Always when God looks upon him. There be many who say, who will
show us any good. Lord, lift thou up the light
of thy countenance upon me. how we need God to be that one
who comes and so kindly and so graciously looks upon us. Remember the experience of Simon
Peter when he denied the Lord those three times the Lord had
told him. And what do we read there in in Luke 22 61? after that third denial the Lord
turned it says and looked upon Peter and Peter remembered the
word of the Lord all that the Lord had said about him denying
and he goes out and he weeps bitter tears oh what a look when
the Lord turns and looks upon a man and how we need the Lord
to be that one who comes and looks upon us The hymn writer
says, I do not frown my soul away but smile my darkness into
day. Smile my darkness into day when
the Lord looks upon us so graciously. Wasn't that the great blessing
that was to be pronounced upon the children of Israel? It's God who gives Moses direction
concerning that blessing that the priests of Aaron were to
pronounce. at the end of number six, the
Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto Aaron and unto his
sons, saying, I am this wise, ye shall bless the children of
Israel, saying unto them, The Lord bless thee, and keep thee. The Lord make his face shine
upon thee, and be gracious unto them. The Lord lift up his countenance
upon thee, and give thee peace. And they shall put my name upon
the children of Israel and I will bless them or they shall put
my name, what is the Lord's name? three times, the Lord, the Lord,
the Lord, Father, Son and Holy Spirit and what is it? the Lord make his face shine
the Lord lift up his countenance or when the Lord when the Lord
looks upon us Is that our prayer? Is that our desire? That God
would come and look upon us so graciously. Thank God it's the
day of grace. It is the acceptable time. It
is the day of salvation. God's judgments are in the earth,
but isn't judgment God's strange work? Oh, God delights in mercy. He delights in mercy. He's the
God of all grace. And this is where David, of course,
found his great comfort when he had been guilty of such horrific
sins. Have mercy upon me, O God, according
to Thy lovingkindness, according unto the multitude of Thy tender
mercies. Blot out my transgressions, wash
me throughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sins.
Oh, there's hope for sinners, is there not, in such a God as
that. And you see, here is David's comfort, he knows this God. He
knew God personally. How does the text end? And my God. And my God. It's the same at the end of Psalm
42 as we have it here at the end of Psalm 43. And it's that
language of appropriation. It's MY God! It's not just THE
God. It's MY God. Life eternal, says
the Lord Jesus Christ, is this. To know Thee, the only true God,
and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent. Or do we know? Do we know this God? Not just
know of Him, not just know about Him, but do we know Him in that
personal way? Real religion is that personal,
you see. It's the individual. And the
individual's knowledge of God. That's life eternal. And that's...
Oh, that's Paul's great desire, isn't it? That I may know Him.
And the power of His resurrection. and the fellowship of his sufferings
being made conformable to his death. And I often think about
the order of things there. Why does he put the resurrection
first, that I may know him and the power of his resurrection?
And then he goes on to speak of the fellowship of his sufferings
and conformity to his death. Isn't the order the wrong way
around? Isn't the resurrection that that
comes after all the sufferings after the death? Well in our
experience it must first be the power of His resurrection. All
that life must come into our souls, that resurrection life.
That's where our knowledge begins. When the Lord comes to us in
all His quickening power. You see the sinner has to be
born again to enter in any measure into the things that the Psalmist
is speaking of. Oh God grant that we might know
these things. in all the sweetness of our soul's
experience, to in some measure enter into the language of David.
Why art thou cast down, O my soul, and why art thou disquieted
within me? Hope in God, hope thou in God,
for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance,
who is the health of my countenance. and my God. Amen.