Psalm 143 (142):3Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

I have cast away my spirit; I have brought my being low to the earth; I find myself ensconced in shadows akin to the ancient dead. This may reference Saul, who was his adversary and pursued him violently. Alternatively, it could symbolize the devil, as he relentlessly targets God's people. How can we escape his relentless pursuit? We must discover a refuge from his reach. And what refuge is that, you ask? Is there any place other than heaven? How do we attain heaven? Listen to Paul, who instructs us that even while we inhabit our earthly bodies, we can reside there: "Seek those things which are above, where Christ sits at the right hand of God" (Col. 3:1); and again, "For our citizenship is in heaven" (Phil. 3:20).

The Psalm bears the title: A Psalm of David when his son pursued him. As recorded in the Book of Kings (2 Samuel 15), this event is documented. Yet we must also recognize another David, a true warrior, who is none other than our Lord Jesus Christ. This historical episode serves as a foreshadowing of what was to come. Consequently, let us seek our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ within this psalm; He reveals Himself through His prophecy, predicting what unfolds in our time based on past events. He foretold His coming through the prophets, for He is the Word of God. They uttered nothing apart from being filled with the Word of God, proclaiming Christ boldly, and going forth to Him who was to arrive, never forsaken by Him who went ahead.

Let us allow our Lord to speak; let Christ—the entirety of Christ—speak with us. "Lord, hear my prayer, give ear to my supplication" (Psalm 142:1). To hear and to give ear are synonymous actions, a repetition affirming the sentiment. "In Your faithfulness answer me, in Your righteousness." We should not assume our prayers are received without careful consideration when spoken in Your righteousness. It is a matter of grace that none of us can claim our righteousness as our own, for that is the righteousness of God, which He bestows upon us. What does the apostle say of those who take pride in their righteousness? Concerning the Jews, he remarked that they possess a zeal for God, yet it is not based on knowledge (Romans 10:2). You have erred, for you attribute your wrongdoings to God, while claiming credit for your good deeds. You will be justified when you acknowledge your transgressions as your own, and give glory for the good to God—for upon examining myself, I find nothing but sin.

"And do not enter into judgment with Your servant" (Psalm 142:2). Who would dare challenge Him except those unacquainted with the righteousness of God and who strive to establish their own? "Why have we fasted and You have not seen it; why have we humbled ourselves and You take no notice?" (Isaiah 58:3) As if to say, 'We have fulfilled Your commands; why do You not reward us as promised?' God responds: I provide you with what is necessary for you to receive my promises. I have given so that you may act in ways that allow you to receive. To such proud individuals, the Prophet poses the question: "Why will you contend with Me?" (Jeremiah 2:29). Each one of you has sinned against Me. Why enter judgment with Me, detailing your own righteousness? Before You, none living shall be justified. All beings who exist in the flesh, who face the inevitability of death—having drawn life from humanity, descended from Adam—may justify themselves in their own eyes, but not before You. They do so by seeking their own approval, not striving for Yours. "Do not enter into judgment with me, O Lord my God." No matter how upright I may perceive myself, You hold the standard; You reveal it, and I find myself lacking.

Well stated regarding Your servant. It is beneath Your dignity to scrutinize Your servant or even Your friend (Matthew 5:40). What of the Apostles? They also learned to pray as we do; they received a model of prayer from the heavenly Counselor, who instructed them, "Pray like this" (Matthew 6:9). He outlined certain matters to the leaders of His flock, the chief shepherds, who were taught to say, "Forgive us our debts" (Matthew 6:12). They did not declare, 'Thank You, who have forgiven our debts as we also forgive our debtors,' but instead, 'Forgive us as we forgive.' Faithfully prayed the faithful back then, for this prayer belongs primarily to them. If it were intended solely for debts absolved by Baptism, it would have been more appropriate to say, 'Forgive us our debts.' Hence, let them proclaim, 'Forgive us our debts.' When they are asked, 'Why do you say that? What are your debts?' they would respond that not every living being before You can be justified.

"For the enemy has persecuted my soul; he has brought my life down to the ground" (Psalm 142:3). Here, we see our Head speaking on our behalf. Both the devil pursued the Soul of Christ, and Judas betrayed his Master; now, that same devil continues to afflict the Body of Christ, with one Judas after another. There is no shortage of adversaries from whom even the Body cries, "For the enemy persecutes my soul." What is the intention of every persecutor other than to lead us away from our heavenly hope, encouraging us to lean toward earthly desires? "They placed me in dark places, like those who are dead in the world." This is more readily understood from the Head; He indeed died for us, yet He was never one of the dead of this world. Who are those counted among the dead of this world, and why was He not? The deceased of this world are those who perished in their own desolation, who received just recompense for their sins and embraced death through the transgression that has been inherited. "For I was conceived in sin..." In His death, He proclaims, "I fulfill the will of My Father, yet I do not deserve death. I have committed no act meriting death; it is My own choice that leads to death, so that through the innocent's demise, those deserving of it may be freed." Envelop me in darkness, as if in Hades, or like the tomb, or amidst His own Passion, as one among the slain of the world.

"And my spirit is overwhelmed within me" (Psalm 142:4), He declares. "Remember, my soul is distressed even to death" (Matthew 26:38). Here we perceive a singular voice. Can we not discern the passage from Head to members and then back to the Head again?

Yet we too have traversed this path. "I remembered the days of old" (Psalm 142:5). His recollection does not stem from past moments that yielded each new dawn; rather, the body asserts, "Anyone justified by Your grace, residing in love and humble reverence, says: I have contemplated all Your works, recognizing that You created everything good, with nothing remaining that You did not establish." Your creation has become a spectacle to me: I sought the Creator within the Master’s work, understanding all things as created. What is the purpose of this, except that one might come to realize that all goodness within them is a creation of Him?

Consider well the Creator of your existence, the Giver of your righteousness and salvation: reflect upon the handiwork of His creation. For even the righteousness within you belongs to Him. The apostle instructs us: "not of works, lest anyone boast." Do we have no good deeds? Certainly we do: but consider what he continues, "For we are His handiwork" (Ephesians 2:9-10). We are His workmanship; perhaps in discussing creation, the reference is to the nature that defines our humanity? Clearly not; he refers to our works. Let us not delve into speculation but focus on the text— for we are His creation, formed in Christ Jesus for good works. Do not assume that you act on your own, except to the extent that you remain inclined to evil... "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling," the apostle urges (Philippians 2:12-13). If we are to work out our salvation, why with fear and trembling, unless everything we undertake is beyond our grasp? Pay heed, for "it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure." Therefore, with reverence and caution, let us desire to please our Creator in this humble existence.

"I have stretched out my hands to You; my soul thirsts for You like a barren land" (Psalm 142:6). "Rain down on me," He pleads, "so that I may yield good fruit." The Lord will provide sweetness, that our land may produce its harvest. I have extended my hands to You; my soul thirsts for You, not for myself, but for You. I can long for You, but cannot quench my thirst independently.

"Answer me quickly, O Lord" (Psalm 142:7). Why do You hesitate to satiate my thirst, now that I am parched? You have delayed the rain so that I may drink deep and absorb, not reject the outpouring of Your grace. If this indeed is why You have delayed, then now bestow, for my spirit has failed me. Let Your Spirit fill me, for this is why You ought to hear me. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:3). For the one who harbors Your Spirit carries pride within him and has set his spirit against God...

"Do not hide Your face from me" (Psalm 142:8). You turned from me when I was filled with pride. In my abundance, I became arrogant, declaring, "I will never be shaken." Yet in my fullness, I did not recognize Your righteousness, and instead relied on my own; Lord, according to Your Will, You have imparted strength to my beauty. I proclaimed in my fullness that I would not falter, unaware that all fullness came from You. To demonstrate to me that my abundance was derived from You, You turned Your face away, and I was distressed.

After being cast into calamity, with Your countenance removed, my spirit weakened and my heart troubled due to Your distance, I became as a barren land before You. "Do not turn away from me." You withdrew from me when I was proud; restore Your countenance to me, for now I am humble. If You turn away, I will be likened to those who descend into the pit. What does it signify to descend into the abyss? When a sinner sinks deeply into sin, contempt arises. The pit is frequently cited in Scripture as the depths wherein a sinner loses even their ability to confess; hence it is said, "Let not the pit shut its mouth against me."

"Let me hear of Your steadfast love in the morning, for in You I hope" (Psalm 142:9). I dwell in darkness; yet in You, I place my trust until the night's iniquity fades. As Peter declares, we possess a more certain prophetic word, to which we must pay heed, a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the Morning Star rises in our hearts. What comes until that day arrives? It is insufficient merely to anticipate the morning—we must also act. Why act? God must be sought with our actions in the night. What do hands signify? They represent good deeds. Since we are to earnestly await the morning light and endure the night while exercising patience until daybreak, what must we do in the interim? Do not suppose you can accomplish more through your own efforts than what is needed to bring you to the morning. "Show me, O Lord, the way I should follow." Thus, He illuminated the lamp of prophecy and sent the Lord in a vessel of flesh, who proclaimed, "My strength is dried up like a shard." Walk in accordance with prophecy, according to the lamp of the foretold future, aligned with the Word of God.

"Deliver me from my enemies, O Lord, for in You I have taken refuge" (Psalm 142:10). I, who once fled from You, now hasten to You. Adam fled from God's presence and hid among the trees of the garden, as was noted in the Book of Job: "like a servant fleeing from his lord to seek shade." He concealed himself from the face of his Master, and found merely a shadow—woe to him if he remains in the shade; for it shall be declared, "All things have vanished like a shadow." The rulers of this world, the rulers of darkness, the princes of wickedness; against them you contend. Great is your struggle, for you may not see your adversaries yet prevail against them. Each ruler of this world, of darkness—that is, the devil and his angels—not the earthly princes of whom it is said, "The world was made through Him," but that world which "did not recognize Him" (John 1:10). For now, I run to You.

He has placed me in obscurity, akin to the times of the deceased. This darkness signifies the lack of knowledge I once experienced; during that time, he notes, nothing set me apart from the lifeless. The term dead ages alludes to the earlier worshippers of false gods.

This requires no explanation: there is no doubt that it is the adversary. ‘Humbled my life into the ground.’ That is what it conveys. Previously, I had wings and soared. Yet now, the foe pursued me, captured me, and bound me hand and foot. Just as a bird ensnared by a hunter appears lifeless because it is unable to take flight, so has the adversary shackled me, he claims, through the awareness of my transgressions. ‘He has placed me in darkness, like the dead of ages.’ Like the dead of ages: though he is not yet lifeless. Why? Because he stands in repentance. If a sinner does not turn from sin, he is truly the dead of ages, not merely in a metaphorical sense, but in fact. Thus, the enemy believes I will not turn from my sins, which he has tempted me to commit.

I have brought destruction upon my soul; I have brought my life low to the earth. Thus, I earnestly ask you to grant me your truth and righteousness, not only in your judgment of me, but also when you judge both me and my adversaries; for it is by their hand that I have been stripped of my royal position and exiled from my homeland. This humiliation is attested by history; for David ‘went about barefoot, covering his head, and weeping’ (2 Sam. 15:30). ‘He hath planted me in darkness, as the dead of the ages.’ Cast out and compelled to dwell in barren places, I find myself no different than a lifeless person trapped in the shadows.

Although He has cast away my soul, the preceding term signifies reason, and this event is a narrative. The adversary that David refers to as Absalom symbolically represents the devil in a broader context. As Chrysostom indicates, the devil relentlessly pursues us. How might we escape from this onslaught? If only we could find a refuge! But where could such a sanctuary be found? Is it in heaven? And how can we ascend to heaven at this moment? Pay attention to Paul, who asserts that it is indeed feasible, even amidst our mortal existence: he instructs us to set our minds on what is above. Our citizenship, he states, is in heaven.

David, having acknowledged before the Lord that he is receiving just consequences for his transgressions, now raises his voice against his adversaries. He approaches this matter with due propriety, as it would be unwise to begin with them. He portrays their ferocity in terms so striking that they could affect even the hardest of hearts, declaring that they cannot find satisfaction unless they bring death to the righteous one. Furthermore, he refers to himself as dead if divine assistance does not arrive swiftly; he not only likens himself to one who has died but also to a decayed body, referring to those who have long departed as dead.

This psalm is attributed to David and reflects his experiences during the persecution by Absalom. In it, the afflicted psalmist appeals for divine assistance, emphasizing the reliability of God's promises and truth (v.1). Naturally, if God were to respond solely based on strict justice, He would not come to the psalmist's aid, as all humanity is sinful and deserving of punishment. Thus, the psalmist beseeches God not to treat him according to the letter of the law nor bring his servant to trial. The one who prays finds himself in grave peril and is filled with deep sorrow (vv.2-4).