Psalm 63:1-8

Psalm 63:1-8 (NRSV)

A Psalm of David, when he was in the Wilderness of Judah.

¹ O God, you are my God, I seek you,

my soul thirsts for you;

my flesh faints for you,

as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

² So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,

beholding your power and glory.

³ Because your steadfast love is better than life,

my lips will praise you.

⁴ So I will bless you as long as I live;

I will lift up my hands and call on your name. 

⁵ My soul is satisfied as with a rich feast,

and my mouth praises you with joyful lips

⁶ when I think of you on my bed,

and meditate on you in the watches of the night;

⁷ for you have been my help,

and in the shadow of your wings I sing for joy.

⁸ My soul clings to you;

your right hand upholds me.

          Psalm 63 is an individual lament. Dahood, however, says it is a Royal Psalm. Some scholars suggest the author is a Levite, because of the desire to be in the sanctuary. Dahood disagrees, thinking it refers to a heavenly vision. Weiser believes the poet writes from the sanctuary, seeing a revelation of the majesty of God. 

            The superscription of the psalm identifies it as a Psalm of David, when he was in the Wilderness of Judah. The setting refers to where in the days before David ruled as king, he led a large roving band of soldiers (see such passages as 1 Samuel 23:13-15). His life was threatened by King Saul, with whom he had a complicated relationship.

            The poet opens with noting that in the time of affliction, ¹ O God, you are my God, I seek you, my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land, as in the wilderness south of Judah, where there is no water.Notice the parallel expressions: “My God, I seek you = my soul thirsts for you = my flesh faints for you.” The dry, weary, waterless land is both literal and metaphorical. Yet, in the midst of his dryness, he turns to his faith. ² So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. The sanctuary was either the tabernacle or the temple, where the psalmist remembers experiencing God’s glorious, powerful presence. In verses 3-5, note the bodily references as the poet expresses ways he will offer praise to God. ³ Because your steadfast love (hésed), to which the poet owes everything, is better than life, my lips will praise you. He will then suggest that purpose of life is nothing less than a soul filled with thought of God. ⁴ So I will bless you as long as I live; I will lift up my hands and call on your name. He will then affirm that this communion with God is a necessity of life, for it leads to rich feast for the soul. ⁵ My soul is satisfied as with a rich feast, and my mouth praises you with joyful lips ⁶ when I think of you on my bed, and meditate (mutters aloud, prayerful meditation was most often verbal, not silent) on you in the watches of the night; ⁷ for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I sing for joy. He alludes to avian parental protective refuge (see Psalms 17:8; 36:7; 57:1; and Ruth 2:12). Thus, with all the strength of the will poet, the poet clings to God. ⁸ My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me. The poet has identified himself with God. We can raise the question of whether we have done so. How would we know what is truly our god? Have we identified the God who will be our Lord and Master? It will help to ask some questions. What or who do we seek (v. 1)? What does our soul thirst and ache for (v. 1)? Where do we go to find our god (v. 2)? About what or whom do we chatter and praise, gushing with admiration and enthusiasm (v. 3)? About what and whom will our body go crazy with joy and happiness (v. 4)? What or who really satisfies us at a deep level (v. 5)? When we go to bed, what or who is in our thoughts (v. 6)? Who do we want to be around all the time (vv. 7-8)? Answer these questions and you will identify your god.