This psalm is a continuation of the previous psalm. Some Hebrew manuscript has the two psalms combined as one. But this psalm is certainly an independent psalm.
Commentary:
Psalm 43:1. David had different types of enemies. We learned from Psalm 41 that his trusted friends turned against him. This time, his enemies were from a foreign country. David probably had some dealing with them because he called them deceitful and unjust.
Psalm 43:2. Based on the parallelism in Hebrew literary structure, David equated the oppression of the enemy to the rejection of God. When we experience setback, the feeling that God does not care is certainly not unique. The next few verses are important for administering to that feeling.
Psalm 43:3. The psalmist asks God to send out to him the light and the truth. The light signifies the wisdom and discernment. The wisdom ranges the technical skill of artisan to the art of government. It also includes the balances of pleasing God and enjoying what God offers in this life. The light can bring out the subtlety that otherwise is lost.
The truth is the word of God. It makes known of the precepts of God. It points out the way to life and to destruction. In abiding to the truth, we will have life. In asking the light and the truth, the psalmist makes clear his purpose is to return to God.
Psalm 43:4. The psalmist then looks forward to the coming celebration. In the presence of God, he will have exceeding joy. He will burst out praises and worship.
Psalm 43:5. With the certainty that God will provide, David once again drives away his despair and finds hope again. His desire is to give praise to God.
Meditation:
No one likes rejection. In the fear of rejection, we can do things that are neither truthful nor wise. For example, peer pressure is rooted in the fear of rejection. Another example is making apology or receiving apology. When we perceive that someone is mad at us, we quickly apologize for making the other upset without thinking through what we have done wrong. The apology is lack of substantial change of heart, which will repeat the offense in the future. Likewise, we may accept apology for fear of being rejected without resolving the real conflict. Again, the problem will resurface at a later time.
The fear of rejection is powerfully used by Satan. David called his enemy the foreigner, who is deceitful and unjust. It is the perfect description of Satan. He is the archenemy of all believers. He uses deception and then unjust accusation against the elect. The sad thing is that we can buy into the lie and become fearful of the rejection of men.
The fear of rejection by men should be preceded by the fear of rejection by God. Like David, we should ask God to send us the light and the truth. With the word of God and the Holy Spirit, guided by the wisdom of spiritual elders, we should find the root cause of conflicts or struggles. Instead of having a quick resolution that does not fixes the real problem or further leads us to the wrong, let’s go to God and resolve the real problem—the sinful nature of men.
Prayer:
Dear Father of Light and Truth, we humbly come before you to seek your face. Let your spirit of truth and light be strong in us. Stop the deceiving scheme of Satan. In Jesus’ name we ask. Amen.