Psalm 63, Thirsty

A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah.

David goes into Judah in I Samuel 22: 5 and again in I Samuel 23: 14-20, where we read a desert escape from Saul and an experience with the Ziphites, an experience where other psalms were written. There are other options for the setting of this psalm -- if David is king at the time of the first writing of this psalm (see the last verse) then this event may record David's thoughts when he is fleeing from Absalom in 2 Samuel 15: 13-23.

Psalm 63: 1-2, Thirsty

 O God, you are my God, 

earnestly I seek you; 

my soul thirsts for you, 

my body longs for you, 

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

I have seen you in the sanctuary 

and beheld your power and your glory.

In the desert, David understands thirst. Here his soul thirsts for God. The thirst is driven by glimpses of God's power and glory.

Psalm 63: 3-5, Love better than life

 Because your love is better than life, 

my lips will glorify you.

 I will praise you as long as I live, 

and in your name I will lift up my hands.

 

My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; 

with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

David enjoys God's love and is immersed in God's fellowship, much more valuable than even food. David praises God with both his lips and his uplifted hands.

Psalm 63: 6-8, Through the watches of the night

 On my bed I remember you; 

I think of you through the watches of the night.

 

Because you are my help,

 I sing in the shadow of your wings.

 

My soul clings to you; 

your right hand upholds me.

 

David meditates on God through the night. He knows he is under God's wings and there, in that shelter, he both sings and clings.

Psalm 63: 9-10, Enemies destroyed

They who seek my life will be destroyed;

 they will go down to the depths of the earth.

 They will be given over to the sword 

and become food for jackals.

Not only will David's enemies be destroyed, but their bodies will be left for the jackals to eat, a notoriously humiliating ending.

Psalm 63: 11, But for the king, Joy 

But the king will rejoice in God; 

all who swear by God's name will praise him, 

while the mouths of liars will be silenced.

David rejoices at the victory God gives over his enemies and will promise allegiance to the God of Truth. As in many other psalms, David's personal devotion to God morphs into a royal statement of a king trusting his nation to God.

Caroline Cobb has an album on the psalms. (You can find Caroline Cobb on Spotify here.) Her rendition of Psalm 63 is Better Than Life.