Psalm 143 explained: A Cry from the Dark for Help

Hear me, but don't judge me (vv. 1-2)

The writer asks God to answer because God is faithful and does what is right, not because the writer has earned it. He adds that if God put him on trial, no one alive could stand as innocent, a line the apostle Paul later echoed and Christians read as pointing to the need for grace.

Crushed by an enemy (vv. 3-4)

An enemy has hounded him and knocked him to the ground, leaving him in a darkness that feels like the grave. The psalm does not name the enemy, and while tradition links it to David, we cannot be sure of the setting.

Remembering and reaching out (vv. 5-6)

To steady himself, he recalls what God has done in the past, then lifts his open hands, an ancient posture of prayer and asking. He says he longs for God the way dry, cracked ground longs for rain.

Answer me and show me the way (vv. 7-10)

For God to 'hide his face' means to withdraw his favor, and 'the pit' means the grave, so he is saying he cannot hold on much longer. He asks to hear of God's steady love by morning and to be taught God's will and led on what some translations call 'level ground' and others a 'land of uprightness', since the Hebrew word can mean either smooth terrain or right living.

Closing plea against enemies (vv. 11-12)

'For your name's sake' means for the sake of God's own character and reputation. He ends by asking God, in that same steady love, to silence and destroy his enemies, a harsh request the psalm states plainly.

Key verse: Psalm 143:8

Something to think about

When you have felt crushed or worn down, what from your own past have you reached back to for strength, and did it help?