Down to Earth But Heavenly Minded

What does Psalms Chapter 13 mean?

David begins this psalm on a note of despair. He feels that the Lord is far from him. David is full of sorrow, thinking about his enemy. This may have been written during the time when King Saul sought to kill David (1 Samuel 19:1–2). With an enemy using the resources of an entire nation to pursue him, David would have felt overwhelmed and helpless. Expressing sincere emotion, David feels as if God has forgotten him. He looks in vain for a way to defeat his enemies. He finally turns to the Lord in faith and asks for an answer. His question is not merely a request for knowledge, but for explanation—to know why these things are happening. David asks for enlightenment, which likely includes energy and strength. He knows that only God can rescue him. Unless the Lord intervenes, David expects to be defeated, and believes his enemies are already celebrating because of his fear (Psalm 13:1–4).

However, David’s faith does not fail. Though he does not fully understand “why” these things happen, he maintains his trust in God. He relies on the Lord’s unfailing love and rejoices in His salvation. David recalls the Lord’s goodness to him, and this causes him to sing. The psalm begins on a note of sorrow and ends with a joyful song. Doubt brings sorrow; faith brings praise (Psalm 13:5–6).

Chapter Context
This psalm, like so many others, honestly expresses feelings of fear and frustration. This may have been composed during David’s time hiding in the wilderness from King Saul (1 Samuel 19:1–2). This is one of many passages where believers sincerely cry out to God with their confusion and pain, not understanding why God has chosen to allow events to occur (Psalm 73:2–3; Habakkuk 1:2–4). As with those other Scriptures, this impassioned plea ends in an expression of trust and praise.

Verse by Verse

Verse 1. How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?How long will you hide your face from me?

Life is not always easy. Faith in God does not always bring easy answers. Scripture does not hide this fact. Here, David joins many others in expressing his confusion and frustration to God (Psalm 73:2–3; Habakkuk 1:2–4). Faced with danger, it seems to David that the Lord has forgotten him. David’s question of “how long?” is more than just a question of time; it’s also a plea for explanation. There is a sense of “why?” carried within these complaints.

Apparently, God’s promise to make David king of Israel (1 Samuel 16:13) was growing faint in the face of persecution. David was encouraged when he beheld God’s face, but now it seemed God had hidden His face. David expresses a similar note of concern in Psalm 22:11, where he prays: “Be not far from me, for trouble is near, and there is none to help.”

Believers may identify with David’s feeling of abandonment. Trouble may tempt a believer to think God has abandoned them and no longer cares. However, the Lord will never forsake a believer, and He cares for him (Hebrews 13:5; 1 Peter 5:7). David’s struggle will not lead him to reject God; he will respond to his fears with faith (Psalm 13:5–6).

Context Summary
Psalm 13:1–4 exposed David’s sorrow and doubt. These are not uncommon emotions, and Scripture includes moments when believers cry out to God in their confusion. In this situation, David feels the Lord has forgotten him and turned His face away. He asks the Lord how long he must struggle, seemingly alone. He asks why he is suffering this danger, and this pressure, and when his enemy will finally be defeated. He is concerned that his enemy will claim the victory over him. Though David is confused and frustrated, he does not turn away from God, as the last verses show (Psalm 13:5–6).

Verse 2. How long must I take counsel in my souland have sorrow in my heart all the day?How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

Crying out in frustration and confusion (Psalm 13:1), David expresses three concerns to God. This is a natural human emotion, one which God understands (Psalm 73:2–3; Habakkuk 1:2–4; Hebrews 4:15–16).

First, David is concerned about the pressure to find a resolution to his dilemma. He feels inadequate to solve the problems he faces. The phrase “take counsel in my soul” is meant to imply David’s innermost thoughts and mind. Because the Lord seems to be absent, David feels compelled to make plans on his own.

Second, David is suffering from sorrow. Feeling abandoned by God, he struggles all day with turmoil in his heart. As his struggles continue, with no end in sight, David is tempted to fear that they will never be resolved. His concern is not merely being pressured to make the right decisions, but the emotional toll his situation is taking.

Third, David is fearful over his enemy’s apparent triumph over him. Since God has not yet brought a resolution, David is tempted to think there might not be victory, at all.

When troubles strike, it is easy to believe the Lord has abandoned us. But He has promised to be with us always (Hebrews 13:5). He shepherds us not only in green pastures but also when we traverse the valley of the shadow of death (Psalm 23). If we focus on our troubles instead of on the Lord, we will feel great sadness. However, if we focus on the Lord, we will experience joy despite difficult circumstances (Philippians 4:4). Our enemy may seem to triumph over us, but “we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:37). David places his trust in God; he is grounded in faith, despite these temporary struggles (Psalm 13:5–6).

Verse 3. Consider and answer me, O Lord my God;light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,

As part of his heartfelt cry of confusion and pain (Psalm 13:1–2), David pleads with God for an answer. David is not only asking for a resolution to his struggles, but an explanation.

Part of David’s struggle is his effort to make right decisions, especially in the face of a powerful enemy (Psalm 13:2). He asks the Lord to light up his eyes. In Hebrew thinking, light was the embodiment of wisdom, truth, and goodness. David is asking God to grant him a proper perspective on his troubling situation. James 1:5 directs believers to pray for wisdom when facing trials (James 1:2–8).

David also longs for encouragement. He seems resigned to death and defeat unless God intervenes. Many of the threats David faced in his life were lethal, including those from men like King Saul (1 Samuel 19:1–2). Fear of death was not an exaggerated reaction, but a very real concern.

The apostle Paul must have felt discouraged when he asked the Lord three times to remove his “thorn in the flesh” (2 Corinthians 12:7–8), but the Lord did not remove it. Instead, He told Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you” (2 Corinthians 12:9). No trial can overwhelm the believer who draws encouragement by relying on God’s all-sufficient grace. David, as well, retains his trust in God despite these hard circumstances (Psalm 13:5–6).

Verse 4. lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,”lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.

David is experiencing a period of frustration, doubt, and uncertainty. This might have been part of his conflict with the murderous King Saul (1 Samuel 19:1–2). David has candidly expressed his confusion and worries to God (Psalm 13:1–2), including a sincere plea for an answer (Psalm 13:3).

Here, David expresses concern that his enemy is celebrating his current fears. He is worried his foes might kill him; yet even before that, David fears his enemies will view his frustration as a form of defeat. If David wavered because of his enemy’s prowess over him, others might assume he lacked faith in God’s promises. After all, God had promised the kingdom to David (1 Samuel 16:13).

In Psalm 35:19–20 David prays: “Let not those rejoice over me who are wrongfully my foes, and let not those wink the eye who hate me without cause. For they do not speak peace, but against those who are quiet in the land they devise words of deceit.”

Fortunately, David knows that his limitations are not God’s failures. Even as he expresses his struggles, David will affirm his trust in the Lord (Psalm 13:5–6). When troubles strike us as believers, we may think God has forsaken us; we may doubt God’s promises. However, God’s timing is not always the same as our timing. He keeps His Word, and His promises are iron clad. His seeming delays are for our good (Romans 8:18; 2 Peter 3:9). One readily obvious benefit of seeming delays is that we tend to pray more as we wait for the fulfillment of God’s promises, thus drawing closer to God and often being more deeply transformed by the work of the Holy Spirit in us.

Verse 5. But I have trusted in your steadfast love;my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.

David’s faith in the Lord overrides his fear of the enemy. This psalm began with David’s sincere, human expressions of confusion and frustration. In a heartfelt way, David was asking God, “why?” in response to his hardship. His own mind wasn’t sharp enough to resolve these issues, and he feared his enemies might finally win (Psalm 13:1–4). However, because of all God had done, David did not reject God or turn away from his faith (Psalm 11:1).

Here, at the end of the psalm, David shifts focus from his adversary to the Lord’s unfailing love. He rejoices in the salvation given by God. God understands the limits of our knowledge and our need to sometimes cry out to Him in pain (Psalm 73:2–3; Habakkuk 1:1–4).

Jesus promises believers that hardship is part of living in this world, Yet He also reassures His people that He has attained ultimate victory on their behalf (John 16:33). The apostle Paul endured drastic persecution but assured buffeted believers that God’s love cannot be halted. In Romans 8:38–39 he writes: “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” God’s love for believers is far greater than any threat or trial.

Context Summary
Psalm 13:5–6 forms an important perspective when reading David’s earlier cries of frustration (Psalm 13:1–4). David felt he could bring his confusion, hurt, and hardship to God. There, he expressed fears of defeat and a desire to know why God had not yet brought victory. These closing verses express an important background for those questions: David’s confidence in the Lord and his joy. David recognizes that God loves him in difficult circumstances just as much as in times of safety. The Lord has proven His grace, so even when he does not fully understand, David chooses to trust in God.

Verse 6. I will sing to the Lord,because he has dealt bountifully with me.

What began as a lament of frustrated anguish (Psalm 13:1–4) ends in a song of praise. David cried out to God, sincerely expressing his pain as many people do (Psalm 73:2–3; Habakkuk 1:2–4). David, however, knows that his limitations are not God’s failures, and even when circumstances are hard, he chooses to trust the Lord (Psalm 11:1).

David will sing to the Lord because the Lord has been so good to him. The word “bountifully” emphasizes the enormous extent of God’s goodness. Praise should be constant. Difficult circumstances may not change, but neither does God’s love for His people. Because His love is unfailing, God’s people can rejoice, knowing that God is good all the time.

The Hebrews encountered many trials when they traveled from Egypt to the Promised Land, but God faithfully provided for them and brought them into the Promised Land. Isaiah 63:9 points out how the Lord cared for His people. This verse states: “In all their afflictions he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them; in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.”

Believers must make a choice when trouble strikes. We can despair, curse God, and succumb to fear. Or, we can pray—even if that prayer expresses angst and unhappiness—as we reflect on God’s goodness through our praise.

End of Psalm 13

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