Psalm 143

Psalm 143 belongs to Book V of the Psalms (Psalms 107–150). It is one of the group of Psalms 138–145 whose superscriptions read "A Psalm of David." It follows Psalm 142, whose superscription identifies it as a prayer offered in the cave. Psalm 143 is an individual lament in which one pursued by an enemy seeks God's answer and guidance.

Structure

• Verses 1–2 The psalmist asks the Lord to answer him in His faithfulness and righteousness. Because no one living is righteous before Him, he pleads that the Lord not enter into judgment with His servant.
• Verses 3–4 He laments that the enemy has smitten his life down to the ground and made him dwell in darkness, so that his spirit is overwhelmed and his heart is desolate.
• Verses 5–6 He remembers and meditates on the works the Lord did in days of old. He stretches out his hands, and his soul thirsts for the Lord like a thirsty land. Verse 6 ends with Selah.
• Verses 7–9 He asks the Lord to answer quickly and not to hide His face. He prays to hear the Lord's lovingkindness in the morning, to be shown the way in which he should walk, and to be delivered from his enemies.
• Verses 10–12 He asks to be taught to do the Lord's will and to be led into the land of uprightness. He asks the Lord, for His name's sake and by His righteousness and lovingkindness, to revive him and to cut off his enemies, and he closes with the confession "I am thy servant."

Key Verses

• Psalm 143:2 "For in thy sight shall no man living be justified." In Romans 3:20 and Galatians 2:16, Paul draws on this verse to teach that no one will be justified by the works of the law.
• Psalm 143:8 "Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning." The verse joins a confession of trust in God with a request to be shown the way to go.
• Psalm 143:10 "Teach me to do thy will." Here the prayer for rescue broadens into a prayer for a life that follows the Lord's will.

People and Places

• David: The king of Israel named as author in the superscription.
• The enemy: An unnamed adversary who seeks the psalmist's life.
• No place names appear in the text. "Darkness," "a thirsty land," and "the land of uprightness" are figures of speech expressing the psalmist's situation and hope.

Points for Reflection

• Christian tradition has grouped this psalm with Psalms 6, 32, 38, 51, 102, and 130 as the seven "Penitential Psalms." However, direct confession of sin is confined largely to verse 2, and most of the psalm is a lament prompted by the enemy, so some scholars classify it as an individual lament.
• Martin Luther is said to have called Psalms 32, 51, 130, and 143 the "Pauline Psalms." In Protestant interpretation, verse 2 is read in connection with the doctrine of justification.
• The superscription in the Septuagint reportedly adds the words "when his son pursued him," and some interpreters see in this an allusion to the rebellion of Absalom. The superscription in the Hebrew text does not contain these words.
• In verse 10, the expression rendered "thy spirit" (Korean 주의 신) appears as "your Spirit" (주의 영) in the New Korean Revised Version. Christian readers often connect this with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
• The word rendered "lovingkindness" in verse 8 and "mercy" in verse 12 (KJV) translates the Hebrew hesed, which denotes steadfast love that is faithful to the covenant.