Psalm 143
Psalm 143, Hope for the Persecuted Soul
Scripture Text
Psalm 143:1, “Hear my prayer, O LORD, give ear to my supplications: in thy faithfulness answer me, and in thy righteousness.”
Psalm 143:2, “And enter not into judgment with thy servant: for in thy sight shall no man living be justified.”
Psalm 143:3, “For the enemy hath persecuted my soul; he hath smitten my life down to the ground; he hath made me to dwell in darkness, as those that have been long dead.”
Psalm 143:4, “Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is desolate.”
Psalm 143:5, “I remember the days of old; I meditate on all thy works; I muse on the work of thy hands.”
Psalm 143:6, “I stretch forth my hands unto thee: my soul thirsteth after thee, as a thirsty land. Selah.”
Psalm 143:7, “Hear me speedily, O LORD: my spirit faileth: hide not thy face from me, lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit.”
Psalm 143:8, “Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.”
Psalm 143:9, “Deliver me, O LORD, from mine enemies: I flee unto thee to hide me.”
Psalm 143:10, “Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.”
Psalm 143:11, “Quicken me, O LORD, for thy name’s sake: for thy righteousness’ sake bring my soul out of trouble.”
Psalm 143:12, “And of thy mercy cut off mine enemies, and destroy all them that afflict my soul: for I am thy servant.”
Introduction
Psalm 143 is titled A Psalm of David. It is another cry from David in a time of crisis, persecution, affliction, and deep distress of soul. The exact occasion is not identified, but it fits many seasons in David’s life. It may belong to the years when Saul hunted him like a fugitive, or to the later sorrow of Absalom’s rebellion, when David was betrayed, driven from Jerusalem, and afflicted by enemies.
Psalm 143 is traditionally counted among the seven penitential psalms, together with Psalm 6, Psalm 32, Psalm 38, Psalm 51, Psalm 102, and Psalm 130. While this psalm does not contain the same kind of explicit confession found in Psalm 51, Psalm 143:2 is one of the clearest statements in the Psalms concerning the unrighteousness of mankind before God. David knows that if God enters into judgment with him on the basis of personal righteousness, he cannot stand.
This psalm is therefore both a plea for rescue and a confession of dependence on mercy. David is persecuted by enemies, but he does not approach God as a man who deserves deliverance because of his own righteousness. He pleads for God to hear him in faithfulness and righteousness, yet immediately asks God not to enter into judgment with him. This balance is vital. David knows God is righteous, but he also knows he is not righteous in himself.
Psalm 143 shows a persecuted soul seeking God in several ways. David asks God to hear him, answer him, not judge him, remember him, guide him, deliver him, teach him, revive him, and bring his soul out of trouble. He remembers God’s past works. He stretches out his hands in prayer. His soul thirsts for God like dry ground. He asks to hear God’s lovingkindness in the morning and to know the way he should walk.
The psalm teaches that the greatest need of the afflicted believer is not merely the removal of enemies, but renewed fellowship with God, guidance in God’s will, revival for God’s name, and deliverance according to God’s mercy.
A. Pleading for God’s Help in a Time of Crisis
1. Psalm 143:1 and Psalm 143:2, Pleading for God to Hear
Psalm 143:1, “Hear my prayer, O LORD, give ear to my supplications: in thy faithfulness answer me, and in thy righteousness.”
David begins with a direct plea, “Hear my prayer, O LORD.” His crisis drives him to prayer. David does not treat prayer as a religious exercise that is useful even if God does not answer. He prays because he believes the LORD is real, personal, able, and willing to hear His servants.
The parallel phrase “give ear to my supplications” intensifies the request. David is not merely repeating himself without meaning. Hebrew poetry often uses parallel lines to deepen and emphasize the thought. David wants God to bend His ear toward him, attend to his cry, and receive his plea for mercy.
David appeals to God’s character, “in thy faithfulness answer me, and in thy righteousness.” This is a bold and reverent way to pray. David does not ask God to act contrary to who He is. He asks God to answer according to His faithfulness and righteousness.
God’s faithfulness means He is true to His covenant, His promises, His people, and His name. God’s righteousness means He always acts justly, rightly, and consistently with His holy nature. David’s hope is not in manipulating God, but in God being exactly who He has revealed Himself to be.
Deuteronomy 7:9, “Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep commandments to a thousand generations;”
Psalm 89:14, “Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face.”
God is faithful, righteous, merciful, and true. David’s prayer rests upon this revealed character.
Psalm 143:2, “And enter not into judgment with thy servant: for in thy sight shall no man living be justified.”
David immediately adds a humble plea, “And enter not into judgment with thy servant.” This is crucial. David has asked God to answer in righteousness, but he knows that if God judges him strictly according to personal merit, he is undone. He appeals to God’s righteousness, but not to his own righteousness.
David calls himself “thy servant.” This speaks of covenant relationship, obedience, loyalty, and belonging. Yet even as the LORD’s servant, David cannot stand before God on the basis of sinless perfection. He needs mercy.
The reason is clear, “for in thy sight shall no man living be justified.” This is a sweeping statement about mankind. No living person can be justified in God’s sight by his own righteousness. David is not merely accusing others. He includes himself. He knows that before the holy God, no man can claim innocence in an absolute sense.
This anticipates the doctrine later stated plainly by Paul.
Romans 3:10, “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:”
Romans 3:11, “There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.”
Romans 3:12, “They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.”
Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”
Psalm 143:2 is one of the reasons this psalm has been called penitential. David understands human guilt before God. If God enters into judgment without mercy, no man living will be justified.
The New Testament reveals the answer more fully. Justification cannot come through human righteousness. It comes through faith in Jesus Christ, whose righteousness is credited to the believer.
Romans 3:24, “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:”
Romans 3:25, “Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;”
Romans 3:26, “To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.”
God is just, and He is the justifier of the one who believes in Jesus. David’s cry for mercy finds its fullest answer at the cross.
This also explains how a believer can pray with both humility and confidence. He does not come to God boasting in himself. He comes as a servant who needs mercy. Yet he comes boldly because God is faithful, righteous, and merciful in Christ.
2. Psalm 143:3 and Psalm 143:4, The Nature of the Crisis
Psalm 143:3, “For the enemy hath persecuted my soul; he hath smitten my life down to the ground; he hath made me to dwell in darkness, as those that have been long dead.”
David now describes his affliction. “For the enemy hath persecuted my soul.” The battle is not merely external. It reaches the soul. David is not speaking only about physical danger, political opposition, or public pressure. His inner life is being crushed by the weight of persecution.
This may fit Saul’s pursuit of David, when David had to live in caves and wilderness places. It may also fit Absalom’s rebellion, when David’s own son rose against him and forced him from Jerusalem. In either case, David’s suffering was personal, relational, spiritual, and emotional.
He says the enemy “hath smitten my life down to the ground.” David feels flattened, humiliated, and beaten low. His life seems crushed into the dust.
He continues, “he hath made me to dwell in darkness, as those that have been long dead.” David feels as though he has been forced into a living grave. Darkness surrounds him. His condition resembles those long dead, cut off from ordinary life, fellowship, joy, and strength.
This language may recall literal caves and dark hiding places from David’s fugitive years.
1 Samuel 22:1, “David therefore departed thence, and escaped to cave Adullam: and when his brethren and all his father’s house heard it, they went down thither to him.”
1 Samuel 24:3, “And he came to sheepcotes by way, where cave was; and Saul went in to cover his feet: and David and his men remained in sides of cave.”
David knew darkness, hiding, and danger. Yet Psalm 143 speaks not only of physical darkness, but soul darkness.
This also points forward to the greater Son of David. In Gethsemane, Jesus entered a sorrow deeper than David’s.
Matthew 26:37, “And he took with him Peter and two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.”
Matthew 26:38, “Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.”
David’s words can be heard in a lesser way as the language of the suffering righteous man, but Christ fulfills the pattern perfectly. He was afflicted, opposed, betrayed, and brought into darkness for the salvation of His people.
Psalm 143:4, “Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is desolate.”
David’s inward condition follows from the pressure described in verse 3. “Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me.” He is not merely tired. He is overwhelmed. The burden has gone beyond what he feels able to carry.
David was a warrior, king, poet, shepherd, and leader, yet here he confesses that his spirit is overwhelmed. Scripture does not pretend that godly men never feel crushed. The righteous may experience seasons of deep distress.
Psalm 142:3, “When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then thou knewest my path. In the way wherein I walked have they privily laid a snare for me.”
David had prayed this way before. His spiritual experience was not shallow. He knew the depths of affliction, and he knew how to bring those depths to God.
He adds, “my heart within me is desolate.” The heart feels empty, stunned, lonely, and devastated. Desolation is a strong word. It suggests ruin, barrenness, and abandonment.
Yet David’s desolation does not lead him away from God. It leads him toward God. This is one of the great lessons of the psalm. The afflicted soul must not isolate itself from the LORD. It must bring its overwhelmed spirit and desolate heart into prayer.
3. Psalm 143:5 and Psalm 143:6, The Workings of the Soul
Psalm 143:5, “I remember the days of old; I meditate on all thy works; I muse on the work of thy hands.”
David now shows how his soul works in affliction. He remembers, meditates, and muses. He does not allow his mind to be governed only by present pain. He deliberately turns his thoughts toward God’s past works.
He says, “I remember the days of old.” This may include David’s own earlier experiences of God’s faithfulness, such as his shepherd years, his deliverance from the lion and bear, the defeat of Goliath, and many rescues from Saul. It may also include the greater history of God’s works among Israel, the exodus, the wilderness, the conquest, and the covenant promises.
Remembering the past can be dangerous if it becomes mere nostalgia or bitterness. But when the past is remembered as the record of God’s faithfulness, it becomes fuel for hope.
Psalm 77:11, “I will remember works of LORD: surely I will remember thy wonders of old.”
Psalm 77:12, “I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings.”
Psalm 77 shows the same movement. In distress, the psalmist remembers God’s wonders of old and meditates on His works.
David says, “I meditate on all thy works.” Meditation means deep, careful, repeated thought. David does not merely glance at God’s works. He turns them over in his mind. He considers them. He lets them instruct his soul.
He adds, “I muse on the work of thy hands.” To muse is to reflect deeply. David thinks about what God has done with His hands. God’s hands created, delivered, protected, judged, guided, and provided. David’s soul is strengthened by thinking on these works.
This is a necessary discipline for believers. In affliction, the mind often meditates on fear, pain, injustice, possible disaster, and enemy strength. David teaches the soul to meditate on God’s works instead.
Psalm 143:6, “I stretch forth my hands unto thee: my soul thirsteth after thee, as a thirsty land. Selah.”
Meditation leads to prayer. David says, “I stretch forth my hands unto thee.” His hands reach toward the God whose works he has been considering. This posture expresses longing, dependence, surrender, and expectation.
He then says, “my soul thirsteth after thee, as a thirsty land.” This is a powerful image. Dry land cannot refresh itself. It cannot produce rain. It cracks, waits, and longs for water from above. David’s soul is like that. He is spiritually thirsty and knows only God can satisfy him.
Psalm 42:1, “As hart panteth after water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.”
Psalm 42:2, “My soul thirsteth for God, for living God: when shall I come and appear before God?”
David’s thirst is not merely for relief, though he needs relief. His soul thirsts for God Himself. This is the mark of true spiritual life. Affliction may expose many desires, but the deepest desire of the godly soul is God.
The verse ends with “Selah.” The reader should pause here. An overwhelmed spirit, a desolate heart, a remembering mind, stretched out hands, and a thirsty soul are all set before God. This is a moment for reflection. The soul must ask whether affliction drives it to God with this kind of thirst.
B. The Plea Presented Again
1. Psalm 143:7, The Need for a Quick Answer
Psalm 143:7, “Hear me speedily, O LORD: my spirit faileth: hide not thy face from me, lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit.”
David repeats the urgency of his plea. “Hear me speedily, O LORD.” He knows God’s timing is perfect, yet his present distress makes him plead for speed. This is not necessarily unbelief. It is the honest cry of a failing spirit.
He says, “my spirit faileth.” Earlier his spirit was overwhelmed. Now it is failing. David feels that he cannot continue long without God’s intervention.
Many saints have prayed this way. They know God is faithful, but they feel weak. They know God is sovereign, but they feel near collapse. They know God hears, but they cry for Him to answer soon.
David then prays, “hide not thy face from me.” To have God’s face hidden is to lose the felt sense of His favor, nearness, and blessing. David fears this more than the enemy. He knows that if God’s face is toward him, he can endure. But if God hides His face, he feels as though he will be like those who go down into the pit.
Psalm 27:8, “When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek.”
Psalm 27:9, “Hide not thy face far from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.”
David repeatedly seeks the face of God. He is spiritually sensitive. He cannot be content with outward survival if he lacks the light of God’s countenance.
The pit refers to death, the grave, or the place of ruin. David feels that without the favor of God, he is as good as dead. This is not melodrama. It is the language of a man who knows that life without God’s favor is no true life.
2. Psalm 143:8, The Need for Loving Guidance
Psalm 143:8, “Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.”
David prays, “Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning.” He needs a word from God concerning God’s mercy. He does not merely need information. He needs to hear the LORD’s lovingkindness, His covenant mercy, His steadfast love, His hesed.
The morning is significant. The night of affliction has not lasted forever. David looks toward morning and asks to begin the day with the assurance of God’s mercy. A man who hears God’s lovingkindness in the morning can walk through the day with strength.
Lamentations 3:22, “It is of LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.”
Lamentations 3:23, “They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.”
The mercies of the LORD are new every morning. David prays to hear them.
He gives the reason, “for in thee do I trust.” David’s trust is in the LORD. He is not asking for mercy while clinging to self reliance. He is depending on God.
Then he prays, “cause me to know the way wherein I should walk.” David needs guidance. He does not know the way by himself. He asks God to make the path known.
This is one of the most practical prayers in Scripture. A believer often needs more than rescue. He needs wisdom for the next step. He needs to know the way to walk, the duty to perform, the temptation to avoid, the decision to make, the path of obedience to follow.
Proverbs 3:5, “Trust in LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.”
Proverbs 3:6, “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”
David is doing exactly this. He trusts in the LORD and asks God to direct his path.
He concludes, “for I lift up my soul unto thee.” David lifts more than his hands. He lifts his soul. His inner life is offered to God in dependence, surrender, and longing.
Psalm 25:1, “Unto thee, O LORD, do I lift up my soul.”
Psalm 25:4, “Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths.”
Psalm 25 and Psalm 143 share the same heart. The soul lifted to God asks for God’s way.
3. Psalm 143:9, The Need for Deliverance from Wicked Men
Psalm 143:9, “Deliver me, O LORD, from mine enemies: I flee unto thee to hide me.”
David again brings the danger of enemies before the LORD. “Deliver me, O LORD, from mine enemies.” The enemies are real. David is not merely fighting internal anxiety. He is persecuted by those who oppose him.
Yet he does not flee to revenge, bitterness, manipulation, sinful compromise, or despair. He says, “I flee unto thee to hide me.” The LORD is his hiding place.
Psalm 32:7, “Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah.”
David had learned that God Himself is the safest refuge. A cave may hide the body, but only God can hide the soul.
This is also a confession of weakness. A man flees because he knows he needs shelter. David does not pretend he can stand alone. He runs to God.
4. Psalm 143:10, The Need to Do God’s Good Will
Psalm 143:10, “Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.”
David now prays not merely for deliverance, but for obedience. “Teach me to do thy will.” This is one of the most important requests in the psalm. David does not simply ask to know God’s will. He asks to do it.
Knowing is necessary, but doing is the goal. A man may speak about God’s will, study God’s will, debate God’s will, and even admire God’s will, yet fail to do it. David asks to be taught to obey.
James 1:22, “But be ye doers of word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”
God’s people must be doers of the word. David’s prayer is a prayer for obedient discipleship.
The reason is covenantal, “for thou art my God.” Because the LORD is David’s God, David wants to do His will. Relationship creates obligation. If God is truly our God, we must desire to obey Him.
David continues, “thy spirit is good.” The Holy Spirit is good because God is good. David understands that he needs the good Spirit of God to lead him. This verse gives a clear Old Testament testimony to the goodness of the Spirit.
The New Testament reveals even more fully the Spirit’s work in guiding, teaching, empowering, sanctifying, and indwelling believers.
John 14:26, “But Comforter, which is Holy Ghost, whom Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”
Romans 8:14, “For as many as are led by Spirit of God, they are sons of God.”
David prays according to a truth later made fuller in the New Covenant. God’s good Spirit leads His people.
The final phrase is, “lead me into the land of uprightness.” David wants to walk in a level, righteous, upright place. He does not want a crooked path. He does not want compromise. He does not merely want escape from enemies. He wants to be led into uprightness.
This is vital. Many people want deliverance from trouble, but not holiness. David wants both. He wants God to rescue him and teach him to do God’s will.
5. Psalm 143:11 and Psalm 143:12, The Need for Revival and Rescue
Psalm 143:11, “Quicken me, O LORD, for thy name’s sake: for thy righteousness’ sake bring my soul out of trouble.”
David prays, “Quicken me, O LORD.” To quicken means to revive, make alive, renew, restore vitality, and strengthen life. David’s spirit is failing, so he asks God to revive him.
This is a prayer for personal revival. David needs renewed spiritual life, strength, courage, hope, and communion with God. But notice the motive, “for thy name’s sake.” David does not merely ask for revival so that he can feel better. He asks for revival so that God’s name will be honored.
True revival is God centered. It is not about the reputation of a man, a preacher, a church, or a movement. It is for the name of the LORD.
Psalm 23:3, “He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”
God restores His people for His name’s sake. David prays in that same spirit.
He continues, “for thy righteousness’ sake bring my soul out of trouble.” David’s soul is in trouble, and only God can bring it out. He asks God to act according to His righteousness. God’s righteous character is David’s hope because David belongs to Him as His servant.
Psalm 143:12, “And of thy mercy cut off mine enemies, and destroy all them that afflict my soul: for I am thy servant.”
The psalm ends with an appeal to mercy and a prayer for judgment against enemies. “And of thy mercy cut off mine enemies.” David asks God to deal with the enemies who afflict his soul. This is not personal revenge taken into David’s own hands. It is an appeal to God’s judgment.
The phrase “of thy mercy” is important. David asks for deliverance and judgment according to God’s mercy. Mercy to the afflicted servant may require judgment upon the unrepentant persecutor. God’s mercy toward His people and His justice against evil are not contradictions.
David says, “destroy all them that afflict my soul.” The affliction has been deeply personal and spiritual. His enemies have not merely inconvenienced him. They have persecuted his soul, crushed his life, and brought him into darkness. David asks God to end that oppression.
Under the New Covenant, believers are commanded not to take vengeance and to pray for enemies.
Romans 12:19, “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith Lord.”
Matthew 5:44, “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;”
This does not mean Christians stop believing in divine justice. It means they entrust justice to God and pray for repentance, mercy, deliverance, and the defeat of evil according to God’s wisdom.
The final reason David gives is, “for I am thy servant.” This is the closing identity of the psalm. David is not his own. He belongs to the LORD. The servant has obligations to the Master, and David has asked to be taught to do God’s will. Yet the Master also cares for His servant. David appeals to that relationship.
Psalm 143 ends with David still dependent, still praying, still afflicted, but firmly belonging to God. That is hope for the persecuted soul.
Doctrinal and Practical Summary
Psalm 143 teaches that the afflicted believer must appeal to God’s faithfulness, righteousness, and mercy. David asks God to hear, answer, guide, revive, and rescue him according to who God is.
The psalm teaches the universal unrighteousness of mankind before God. David confesses that in God’s sight no man living shall be justified. This points forward to the New Testament doctrine that all have sinned and that justification comes only through the grace of God in Jesus Christ.
Psalm 143 teaches that persecution can crush the soul. David’s enemy persecuted his soul, smote his life to the ground, made him dwell in darkness, overwhelmed his spirit, and left his heart desolate. Scripture does not minimize the inward suffering of God’s servants.
The psalm teaches that memory and meditation are weapons of hope. David remembers the days of old, meditates on God’s works, and muses on the work of God’s hands. He refuses to let present misery erase past faithfulness.
Psalm 143 teaches that the soul must thirst for God. David stretches out his hands and longs for God like thirsty land. His affliction drives him toward God, not away from Him.
The psalm teaches the need for morning mercy and daily guidance. David asks to hear God’s lovingkindness in the morning and to know the way he should walk.
Psalm 143 also teaches that deliverance must be joined to obedience. David asks God to teach him to do His will. He does not merely want relief from enemies. He wants to walk in uprightness.
Finally, Psalm 143 teaches that revival is for the LORD’s name. David prays, “Quicken me, O LORD, for thy name’s sake.” True revival is God centered, grounded in God’s righteousness, and joined to the servant’s dependence on mercy.
