1<A Song. A Psalm. Of the sons of Korah. To the chief music-maker; put to Mahalath Leannoth. Maschil. Of Heman the Ezrahite.> O Lord, God of my salvation, I have been crying to you for help by day and by night: 2Let my prayer come before you; give ear to my cry: 3For my soul is full of evils, and my life has come near to the underworld. 4I am numbered among those who go down into the earth; I have become like a man for whom there is no help: 5My soul is among the dead, like those in the underworld, to whom you give no more thought; for they are cut off from your care. 6You have put me in the lowest deep, even in dark places. 7The weight of your wrath is crushing me, all your waves have overcome me. (Selah.) 8You have sent my friends far away from me; you have made me a disgusting thing in their eyes: I am shut up, and not able to come out. 9My eyes are wasting away because of my trouble: Lord, my cry has gone up to you every day, my hands are stretched out to you. 10Will you do works of wonder for the dead? will the shades come back to give you praise? (Selah.) 11Will the story of your mercy be given in the house of the dead? will news of your faith come to the place of destruction? 12May there be knowledge of your wonders in the dark? or of your righteousness where memory is dead? 13But to you did I send up my cry, O Lord; in the morning my prayer came before you. 14Lord, why have you sent away my soul? why is your face covered from me? 15I have been troubled and in fear of death from the time when I was young; your wrath is hard on me, and I have no strength. 16The heat of your wrath has gone over me; I am broken by your cruel punishments. 17They are round me all the day like water; they have made a circle about me. 18You have sent my friends and lovers far from me; I am gone from the memory of those who are dear to me.
Matthew Henry's Commentary
The psalmist pours out his soul to God in lamentation. (1-9) He wrestles by faith, in his prayer to God for comfort. (10-18) 1-9 The first words of the psalmist are the only words of comfort and support in this psalm. Thus greatly may good men be afflicted, and such dismal thoughts may they have about their afflictions, and such dark conclusion may they make about their end, through the power of melancholy and the weakness of faith. He complained most of God's displeasure. Even the children of God's love may sometimes think themselves children of wrath and no outward trouble can be so hard upon them as that. Probably the psalmist described his own case, yet he leads to Christ. Thus are we called to look unto Jesus, wounded and bruised for our iniquities. But the wrath of God poured the greatest bitterness into his cup. This weighed him down into darkness and the deep. 10-18 Departed souls may declare God's faithfulness, justice, and lovingkindness; but deceased bodies can neither receive God's favours in comfort, nor return them in praise. The psalmist resolved to continue in prayer, and the more so, because deliverance did not come speedily. Though our prayers are not soon answered, yet we must not give over praying. The greater our troubles, the more earnest and serious we should be in prayer. Nothing grieves a child of God so much as losing sight of him; nor is there any thing he so much dreads as God's casting off his soul. If the sun be clouded, that darkens the earth; but if the sun should leave the earth, what a dungeon would it be! Even those designed for God's favours, may for a time suffer his terrors. See how deep those terrors wounded the psalmist. If friends are put far from us by providences, or death, we have reason to look upon it as affliction. Such was the calamitous state of a good man. But the pleas here used were peculiarly suited to Christ. And we are not to think that the holy Jesus suffered for us only at Gethsemane and on Calvary. His whole life was labour and sorrow; he was afflicted as never man was, from his youth up. He was prepared for that death of which he tasted through life. No man could share in the sufferings by which other men were to be redeemed. All forsook him, and fled. Oftentimes, blessed Jesus, do we forsake thee; but do not forsake us, O take not thy Holy Spirit from us.