Psalm 43:1-3 - Light and Truth

Psalm 43:1-3 (ESV)

[1] Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause

against an ungodly people,

from the deceitful and unjust man

deliver me!

[2] For you are the God in whom I take refuge;

why have you rejected me?

Why do I go about mourning

because of the oppression of the enemy?

[3] Send out your light and your truth;

let them lead me;

let them bring me to your holy hill

and to your dwelling!

The Psalmist is feeling attacked or oppressed by those described as ungodly, deceitful, and unjust. He cries out for deliverance from his enemies, but then his focus changes. His thoughts move from those oppressing him to the God in whom he takes refuge. He feels rejected by God. How often our circumstances cause us to feel that God has abandoned us. Our prayers seem to bounce off the ceiling and fail to reach God. Our experience seems to be that of abandonment rather than refuge. That is the Psalmist’s experience as well.

It is his next statement that is revealing. “Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me.” Rather than, “Where are you God?” he asks for light and truth. Light is understanding. It is perspective.  Light enables us to see the bigger picture. It reminds us of the sovereignty and faithfulness of God. It exposes evil. It reveals the hidden ways of God and the path that we should follow moving forward.

Truth is the opposite of the lies that the Psalmist has come to believe. He has come to believe that the ungodly, deceitful, and unjust individuals are getting away with bad behavior. Truth reminds him that they will one day answer to God. He has come to believe that God has rejected or abandoned him. Truth reminds him that God is right there in the darkness.

Light and truth lead him to the presence of God, his holy hill, and to his dwelling place. Darkness and lies lead to despair. Light and truth lead to intimacy with the Father. That is the prayer of the Psalmist in verse 3. It is in the presence of God that he will find joy, praise, and hope. Thus, he ends this Psalm, “Hope in God, for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God” (vs 5).