Psalm 142 Summary - 5 Minute Bible Study
Psalm 142 Short Summary:
Psalm 142 follows the pattern of many of David’s previous psalms, it opens with David voicing a problem and ends with David expressing confidence that the Lord would bring him through the problem. David’s problem was discouragement, but even during those days of discouragement he wrote psalms like this one to express trust in God’s plan to eventually bring him to better days.
Psalm 142 Summary
AUTHOR:
David wrote Psalm 142.
NEW TESTAMENT REFERENCES:
No Known New Testament References.
THEMES:
Relentless faith during days of discouragement.
DEFINITIONS:
Maskil (142:1) - The exact meaning of this term remains unknown. It may have been a musical indicator, telling the musician or performer how the psalm was to be presented. Other people think the term indicates a psalm that was written to impart wisdom.
The Cave (142:1) – This probably refers to one of the caves David hid in when King Saul was trying to kill him, perhaps the Cave of Adullam (1 Sam 22:1).
OUTLINE:
DAVID IN A CAVE OF DISCOURAGEMENT (142:1-7):
This psalm follows the pattern of many of David’s previous psalms, it opens with David voicing his problem and ends with David expressing confidence that the Lord will bring him through the problem.
David’s problem was discouragement. The introduction to this psalm seems to indicate it was written when David was running from King Saul. King Saul wanted to kill him even though he hadn’t done anything wrong. David had to hide in the wilderness to keep himself alive, which no doubt was not the most pleasant way to live.
David felt like he was alone, like his spirit was weary, and he was tired of dodging the traps of the enemies that were everywhere along his path.
He felt like he was in prison. His hideout likely seemed like a prison sense he couldn’t leave and wander freely.
He prayed to the Lord, “Attend to my cry, for I am brought very low!” (142:6).
Though he was discouraged his trust in God didn’t faulter. He knew God was his only source of strength.
He wrote, “I cry to you, O Lord, I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.
In the final line of the psalm, David’s enduring faith is observed. He expressed trust that God would be good to him and surround him with righteous people.
APPLICATION:
David was a man of faith, and he trusted that God would care for him, but this psalm reveals he wasn’t immune to having hard days.
He still struggled to make sense of his enemies persecuting him. His soul was still downcast. There were times when he felt alone, like nobody cared about him.
Having strong faith doesn’t mean our lives are always going to work out the way we planned, or that we’ll never have questions about why things are the way they are, or that we’ll never wake up feeling discouraged.
But faith in God does gives us the confidence to do what David did in expressing certainty that, while life may have us temporarily beaten down, God has a hold on us, and everything will be alright in the end.
God doesn’t promise us that we’ll never find ourselves in a dark cave of our own, but He does promise us He’ll be with us in those caves, and He’ll eventually guide us out of them.
