Commonplace –
“I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me; refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul.
I cried unto thee, O Lord: I said, Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living” (Psalm 142:4-5).
Like Psalm 141, Psalm 142 begins with David crying out to God. He shares his troubles with God. He speaks of his loneliness and despair; no person is there to help him. Then, David reminds himself that God is his refuge and portion in the “land of the living”. Even if man abandons him, God is ever present. He ends on a confident note with full faith that God will save him:
“…the righteous shall compass me about; for thou shalt deal bountifully with me” (Psalm 142:7b).
Matthew Henry advises the following:
“Those that are troubled in mind, body, or estate, may, in singing this psalm (if they sing it in some measure with David’s spirit), both warrant his complaints and fetch in his comforts” (626).
Works Cited
Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 142.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Volume 3 and Volume 6, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.
Holy Bible: Giant Print with Study Aids. Dugan Publishers, Inc., 1984.
© 2025 Angela Hormberg
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