Don't Give into Despair -- the moving truth of Psalm 42
- mww
- 3 hours ago
- 17 min read
Trust the facts of the gospel, not the doubts in your heart.
Bible Study Ideas and Commentary for Psalm 42
In this week's lament, the psalmist is in the grip of despair, having been sent far away from Jerusalem to be forgotten by God. His tactic is to tell "his soul" that God has not abandoned him. Today, Christians have proof of God's faithful love (like John 14 and 1 Corinthians 15) and the Holy Spirit that can help us through times of tragedy and depression.
Why, my soul, are you so dejected? (42:5)
Guess What? We Are Doing Another Lament
Last week, I went all-in on laments because they are a fundamental element of the Book of Psalms, and we hadn't covered one yet this quarter. Well, if I had taken better notes, I would have highlighted that we were studying Psalm 42 the final week, which is ... a lament.
Granted, it's a different kind of lament. Psalm 5 emphasizes anger about things that are happening in the world. Psalm 42 emphasizes the raw emotion of grief. In Psalm 5, the psalmist is angry about something. In Psalm 42, the psalmist is just sad. Depressed even. Yes, depressed because of things that have happened to him, but this psalm isn't about asking God to deal with the cause of the depression -- they are asking if God has abandoned him. See the difference?
So, I'm not going to talk much about the nature of laments this week; I'll refer you to last week's lesson for that:
I will talk about grief and depression a bit more this week -- especially since it is such a big topic in the news the year.
We Studied Psalm 42 in 2017
The lesson is almost identical to what we were given in 2017. Here's my post:
I took a more positive approach to the psalm then. I focused on the positive memories the psalmist had of worship and being with God's people, and what it is to be thirsty (including an aside on dehydration).
In that post, I make two big points:
sometimes life can feel like a desert, and
it's okay to have doubts.
Ultimately, your true faith is what remains when things get hard.
Anyway, check that post out if you want more ideas, including:
the hottest you've ever been
thirst and drowning
clean water ministries
a cool exercise on "GODISNOWHERE"
Getting Started: Things to Think About
Waterfalls and Too Much of a Good Thing
Are you a waterfall fan? I certainly am. I think they're amazing and inspiring, and I will always make the extra hike if there's a waterfall nearby.
How close have you gotten to a waterfall? The closer you get, the louder they get. Eventually, they can become deafening. Even if they're not very big, they can make it such that you have to yell at your hiking companion if you want to be heard.
And if you get even closer, they can become dangerous. Spray makes footing slippery. It can wash out paths. And if you get close enough to touch it, it can knock you down and dash you on the rocks.
(Would you believe that until 1951 it was legal to attempt to go over Niagara Falls?
What's your "scary" experience with a waterfall? Were you amazed how something so beautiful and inspiring could also be frightening?
Related: "Too Much of a Good Thing"
Have you ever had too much of a good thing? For me, it's usually the dessert. Like a piece of cake from Bool Weevil. So unbelievably good, but I know if I don't split it into 4 (8?) servings, that piece of cake will make me sick.
How do you know when you've gone from "just right" to "too much" of a good thing?
In this week's psalm, the psalmist will use that image to help us understand his feelings (namely, his depression), which is my Big Idea.
Homesick
Have you ever been homesick? One of the consequences of the geographical mobility of the younger generations has been a lot of talk of homesickness. Has that ever happened to you? (Note: this doesn't just have to be about you moving away; this can be a short-term trip.)
What were you specifically homesick about? What did you do to "fill that longing"?
Related Idea: Nostalgia (and Cracker Barrel)
Surely you've been made aware of the bizarre Cracker Barrel firestorm. I just read this morning that they've decided to go back to their old logo. If you don't know anything about what's going on, this USA Today article tells us way more than we need to know:
Anyway, part of the controversy is about the business design of Cracker Barrel -- "home cooking" and "grandma's kitchen" and other appeals to nostalgia. Changing the logo was seen by some as an abandonment of that "memory of home". If your group can handle this sort of opinion-based discussion, ask if they care about this topic and why (and which logo they prefer).
This feeds into the bigger topic -- is nostalgia important to you, and how does it affect you?
Here are two ways it affects me (currently):
"Celebrity deaths." I pay attention to when public figures die. Some of those deaths -- particularly the sports and music heroes of my childhood -- really affect me, a reminder that the world has changed and it isn't going back.
Movie remakes. I've had a personally mixed reaction to this spate of movie remakes. (The Naked Gun was hard enough, but there's also a remake of Spaceballs, and the cast of Goonies hinted at the desire to do a remake of that, and those are just the first three that come to mind.) Do we really need a remake of those movies? (And what does it say about the state of moviemaking if those are the ones being remade?)
The psalmist's "nostalgia" is much more serious than anything I've talked about. He is "nostalgic" for his time in Jerusalem (like homesick), so much so that it has driven him to depression (not just that he can't go home but that home has forgotten about him). And it's not just "missing home", it's coping with the circumstances that have led him to be so far away from Jerusalem.
If your discussion of nostalgia can veer into the "why" of it, then that might help put your group in the frame of mind to appreciate this week's psalm.
This Week's Big Idea: Depression
Here's the TLDR summary of this section:
depression is real and common, and people in your group may deal with it;
depression is not a failure of faith, but faith is necessary to working through it;
depression must not be ignored, and Christian counselors are valuable tools.
We have not talked about this topic as recently as I thought, so I'll spend a little time on it this week. Our culture is taking mental health more seriously (though perhaps not in the most helpful way), and we have talked about elements of this.
For example, I've brought up alarming statistics about teen and social media use, like this April release from Pew Research:
I also mentioned this Barna study from 2024, one disturbing statistic being that almost 20% of Protestant senior pastors (!!) considered self-harm in the previous 12 months (which can be a symptom of depression):
Pew and Barna haven't released general statistics on mental health recently, and the most recent CDC study (released in April) was based on 2023 numbers.
Long story short, 1 in 8 teens and adults reported experiencing depression. Even if that number is way off, it still means that you probably have someone in your group struggling with depression in some way.
So, what is depression?
Here's a description of what "depressive disorder" looks like (from the WHO):
During a depressive episode, a person experiences a depressed mood (feeling sad, irritable, empty). They may feel a loss of pleasure or interest in activities. A depressive episode is different from regular mood fluctuations. They last most of the day, nearly every day, for at least two weeks. Other symptoms are also present, which may include:
poor concentration feelings of excessive guilt or low self-worth hopelessness about the future thoughts about dying or suicide disrupted sleep changes in appetite or weight feeling very tired or low in energy.
Depression can cause difficulties in all aspects of life, including in the community and at home, work and school.
We will see multiple elements of this in this week's psalm.
There was a time, even recently, when "being depressed" was considered a failure of some kind -- "Christians should not get depressed". That might explain why fewer older senior pastors were willing to get help for their depression than younger. And this might influence how discussion in your Bible study gets shaped.
Well, I'm going to argue that since the author of this week's psalm was depressed, clearly it can happen to God's people. And more than that, the Barna study I linked above suggests that a significant percentage of pastors struggle with depression.
Struggling with depression is not a failure. It's doesn't mean that you're a "bad Christian". It does mean that you need to acknowledge it and get help, sooner rather than later. By all accounts, depression doesn't just "go away" -- it's something you have to work through, often with the help of another person (like a licensed counselor).
There are lots (lots) of books on the topic from Christian authors. I googled a list of recent releases, and I got pages and pages of options. I have no idea how helpful they are or how right they are, and I will always recommend talking to a licensed Christian counselor if those symptoms of depression seem to be picking up steam in your life.
And most importantly, your Bible study group needs to rally around any hurting member, whatever their hurt is -- physical, emotional, or spiritual. If someone in your group acknowledges struggling with this, y'all need to do whatever you can to support them.
About Psalm 42 (and Psalm 43)
Most scholars believe that Psalms 42 and 43 were originally one psalm, and that is pretty evident when you read them together.
It (they) is a "maskil", which I said earlier this quarter likely refers to a "well-written song".
They are attributed to the "Sons of Korah", one of the families of Levites with music responsibilities in the temple. Their ancestor rebelled against Moses, and the family was mostly put to death (Num 16). David gave them the responsibility of being musicians and gatekeepers in the temple (1 Chr 6 and 9). 11 psalms are attributed to them (12 if you count Psalm 43).
What's going on in Psalm 42? The psalmist is far from home. Mt. Hermon is in territory beyond the traditional boundaries of Israel, territory that David conquered and that Solomon held influence over. Why is the psalmist there?
Maybe he was shipped out as part of a "peacekeeping garrison" to ensure continued Israelite influence.
Maybe he chose to move there as part of the northeastern expansion of Israel ("Go west, young man!"), although that's really unlikely.
But based on how defeated the psalmist sounds, it's generally thought that the psalmist was exiled by his enemies in Jerusalem.
So, the psalmist is far from Jerusalem, and he's wondering if God has forgotten about him. He's afraid that his grief will consume him and God won't even notice.
The repeated refrain in Psalms 42 and 43 is
Why, my soul, are you so dejected? Why are you in such turmoil? Put your hope in God, for I will still praise him, my Savior and my God.
The way it's repeated suggests that the psalmist is trying to convince himself of it. But that refrain is in fact the foundation of how we can combat our own grief and depression.
Part 1: The Psalmist Longs for God (Psalm 42:1-5)
1 As a deer longs for flowing streams, so I long for you, God. 2 I thirst for God, the living God. When can I come and appear before God? 3 My tears have been my food day and night, while all day long people say to me, “Where is your God?” 4 I remember this as I pour out my heart: how I walked with many, leading the festive procession to the house of God, with joyful and thankful shouts.
5 Why, my soul, are you so dejected? Why are you in such turmoil? Put your hope in God, for I will still praise him, my Savior and my God.
Warning: 80s Nostalgia
I can't read this verse without singing the 1984 song by Martin Nystrom, "As the Deer." That song stays far away from the grief and lament in the psalm, so I don't think it's a great teaching tool for this week. But it is a valid positive application -- whether we feel far from or close to God, we should desire a closer relationship with God more than anything else in our life.
Back to the passage.
The psalmist uses a thirsty deer as his illustration. It's been 3,000 years (ish) since the psalmist wrote this psalm, and the land of the Ancient Near East has changed quite a lot. (In other words, photos of the current landscape don't necessarily tell us what it was like in the psalmist's day.) There were deserts and other arid regions around where the psalm was probably written, so this would have been a common and sympathetic illustration.
You probably have enough knowledge of desert/dry regions to understand the importance of water to the people and creatures that live there. (You might have seen in the news that Iran is currently dealing with a true water crisis -- Former Iranian Vice President Warns Water Mismanagement Threatens 7,000-Year-Old Civilization)
(Note: you can use dehydration and thirst as a discussion topic; I used it in 2017.)
Well, the psalmist compared his own "drought from God" to the deer searching for water in a dry land. And a "spiritual dry season" is an image that we use today -- you probably don't have to explain it.
If you know "As the Deer", you know the line as "as the deer pants". Animals "pant" when they get overheated (they can't sweat) or dehydrated, so the psalmist is definitely saying that the deer "thirsts" for water, and it is in parallel with the psalmist's own "thirst" for God.
This is not a "spiritual mountaintop" -- "I just want to be closer and closer to God". This is a "spiritual deep valley" -- "God is missing from my life". Have you ever been there?
Truth be told, we've all been there. And as we've been wont to repeat when this idea has come up before, when we feel that way, God didn't move -- we did.
The Lifeway material puts verse 3 in the right perspective -- it's adding insult to injury. The psalmist already feels abandoned by God; his enemies are cruelly kicking him while he's down, stomping on his already-broken heart (or bones, v. 10). (And yes, this is similar to how the Jews mocked Jesus on the cross -- Matt 27; keep this parallel in mind for later!)
There's some debate how to translate verse 4 from the Hebrew, but there's no debate what it means. The psalmist remembers his time worshiping with God's people during one of the festivals in Jerusalem. That was a fond memory for him; he was uplifted by his time in worship.
This is another important factor -- the psalmist is not angry with God; he's not a rebel against God. He loves God, loves being with God's people in worship, but is now far away and feels isolated from God and dejected.
And that leads us to the refrain --
5 Why, my soul, are you so dejected? Why are you in such turmoil? Put your hope in God, for I will still praise him, my Savior and my God.
The psalmist knows in his head that he should not be depressed like this. Why? Because he has put his hope in God, and he knows that God is a God who saves. The Hebrew wording means "I will again give Him thanks for the saving acts of my God".
This is something that we've all said before -- when your heart fails you, trust what you know to be true. A popular way of saying this since Covid:
Fair over fear.
The psalmist knows verse 5 to be true -- he's trying to convince his soul to listen to his head, not his heart. (I know that sounds strange; I'm working on a cleaner way to say it.)
Verse 5 is the key to the psalm, but let's keep going for now. Our observation is that verse 5 is surrounded by incredibly bleak statements.
Part 2: The Psalmist Is Overwhelmed (Psalm 42:6-8)
6 I am deeply depressed; therefore I remember you from the land of Jordan and the peaks of Hermon, from Mount Mizar. 7 Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your breakers and your billows have swept over me. 8 The Lord will send his faithful love by day; his song will be with me in the night— a prayer to the God of my life.
Verse 6 says it all. In the Hebrew, it means "my soul is bowed down". When a person is physically overburdened, they keep buckling until they collapse. This is what's happening to the psalmist's soul.
This is where Mount Hermon comes in. The psalmist specifically mentions Mount Mizar and the "Hermons". There's debate about exactly which peak "Mount Mizar" refers to, but we can be fairly certain that the psalmist is referring to the cluster of peaks surrounding Mount Hermon, the tallest mountain in the region, and "Mount Mizar" was where the psalmist was located. It's a stunning scene.
The runoff from these peaks (the "Hermons") feeds the headwaters of the Jordan River. Israeli tourism promotes a location called "Banias Falls" which is located between Mount Hermon and the Jordan.
It's a popular sightseeing spot.
This is where my "too much of a good thing" topic came from. That water is necessary for life in Israel. In fact, it feeds the Jordan -- the psalmist knows that it helps care for people who live around Jerusalem!
But when you're right up on it, it's deafening. It's overwhelming. In fact, it can kill you.
(Aside: the Chris Tomlin song "All my fountains" tries to spin this image positively, like our "deep relationship with God". That's not what the psalmist is talking about. The psalmist is being pummeled by a relentless waterfall, and it's drowning him.)
The Lifeway material mentions Job as a real-world example of this -- how he went from one tragedy to the next with no relief. That's a good example.
(Aside: please don't fall prey to the "bad things happen in threes" superstition. It's not true. It's a superstition. On the one hand, it will cause you to look for "bad things" in the news, and on the other will cause you to overlook "bad things" if you're already at three.)
Be sensitive talking about this. Some people in your group might still be reeling from their latest tragedy! But can the people in your group empathize with the psalmist? Have they ever been overwhelmed with "one too many tragedies"? That's the seedbed of the depression the psalmist was experiencing, and it helps put us in the psalmist's mindset.
Verse 8 is his "faith over fear" interjection, but I want to call attention to something I read online about this verse.
Aside: Banias Falls and Hope
I'm not taking any credit for making this connection. When I was looking for a photo of Mount Hermon and Banias Falls, I found this page. I don't have permission to share that photo, so I'll just link you to the page (if you want to see it):
Anyway, the author says something I hadn't thought about. First, he points out that Banias Falls is near Caesarea Philippi which is near the Mount of Transfiguration. And indeed, a number of scholars speculate that Mount Hermon was the Mount of Transfiguration.
But here's his observation: both Psalm 42 and the Mount of Transfiguration talk about an overwhelming spiritual event that ends in despair.
Wait, what? Transfiguration and despair? Actually, I see his point. In Matthew, the Transfiguration (17:1-9) is when Jesus starts talking in earnest about his impending death. In 17:9, Jesus specifically talks about being raised from death.
And we say, "Doesn't 'raised from death" sound hopeful?" Okay -- how were the disciples feeling between the Crucifixion and the Resurrection? Exactly -- they were in the pit of depression. The author's point: the disciples needed to believe what Jesus had told them to be true and not let their disbelief cause them to doubt and despair.
He says that the same thing must be true of Christians. We have precious promises that should overcome our despair --
“Don’t let your heart be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? 3 If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, so that where I am you may be also. 4 You know the way to where I am going.”
5 “Lord,” Thomas said, “we don’t know where you’re going. How can we know the way?”
6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you know me, you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” (John 14)
Easier said than done, obviously. Let's finish and apply.
Part 3: The Psalmist Feels Abandoned (Psalm 42:9-11)
9 I will say to God, my rock, “Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about in sorrow because of the enemy’s oppression?” 10 My adversaries taunt me, as if crushing my bones, while all day long they say to me, “Where is your God?” 11 Why, my soul, are you so dejected? Why are you in such turmoil? Put your hope in God, for I will still praise him, my Savior and my God.
A lot of this is a callback to what we've already read, reinforcing just how depressed the psalmist was. "God, why have You forgotten about me?" How heartbreaking!
In his mind, the psalmist knows this isn't true. God doesn't "forget" anything. But in his experience, his life reflected nothing of God's presence and everything of atheists mocking him for his declarations of faith.
What Jesus heard on the cross is a profound echo of this:
41 In the same way the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him and said, 42 “He saved others, but he cannot save himself! He is the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43 He trusts in God; let God rescue him now—if he takes pleasure in him! For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” (Matt 27)
And that's where we can find hope in despair.
God was with Jesus. Yes, Jesus experienced death, but God raised Him from the dead!
Jesus' death and resurrection was the proof that God is with us and will raise us from the dead (if we have trusted in Jesus as Lord and Savior).
The facts of the gospel are just that -- facts. We know them to be true. We can trust the facts, even when our heart wants to doubt everything else.
When we read that refrain again in verse 11, we should appreciate what the psalmist is doing. He is repeating to himself truth. He is trying to overcome fear with faith.
Likewise, truth is our weapon against doubt and despair and depression. I'm not suggesting it is easy! The psalmist clearly struggled with this for a very long period of time, and he was one of God's priests!
Nor am I suggesting that a Christian should not call upon a licensed counselor for help when the depression really seems to be sinking in. This is often not as simple as "mind over matter". This is "faith over fear" with the support and encouragement of your fellow church members and the supernatural ministry of the Holy Spirit.
All of that said, are there Bible verses that you turn to when you feel on the brink of despair? Share them with your group -- maybe they will be helpful to others!
I am partial to 1 Corinthians 15. Paul starts with "These Are Facts":
Now I want to make clear for you, brothers and sisters, the gospel I preached to you, which you received, on which you have taken your stand 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold to the message I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I passed on to you as most important what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve. 6 Then he appeared to over five hundred brothers and sisters at one time; most of them are still alive, but some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one born at the wrong time, he also appeared to me.
And then he continues with "These Are Indisputable Implications":
20 But as it is, Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead also comes through a man. 22 For just as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.
And then it just gets better from there.
We want to come away from this week's Bible study with tools (weapons) to fight the growing sense of despair and depression in our culture and even in ourselves.
God has not abandoned you. God will not forsake you. The proof is the outstretched arms of Jesus on the cross of Calvary.
Closing Thoughts: Psalm 43
If Psalm 43 continues Psalm 42, then you should read it. In Psalm 43, the psalmist makes his specific requests of God (see the model of laments from last week). Psalm 43 also reinforces the idea that the psalmist was forcibly removed from Jerusalem.