Psalm 13 – An Exemplary Lament
Psalm 13 is a typical lament that moves from complaint to petition and then to praise. It beautifully illustrates this typical structure. Consequently, I will use this Psalm as the framework for the following discussion. The psalmist prayed:
How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
and every day have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?
Look on me and answer, O Lord my God.
Give light to my eyes,
or I will sleep in death;
my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,”
and my foes will rejoice when I fall.
But I trust in your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in your salvation.
I will sing to the Lord,
for he has been good to me.
Complaint
Laments are complaints. Lamenters complain about their enemies and their tragic circumstances. They are confused by God’s hiddenness or anger. They complain that their enemies persecute them (7:5; 31:15; 71:10; 143:3), triumph over them (41:11; 42:9; 56:2), and mock their faith (25:2; 35:19; 55:3; 69:4; 80:6; 102:8). They complain about the fallenness which surrounds them through sickness, death and disease (9:13; 16:10; 22:15; 35:7,13; 38:3; 40:2; 56:13; 69:15; 88:4; 109:31). They complain that God has hidden his face or turned away from his people (10:1; 27:9; 44:24; 55:1; 69:17; 88:14; 89:46; 143:7), or that God has forsaken or forgotten his people, his covenant and his promises (22:1; 42:9; 44:24).
Primarily these complaints come in the form of questions, like the questions of Psalm 13. They ask their Sovereign Lord, “Why?” and “How Long?” They complain to the only one who can answer. They complain to the only one who truly cares, and the only one who can redeem. They voice their frustrations, hurt, pain, anger and disappointment to their covenant God. Consequently, they ask God not to hide his face, but to remember his covenant (27:9; 55:1; 69:17; 102:2; 143:7). They ask God not to forsake them, but to act out of his steadfast love (10:12; 27:9; 38:21; 71:9; 74:19; 138:8). The laments are grounded in God’s covenant relationship with his people. They are not offered to just any God, but the cry of the lamenter is “my God” (7:7; 22:1,10; 63:1; 102:24; 140:6). They can ask these questions because they are God’s people and he is their God. Laments are expressions of faith.
Psalm 13 asks God four questions, each of which begins with “How long?” The first two questions address God’s involvement. How long will God continue to “forget” his servant and “hide” his face from him? The psalmist understands that God controls his universe, and he attributes his present circumstances to God’s action or inaction. The second two questions address the fallen circumstance in which the psalmist finds himself. In particular, he asks how long sorrow and pain must fill his heart while his enemies triumph over him. The questions are a complaint about God’s inaction and the psalmist’s sorrow. The situation describes fallenness because God is absent and pain fills his life. Where is God? What is he doing? Why does he not act?
The question “how long” implies that God can end this suffering and this raises the implicit question of why God permits this suffering to continue. The psalmist recognizes that his circumstances are dependent upon God. He knows his God is sovereign and so his question is a meaningful one. It is not a mere exclamation of pain, though it is that. It is more. The question arises out of the psalmist’s confidence in both God’s goodness and his sovereignty. It is a real question. There must be a real answer. The psalmist assumes that God is responsible for the circumstances of his suffering and so he addresses him.
Psalm 13 does not reveal the particular problem of this psalmist. It speaks in generalities though it was certainly occasioned by some painful event. However, as it appears, it speaks to all disorientation. It speaks honestly and boldly to God about the fallenness of the world. It is an honest appraisal that something is not right with the world. Lament functions to bring the fallenness of the world into the throne room of God and to question God about that fallenness. It is the means by which God’s people bring real questions about real pain into the real presence of God.
The Psalms are filled with the question “How long?” It is the cry of God’s people under the weight of suffering. It is a cry to a sovereign God who can release them from their suffering. God sets the boundaries of time and he determines the length of suffering. The sovereign God can answer the question which God’s people ask. It is not a mere expression of despair, but a genuine longing to know. It is a call upon God to intervene and end the suffering of his people.
Psalm 6:3, “My soul is in anguish. How long, O Lord, how long?”
Psalm 35:16-17, “Like the ungodly they maliciously mocked, they gnashed their teeth at me. O Lord, how long will you look on? Rescue me from their ravages, my precious life from these lions.”
Psalm 74:10-11, “How long will the enemy mock you, O God? Will the foe revile your name forever? Why do you hold back your hand, your right hand? Take it from the folds of your garment and destroy them!”
Psalm 79:5, “How long, O Lord? Will you be angry forever? How long will your jealousy burn like fire?”
Psalm 80:4, “O Lord God Almighty, how long will your anger smolder against the prayers of your people.”
Psalm 89:46, “How long, O Lord? Will you hide yourself forever? How long will your wrath burn like fire?”
Psalm 90:13, “Relent, O Lord! How long will it be? Have compassion on your servants.”
Psalm 94:3, “How long will the wicked, O Lord, how long will the wicked be jubilant?”
Psalm 119:84, “How long must your servant wait? When will you punish my persecutors?”
When God’s people suffer, even under the weight of God’s punishment, as in the Babylonian exile, they cry “how long?” Even as Jeremiah prophesied the destruction of Judah, his question for God was, “How long must I see the battle standard and hear the sound of the trumpet?” (Jeremiah 4:21). Zechariah saw a vision where even the angel of the Lord asked the sovereign God, “Lord Almighty, how long will you withhold mercy from Jerusalem and from the towns of Judah, which you have been angry with these seventy years?” (Zechariah 1:12). The martyred Christian souls under the heavenly altar also asked, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” (Revelation 6:10). Even saints in the presence of God, then, still offer lament. The people of God often wonder “how long” and bring that question before the throne of God’s grace.
When the Sovereign Lord permits suffering or acts to afflict his people, it is natural to ask “why?” Sometimes the answer is obvious as the history of God’s people illustrates so many times. Sometimes they suffered because of their sins. They suffered God’s punishment or his deterrence. Nevertheless, the cry of “why?” often arises from the lips of God’s people. The longest lament in Scripture, while it recognizes the reason for God’s devastation of Jerusalem, also ends with this questioning, “Why do you always forget us? Why do you forsake us so long?” (Lamentations 5:20). Whenever Israel faced disaster, “why?” always rung in God’s ears as his people lamented. When Israel was required to gather their own straw, Moses asked, “O Lord, why have you brought trouble upon this people?” (Exodus 5:22). When Israel lost the first battle of Ai, Joshua asked, “Ah, Sovereign Lord, why did you ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us?” (Joshua 7:7). When the tribe of Benjamin was on the verge of extinction, Israel cried out, “O Lord, the God of Israel, why has this happened to Israel?” (Judges 21:3). When the Philistines defeated Israel at Aphek, the elders of Israel asked, “Why did the Lord bring defeat upon us today before the Philistines?” (1 Samuel 4:3). When Babylon destroyed Judah and carried them off into captivity, the people asked, “Why, O Lord, do you make us wander from your ways and harden our hearts so we do not revere you?” (Isaiah 63:17). In the midst of that disaster, the people of God asked, “Why has the Lord our God done all of this to us?” (Jeremiah 5:19; cf. Jeremiah 13:22; 16:10; 22:8; 1 Kings 9:8; 2 Chronicles 7:21). Even Jeremiah asked the Lord, “Why have you afflicted us so that we cannot be healed?” (Jeremiah 14:19). Further, Jeremiah expressed his own lament over the situation of his people by cursing the day of his birth (much like Job 3), “Why did I ever come out of the womb to see trouble and sorrow and to end my days in shame?” (Jeremiah 20:18).
The question seeks some purpose or meaning in the suffering. Certainly it is an emotional outburst, a frustrating exclamation; but it is also a genuine question. Every sufferer wants to know “why,” and the people of God, who sustain a covenantal relationship with their Lord, want an answer. The lament psalms ask this question.
Psalm 10:1, “Why, O Lord, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?”
Psalm 22:1, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning?”
Psalm 42:9, “I say to God my Rock, “Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?”
Psalm 43:2, “You are God my stronghold. Why have you rejected me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?”
Psalm 44:23-24, “Awake, O Lord! Why do you sleep? Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever. Why do you hide your face and forget our misery and oppression?”
Psalm 74:1, “Why have you rejected us forever, O God? Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture?”
Psalm 79:10, “Why should the nations say, ‘Where is their God?’ Before our eyes, make known among the nations that you avenge the outpoured blood of your servants.”
Psalm 80:12, “Why have you broken down its walls so that all who pass by pick its grapes.”
Psalm 88:14, “Why, O Lord, do you reject me and hide your face from me?”
The suffering is real, so the questions are real. The sovereignty of God is an assumed reality (the laments do not question this premise), so the questions are meaningful. Consequently, in midst of suffering, the lamenter raises his voice to God, enters his presence and questions him. Who else can he question? The Lord God Almighty is the Sovereign King. The faithful lamenter asks God because there is no one else to ask. Faithful lament turns to God and appeals to him. Indeed, God invites the lamenter into his presence, and these psalms are present in Scripture as models for faithful lament. God is willing to hear the cries of his people and he will patiently listen to them.
Petition
Lament psalms contain a wide range of petitions, but they may be categorized into three types: (a) Invocation; (b) Redemption; and (c) Imprecation. Because laments are addressed to God in response to fallenness, the invocation calls upon God to pay attention and to hear the prayers of his people. Redemption calls upon God to deliver his people from their fallen situation. Imprecation calls upon God to destroy their enemies. Petition, then, appeals to the covenant God to deliver his people for the sake of his steadfast love and to destroy his enemies for the sake of his righteous judgment.
Psalm 13 illustrates these three petitions. Three times the psalmist addresses God personally as he invokes the name of God and the covenant relationship that exists between the petitioner and God. He uses the name of God, Yahweh, twice (13:1, 3) and affirms that Yahweh is his God with the cry, “my God” (13:3). He then offers three petitions: “look on me,” “answer” and “give light to my eyes.” These redemptive petitions call for God to notice his suffering servant, to answer his pleas and to redeem him from the darkness. The psalmist may fear death at the hands of his enemies, or he may fear that his death is near which would delight his enemies (13:3-4). In either event, the petitioner wants redemption. He wants life. There is also an implied imprecation in the psalm. His enemies must not be permitted to rejoice over the demise of God’s servant. The honor of God is at stake if one of God’s people dies. Consequently, the petitions are motivated by how God’s glory might be dishonored. The petition arises not only out of the human need of the moment but also out of a zeal for God’s holy name. Psalm 13, then, has invocations, redemptive petitions and an implied imprecation. This is characteristic of lament psalms in general.
The invocation is rooted in the covenant relationship between God and his people. Lament invokes the name of Yahweh, the Lord of the covenant and the relationship that is sustained between the petitioner and God (“my God”). The invocation assumes that God dwells among his people, that he is their God and they are his people. The lament addresses God as the one who loves his people. In Psalms this personal address (“O Lord,” or “O God”) occurs 320 times (NRSV) and is abundantly present in the lament psalms (e.g., Psalms 3-7). While some laments portray God as hidden, the invocation — present in every lament — appeals to God’s covenantal presence. It assumes that God hears and that he will answer. While God may appear to have forsaken his people or forgotten them, the invocation calls upon God to turn his face toward his people again. It appeals to God as their God. It invokes his presence (10:1; 27:9; 55:1; 143:7). The faithful lament addresses God because he hears his people and it appeals for God’s presence even when he has previously been absent. The lament invokes God’s presence according to his steadfast love.
The petition for redemption (deliverance, salvation, rescue) is rooted in the steadfast love of the Lord who acts on behalf of his own people for his own sake and for the benefit of those whom he loves. The psalms reflect that God has constantly acted on behalf of his people to deliver, save, rescue and redeem them. The Hebrew words with this kind of semantic range (yasa’, nazal, padah) are used 136 times in the psalms. They are used in the past (18:17-18; 34:4, 6, 17, 19; 106:43; 107:6), present (22:20; 40:13; 72:12; 109:21) and future tenses (18:3; 24:5; 34:18; 55:16). They remember past deliverances, expect future redemption or request present salvation. The laments ask for God’s deliverance. This is the positive petition of the laments and it fills the pleas of God’s people. The following petitions arise out of individual laments and reflect the use of the three primary Hebrew words noted above. Thirty-two times the psalmist cries “redeem me” or “deliver me” or “save me.” Here are just a few:
Psalm 7:1, “O Lord my God, I take refuge in you; save and deliver me from all who pursue me.”
Psalm 25:20, “Guard my life and rescue me; let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.”
Psalm 31:2, “Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue; be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me.”
Psalm 59:1, “Deliver me from my enemies, O God; protect me from those who rise up against me.”
Psalm 70:1, “Hasten, O God, to save me; O Lord, come quickly to help me.”
Psalm 71:2, “Rescue me and deliver me in your righteousness; turn your ear to me and save me.”
Psalm 109:26, “Help me, O Lord my God; save me in accordance with your love.”
Psalm 143:9, “Rescue me from my enemies, O Lord, for I hide myself in you.”
The petition for redemption is primarily motivated by God’s own glory and/or by the steadfast love of the Lord. The petitioner approaches God and asks for redemption on the ground of God’s covenantal relationship with him. Both of these themes reflect God’s intention to commune with his people, and God’s people ask him to be faithful. The lament of Psalm 109 combines both motivations (109:21):
But you, O Sovereign Lord, deal well with me for your name’s sake;
out of the goodness of your love, deliver me.
When God redeems his people, he redeems them for his own honor and out of his steadfast love (17:7; 31:16; 44:26; 57:3; 69:13; 109:26). The two thoughts are intertwined because God intends to have a people for himself with whom he can share fellowship and through whom he can display his glory toward the goal of that fellowship. Thus, the laments are filled with petitions which find God’s motivation in his love or his own honor. For example, the communal lament of Psalm 85 asks, “Show us your unfailing love, O Lord, and grant us your salvation” (85:7). The individual lament of Psalm 6 asks, “Turn, O Lord, and deliver me; save me because of your unfailing love” (6:4). Further, Psalm 79 appeals to God’s honor: “Help us, O God our Savior, for the glory of your name; deliver us and forgive our sins for your name’s sake” (79:9). Consequently, knowing God’s intent to have a people for himself and knowing his faithful love, the people of God petition him through lament to act on their behalf. The motivation of the petition is not some kind of self-pity, but it is motivated by the honor and glory of God who manifests his steadfast love when he acts to redeem his people. It is a zeal for the honor of God and a desire for restored communion between God and his people.
The petition for imprecation (curse, destruction) is rooted in the righteous justice of the Lord who destroys the wicked for his own sake and for the benefit of his people. The petition for deliverance often involves the destruction of enemies. The individual lament of Psalm 3 ends with this petition, “Arise, O Lord! Deliver me, O my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked. From the Lord comes deliverance. May your blessing be on your people” (3:7-8). Or from another individual lament, “My times are in your hands; deliver me from my enemies and from those who pursue me” (31:15). This is a consistent theme throughout Psalms (see 7:1; 18:3,17,48; 54:7; 59:1; 69:18; 71:11; 106:10; 138:7; 142:6; 143:9). This appeal is rooted in God’s righteousness or justice. For example, Psalm 71 is an individual lament against the petitioner’s enemies (71:9-11), but what he asks for is God’s justice not personal vengeance. He requests, “Rescue me and deliver me in your righteousness” (71:2). God saves according to his righteousness (36:6). God will defeat his enemies for the sake of his name, for the honor of his righteousness and for the love of his people. It is on this three-fold ground that Psalm 143 makes its final plea to God (143:11-12):
For your name’s sake, O Lord, preserve my life,
in your righteousness, bring me out of trouble.
In your unfailing love, silence my enemies;
destroy all my foes,
for I am your servant.
The petitions, whether for redemption or imprecation or both, are made to a sovereign God by a people who belong to him. “Blessed are the people of whom this is true; blessed are the people whose God is the Lord,” the psalmist declares (144:15). God’s people rest upon God’s covenant, his sovereignty and his steadfast love. As God’s people, they are confident that God will answer their petitions. God can save (54:1; 124:8; 130:7). God is faithful to his covenant (119:170). God saves so that his name might be glorified (106:47; 79:9). God redeems his servants out of his steadfast love (6:4). God responds to the petitions of his people. When they call, he will answer (18:6; 34:17; 50:15; 55:16).
There is a difference, however, between a questioning which arises out of rebellion and self-interest and a questioning which arises out of faith. In the wilderness, Israel spoke “against God” and asked, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert?” (Numbers 21:5). Or, after the spies had explored the land, the people complained to God, “Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword?” (Numbers 14:3). They tested the Lord through their unbelief (cf. Hebrews 3:12-4:7). These questions reject God’s intentions for his people. They rebel against him because they arise out of unbelief. They do not trust the Lord. However, the psalmists are able to end their questioning with praise because they trust the Lord’s steadfast love. Their questions arise out of faith. Faith seeks communion, but it also seeks an explanation for the circumstances of disorientation while trusting that God is good and that he will deliver. God’s deliverance belongs to those who trust him and seek his face (69:6; 91:14; 86:2; 115:9). Consequently, praise belongs on the lips of God’s people, even during lament.
Praise
With few exceptions (Psalm 88), all laments end with some kind of praise. It is either a declaration of praise itself (like 6:8-9; 10:17; 22:24; 28:6; 31:7) or a vow of praise (27:6; 54:6; 74:21; 79:12-13; 80:17-18). This praise arises out of the petitioner’s confidence in God’s past redemptive acts, God’s continued steadfast love and the present covenantal relationship of the petitioner. The petitioner praises God or vows to praise God in the light of what God has done or will do. He praises God because God has heard and he knows his God will answer. He praises God while he waits for God’s redemption.
Psalm 13 illustrates this classic move in lament psalms from complaint and petition to praise and thanksgiving. Westermann has called this the “waw adversative” in individual laments. In other words, as the individual laments and offers his complaint, there comes a moment in the psalm where the writer shifts from complaint to praise. This transition is marked in Hebrew by the “waw adverstive,” which is signaled in English by the word “but.” Psalm 13 moves from complaint to petition, and then introduces praise by declaring, “But I trust in your unfailing love” (13:5). The psalm of lament, then, ends in praise. It ends with confidence and trust. It rejoices in the God who provides salvation and deliverance. What occasioned this mood swing? Why does the tone of the psalm change from lament to praise?
Westermann and Brueggemann, among others, have argued that we need to envision an “oracle of salvation” which offers a response to the lament. In other words, the psalmist offers his complaint and petition as in 13:1-4, and then waits for a divine response. Once he receives this response, he then writes 13:5-6. This may have been enacted within the liturgy of the temple worship where a spokesperson for God would respond to the lament and the worshipper would then offer his vow of praise or affirm his trust in God. There can be little doubt that this sometimes happened. Indeed, we find both Job and Habakkuk responding to divine theophanies or oracles. They offered their laments and then in response to the divine theophanies they humbled themselves before God and expressed their ultimate trust in his purposes. There are also examples in the writings of the prophets (cf. Isaiah 59:3ff; Joel 2:1ff; Jeremiah 51:36ff). It is possible that this is what is envisioned here.
However, it may be that instead of responding to a divine oracle, or some kind of divine answer, some psalms may be translated with a “nevertheless” rather than a “but.” Instead of hearing a word from God that engenders this praise, the vow of praise may arise out of the confidence of faith. Despite the dire circumstances of the lament, the petitioner through prayer experiences the reassuring presence of God and his confidence is emboldened. The change is not just a change in mood but is the experience of God’s presence which moves the heart from lament to praise. It is a sanctuary experience — an experience of God’s presence which gives rise to praise. The petitioners’ confidence in God’s steadfast love moves them to praise God when just moments ago they were complaining to him. But the complaints and the praise arise out of the same attitude — faith in God’s loving presence. They complain to God because they believe, and they learn to praise God through their lament. Through prayer and lamentation petitioners move to a new understanding of faith, a deeper appreciation of God’s grace and the assurance of God’s presence. God has already begun to act. He is present to comfort his people and he will ultimately vindicate them. “My comfort in my suffering is this,” the psalmist writes, “your promise preserves my life” (119:50). Even though he asks in lament, “When will you comfort me?” (119:82), he knows his comfort is found in God’s steadfast love (119:76). Prayer as lamentation moves the people of God to a deeper understanding and a more relational experience of that love. We often pass through lament to praise, just as Psalm 13 does.
The praise section of the lament psalms may contain four different types of confident expressions. It may, for example, rejoice in the past works of God, and consequently expect a new work of God to deliver the psalmist from the fallen situation (5:11; 35:9; 40:16). It may either contain a declaration of praise or a vow to offer praise to God in the light of redemption (9:13-14; 22:22,2 5; 26:12; 57:9; 71:18). It may also express the quiet confidence of waiting for God’s response (25:3, 5, 21; 27:14; 37:9, 34; 39:7; 40:1; 130:5). It may also express the fundamental trust that the petitioner has in God’s gracious purposes despite the circumstances (13:6; 31:6,14; 52:8; 55:23; 56:4, 11; 119:42; 143:8). However this is expressed, it arises out of faith emboldened by God’s comforting presence. God offers his people a “sanctuary” experience in the midst of lament.