Tyndale Open Study NotesPsalms 63

These psalms of David share a common theme. They reflect on the experience of evil. In Psalm 51, the psalmist admits his wrongdoing and asks for God's forgiveness. Psalms 52–64 express sorrow over specific evils David faced. A song of praise (Psalm 65) brings David's laments to an end.

In these royal prayers, the psalmist longs for God’s presence. All three psalms concern themselves with the king’s security.

The king deeply desires God's presence. He experiences God's goodness in everything he does. Despite being tired and troubled by the wicked, the king finds strength in God and praises him. God is his source of life (Psalm 63:3), while the wicked face destruction (63:9).

• Together, soul and body refer to a person's entire being.

• dry and weary land: When David lived in the desert, he felt spiritually empty, away from God's people and the sanctuary.

The psalmist remembers that he had found God to be present in his sanctuary (see Psalm 18:6; 61:4; 62:5, 11–12).

better than life: The best life comes from a relationship with God (see Psalms 4:7; 63:5; Proverbs 16:8).

The psalmist thinks about and feels God's presence during the night. When it is dark, God is the light. The quiet night and the wait for morning offer time to reflect on the true meaning of life with the Lord.

Meditating on God requires focus, concentration, thought, and reflection (see Psalm 1:2).

• The wicked planned to ruin the psalmist's life with lies and deceit, but they would fail.

• the depths of the earth: This refers to the place of the dead.

Wild foxes and jackals are often associated with places that are ruined and abandoned (Isaiah 13:20–22; 34:10–15; Jeremiah 9:11; 49:33; 51:37; Lamentations 5:18; Malachi 1:3). The wicked will not receive honor in death. Scavenging animals will consume their bodies (Ecclesiastes 6:3; Jeremiah 22:18–19; 36:29–30).