1 A psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah.
2 O God, my God (El) [art] thou; early will I seek thee. For thee thirsteth my soul, for thee longeth my flesh, in a land dry and weary without water;
3 So as I have beheld (or to see) thee in the holy place, to see thy power and thy glory;
4 Because thy mercy [is] better than life; my lips shall praise thee.
5 So will I bless thee in my life, in thy name will I lift up my hands.
6 As [with] marrow and fatness thou wilt satisfy my soul; and [with] lips of rejoicings will my mouth praise thee.
7 When I remember thee upon my bed in night-watches, I will meditate on thee.
8 For thou hast been a help to me, and in the shadow of thy wings I will rejoice.
9 My soul cleaveth after thee; thy right hand maintaineth me.
10 And they to ruin are seeking my soul; they shall go into the depths of the earth.
11 They shall be given up to the power of the sword (lit. they shall pour him out into the hands of the sword); a portion for foxes they shall be.
12 And the king shall rejoice in God: every one that sweareth by him shall glory, for the mouth of those that speak lies shall be stormed.
Notes on Psalm 63
This rises higher still; it is “A psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah.” Higher than this, in its kind, no soul can go, though the covenant blessings cannot be enjoyed far from the city and the sanctuary. But the blessedness of God is enjoyed as never before, the Giver Himself, when the righteous are outside the prostitution of His gifts. Our Lord knew this, as no man ever did. Even deliverance is not sought; and the thirst is not of the desert but of the soul after God, and this too to see His power and His glory where He revealed Himself. A dry and weary land only brings out the more the longing for God fully manifested. It is meanwhile what the apostle calls joying or glorying in God (Rom. 5), and in the close what the Lord desires for us in John 17:24. When the Bride the Lamb’s wife is glorified, she rejoices that she has in fact the glory of God (Rev. 21:11), in the hope of which we now exult.
The first of psalms 64-67 appears to close the series wherein is set out the iniquity of the adversaries against those who look for Christ, the godly Jewish remnant. The three following portray their feelings as having in the Beloved a plea for deliverance which waxes stronger and clearer by His Spirit working in them according to the word provided for their souls.