Psalm 63: A Song from the Wilderness

Books 1 & 2 of the Psalter take the Davidic monarchy as a given. While there are plenty of laments among the first 72 Psalms, they do not have the catastrophic aspect of the exilic Psalms in book 3. When the Christ – the anointed one – is king, yes, there will be setbacks – there will be trials and tribulation – but there is also confidence that God’s anointed king reigns! And that confidence supports us even when we are passing through the wilderness.

Psalm 63 demands that we see 1 Samuel 23-24 in the background: David is pursued by Saul. But we sing Psalm 63 from the standpoint of David on the throne...

or, more precisely, Jesus, the son of David, on the throne.