As The Deer Panteth

Meditations on Christ in the Psalms

August 31, 2022

As The Deer Panteth

As the deer longs for streams of water,

so I long for you, O God.

Psalm 42:1

Psalm 42 begins a new section of the Psalms. All but four of Psalms 1-41 are attributed to David. We are not sure of the specific identity of the psalmist in this next section. In the first section God was addressed as Yahweh, LORD, which is the intimate, personal name for God. In this next section, God is addressed as Elohim, which is the traditional Jewish view for the name of God as the Creator and Judge of the universe. The change in the name for God is indicative of the many perspectives from which we can view or understand God’s nature. There is the ethical view, which understands God as the Creator and giver of life. This view calls forth the acknowledgement of our responsibility to be good stewards of God’s creation, and that as all people are created by God, we have a responsibility to treat all people with respect. As God is the giver of life, our response to receiving God’s gifts is to generously share God’s gifts with others.

There is also a more personal and intimate perspective in our approach to God. Together, the names Elohim and Yahweh can lead us to affirm with Saint Augustine that we have a God-shaped vacuum within, and we will not be at peace until we allow God to fill the vacuum. Psalm 42 reminds me that God created me with the needs to be loved, accepted, and valued, and only God can fulfill these needs.

My Takeaway: I think of the well-known praise and worship song, As the Deer. (Marty Nystrom) when I read Psalm 42. Often, I incorporate the words of this song into my personal prayers.

As the deer panteth for the water
    So my soul longeth after You
You alone are my heart's desire
    And I long to worship You

You alone are my strength, my shield
    To You alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my heart's desire
    And I long to worship You

As the Deer

Marty Nystrom

Yes and Amen!

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2022 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.