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Psalm Forty-Two

1. Many Hebrew manuscripts unite Psalm 42 & 43 into one Psalm.  Even if they are separate psalms, Psalm 43 is clearly the sequel to Psalm 42. 
   1. Ps. 42-49 are the first seven (or eight) psalms in Book 2 of the canonical Psalter. 
   2. The Sons of Korah also composed Ps. 84,85,87,88*. *double credited with Heman the Ezrahite (TTB Day 140).
   3. TTB Day 190 covers the first batch of these Sons of Korah psalms. TTB Day 191 covers the rest.
2. The psalmist declares his desperate need for God’s Word, as he reflects upon the joyous days of worship in times past (Ps. 42:1-4).
3. The refrain is a rhetorical question—why am I in despair? (Ps. 42:5,11; 43:5).
4. The psalmist admits the despair of his soul, and rests in the grace and truth which sustains him while abroad (Ps. 42:6-10).

Psalm Forty-Three

1. The psalmist composes a sequel to Psalm 42, when he begins his return to Jerusalem.
2. The psalmist prays for, and expects that the Lord will faithfully bring him into His presence (Ps. 43:1-4).
   1. Either into God’s presence in Jerusalem, or
   2. God’s presence in eternity.
3. The psalmist includes the refrain from Psalm 42.  Why am I in despair? (Ps. 43:5).

Psalm Forty-Four

1. The setting for Psalm 44 is not known.  Sennacherib’s invasion of Judah is an excellent speculation, however, as the circumstances of 2nd Kgs. 18 fit well with the subject matter of the psalm.
2. The psalmist is possibly even a king, who submits to God as his king (Ps. 44:4,6).
3. The psalmist reviews the Lord’s faithfulness in previous generations (Ps. 44:1-3).
4. The psalmist reviews the Lord’s faithfulness in previous battles during the current generation (Ps. 44:4-8).
5. The psalmist struggles to understand why the Lord is currently rejecting them, and handing them to their enemies (Ps. 44:9-16).
6. The psalmist could understand it better if they were in apostasy, but they are not (Ps. 44:17-19).
7. The psalmist can only conclude that God is asleep, and prays that He might wake up soon to rescue them (Ps. 44:20-26).

Psalm Forty-Five

1. Psalm 45 is a song of praise to the glorious King (Ps. 45:1-2).
2. The King is a mighty conqueror, and yet one who champions truth, meekness, and righteousness (Ps. 45:3-5).
3. The King is God Himself, whose God has anointed Him (Ps. 45:6-7; Heb. 1:8-9).
4. The God-King has a Bride prepared for Him (Ps. 45:8-15).
5. The people of the King will no longer be oriented to their fathers—they will be oriented to their sons, the heirs of the King (Ps. 45:16-17).

Psalm Forty-Six

1. Believers can trust in the Lord for all things (Ps. 46:1-3).
   1. Even if He floods the earth (vv.2,3).
   2. Which He promised to never do again (Gen. 9:11).
2. Believers can look forward to the river of life (Rev. 22:1; Ezek. 47:1-12) and the city of God (Ps. 48:1-3; Heb. 11:10; Rev. 3:12).
3. While looking ahead, the psalmists highlight the next world-wide judgment of the Lord by means of fire (Ps. 46:5-11; Mic. 1:4; Nah. 1:5,6; 2nd Pet. 3:7,10,12).