English Basic Explanation - Chapter 63

Chapter 63

This Psalm begins by informing us that it was composed during the period David spent in the Judean desert as he fled from King Shaul.  David poetically describes the dry, arid quality of the desert (verse 2), yet he does not offer a prayer for water or food.  Instead, he employs the experience of desert thirst as a metaphor for his longing for closeness to God and for the opportunity to frequent the House of God (the Ark – see Radak, verse 3).  He "thirsts" for a closer relationship with the Almighty just as a weary traveler thirsts for refreshing water.  What troubles David about his current condition is not the unavailability of water, but rather his inability to draw nearer to the Almighty and pursue his spiritual goals.  The thirst he experiences for water is in his eyes simply a means of analogizing his "thirst" for closeness with God.

In the second section of this chapter (verses 8-12) David acknowledges the assistance and support God has shown him until this point, and expresses his confident faith in the ultimate demise of those who conspire against him.  Unlike many other Psalms composed during David's flight from Shaul, this chapter is not written in the form of a prayer; it is rather a confident declaration that his pursuers will meet their downfall and he will joyfully ascend to the throne.

Psalm 63 provides an inspiring lesson about priorities and determining goals and ambitions.  Even in a dry, uninhabitable desert, David's thoughts are focused on his relationship with God and his frustration over being unable to pursue the spiritual heights he desires.  He even declares that his relationship with God "satiates" him like fatty meat satiates the body (verse 6).  David's primary aspirations were for spiritual greatness, rather than for physical gratification, and he was therefore more concerned with the spiritual implications of his current crisis, rather than focusing merely on the physical hardships posed by the harsh desert climate.