Psalm 143 is one of a group of seven "penitential psalms" grouped together in Christian tradition---the others are 6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130. We see why it has been placed in this group in the first two verses, where the psalmist (traditionally David) appeals to God's mercy and faithfulness and then prays, "Enter not into judgment with your servant, for no one living is righteous before you."
Verse 2 expresses a truth affirmed throughout the Bible, the fact that no one is sinless. When Paul asserts that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Rom 3:23), he joins a long line of biblical writers. For example:
Proverbs 20:9: "Who can say, `I have made my heart pure; I am clean from my sin'?"
Ecclesiastes 7:20: "Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins."
Psalm 130:3: "If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?"
Mal 3:2: "But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears?"
1 Kings 8:46: "If they sin against you---for there is no one who does not sin..."
The psalmist feels persecuted, discouraged, and alone. He thinks about God's great works of redemption, and hopes for God's quck intervention in his own situation (vv 3-6).
His prayer includes
- request for deliverance and rescue.
- expression of confidence in God.
- a request for guidance. He desires to do what is right.
- an appeal to God's faithfulness to his people, and for justice to be done with regard to his tormentors.
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