The Midlife Journey: Wisdom from Psalms 42-72

In the last 26 installments of our studies in the Psalms, we have journeyed together through Book One of the Psalms (made up of Psalms 1-41) and we are now ready to embark on Book Two of Psalms. According to scholars, Book Two, containing Psalms 42 through 72, parallels the book of Exodus and the journey of the people of Israel from bondage in Egypt to the establishment of the tabernacle.

The collection of Psalms in Book Two expands poetically and metaphorically on the themes found in Exodus. The psalmists speak eloquently of our hope in hardship and persecution, the promise of abundance to be found by following God, the repentance and redemption of those held captive by sin, and the assurance of God's coming blessing for His people.

What will you find in Book Two?

I'll give you just a few examples to whet your appetite!

Like the book of Exodus, Book Two of Psalms opens with a plea for the attention and presence of God:

As the deer pants for streams of water,

so my soul pants for you, my God.

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.

When can I go and meet with God?

My tears have been my food

day and night,

while people say to me all day long,

“Where is your God?”

Psalm 42:1-3, NIV

We can imagine the people of Isarael crying out from their captivity in Egypt while their captors taunt them by asking "Where is your God?" God responds by sending Moses to lead them out of captivity and into the presence of their Lord.

In Psalm 50, God Himself appears as the redeemer of His people and speaks to those who have cried out to Him:

The Mighty One, God, the Lord,

speaks and summons the earth

from the rising of the sun to where it sets.

From Zion, perfect in beauty,

God shines forth.

Our God comes

and will not be silent;

a fire devours before him,

and around him a tempest rages.

Psalm 50:1-3

When God's people cried out in Egypt, God heard and answered, and in no uncertain terms. He came to their rescue, clothed in light and fire. This reminds us of the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night which lead the people of Israel through the Red Sea and up to Mount Sinai where God would provide them with the law.

Finally, in Psalm 72, we see the psalmist celebrating the fulfillment of the promise found in Exodus 19: "Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation"  (Exodus 19:5-6a, NIV).

May his name endure forever;

may it continue as long as the sun.

Then all nations will be blessed through him,

and they will call him blessed.

Praise be to the Lord God, the God of Israel,

who alone does marvelous deeds.

Praise be to his glorious name forever;

may the whole earth be filled with his glory.

Psalm 72:17-19, NIV

As New Testament Christians, we can also see that these verses look forward to when Christ returns to rule and reign on the earth, thus establishing the kingdom forever for all the people of God to enjoy.

Book Two of Psalms and the Midlife Journey

As we follow along on this Exodus journey through Psalms 42-72 in the coming weeks, we need to pay close attention to the problems described in the psalms and the different methods that people turn to in hopes of solving those problems.

After all, if there is one thing that characterizes midlife, it is the wide variety of challenges that confront us. One midlife researcher described midlife as "Searching for balance in the midst of multiple co-occurring stressors while coping with losses and transitions, for some in a context of limited resources . . ." You could use this same description for the experience of the Israelites in slavery Egypt. Initially, they cried out to God for help. But as the story unfolds in the book of Exodus--and as it is reflected in the second book of Psalms--they also tended to look for hope in things that could not help or satisfy. Just read Exodus 32 and the story of the golden calf to see how quickly we humans can go astray. We can quickly go from a soul thirst for the Living God to a search for solutions in our own meager store of resources.

Our study of Book Two of Psalms will help us to focus our hearts and hopes on God and God alone so that when those stressors come, we can say with the psalmist,

Why are you downcast, O my soul?

Why so disturbed within me?

Put your hope in God,

for I will yet praise Him,

my Savior and my God.

Psalm 42:5, NIV

Daily Readings:

This week, I invite you to read through the book of Exodus to remind yourself of the story and to prepare your heart to see the parallels between the journey of God's people from Egypt to the Jordan River and your own journey through midlife. As you read, consider these questions in light of your midlife journey:

1. Is there anything holding me captive right now? What is keeping me from living fully in God's presence and promise of hope in times of need?

2. What am I putting my hope in when challenges come into my life? Do I need to reconsider what I depend on to solve day-to-day problems or the larger difficulites in life?

3. How is God redeeming my midlife experiences for His glory and my benefit? How do I experience His daily presence in my life?

   
   

Mount Sinai

Sources:

Thomas, A. J., Mitchell, E. S., & Woods, N. F. (2018). The challenges of midlife women: Themes from the Seattle midlife women's health study. Women's Midlife Health, 4(8). DOI: 10.1186/s40695-018-0039-9