Psalm 27:13 - Printer Friendly

ESV: I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living!

NIV: I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

NASB: I certainly believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord In the land of the living.

CSB: I am certain that I will see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living.

NLT: Yet I am confident I will see the Lord’s goodness while I am here in the land of the living.

KJV: I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

NKJV: I would have lost heart, unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the Lord In the land of the living.

This psalm began with David expressing deep confidence in God. Later, however, David also opened his heart by pleading with God for rescue—the very thing he was so sure of. This is a normal part of human experience: what we know, in our minds, often has a difficult time resonating in our fears and emotions. Faith, in Scripture, is trust based on what we know of God, in the face of uncertainty (Hebrews 11:1). In the midst of danger, therefore, David took his worries to God, and trusted that the Lord would be victorious.

The conclusion of David's prayer is a celebration of the Lord's goodness. In addition to seeing rescue first-hand, David later was given promises from God to have rest and a lasting heritage (1 Samuel 16:13; 2 Samuel 7:11), therefore David anticipated a bright future.

God's promises to believers are described in 2 Peter 1:4 as "precious and very great." Hebrews 10:23 admonishes: "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful." The Lord will never break even one promise; therefore, like David, we can rely on God to keep His promises no matter how bleak our circumstances may be. Also, like David, we can anticipate a bright future, because Jesus promised to return and take us home to be with Him (John 14:1–3).

Psalm 27:7–14 reveals that David, while he commits his faith to God, is not immune from fear. In the prior section of this psalm, David stated his reasons to be confident in the Lord. Here, however, David seems to be pleading for those exact protections. Like anyone else, David experienced anxiety. Rather than succumbing to fear, however, David chose to trust God, remind himself of God's protection, and come to the Lord in prayer. This is concluded with another expression of trust in God.

David lays out the reasons he should be confident in God's protection. David then transitions, almost abruptly, into heartfelt pleas for God to rescue him from his enemies. The impression is that David is experiencing natural human anxiety and responding by reminding himself of God's goodness. The psalm ends with the same assurance expressed when it began.

Most Bible scholars believe David wrote Psalm 27 when he was in exile, with King Saul in hot pursuit. If so, the psalm aligns with other writings David composed during this time. Psalms 21, 26, and 28 are good examples. Others think this might have been written when David was fleeing from his violently rebellious son, Absalom. For the most part, Psalm 27 expresses David's confidence in the Lord as his guide and deliverer, but he also demonstrates his human fears by pleading with God for the exact thing he has been so confident of.

The book of Psalms is composed of individual songs, hymns, or poems, each of which is a ''Psalm'' in and of itself. These works contain a wide variety of themes. Some Psalms focus on praising and worshipping God. Others cry out in anguish over the pain of life. Still other Psalms look forward to the coming of the Messiah. While some Psalms are related, each has its own historical and biblical context.