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Psalm One Hundred and Forty Two
by Dr. Henry M. Morris
(taken from the Defender's Study Bible)
Maschil of David; A Prayer when he was in the cave.
Maschil. This is the last of the Maschil psalms (see note on Psalm 32 (title). Like the first, it was written by David. He was fleeing from Saul, who was determined to kill him, and was in the cave Adullam (1 Samuel 22:1). Thus, it was written before he wrote Psalm 32, which was composed following his much later affair with Bathsheba.
I cried. Psalm 142:1-2 is in the imperfect tense, indicating that this was David's regular response to difficult situations.
Psalm 142:2 I poured out my complaint before him; I showed before him my trouble.
no man cared. Under the circumstances, David's cry of anxiety is understandable. This is one of David's most familiar verses, and has often been appropriated by missionaries on behalf of the unreached souls in the difficult regions of the world. It is one of the saddest verses in the Bible. Undoubtedly there are many lonely people in the world, who feel that no one cares. But no one was ever as alone as Jesus, when not only His disciples forsook Him (Matthew 26:56), but even His heavenly Father (Matthew 27:46) as He hung dying on the cross. Thus He understands! “For in that He Himself hath suffered, ... He is able to succour them that are [tested]” (Hebrews 2:18). Jesus died all alone on the cross, so He understands, and can “be touched with the feeling of our infirmities.” Therefore, at His “throne of grace,” we can “find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:15-16).