This is a short psalm and is very direct in its request. The author is unknown along with the time and place of writing. In trying to understand the writer’s situation, I thought this may have been written by an exile during the Babylonian Captivity.
I can imagine a true believer like Ezekiel or Daniel and his friends. He was living in a foreign land. He could no longer go to the Temple to worship God. He didn’t understand why God allowed him to be carried off into captivity with the Jews who worshipped false gods. “Send out Your light and Your truth; let them guide me. Let them lead me to Your holy mountain, to the place where You live.” Verse 3 (NLT).
Why couldn’t he just worship God where he was? It began on Mt. Sinai. God told Moses to say to the Israelites, “Now if you will obey Me and keep My covenant, you will be My own special treasure from among all the peoples on earth; for all the earth belongs to Me. And you will be My kingdom of priests, My holy nation. . .And all the people responded together, ‘We will do everything the Lord has commanded’.” Ex. 19:6,8 (NLT). But when God appeared to the people three days later to give them the Ten Commandments, the people became so afraid they changed their minds and said, “You speak to us, and we will listen. But don’t let God speak directly to us, or we will die.” Ex:20-19 (NLT). So instead of being a nation of priests, they became a nation with priests and the formal place of worship was the Tabernacle and then the Temple.
Peter tells us, “But you are not like that for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession.” 1 Pet. 2:9 (NLT). But many Christians have acted like the Jews of old, they let their pastor speak for God. They do not read their Bibles, they don’t spend time in private worship, praise, nor prayer. Is it any wonder our churches are declining and our nation is in chaos?