There be many that say, Who will shew us any good? LORD, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us.
Many ... say, Who will show us any good? Many, admist overwhelming troubles, such as the present ones, give way to despair, as they look not beyond outward appearances, which are all against them: their cry is, "Who will show us any good?" we cannot see any one able and willing to help us. The sentiment is general, though perhaps with allusion to some of his companions in exile, who had not the faith of David. In contrast to these, he expresses his own confidence, derived from Yahweh - "Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us." One glance of thy presence shining on me, and those with me ("us"), is enough instantly to dispel the gloom. David lays hold, by faith, on the promise implied in Yahweh's command to the Levites to pronounce the triple blessing (Numbers 6:24-26), "Yahweh bless thee, and keep thee: Yahweh make His face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: Yahweh lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace (cf. Psalms 4:8, "peace"). Another idea may be-The revolters had been restlessly seeking their "good" from earthly sources (Jeremiah 2:13; Jeremiah 17:5-8), and hence, had lent a ready ear to the lying promises (leasing, Psalms 4:2) of the ringleaders. In contrast, David expresses his trust in the Lord, as the only satisfying good (Psalms 2:12, end).